INNER-CITY NEWS

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

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Love Reigns At Black Gay Pride THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

by Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Gabriel Francis began to vogue, his body nearly in flight. Tyler Jackson stood in the wings, waiting as a pulsing beat played across the park. A current ran through his body, surging until he could no longer stay still. In every movement was a history of queer Black resistance.

Francis and Jackson put on that performance Saturday afternoon in Goffe Street Park as part of the second annual Connecticut Black Gay Pride.

Love and liberation were the orders of the day—and visible in every move the two dancers made—as over 100 people turned out to the joint celebration of Pride Month and Juneteenth. Organized by A Place To Nourish Your Health (APNH) with support from several community partners, the event fused dance, drag, poetry, and public health as it unfolded on one side of the park. The long blue Community Health Care Van parked nearby for the afternoon, offering free Covid-19 vaccines.

“We are here in a safe place,” said emcee Xiomarie LaBeija, a Hartford-based queen and a daughter of the historic House of LaBeija. “This is a place filled with love. Everyone say love! I just gotta remind you. Just gotta remind you.”

By early afternoon, the basketball court was awash in rainbow and black, green and red balloons, with vendor booths from APNH, Anchor Health Initiative, the New Haven LGBTQ+ Youth Task Force, and several small Black-owned businesses. A free clothing closet from the Party For Socialism and Liberation (PSL) sprawled out across the grass on two tarps. Just feet away, attendees and members of Anchor Health painted a bright banner that read “Black Trans Lives Matter.” Kendall Driffin, who described herself as an ally, crouched down to leave her mark in thin lavender strokes.

At a small table covered in bright literature and pink Starburst candies, Jane Carter talked to passers-by about Seeds and Sprouts, a growing collective of mental health professionals and social workers dedicated to bringing social justice and access to care into New Haven’s mental health system. A clinical psychologist at Yale Health, Carter said she made sure the group had a presence at Black Gay Pride because she knows firsthand that Black people, and especially queer Black people, are more likely to be shut out of care than their white peers.

“We are interested in anything that touches the surrounding community,” she said, raising her voice over Doja Cat’s “Say So” as a few attendees danced to the beat. She handed out fliers to the group’s new “Consciousness Raising” workshops, which are currently focused

you say ‘matters’! Representation!”

“Matters!” yelled the crowd in a jubilant polyphony.

on getting law enforcement out of mental health care.

Across the court, APNH staff members Mel Defilippo and Letrell Floyd handed out rainbow-printed swag and tiny stuffed animals between free, rapid HIV testing.

In the past 16 months, the organization has pivoted largely to telehealth and at home HIV testing, which it is able to do by mail. Defilippo said that the two were excited to be back in the park after over a year of online programming. Beside them, a rainbow-colored wheel beckoned brightly, asking attendees to come closer.

“I’m excited for everyone to come out, to take a rapid HIV test, to know their status,” Floyd said.

Elsewhere, performers prepared to take the park’s stage. Beside a table for PSL and Life In My Days, multimedia artist and newly minted 24-year-old Dyme Ellis ran over their rap lyrics and examined neat rows of pins that glittered in the sunlight. A lifelong New Havener, Ellis said that they were excited to be there—even though they are largely skeptical of Juneteenth’s newfound fame as it becomes a federal holiday.

“We are still crushed by capitalism,” they added. “I hope people feel inspired to do better. We need to be celebrating and living Black liberation every day.”

No sooner had they spoken than LaBeija took the stage in a leopard-print bodysuit.

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In front of her, mothers stood beside their grown children, some sporting bi and trans pride flags. Kids played on the grass. Girlfriends waved doll-sized rainbow flags while they held hands.

Couples cuddled on the bleachers in all manners of multicolored gear. Photographer Linda-Cristal Young stood near the front of the crowd, ready with her camera and rainbow-patterned mask. Her eyes crinkled at the edges in the shorthand for a pandemic smile.

“Everybody say love!” LaBeija cheered.

“Love!” the crowd bellowed back.

“Representation matters!” LaBeija responded. “When I say ‘representation,’

Through drag, poetry and dance, performers gave a crash course on the ways that Black and queer liberation are intimately bound to each other, reaching back to pull out lessons from 1866 all the way to 1977. From a tent behind the stage, Kenya Mone Heart strutted out in a glittering leotard and long black boots with heels as thin as toothpicks. Joel Corry x MNEK’s “Head & Heart” soared over the stage, and suddenly her whole body was a live wire.

Her arms flew into the air as she glided across the concrete. The chorus hit, and she sunk into a duckwalk, bouncing on the da da da da dum dum of the beat.

Cries of “You better get it!” and “Werk!” bubbled up from the crowd, as some attendees approached the stage with dollar bills. For many there, it was the first time seeing live drag in over a year.

Reading between queens Heart and Sparkle Diamond, poet Ivy Poiison told the story of a woman who fell in love with her mind, keeping listeners hanging on to her every word. After pausing to introduce herself in between pieces, she took apart “The Star-Spangled Banner,” cracking open Francis Scott Key’s lyrics for her own interpretation.

In each of Key’s stanzas, she uncovered what she sees as a much more complicated country. She memorialized victims of police brutality, taking time to say the names of Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Natasha McKenna, Atatania Jefferson, Michelle Cusseaux, Kathryn Johnston, Riah Milton and Kayla Moore. She turned the imagery of the flag on its head.

Let us mend together as fingers of Black and Brown fists held high Let us pray for all families of angels and ancestors looking through the clouds in the sky And let us never forget/Because you matter/Because I matter/Because we matter Because Black Lives Matter Ellis came to the mic with back-to-back raps, attendees clapping to keep the beat when their music wouldn’t work and they went a cappella. They segued from a blistering takedown of their cynics to an ode to the city that raised them. “Hail the almighty from the 203,” they began, and the crowd cheered. As they moved to the lyrics, rubik’s cube earrings swayed from their ears.

“Some days I just wanna up and leave/ But I’m anchored to the tempo when I catch that beat,” they continued. “It’s like the beat catch me.”

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

Freddy Fixer Marches On, Cleans Dixwell

by SOPHIE SONNENFELD New Haven Independent

Without the usual fanfare of drums, drill teams, banners, and horses, a 30-strong Elm City Freddy Fixer contingent marched down Dixwell Avenue — armed with trash bags, shovels, and rakes in hand to beautify the neighborhood even during a year in which the pandemic curtailed the usual line-up of celebrations.

The Freddy Fixer Parade, which began in 1962 as a neighborhood beautification event, has come to serve as the festive culmination of an annual series of initiatives to support neighborhood beautification and to celebrate Black history and culture.

The official parade itself — which draws contingents from communities well beyond Connecticut — was postponed this year due to the pandemic. But the committee behind it kept the mission alive with the clean-up march, which took place Saturday.

“We can’t have a parade this year, but we can still have impact!” exclaimed one participant.

Olafemi Hunter brought his son Stephon to the clean-up. He spent the morning picking up trash while Stephon used a leaf blower to get trash out of the grass.

“It feels good helping the community clean up so the environment can be clean and so everyone can have a better living space,” Stephon said.

Olafemi Hunter mostly picked up cigarette butts and plastic waste throughout the morning. He said they were scouring the neighborhood very closely and being “tedious” in their approach: “We want you to notice a difference when you come out here, not thinking to yourself, They might’ve missed a spot.’”

Anthony Charles played music from a speaker and picked up trash alongside Hunter. “Giving back. That’s what it’s all about. Some of our kids are out here, we pass it down and instill some of this and they do the same” he said.

Hunter and Charles said they also were happy to see the community comradery.

“I’ve enjoyed connecting with other people who have a heart for service,” Hunter added.

Racquel Pratt, whose mother lives in the neighborhood, reached under fences and into sidewalk cracks to snag wrappers and cigarette butts with a trash grabber.

“Giving back to the community and keeping it clean is important,” she said.

“I feel like if we respect our community, other people will respect our community as well.”

She said picking up the trash brought a sense of peace for her. “As you’re out here picking up, you get lost in the breeze and the sounds of the cars.”

Pratt worked as a counselor in New Haven’s schools and said she wants the streets to be clean for kids. “When I think of my students walking down the street, I want them walking down clean streets. I

Chanelle Goldson (third from left), Nina Silva (fourth from left), Genevive Walker (center front), Malcolm Welfare (right of center front).

Anthony Charles and Olafemi Hunter.

don’t want them to see cigarette butts or alcohol bottles. I want them to take pride in the streets that they walk on.”

Sondi Jackson and Marlene Graham represented the Theta Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as they cleaned the sidewalks.

Graham spoke about the importance of supporting the community. “The comradery of getting out and when you help somebody or do something for someone it makes you feel good.”

Past President Petisia Adger and Past Vice President Diane X. Brown, who both currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Elm City Freddy Fixer Parade, helped organize the groups and materials Saturday morning.

Brown said she has observed less littering along Dixwell this year. “From what I see, the community has done better. I see more people with trash cans out in front of their homes, I see more flowers out last year and this year. Maybe it’s because people were home. They were taking the

SOPHIE SONNENFELD PHOTOS Sondi Jackson, Marlene Graham at Elm City Freddy Fixer clean-up.

time to clean up and beautify their own space.”

Adger noted that many neighbors Saturday morning poked their heads outside to thank the volunteers, offer water, or help clean. “People were happy to see us out and we were able to engage people in the community about the parade” Brown said.

Adger and Brown explained the significance of holding this year’s clean-up event on Juneteenth. “Prior to this becoming a federal holiday, a lot of people outside of our own communities didn’t even know what Juneteenth was. I think it’s important to keep putting our history out there because other people try to rewrite our history for us.”

“It’s a good example for people to see that Juneteenth can be about doing a variety of different activities. So you can start with service and clean-up in the morning, move into your informational, educational activities in the afternoon and you have your leisure activities at night,”

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said Executive Board President Malcolm Welfare.

“We want to make sure the community understands they have resources and people around them who are here to support them. That’s why it’s very significant to have pride in the Dixwell area and to have people come in to help it grow. It’s very important that people feel when they come into this area it’s not just a place to pass through, there are roots here. The roots have to be respected.”

Community Clean-up Coordinator Nina Silva walked with Welfare and Executive Board Secretary Chanelle Goldson, tossing litter into large trash bags.

All three are from the Dixwell area and emphasized the importance of taking pride in the neighborhood.

“Even if you’re a renter you have to take pride in your neighborhood. Sometimes renters say, ‘Oh the landlord has to do it.’ No, we have to take pride in where we live,” Silva said.

“It’s important the support for us being out here because people get to see that we’re more than a parade,” said Goldson.

“We’re about health equity, racial equity, activism, environmental justice so it’s good that we can get that message across while we’re still doing something we care about.”

Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (ConnCAT) CEO Genevive Walker exclaimed. Walker helped lead a group of volunteers picking up trash on the opposite side of the street. ConnCAT partnered with the Elm City Freddy Fixer Parade and received support from the Epsilon Iota Iota Chapter (EIIC) of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, St. John’s Episcopal Church, and the New Haven police and public works departments.

Three weeks ago, Welfare and Goldson launched a survey of the community in Dixwell to gauge issues and perspectives around community revitalization and preservation. All of the roughly 40 respondents stated that community cleanliness is of “extreme” importance to them.

“They all said that trash pickup in this area is an issue. So a lot of what we’re seeing is the community taking its own initiative and coming out and cleaning up” Welfare said.

In addition to better trash pickup and cleaning, some residents requested mulch, paint, and flowers to beautify the neighborhood.

Welfare said the committee is now looking for donations and plans to help reach the families and residents throughout the year as they receive items.

“And that’s the spirit of what the Freddy Fixer stands for. It’s more about cleaning up your neighborhood, taking care of your neighbors, more than just the parade. That’s why we’re out here, even though we could not have a parade this year, we want to make sure the spirit of the Freddy Fixer and cleaning up is number one,” Silva said.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021 Con’t from page 02

Love Reigns

When they finished, Queen had a surprise for them. After a few false starts from attendees, the DJ blasted Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.” Queen sang along as Ellis danced.

“Come on y’all!” Queen said. “We’ve been locked up in this pandemic in the house all year! You better move! One tap!

Two taps! Y’all can do a little shimmy?

It’s a great day to be alive. We made it.

Another year around the sun.”

A grill sizzled on the other side of the stage, where husband and wife duo Arlene and Wesley Bellamy turned out hundreds of free hamburgers and hot dogs with fresh buns, condiments and slaw.

Around them, the smoky-sweet smell of summer filled the air. After hearing about the event, Arlene said the two were excited to come out and cook.

Beside her, Wesley flipped another fleet of burgers and hot dogs. After learning to grill years ago, he started the YouTube channel Valerie’s Smokehouse as a way to teach others. The two had backup: her daughter, daughter-in-law, and grandkids stood ready to help nearby.

Back on stage, Francis and Jackson dipped—literally—into the history of voguing. As soon as the beat dropped, they held the stage, arms, wrists, ankles, torsos and legs in constant motion. At times, they moved in unison, feet so fast it seemed like they had wings. They studied each other to figure out when to come in. LaBeija beamed and cheered them on from the side of the stage as she watched.

“That was vogue,” she said before doing a routine set to work by Hartford-based poet Versatile Poetiq. “Did you know that vogue did not come from Madonna?”

With Francis, LaBeija traced voguing back to the legendary house system and ballroom culture of the 1970s and ‘80s.

She shouted out the House of LaBeija, which Crystal LaBeija founded in 1977.

Francis noted that the history—the sum of which he said is not to be confused with the hit show Pose—is rooted in Black queer and trans resistance. It isn’t a relic of the past, either, he added—balls still take place across the East Coast.

There’s a new generation carrying on the legacy.

After poetry and ukulele serenades from musician Jeri Thompson, mayoral hopeful Karen DuBois-Walton also joined the lineup. She wove a line from public safety and public education to economic opportunities for artists and small businesses owners, many of whom had vendor booths in the lot. She urged attendees to register to vote, knock doors, and get their peers interested in the upcoming election.

“I fell in love with New Haven for what it was and what it can be,” she said. “I’m so pleased to be with you on Juneteenth, celebrating Black Pride today, because this is New Haven.”

Quadruplets Graduate Yale Together:

by Barry Anderson, BlackDoctor.org Born minutes apart, the Wade brothers — Aaron, Nick, Zach and Nigel — went viral years ago after the four got accepted to and chose Yale University to attend college. The four were the talk of their Cincinnati suburb of Liberty Township and the nation because of their unique birth and their incredible academic ability. In 2017 they were accepted into 59 universities, including Harvard, Duke, Yale and Stanford, according to People.

The brothers, who were known as “The Quads” in high school and knew all the same people, but branched out on their own in college really developing who they were as individuals.

“We grew up in this town where we had always existed as The Quads or the Wade brothers. But when we got to Yale, it was very much small fish in a big pond,” added Aaron. In Aaron’s explanation, whenever friends and colleagues spoke about them they would mention them by name rather than ‘one of the quadruplets.’

Even though they decided to stick together in New Haven, Connecticut to attend Yale, they only saw one another once or twice a semester — and only once did two brothers share the same class before graduation.

Technically, only three of the brothers, now 22, were able to turn their tassels this spring.

According to “Today,” Nick Wade graduated with a degree in political science, with a minor in Arabic; Zach Wade had a double-major degree in chemical engineering and economics; and Nigel Wade received his degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology.

Aaron Wade, who shared a ceremonial

I Am My Brother’s Keeper

graduation ceremony with his brothers, will spend one more semester at Yale to complete his senior thesis, Today reported. He is majoring in computer science and psychology.

As they begin this new chapter, the 22-year-old quadruplets, who celebrated their graduation last month at a New Haven pizza restaurant with their parents, are now going their separate ways for post-grad life.

Nick and Zach both got jobs at Goldman Sachs, but Nick will be in New York City and Zach will be in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, Nigel will stay in New Haven for two years to complete a research program in a Parkinson’s disease lab.

After that, he plans to apply to medical school.

Aaron will also be in New Haven for one more semester, where he’ll be doing his senior thesis. He officially graduates in December, and already has a job lined up at Google in New York City.

“It feels like an extension of our Yale experience, so I imagine that the frequency with which we see each other will be the same,” Aaron Wade told the Today Show.

Their mother, Kim Wade, a 52-year-old junior high school principal, gave birth to the quads on Jan. 8, 1999 after undergoing fertility treatments. The boys were born two minutes apart and two months premature. Since then, her and her hus-

band have been raising the four with a combination of love, tough love and old school discipline.

When asked what their secret was to raising such successful sons, Darrin simply said: “Lots of push-ups and sit-ups and running. Discipline and structure. It’s my job as a father to be there, to reassure them. Not to coddle them.”

“For a long time, it felt like we were all a singular collective unit of a protagonist in the same show. Now, oh my God. I just get to sit back and flip through the channels in each of my brother’s lives and be like, ‘Whoa, he’s doing this and this,” concluded Aaron.

Lt. Rankins Forwards $50,000 To Future Firefighters

by STAFF

New Haven Independent

New Haven Fire Lt. Samod “Nuke” Rankins, recovering from a near-death experience fighting a fire, is paying it forward — to the tune of $50,000.

Rankins is back home after two hospitalizations, recovering from injuries he suffered while fighting a a Valley Street fire on May 12. His firefighting colleague Ricardo Torres Jr. was killed in that same blaze.

As friends and family buttressed him with prayers from afar, Rankins emerged from the coma. He got better day by day.

He was able to return home from a second hospitalization two weeks ago.

Rankins received $50,000 in contributions through a fund set up to help him through his recovery.

On Tuesday he announced that he will donate that money to provide scholarships for New Haveners pursuing fire-

Lt. Rankins. fighter careers to obtain their EMT certifications.

Rankins plans to administer the gifts, which he is calling “Ricardo Torres Jr.

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Scholarships.” He plans to make the applications available and provide details on Aug. 1.

He said applicants must be city resi-

dents 18 years of age or older with either a high school diploma or GED. They’ll write one-page essays to apply, then be interviewed.

“I am getting a bit better each day,” Rankins reported Tuesday.

“I would like to thank everyone for all their love, prayers, and support over the last few weeks. Words are not enough to express my true gratitude. Knowing I was surrounded by so much love, brought me a sense of peace and comfort during such a difficult time. You have helped carry the burden of this journey and your prayers made all difference in my healing. I have a long road ahead of me, but I know I’m not alone. Out of such a dark time came so much light and love. You brightened my darkest days and continue to help me fight each and every day. You have made a huge difference in my world and I pray a special blessing in return.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

Make Music Day Sings Its Citywide Return

by Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Briana Williams released a songbird from her throat, swaying gently from beneath the brim of a wide sunhat. Bubbles floated through the air, rainbow-tinted at their edges. In front of a makeshift stage, a little girl joined tap dancer Alexis Robbins and started testing out her feet as percussive instruments. Williams finished and stepped forward, her face glowing in light that pulsed red, green and blue.

“It’s been a journey,” she said. “It’s about supporting joy and creating community.”

Williams bottled that joy at the fourth annual Make Music New Haven, held across the region on Monday as a mellifluous way to welcome in the summer solstice. From the Hill to Hamden, New Haveners turned out to hold outdoor harmonica lessons, drumming circles, and full-out concerts that ranged from the political to the poetic. In addition to helping organize the event, Williams performed during a rooftop party at the Arts Council.

Make Music New Haven is a program of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.

In the interest of full transparency, the Arts Paper is an arm of the Arts Council but is editorially independent from it. The day is inspired by the decades-old Fête de la Musique, a citywide celebration of music conceived by France’s then-Cultural Minister Jack Lang in 1982. Unveiled in Paris that year, it has since spread to over 120 countries across the globe.

Monday, musicians took over arts incubators, local restaurants, libraries, and public parks. As one lineup kicked it off at a playground in Woodbridge, Quan Grant took the outdoor stage at Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ to cheers from a small but vocal audience. Outside the smokehouse, attendees clapped as they tore into pulled pork sandwiches and the occasional midday beer. On the grass closer to the stage, others got ready to go to church on a Monday.

Grant had something for all of them.

Taking the stage with an easy smile, he slipped right into a soulful string of gospel songs, getting the audience on its feet as he swayed. He lifted the mic from its stand and walked out into the grass, his praises traveling skyward. He urged audience members to turn to faith, particularly during times when it seemed the world wasn’t giving them enough.

“Some of my music is Christian, but I like to say that I’m a life artist,” he said.

“I sing about life … who has heard that music is the universal language?”

He later said that the day doubled as a celebration of making it through the past 16 months. When the pandemic hit last year, Grant watched his work as a musician and a stylist dry up overnight.

Lucy Gellman Photos: Tim Kane and Thabisa in Edgewood Park.Lisa Kaston, a board member with CT Folk, plays with her granddaughter.

Churches, in which he has both performed and sought spiritual refuge, suddenly went virtual. Then the pandemic of Covid-19 became the backdrop to the ongoing pandemic of racial injustice.

Grant responded by turning to his music.

He held a virtual launch for his website.

He wrote new songs from his bedroom.

He joined a new church in Bridgeport.

Back outside Bear’s, he slipped into a song that vowed not to go backwards.

Midway through, the audience began to snap along.

“We’re up against a lot,” he said. “We’re surviving a pandemic and racial injustice. This song is just a reminder that what holds us captive and imprisons our minds, let it go.”

As Grant handed the mic over to the next performer, music exploded across the city. Outside of the Educational Center for the Arts, students freshly done with the school year proved that some members of Gen Z still know who Bob Dylan is. A few blocks away, Love n’ Co. and Lamarr Smith serenaded viewers at the Ely Center of Contemporary Art. Downtown, Nick Di Maria and members of New Haven Jazz Underground tore it up just off of Temple Street.

At the ranger station in Edgewood Park,

CT Folk and Thabisa Rich joined forces as she held a second session of her series “Open Mic=Open Doors” outside, drawing an audience that came to read, watch, and listen. As they pulled up folding chairs and sat in the grass, attendees cheered each other on, some inching closer to catch every word. Between poetry, song, and painting from the artist Isaac Bloodworth, Black Lives Matter New Haven member and Empath Vintage founder Ashleigh Huckabey passed out donuts for a sweet start to summer.

Rich said the idea behind “Open Mic=Open Doors” is to foster a community of care, particularly for Black artists and non-Black artists of color. In a candid performance, actor Terrence Riggins blessed the audience with work that is currently in process. In another that was more of a speech, rising James Hillhouse High School junior Manuel Camacho opened up about the depression and trauma he has faced in his own life.

Camacho, the Latino Caucus President for Ice the Beef and a member of New Haven Rising’s youth leadership team, told attendees that he did not need to know them to love them—and that he hoped they would take the time to care for themselves. Growing up in Fair Haven, he said

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he has experienced violence “right before my eyes,” which has strengthened his resolve to work against it.

“I love you all,” he said before heading to a rehearsal for Romeo & Juliet that will hit the New Haven Green later this week.

“More than you can imagine. I only ask of you this. Keep fighting. Keep believing. Keep loving. I wish to see you on the front lines, because that’s where you will see me.”

Nearby, drummers Michael Mills, Brian Jarawa Gray and Billy Fischer laid out drums and percussion instruments in a wide circle, inviting pint-sized musicians, their parents and everyone in between to come over and play. As he helped a few young artists get the hang of drumsticks and flat-palmed beats, Mills laid out a set of directions: kids couldn’t play until elders played them in. He came to the center of the circle for a warm up. Everyone fell to a hush.

“Energy! To my body! Must flow! Freely!” he started, as attendees repeated after him. “Like the wind! The trees! All the way around! Like me!”

“Now say heart-beat!” he said. Gray and Fischer began to play, the drums suddenly capable of pumping blood through a body. “Heart-beat! Heart-beat!”

Elsewhere in Westville, the Mitchell Library got into a pre-twilight mood with musician Jefferson Bennett. Back downtown, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas brought Make Music New Haven to its main stage on the New Haven Green.

In Hamden, Alexis Robbins and Fernanda Franco electrified the League of Women Voters. At Bear’s, members of the Nu Havan Kapelye kept the crowd jamming.

Williams’ vision for the day—to build community through music, after an isolating year overwhelmed by virtual programming—came full circle on the roof of the Arts Council. As the sun began its hours-long descent into the sky, conversation rose and fell among attendees who trickled in. From somewhere in the knot of people, streams of bubbles drifted up into the air. They kept coming all night long.

As musicians performed, attendees loosened up, danced, and made new friends while reconnecting with old ones they’d seen only on screen for 16 months. After bringing the crowd to a low hum with a cover of Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek,” Franco played in an evening of warm vocals, hard-hitting poetry and multiple collaborations that invited the audience to dance along. She later said that the pandemic forced her to learn new skills, including technical magic that she never thought she could pull off herself.

Experiment, in many ways, remained the order of the night. Before launching into a new number with Dylan Olimpi McDonnell and Robbins, Clifford Schloss noted how good it felt to see so many smiling, maskless faces in a single place. In a collaboration with musician Finn Henry, poet Yexandra “Yex” Diaz began with the crowd favorite “Skipping Stones in Muddy Waters,” dedicated to her daughter. A healer by trade—Diaz is a birth and death doula—the verses glittered in the dark, a bright love song in a world that can feel dark.

She switched it up, pulling out a new work from Yerba Bruja, a recent collaboration with Long Wharf Theatre. Listeners, already hanging onto each line, began to snap and mmmm to the tight, lyrical flow of the piece. Keys undulated beneath her words as Henry’s fingers provided the backing. The audience snapped. Diaz’ face glowed ember-red. The work honors her mother, Nivia Alida Diaz, who passed away last year.

Surrender/like suspended belief Surrender/like a falling autumn leaf Surrender/like the tides to the moons Surrender/like the ocean to Oshun “Oh my God, I just cried a lot,” said Franco as Diaz left the stage.

As people grooved into the night, the crowd became a cross-section of New Haven. Old school Westvillians danced Con’t on page

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

Rally Blasts Columbus School Name Change

by STAFF

Ionne Finds A Way Forward

New Haven Independent

Demonstrators showed up Wednesday afternoon to the newly named Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration (FAME) — to argue that it should have received a different new name.

The demonstration took place outside the Grand Avenue school previously known as Christopher Columbus Family Academy.

The Board of Education voted Monday night to change the name to FAME. The demonstrators argued that the board should have chosen a name that recognizes indigenous peoples.

Soame Citlalime, Transnational Peoples Network, Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), and Black and Brown United organized the rally.

Attendees included 1-year-old Jaylene Sarango. Her father is from Ecuador; her mom is a leader of New Haven’s Maya Mam community. Twenty two Mayan languages are spoken today in Guatemala. Maya Mam is the fourth most spoken language, with 600,000 people counted in the last Guatemalan census. Maya Mam people also live in Mexico, because the Mexico-Guatemala border was arbitrarily drawn through the middle of their community in 1882.

During the rally, ULA organizer Alexis Garcia explained laid out the argument against the name change. Here is what

he said, in English and in Spanish: “The Board of Education chose a name for the school formerly named Columbus which is an insult, as it perpetuates the myth that the genocidal Columbus was exploring or discovering.

“That’s a lie! When will the public schools teach the true story about the true owners of these lands?

“The history of the settlement, looting, deception and dispossession of the land?

The Quinnipiacs had names, authorities, traditions, and families, but where in New Haven is that truth enshrined or remembered?

“After decades of insult for naming

a school with the name of a murderer, it is necessary to repair through an educational process and reflection. Because the genocide and dispossession of indigenous people continues, and that is why our presence grows more numerous in the Fair Haven neighborhood, and that is why we demand justice!”

“La junta de educación acaba de escoger un nombre para la escuela anteriormente llamada Columbus que es un insulto, ya que perpetua el mito de que el genocida de Colon estaba explorando o descubriendo. Eso es una mentira! “¿Cuándo las escuelas publicas ensenarán la verdadera historia sobre los

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verdaderos dueños de estas tierras? La historia del coloniaje, saqueo, engaños y despojos de la tierra?

“Los Quinnipiacs tenían nombres, autoridades, tradiciones, familias, pero donde en New Haven se menciona todo lo que eran?

Después de décadas de insultos por nombrar una escuela con el nombre de un asesino, es necesario reparar a través de un proceso educativo y de reflexión.

Porque el genocidio y despojo continua y por lo mismo, nuestra presencia es mas numerosa en el barrio de Fair Haven, y por eso exigimos justicia!”

Ionne.

by BRIAN SLATTERY “Rocket,” from New Havener Ionne’s For Those Who Remain, begins with a plaintive triad from a piano. A woman’s voice, clear, calm, and resolute, asks questions.

“Why are we expecting someone else to save us? Why do we think that there’s someone else coming to save us?” she says. Other voices chime in, about social justice, racial equity, environmental repair. The beat accelerates; the music hurtles forward. Ionne floats over the top:

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

Black Farmers Win $1 Billion Black family,

By BlackNews.Com

Orlando, FL — Attorney Greg Francis, a champion for the rights of Black Americans, led and won the largest civil rights settlement in the history of civil justice in the U.S., demanding justice for 33,000 Black farmers. It was a settlement of $1.25 billion dollars.

“The one thing I learned from that case is that all those farmers wanted was a chance,” Francis said. “They didn’t ask for anything extra. They just wanted to be treated, and to be given the same opportunities, as everyone else. That’s all any of us want.”

Tens of thousands of Black farmers allegedly suffered systematic discrimination at the hands of the United States Department of Agriculture between 1981 and 1996. During that period and as part of the discrimination, the USDA allegedly denied Black farmers loans, subsidies, and other benefits provided to white farmers. As part of the settlement, more than 33,000 individual Black Farmers or their heirs received payments of $50,000.

This marks the largest civil rights settlement in U.S. history. Since the suit was won in 2010, the United States has seen a 9% increase in Black-owned farms. And

N E W

2. Creating educational opportunities for Black youth, 3. Encouraging the creation of new Black-owned businesses and more support of those already existing.

With a unique voice to offer in a time of unrest, as he bridges a much-needed gap in this current climate. The highlyanticipated book about his experiences, Just Harvest, was released on May 18th.

Topics Greg can discuss include:

this is only the beginning.

Greg is starting a conversation in America that addresses the very foundations of our culture.

He has created the Greg A. Francis Just Harvest Foundation that is built on the 3 pillars that he believes will help set us on the path to true justice and ensure an end to racial discrimination: 1. Investing in the infrastructure of the

H A V E N

• How an African-American attorney won the largest civil rights case in history • The underdog: why it’s always worth the fight • 5 lessons I learned from Black farmers • Justice for all or justice for you? It’s everyone’s responsibility • How to start down the path to true justice through the pillars of his foundation To learn more about Greg Francis and his new book, visit JustHarvestBook.com The post Black Farmers Win $1 Billion appeared first on Afro.

A Dozen Republicans Step Up To Seek Offices In Hamden

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Fiscal stability, public safety, and sidewalks.

Republican Ron Gambardella listed those three concerns on Thursday evening at a press event held by the Republican Town Committee to formally announce his candidacy for mayor.

“Hamden has the largest debt per person than any other town in the state of Connecticut,” Gambardella stated twice on the steps of Town Hall. “The Democrats have worked hard to make this a reality.”

Gambardella has already run for mayor two times, in both 2007 and 2009. Before that, he served on the Legislative Council for four years.

The group of Republican hopefuls who came out to support Gambardella— and, in some cases, to announce their own campaigns for public offices— are optimistic that this year might be different for a party that has seen Democrats come to dominate local elections.

Nick D’Amato, who is running to represent Hamden’s second district within the Legislative Council, suggested that growing tensions within the Democratic Party could increase the likelihood of both new and old Republican voices attracting votes in November.

That said, D’Amato also argued that he is “not a politician” and does not identify as “a conservative.”

“My motto is public service, not politics,” he said.

In addition to unanimous desire across candidates to lower taxes and crime rates, candidates present at Thursday evening’s press announcement stressed the importance of community building within Hamden, beginning with less fighting across (and within) party lines during town meetings.

Republican Town Chair Frank LaDore said that 11 Republicans have so far announced their intentions to run for seats within the Legislative Council and Board of Education. Those include Laura Santino, for Hamden’s first district; Nick D’Amato, for Hamden’s second district; Justin Piper, for Hamden’s fourth district; Cecilia Shea, for Hamden’s seventh district; and incumbent Marjorie Bonadies, for Hamden’s ninth district.

Andrew Tammaro, Lesley DeNardis, Diane Lewis, and Betty Wetmore are running to become and/or remain representatives at-large, and Ralph Nicefaro Jr. and Austin Cesare are hoping to join the Board of Ed.

S C H O O L S

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

Juneteenth Fests Celebrate Black Freedom

by MAYA MCFADDEN New Haven Independent

From the Hill to Dixwell, New Haveners celebrated Juneteenth with dance, soul food, and investments in Black businesses.

Two Juneteenth events were celebrated less than two miles away from one another at Sandra’s Next Generation restaurant in the Hill and Connecticut Violence Intervention Program’s space at 230 Ashmun St. Each gathering hosted dozens of New Haveners to celebrate the holiday, which marks the proclamation of the end of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. It commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans through the power of unity and circulating black dollars. The holiday has grown in popularity, especially since the Black Lives Matters police accountability protests of the past year.

This week it became a federal holiday.

“Freedom Brunch” Owners of Congress Avenue’s Sandra’s Next Generation, Miguel and Sandra Pittman, cleared the restaurant’s parking lot to host their first annual Juneteenth festival. The all-day event began as a brunch, then an afternoon cookout, and finally an afterhours party.

New Haveners were seated on one side for a plate of chicken and waffles, cajun chicken devil eggs, or fish and grits, while 11 Black vendors participated and sold their art, clothing, jewelry, and healthy snacks on the other side of the lot.

The Pittmans’ four kids organized the event. They invited operators Blackowned businesses from New York, Georgia, and Alabama to join the gathering.

While artist Tracey Massey sold her paintings, custom clothing, and handmade jewelry at the Hill festival, she thought about her mother, who raised her around entrepreneurship by selling candy apples and popcorn.

“We’re building another Wall Street,” she said.

Massey lives in the Hill and has been eating at Sandra’s for the past 25 years.

After brunch, visitors stopped at vendor tables and tasted samples of seamoss and rubbed a thick and creamy shea butter Ghanian formula on their hands.

“This is about freedom and working towards a better future,” said Sandra.

Dance Party For Empowerment The Amistad Committee and Con-

Son Miguel Pittman Jr., Sandra Pittman, and Sister Sherena Harris at Saturday’s event.

Chief Alston, Sean Hardy, and Dan Kinsman.

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necticut 29th Colored Regiment C.V. Infantry hosted its fourth annual Juneteenth festival at the Connecticut Violence Intervention Program’s outdoor space on Ashmun Street in Dixwell.

A dance party erupted at the event led by youth who later invited in young children and seniors to join.

Solar Power dancers Tyler Jackson, Dashawn Davis, and Gabriel Francis (among those pictured at the top of this story) performed for the crowd after an impromptu dance circle with New Haven natives and sisters Shannon Mone’t, Sharon, and Crystal Dickey.

The group danced in sync to songs like “Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe and “It Takes Two” by Rob Base. DJ EZ Rock played by the Rahsaan Langley Band.

Organizers Kai Perry, Meredith Benson, and Kelly Mero invited local vendors to the event. Dozens of community organizations also tabled at the event, offering program sign-ups, resources, and local services. New Haven Reads Site Director Audra Clark distributed free books to youth and parents Saturday. Several food trucks lined the street to provide free meals.

Fire Chief John Alston Jr. invited Ancient African Formula owner Aminata Dukuray from New Jersey to the event to sell her imported art, clothing, jewelry, and skin care products made by her family in Gambia. The proceeds made from at the event will be donated to build a school for youth in Dukuray’s home of Gambia.

Mauro-Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School support staff member Sean Hardy said he hopes celebrations continue citywide surrounding Black success and hope. He suggested future celebrations include a focus on teaching youth life skills like communication with positive and consistent programming.

“This is like a push that we can make it,” Hardy said. “But we don’t just need that once a year. We need it more often.”

Local artist Jesse Wolf displayed his most recent pieces after a self-care hiatus and joined with artist friends Saisha Mac and Patrick Kelly in a live paint session at Saturday’s event for participants to watch, join, or suggest ideas for the pieces.

Griffin Hospital also offered free vaccines to New Haveners during the event.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

New Web Site Connects 1,000’s of Felons With Second Chance Job Opportunities

Nationwide — A new website called JobsForExFelons.com has been launched to help connect employers in the U.S. with the tens of thousands of unemployed felons and exoffenders who struggle to find job opportunities. These previously incarcerated individuals deserve another chance, and many companies like Amazon, Starbucks, and Denny’s are willing to hire them.

The website currently lists about 1,000 felon-friendly job opportunities that are offered by real companies including several Fortune 500 corporations. These companies are actively recruiting felons because they understand their responsibility in helping to rebuild lives and communities.

In addition, more and more companies are beginning to realize that hiring felons is a great investment. According to a report by the Society of Human Resources Management, executives say that 82 percent of their ex-offender hires have been just as successful as their average hire.

In addition, it has been determined that because it’s so difficult for felons to find a job, many will stay for a long time working for the company that hired them. This loyalty greatly reduces the high turnover rates that many companies have to deal with as a lot of non-felon employees tend to come and go.

The site is 100% free to use for felons who are looking for jobs. They can easily browse the site to see what jobs are available in their local area, and also sign up for free job alerts.

Employers, however, who are interested in hiring felons are required to register and pay a small fee to list their job opportunities.

For more details, visit JobsForExFelons.com

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

Wes Moore launches campaign for governorship

By AFRO Staff

The following is an official statement from Wes Moore for Maryland Wes Moore, a combat veteran and former nonprofit CEO of one of the nation’s largest organizations fighting to end poverty, today announced his campaign to lead Maryland as the state’s 63rd governor. In a video to supporters, Wes vowed to improve a state government that has let down too many working families, students, and small businesses and to make Maryland more competitive by creating economic opportunities for people from every corner of the state.

“As we come out of this pandemic, I believe we’re at a crossroads. We can’t simply go back to how things were. The way things were, wasn’t good enough for most Marylanders. We must focus on creating economic opportunity and closing the wealth gap,” Moore said. “What has become clear to me is that opportunity

Wes Moore

is readily available to some and dangerously absent to others. Here in Maryland, we have some of the nation’s most prosperous communities and some of its most impoverished; world class medical institutions and people who can’t afford basic care; some of the best schools and

12-Year Old Black Girl Enrolls at Arizona State University

To Study Chemistry and Engineering

BlackNews.com Tempe, AZ — At just 12-years old, Alena Wicker is set to start college at Arizona State University, majoring in astronomical and planetary science and chemistry.

She plans to be an engineer for NASA someday.

“I always dreamed of being an engineer because throughout my life I liked the building,” Alena told 11Alive about her goal to work at NASA. Since she was 4-years old, it had always been her dream as she was building NASA-sized Legos.

“She just had a gift for numbers and Lego and science so I started nurturing that gift,” said her mother Daphne McQuarter.

When Alena finished high school through homeschool classes, she began pursuing that dream and will be starting classes at ASU this summer. She expects to finish college at the age of 16.

“I’ll be driving in one of those future space mobiles by the time that I graduate college,” Alena said, adding that she wants to build rovers that could be sent to other planets as well.

More than that, Alena is also also very active on her Facebook page where she plans to launch a podcast to share her journey.

“I’m just planning it all as I go. It doesn’t matter what your age or what you’re planning to do. Go for it, dream, then accomplish it,” she said.

some of the most underfunded. Too many people work too hard, do everything the right way but it’s never enough, and this pandemic has made these inequities even worse. But right now, we stand ready to lead, ready to do something about it. I believe that no matter what road you start down, you deserve a path to success.”

Wes was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, where his dad was a radio broadcaster. When Wes was just three years old, his father died suddenly of a rare, but treatable virus. His father’s untimely death created instability in young Wes’ life, causing his mom to move the family to the Bronx in New York, where Wes’ grandparents lived. The family returned to Maryland when Wes was 14, and his mother found work in Baltimore — the first job that paid her benefits.

Wes graduated with an Associate’s Degree from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and then Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001. As a teenager, he interned for former Bal-

timore Mayor Kurt Schmoke and then went on to earn a Rhodes Scholarship, which took him to Oxford University.

Inspired by his mentors at military school, Wes went on to serve as a captain and paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne, including leading soldiers in combat in Afghanistan. He also served as a White House Fellow, advising on issues of national security and international relations.

Upon returning home, Wes wrote “The Other Wes Moore,” a story about the fragile nature of opportunity in America, which became a perennial New York Times bestseller. It’s commonly assigned reading in Maryland schools. Wes went on to write other best-selling books that reflect on issues of race, equity and opportunity, including his latest book “Five Days,” which tells the story of Baltimore in the days that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.

It was Wes’ commitment to taking on our toughest challenges that brought him

in 2016 to the Robin Hood foundation, where he served for four years as CEO. During his tenure, the Robin Hood foundation – one of the nation’s leading organizations fighting to end poverty – distributed over $600 million toward lifting families out of poverty, including right here in Maryland. While the Robin Hood foundation is headquartered in New York City, Wes and his family never moved from their home in Baltimore.

Earlier in his career, Wes built and launched a Baltimore-based business called BridgeEdU, which reinvents freshman year of college for underserved students to increase their likelihood of longterm success.

Of the many titles Wes has held over the years, there are two that he’s most proud of: husband and father. Wes and his wife Dawn live with their two children in Baltimore City.

The post Wes Moore launches campaign for governorship appeared first on Afro.

How Kim Kardashian Helps Innocent Black Prisoners is a Problem BlackNews.com

Nationwide — Kim Kardashian has no doubt been a major asset in bringing national attention to prison reform and wrongful convictions in the Black community and has been very successful in negotiating the release of several inmates from prison. However, her method must be constructively critiqued.

Although she does seem to sincerely care about the people that she is helping, she is actually hurting them in a way.

How? Well, the main method that she uses to get people released from prison is by working with a team of lawyers to get these inmates what is called a sentence reduction. This means that a person who may be serving 10 years or more in prison now only has to serve perhaps 2-4 years.

However, the disadvantage in doing this is that person is ultimately admitting guilt and will still have the charges on his or her record even if they are innocent of the crime.

What Kim Kardashian does is not anything like a full pardon that would fully free the person from the crime. Even more, she seems to be doing very little to help these people file lawsuits so that they can be awarded millions of dollars to compensate for the years of their lives that they lost – not to mention the pain and suffering they dealt with.

While she is to be commended for what she does do, she must also be criticized for not fully using her status and her wealth to truly free these wrongfully convicted persons – not just from prison – but from being slaves to the system when they get out of prison.

In many cases that were not handled by Kim Kardashian, innocent Black men and

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women who were wrongfully convicted have been able to get millions of dollars in settlements from the city and/or the District Attorney’s office.

Many incarcerated individuals, after being released from prison, struggle to get a well-paying job and re-adapt to society as returning citizens. Even more, many of them deal with issues such as homelessness, lack of family support, and mental health illnesses like PTSD. In such cases, a monetary settlement would not necessarily solve all of these problems, but it would certainly help.

If Kim Kardashian, Meek Mills, and other celebrities that care about prison reform would focus more on this particular issue, it would be the absolute best way to really help Black and brown people in these situations. Freedom without economic compensation is a crime in and of itself.

C. Beasley is the founder and director of PrisonReform.com and JobsForExFelons.com. He himself was incarcerated for more than 20 years in a state prison.

Contact him at 213-880-1341 or info@ prisonreform.com

One on One with Mayor Lori Lightfoot THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

By Danielle Sanders, Interim Managing Editor

Since her historic election as the city’s first Black Woman and LGBTQ Mayor, Lori Lightfoot has faced unprecedented challenges and obstacles running the city.

From dealing with a global pandemic, racial unrest, a contentious relationship with the Chicago Teachers Union, and local alderman, Mayor Lightfoot has had much to contend with. The Chicago Defender met with Mayor Lightfoot to talk about what the past two years have been like and what lessons she’s learned during her administration.

LAW ENFORCEMENT, VIOLENCE, AND LAWLESSNESS IN THE CITY. Chicago Defender: Many are concerned with the approaching summer months and violence? What are your plans to deal with the violence in Chicago?

Mayor Lightfoot: In looking at historical data we identified 15 beats on the South and West sides that are the most challenging in dealing with violence. We have taken a holistic approach to government. And by that, I mean, we are looking at these areas literally block by block, identifying with our city resources the Department of Family Support Services, Department of Health; whether it is a library, a park, or a school, we have to look at what we have by way of assets? What can we do to make sure we are flooding these areas with resources?

This work must be about capacity building. We must make sure that we are entrenching long-term sustained resources and giving residents the tools that they need to create a safe environment for themselves with support from the city, but not exclusively by the city. We have put together a rapid response team, so when something pops off, we have got a strategy to address it, and pivot if we need to.

I feel confident about the strategy. One way or the other, we are going to learn a lot. Hopefully, in these areas that account for 30% of the violence in this city, we can bring those numbers down. If we can do that, not only are we going to save lives, but we are going to make a difference in overall safety.

Chicago Defender: In addition to the violence in the city, many residents have mentioned that their neighborhoods seem to be overrun with lawlessness. Speeding down streets, running red lights, the fireworks, ATVs on public property, etc.

In neighborhoods, people cannot even enjoy their own backyards in peace, what can residents do about these things that are not necessarily violent but disruptive, nonetheless?

Mayor Lightfoot: Quality of Life is a big, big part of this discussion, as it should be. I would say is that when you are seeing those things at the local level,

hopefully, you are participating in your beat and caps meetings, your block clubs, your local chambers of commerce and business, because it has to start at the neighborhood level. People should not feel like they cannot say anything, they do not have a voice. If the people and communities do not step up and speak out, then those who do not care about anybody else’s safety are going to be the dominant voice. We cannot let that happen. So, I would just encourage people to organize, participate and when you do that, then it is incumbent on us then to be responsive.

Chicago Defender: Speaking of law enforcement, what is the status of a new contract for the Chicago Police Department?

Mayor Lightfoot: It is interesting that you say that. We are almost four years from the date of the contract with the Fraternal Order of Police expired. Four years. Not because of a lack of effort on the part of the city but the current FOP leadership, led by John Catanzara. He refuses to bargain. They canceled bargaining sessions; they do not show up. They were unwilling to accept the reality that there must be real accountability and reforms. I am not sitting at the table, writing a check for retro pay, if they are not going to face the reality that they must be accountable to the residents of the city… period. We have a website that informs the public and officers about contract negotiations, but the website also details what is at stake because the Leadership is not telling the truth to its members. We must educate those members to put pressure on the leadership to get back at the negotiating table. John Catanzara has literally said that his strategy is to stall. I am just saying. Police officers have been without a pay raise since 2017. No other

union in a major city is experiencing that and it is solely the fault of the leadership at the FOP. CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND AN ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD Chicago Defender: Let’s switch and talk about Chicago Public Schools. During your campaign, you said you were in support of an elected school board, however just objected to the creation of an elected school board presented in the Illinois Senate. Why? Did you change your mind?

Mayor Lightfoot: I am in favor of a hybrid board, which includes both elected and appointed members and the reason for that is this. This discussion about a fully elected school board, if you listen to it, does not include one word about children or kids. It is about power and politics, and not about the people in CPS. The most important people in Chicago Public Schools are the children and their parents.

I believe that the best form of governance is a hybrid. That is what we that is what we need. Particularly when you talk about the learning loss and growing achievement gap that is so detrimental to black kids in Chicago. None of these discussions about governance on the other side even addresses those issues, is purely about a power grab, and about dividing up what they think are going to be the spoils of CPS, but it is not about our children. That is the wrong approach.

Our values are clear. We have got to be about the children first. We must give parents a reasonable pathway, not only just to vote and by vote, I mean all parents.

The current proposal that is pending in Springfield disenfranchises undocumented parents, which make up about 19% of the CPS population. So, we are going to now disenfranchise them? Does that make sense to you? Because it does not

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make sense to me.

The current proposal also does not address the reality that every year, the Chicago City subsidizes CPS to the tune of $500 million dollars. So, there is a lot of things that are not addressed that must be if we are going to make a shift in governance, this monumental to Chicago public schools. The proposal that was passed by the Senate this past week addresses none of those issues.

COMMUNITIES DEVASTATED ECONOMICALLY

BY THE PANDEMIC Chicago Defender: One of the things that we are realizing as we began to come out of this pandemic, is the devastation economically done to our communities.

If you look at the south and west sides of Chicago, there are more abandoned homes and businesses. What is the City’s plan to revitalize and get some economic development into these areas post-COVID? Mayor Lightfoot: We’re staying the course on our signature economic development plan, Invest South/West. This plan includes looking at 10 Community areas, 12 different commercial districts, and really co-curating a different economic future with the residents and stakeholders in those areas. We have made significant progress. Even during the pandemic year, we invested $70 million, and we got a return on that investment of $300 million in private dollars in capital. There are also plans underway to rebuild retail strips, parks, and streetscapes. There is a lot of economic activity that I think will magnify the effect of Invest South/West.

In addition, through our capital plan, which was passed in last year’s budget, we are bringing needed resources into communities all over the city, particularly the south and west side. So new streets, new bridges, and underpasses. Sprucing

up public infrastructure all around the City of Chicago. I think that will make a big impact. In addition to that, this city, unlike New York, or LA, or any other city of similar size, we have already invested during the pandemic $100 million in small business support, whether they were grants or loans. Over 40% of those monies went to black and brown small businesses, including micro-businesses that employ four people or less.

We are continuing to look for ways to support both small businesses and work with the local chambers of commerce to think creatively about how we reuse some of these abandoned spaces. We have a package of small business reforms and support that is now pending before the City Council. We are very forwardthinking and understanding that we have got to bring small, black, and brown businesses and women-owned businesses to this part of his recovery. I have said this many times. Our values must be equity inclusion and that means seeing the entirety of the city, not just the downtown, but we have got to be focused also on our neighborhoods. So, a lot of the work that we have been doing throughout this pandemic, and we will continue to do as the city opens and recovers is about looking to the neighborhoods to see what is needed, and then making sure we provide the support so that those communities also flourish.

HE MAYOR REFLECTS ON THE LAST TWO YEARS Chicago Defender: It has been two years now and I am sure you did not expect to begin your time in office with a pandemic and everything else that has occurred. What is the greatest lesson you have learned during your first two years in office?

Mayor Lightfoot: That’s a great question. You have got to be humble because this job will humble you. What we have been through in the last two years, I think if you look back through the history books, no other mayors in previous years have experienced what we have; A global pandemic, economic meltdown, massive civic uprising, and righteous conversation around systemic racism and people feeling like they have been left behind.

These last two years have me going to back what Daniel Burnham said, “Make No Small Plans”. We must take on the challenges of the here and now, whether they have been neglected for decades before, it is about the here and now.

Our people are suffering. they are experiencing pain and they need our help.

Here and Now. Danielle Sanders is a journalist and writing living on the Southside of Chicago.

Find her on Twitter @DanieSanders20.

The post One on One with Mayor Lori Lightfoot. appeared first on Chicago Defender.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021 Sha’Carri Richardson Makes History as One of the Fastest Women in the World

Supreme Court Upholds Obamacare

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

By BlackNews.com 21-year old Sha’Carri Richardson has officially made the 2021 U.S. Olympic team after an amazing performance in Eugene, Oregon where she won first place in the women’s 100-meter semis in 10.64 seconds. She was only .01 seconds away from beating the previous record set by Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce in 2019.

“To be able to have her here at the biggest meet in my life, and to cross the finish line and run up the steps to hug [my grandmother] knowing I’m an Olympian, actually that’s probably better than winning the race,” Richardson said.

Sha’Carri’s win makes her the youngest woman to win the 100 meters at the Olympic Trials since Alice Brown in 1980 at age 19. Born and raised in Dal-

las, Texas, she first made history as a student at Louisiana State University (LSU) when she broke the collegiate record in the 100 meters at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

She made history again in April 2021 when she clocked a speed of 10.72 seconds at the Miramar Invitation in Florida, which established her as the sixth-fastest woman in history.

Based on that, it seems her best performance is yet to come when the 2021 Olympics kick off on July 23rd. She will then have the chance to become the fastest woman, and perhaps the fastest person, in the world.

Follow Sha’Carri Richardson on Instagram @CarriRichardson_

In a significant victory for the BidenHarris administration and Americans who depend on affordable health care, the Supreme Court rejected the latest challenge to President Obama’s signature legislation.

The challenge stemmed from whether the individual mandate could be cut from the rest of the law or whether the justices should strike down the entire law.

Former President Trump made it his mission to get rid of the law, which has provided millions of Americans with access to affordable health care, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.

The court ruled 7-2, with Justice Stephen Breyer writing for the majority, striking down a lower court ruling and determining that the plaintiffs — Texas and 17 other GOP-led states — did not show that they have the standing to bring the initial suits.

“We conclude that the plaintiffs in this suit failed to show a concrete, particularized injury fairly traceable to the defendants’ conduct in enforcing the specific statutory provision they attack as unconstitutional,” wrote Justice Breyer.

“They have failed to show that they have the standing to attack as unconstitutional the Act’s minimum essential coverage provision. Therefore, we reverse the Fifth Circuit’s judgment in respect to standing,

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vacate the judgment, and remand the case with instructions to dismiss,” the Justice continued.

“We do not reach these questions of the Act’s validity … for Texas and the other plaintiffs in this suit lack the standing necessary to raise them.

Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented.

Reportedly, 31 million Americans have health coverage connected to the Afford-

able Care Act — also known as Obamacare.

Also, a guarantee of access to continuous insurance coverage is protected for more than 54 million people with preexisting conditions because of the health care law’s provisions that prevent insurance companies from canceling or refusing to establish policies because of preexisting conditions.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

Con’t from page

Citywide Return

beside leaders in the movement against police brutality. Twenty-somethings whipped up TikTok videos and Instagram posts about the city’s Black female brewer and salsera Alisa Bowens-Mercado, who handed out sweating cans of Rhythm Lager in one corner. A few small listeners tried out fancy footwork, inspired by Robbins.

Back on stage, chad browne-springer and Jason Sanchez-Rojas (a.k.a. Expired Mocha) performed as their new project Dreamvoid. When they opened with their new hit single “$timmy,” almost no one stayed still. Those who did let the music wash over them.

In a circle of light beside the makeshift stage, tenant rights advocates and community organizers sipped local craft beer, rolled adult modeling clay and let themselves crawl into the lyrics. BowensMercado took time to catch up with Diaz, who she had not seen in over a year.

Even Williams, who said she had been nervous to perform for weeks, gave herself over to the music as she premiered a new song about letting go, set to a background of fresh guitar and archival James Baldwin. The Audubon Arts District seemed to genuinely embrace its name.

“What a great way to kick off the summer,” said Bowens-Mercado as she packed up for the night. “We love to see the arts community come together. This was literally a breath of fresh air. This is an amazing event. Amazing energy.”

“An Inclusive Post-COVID Economy”

By Mike Rosenbaum In 2020, Americans across the country skipped birthdays, graduations and weddings. In a bid to slow the spread, we put off vacations, put lives on hold and missed life’s most important milestones.

In this pandemic, we all suffered immeasurable pain, tragedy and loss. But we did not suffer equally.

As a former economist in Bill Clinton’s White House, I can tell you that it doesn’t take an economics degree to recognize that COVID was devastating for Black families. Since the pandemic began, the wage gap between Black and White households widened further, and companies continue to hire Black workers at slower rates.

A recent report by the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity illustrated how the racial wage gap increased in the first quarter of 2021, with Black workers now only making 70 cents on the dollar compared to their White counterparts, and the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics job report showed unemploy-

ment for Black workers (9.7%) remaining almost double that of White workers (5.3%).

Those statistics are alarming and all too tragically have downstream effects. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Black households (16%) are 2.5 times more likely to experience food insecurity and struggle to put food on the table than white households (6%).

These jarring figures come on the heels of already historic pre-pandemic inequality. In Baltimore alone, the median income for Black families in the city was just over half that of White families. A possible leading indicator to that disparity, six years after graduation, the average Baltimore City public school graduate earns a staggering $24,000 less per year than graduates from other school districts, including those with college degrees.

When presented with the facts, it becomes crystal clear that the pre-COVID economy wasn’t working. Maryland’s next governor will have to do more than take us back to normal. They will have to transform our state economy to be more inclusive and create more jobs much faster than what we had before. That transformation must also include targeted training for those who are underemployed, jobless, or have been pushed out of the workforce so that they can ac-

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cess careers in growing professions like nursing and technology. Our next governor must also know how to build upon our rich assets already within Maryland so that we recruit new industries to our state.

Maryland is one of the richest states in the richest nation on earth. There should be no poverty here. There should be opportunity and economic mobility for each and every person in our state. COVID has taught us that Maryland can and must be better for all our people. And it is possible.

Over 20 years ago, I started my first business, Catalyte, in Baltimore based on the big idea that talent exists everywhere but opportunity does not. We used data to remove bias and identified potential candidates that were overlooked by an unfair system. In the process, we helped thousands of people – fast-food workers, farmers, and gas station attendants – become some of the most talented software engineers and app developers in the world. Our company and training program helped the average Catalyte employee boost their income from $25,000 to $98,000 in just five years.

My career in business and as an economist has proven that when we challenge the systems of systemic bias that exist within our society and government, we can unlock opportunity and pathways

into the middle class for everyone, particularly those from underserved, rural, and urban communities.

Emerging from this pandemic, we are at a historic moment. While we can never reverse the suffering of the last year, we can choose to tackle the historic and implicit racism permeating in our economy.

But to do that, our next governor needs to acknowledge the disparities that COVID made worse, commit to building an inclusive economy, and put forward a roadmap that empowers every Marylander, no matter their race, gender, or class.

Mike Rosenbaum is a former businessman and economist running for the Democratic nomination in Maryland’s governor race. His companies, Catalyte and Arena, helped thousands of people – fast-food workers, farmers, and gas station attendants – become some of the most talented software engineers and app developers in the world.

The opinions on this page are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the AFRO. Send letters to The Afro-American • 145 W. Ostend Street Ste 600, Office #536, Baltimore, MD 21230or fax to 1-877-570-9297 or email to editor@afro.com The post “An Inclusive Post-COVID Economy” appeared first on Afro.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

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City of Ali

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

FILM REVIEW:

By Dwight Brown NNPA Newswire Film Critic

Can we ever get enough of Muhammad Ali? No! And so, another documentary about him is automatically good news on some level. Particularly during these troubled times when stirring up memories of “The Greatest” can connect us back to the best in humanity.

First-time director Graham Shelby and producer Jonathan McHugh largely focus their efforts on the last chapter of the boxing legend’s life, as his death, memorial service and weeklong celebration are recounted. During the days around Friday June 10th, 2016, 100,000 people gathered in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, KY to honor him while one billion people worldwide watched the observances on live TV. Through conversations and recollections, the preparations and behind-thescenes maneuvering are revealed. Family, friends, the police, politicians, clergy and even a thoughtful florist who had strewn rose pedals on the road to Ali’s grave were united in their sole purpose of showing the champ love and reverence.

Their personal experiences and the way this varied group worked collectively in Louisville—on a world stage—is inspirational.

Also, details of Ali’s storied life are amassed in photos and clips of the champ sharing personal stories, ruling over press conferences, interacting with famous folks and everyday people. All of that, is augmented by interviews with the patriarch’s family (wife Lonnnie, son Assad, daughter Rasheda) and admirers (Evander Holyfield, Pres. Bill Clinton, Dick Cavett) who substantiate that this international hero was more than worthy of a king’s farewell.

The film’s most poignant moments are Ali telling stories about the indignities he encountered as a Black man and the challenges he faced for his convictions. An incident in a racist restaurant turned into a favorite anecdote: Wait staff: “We don’t serve Negroes!” Ali: “I don’t eat them.

So, serve me some food.” His position on the war in Vietnam, which cost him his title and boxing licenses and caused him to serve jail time, was summed up succinctly: “You want me to go somewhere and fight, and you won’t even stand up for me at home,” Ali raged to a room full of reporters.

From a technical standpoint there really isn’t anything innovative or extraordinary about the way this doc was shot or assembled. The format is fairly routine.

Sometimes the lighting is glaringly bright on interviewees’ faces. A segue between Ali’s fight against social injustice and today’s Black Lives Matter movement is oddly clunky when it should have been a smooth transition. But basically, the film-

makers get the job done.

There are many life lessons in this inspiring documentary. One of the most touching is the relationship 12-year-old Ali had with an older White policeman.

His new red Schwinn bike had been stolen and Ali, then Cassius Clay, told the investigating officer that he was going to find the thief and whoop his ass. The cop, Joe E. Martin, asked Ali if he knew how to fight. Ali responded that he didn’t’ but he’d whoop the thief’s ass anyway.

Martin, also a boxing coach, invited Ali to train at Louisville’s Columbia Gym, the city’s only integrated gymnasium.

Their fated meeting gave a brash kid a vocation that would win him an Olympic gold medal, make him a three-time world heavyweight champion and help him garner legions of fans.

In this age of police malfeasance and defunding the police movements, hearing a story like this sends a ray of hope. That’s what the boxer was noted for, bridging divides, bringing people together and sharing his generous spirit wherever he went.

One friend warned another about paying the champ: Friend: “Don’t let Muhammad Ali get paid with cash.” Another friend: “Why?” Friend: “Because he will give it all away before he gets home.”

Louisville’s adulation for their native son has been thoroughly documented by this soul-lifting film. As has Ali’s sense of duty to humanity. As the champ put it: “Service is the rent you pay here for your place in heaven.”

Special Premiere Event at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY and Virtually on June 3rd, 2021. Nationwide Watch Now @ Home Cinema Release June 4th Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

President Biden Announces First Nominees for Board to Review Civil Rights Era Cold Cases

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Fourteen years ago, the Southern Poverty Law Center sent the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice a list of 74 cold cases involving African Americans allegedly murdered in racially motivated circumstances by White people between 1952 and 1968.

Most of the crimes took place in Mississippi, which contained nearly half of the 74 cases. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee all made up the rest.

All went cold, and the victims’ families never received justice.

Today, a new path to justice has opened to crack these cold cases.

On Friday, June 11, President Joe Biden announced the first set of nominees for the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board.

The panel would have the power to declassify government files and subpoena new testimony that could reopen cases and reveal publicly why many racially motivated lynchings and killings of Black people were never adequately investigated.

“The White House hopes that the Senate moves quickly to [confirm] these nomi-

The panel could consider cases like the three civil rights workers in Mississippi – James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner – killed by the Ku Klux Klan in June 1964. nees,” an administration official told the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

“The Board was established with nearly unanimous bipartisan support in 2019,” the official noted.

President Biden’s nominees are:

• Clayborne Carsonhas devoted most of his professional life to the study of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the movements Dr. King inspired. Since receiving his doctorate from UCLA in 1975, Dr. Carson has taught at Stanford University as the Martin Luther King Jr. Centennial Professor of History (Emeritus).

• Gabrielle M. Dudley, an Instruction

Archivist at the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript Archives and Rare Book Library at Emory University. In this role, she partners with faculty and other instructors to develop courses and archives research assignments for undergraduate and graduate students.

• Hank Klibanoff, a veteran journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize in History in 2007 for a book he co-wrote about the news coverage of the civil rights struggle in the South. Klibanoff is the creator and host of Buried Truths, a narrative history podcast produced by WABE (NPR) in Atlanta.

• Margaret Burnhamhas served as a state court judge (appointed by Governor Michael Dukakis, 1977), civil rights lawyer, and human rights commissioner. A graduate of Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Burnham has been on the Northeastern University faculty since 2002. She was named to the 2016 class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows, an honor recognizing a select group of scholars for their significant work in the social sciences and humanities.

The panel could consider cases like the three civil rights workers in Mississippi – James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner – killed by the Ku Klux Klan in June 1964.

Two months later, the activists’ bodies were riddled with bullets, burned, and buried in a dam in Neshoba County.

The “Mississippi Burning” case has largely gone unsolved and primarily unpunished.

In 2005, Edgar Ray Killen was convicted of three counts of manslaughter and sentenced to 60 years in prison, but authorities closed the case and put an end to hopes of prosecuting others involved.

In Lowndes County, Alabama, there is the case of 18-year-old Rogers Hamilton.

On a brisk night in October 1957, two White men arrived at Rogers’ home, summoned him outside, and put him in a truck.

His mother, Beatrice Hamilton, trailed the truck on a dusty road and watched in horror as they pulled Rogers out of the vehicle and shot him in the head.

When she notified the sheriff, he told her she didn’t see what she “thought she saw” and closed the case.

“No one cared, except his extended family, now scattered from Chicago to New York,” John Fleming, an editor at the Center for Sustainable Journalism, wrote in a 2011 column. “The case remains open, though the reality is that this case will never be prosecuted,” Fleming decided.

“Though the family wants justice, even if it means getting the local district attorney to indict a dead deputy, what’s equally important to them is the fact that the story of a long-dead [man] in faraway Alabama has finally been told.”

Tracing one family’s roots back to the first Juneteenth

By Ralph E. Moore Jr. Special to the AFRO

Annapolitan Caldwell McMillan Jr, aka Shajid, is very proud of roots traceable to his Juneteenth ancestors, specifically his mother’s side of the family—Sylvia Ross McMillan.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Two years later on June 19, 1865 word finally got to enslaved Texans in Galveston that they had been free for over two years. Further west lived McMillan’s great grandmother, Vina Ross, née Elliot. She was born a “bound person” to a Quaker family in Kentucky which later migrated to Las Vegas, New Mexico. It’s highly likely that her freedom was delayed as well as those in Texas. She was born in 1853.

McMillan’s great grandfather, George Ross Sr., was born a slave in South Carolina in 1849. Life’s twists and turns led him to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where he joined the Union Army at the age of 15. He served with the 83rd Regiment, U.S. Colored Infantry later known as the 2nd Regiment, Kansas Colored Infantry.

This unit saw action against the Confed-

erate Army at Baxter Springs, and Jenkins Ferry Arkansas, along with escorting trains on the then western frontier. It’s not known if after the Civil War, George Sr. joined the 10th Calvary out of Fort Leavenworth, the “Buffalo Soldiers,” and wound up in New Mexico as so did they.

It is there he met Vina Elliot. He married Vina and had three children; Ella in 1876, Albert in 1878 and George Jr. in 1879.

The young family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado where George established a wood and coal business. George died in 1882 at the age of 33. Vina moved the family back to Las Vegas, New Mexico where she had more community support. Eventually two sisters, a brother, and her mother joined her in New Mexico. In 1891, Vina applied for her husband’s Civil War pension. In 1943, she died in San Diego, Calif. at the age of 90.

McMillan’s family members were proud, industrious, mid-western people. They lived in New Mexico, Kansas City, Kansas and Denver depending on their generation.

In the early 1900’s, Albert, Shajid’s grandfather, taught at Western University an HBCU in Kansas City, Kansas. He then attended and graduated law school

at the University of Michigan in 1917.

The entire graduating class enlisted in the army during World War I. Unfortunately, he was gassed and shell shocked in France; ultimately ending up in VA hospitals first in Texas and finally in San Diego, where he died.

George Ross Jr. eventually became one of the first Black lawyers in Denver Colorado. For a time he was the publisher of Denver’s Black paper, The Denver Star.

He is the original documenter of the Ross family history.

“Using Ancestry.com, I was floored when I found that my great grandfather escaped from slavery and joined the Union Army at 15 years of age,” McMillan said. “My great grandmother, Vina Ross, instilled in her children the importance of making something of themselves,” The fruit of their labor contains lawyers, educators, journalists, and community activists.”

“My mother, Sylvia Ross McMillan was the first executive director for the Community Action Agency in Annapolis,” added McMillan. “I can feel my ancestors courage running through me. On my father’s side, I have my great grandfather’s, double barreled, ten-gauge shot-

18

(Photos top left-clockwise): George Ross Sr.; Vina Ross was a devout wife and mother; George Ross Jr., a previous publisher of the Denver Star; and the application Vina Ross created in order to get her husband George’s military pension. It shows the “colored” regiment that he served in. (Courtesy Photos)

gun. He used it to put food on the table and to keep the Kluxers (the Klan) from the door during Reconstruction Alabama and beyond.”

Shajid, a musician and an educator, is proud of his family and its persevering nature. He understands the challenges his family faced. He feels their spirits live on,

going all the way back to the first Juneteenth.

Shahid McMillan contributed to this article.

The post Tracing one family’s roots back to the first Juneteenth appeared first on Afro.

INNER-CITY 27,23 2016 - August 02, THE INNER-CITYNEWS NEWS July - June , 2021 - June 29,2016 2021

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management NOTICE The State ofMACRI Connecticut, Office of Policy PREand Management is recruiting for VALENTINA RENTAL HOUSING APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE a Principal Budget Specialist and a Manager of Intergovernmental Affairs position.

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, Further information regarding theand duties, eligibility requirements and is accepting pre-applications for studio one-bedroom apartments at this develapplication instructions are available at: opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations aphttps://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= ply. Pre-applications will 210420&R2=2855VR&R3=001 be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have and been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon rehttps://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed pre210420&R2=6335MP&R3=001 applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer Floor,The New Haven, CT 06510. and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

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VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES ELM CITYDECOMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids Moving and Storage Services

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio,City 2016Communities hasta cuando seishan recibidoseeking suficientes pre-solicitudes 100) Elm currently bids for moving (aproximadamente and storage services. en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ llamandoCollaboration a HOME INC alPortal 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse Vendor https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/ a las oficinas de HOME INC engateway 171 Orange Street, tercer beginning on piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

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NEW HAVEN 242-258 Fairmont Ave 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY 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.

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

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

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

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19

Tribus Construction is seeking MBE contractors for the Market Square Apartments renovation project in Newington CT. Tribus is seeking contractors in the following trades: laborers, painters, steel, masonry, and HVAC. Please send all inquiries to dmitchell@ tribusconstruction.com.

THE INNER-CITYNEWS NEWS July - June , 2021 - June02, 29,2016 2021 INNER-CITY 27,23 2016 - August

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

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Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in

Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory Immediate opening for a Class A part time driver for a petroleum training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT and asphalt company for deliveries for nights and weekends.

We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Previous experience required. Competitive wage, 401(k). Send PRE- APPLICATIONS Contact: Tom Dunay VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING AVAILABLE resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437.

Phone: 860- 243-2300

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer********** is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develWomen & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply opment locatedAction/ at 108 Frank New Haven.

Maximum income limitations apAffirmative EqualStreet, Opportunity Employer ply. 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 re Garrity Asphalt Incduring seeks: quest by calling HOMEReclaiming, INC at 203-562-4663 those hours.

Completedfast pre-paced petroleum company needs a full Extremely Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the North- time (which includes on call and weekend coverage) detail Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. oriented experienced Dispatcher. A strong logistics backeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits ground and a minimum of one year previous petroleum exContact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 perience required. Send resume to: Email: rick.touHR Manager, P.O. Box 388, Guilford, CT. 06437 VALENTINAsignant@garrityasphalt.com MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

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

HOME INC, en nombre la Columbus House y Employer 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 Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equip- Galasso Materials LLC, a quarry and paving contractor, has posijulio,Must 2016have hastaacuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes 100) ment.

CDL License, clean driving record, capable of (aproximadamente tions open for the upcoming construction season. We are seeking en las oficinas HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición operating heavyde equipment; be willing to travel throughout the candidates for 1) Quality Control (experienced preferred), 2) Ofllamando HOME INC alexcellent 203-562-4663 horas.Pre-solicitudes Northeast &aNY. We offer hourlydurante rate &esas excellent benefits ficedeberán Clerks,remitirse 3) Truck/Scalehouse Dispatcher (experience and coma las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven CT 06510 . preferred) and 4) Equipment Operators and Laputer ,knowledge

NOTICE

Listing: Dispatcher

NOTICIA

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Monitor: two part time positions at Komanetsky Estates. Bristol Housing Authority is seeking two energetic individuals for a monitor position. Individual will watch front locked entrance, continuous reviewing of cameras and be the liaison to call for an emergency. 24/7/365 Position, so many shifts available. Contact Laura LaMar, Property Manager for further information and application, Bristol Housing Authority, 81 Grove Ave, Bristol, CT 06010 (860) 585-1236. The Bristol Housing Authority is an equal opportunity employer.

Ducci Electrical Contractors, Inc. seeks experienced PROJECT MANAGER to handle multiple large projects in the field of Electrical Construction. Full-time position. 10+ years experience in the following types of projects is preferred: Health care, Data centers, Educational, Industrial, Commercial, DOT, & Railroad. E-1 license REQUIRED. Excellent compensation and benefits package. Send resume to Ducci Electrical Contractors, Inc. 74 Scott Swamp Rd. Farmington, CT 06032 or via email at humanresources@duccielectrical.com. An affirmative action equal opportunity employer. EOE/M/F/D/V.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport

HELP WANTED:

Union Company seeks:

Invitation for Bid (IFB)

P.T. Barnum Bldg. 8 Fire Restoration Solicitation Number: 180-MD-21-S

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is requesting sealed bids for P.T. Barnum Bldg. 8 Fire Restoration. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available on June 21, 2021. To obtain Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply ALL APPLICANTS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR EMPLOYMENT WITHOUT org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A MANDAATTENTION TO RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer TORY pre-bid conference will be held at P.T. Barnum Apts. 96 Bird St., Bridgeport, GENDER IDENTITY, NATIONAL ORIGIN, VETERAN OR DISABILITY STATUS. 06605 on July 8, 2021 @ 10:00 a.m., submitting a bid for the project without InvitationCT to Bid: attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions nd 2 Notice 242-258 Fairmont Ave should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than July 15, 2021 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www. parkcitycommunities.org.

All sealed bids must be received by mailed or hand delivAll new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 Old Saybrook, CT ered by July 22, 2021 @ 2:00 PM, to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Director of Procurement, Hourly Rate - $25.41 highways, near bus stop & shopping center (4 Buildings,150 17 Highland Units) Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, at which time and place all bids will be Deadline to apply 6/24/21 Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time.

Pre-employment drug testing.

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

borers and a Grading Foreman. NO PHONE CALLS. Please mail resume and cover letter to “Hiring Manager”, Galasso Materials LLC, PO Box 1776, East Granby, 06026.

NEW HAVEN

Town of Bloomfield

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE Library Assistant I- PT

We all have

DREAMS.

AA/EOE.

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

Let Job Corps help you achieve yours.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

St. New Haven, CT

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour Now enrolling! until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 Tuition-free at its officecareer at 28training Smith Street, High school diploma programs Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the College credit opportunities Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility,Housing, 26 Smith Street Seymour. meals and medical care provided

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith For more information, visit jobcorps.gov or call (800) 733-JOBS [5627] Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

New Haven County - Jesselica Rodriguez – Rodriguez.Jesselica@JobCorps.org !"#$%&'(")*+,$*-+#".&/$*0(1,)2*3*4&//2*0(,,&"*5*Conner.Kelly@JobCorps.org Waterbury and Surrounding Areas – Abdul Shabazz – Shabazz.Abdul@JobCorps.org

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

Job Corps is a U.S. Department of Labor Equal Opportunity Employer Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. TDD/TTY telephone number is (877) 889-5627.

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

For DetailsWood go to Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, CastNew Construction, ELM CITY COMMUNITIES www.bloomfieldct.gov in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Invitation Casework, for Bids Town of Mechanical, Bloomfield Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.Fencing Improvements and Basement Abatement Essex Townhouse Zoning Enforcement Officer This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is Full-time, benefited currently seeking Bids for Essex Townhouse Fencing Improvements and Basement Bid Extended, Due Date: August A5,complete 2016 copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Com$38.03 hourly Abatement.

Pre-employment drugAnticipated testing. Start: munities’ August 15,Vendor 2016 Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.

For details and how to apply go to www. com/gateway Project documents available via ftp linkbeginning below: on bloomfieldct.org AA/EOE

http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 3:00PM. QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

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

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders AA/EEO EMPLOYER Full time Class A driver for petroleum deliveries for nights and weekends. PreTop pay for top performers. Health vious experience required. Competitive wage, 401(k) and benefits. Send resume Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

20

Listing: Commercial Driver

to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437.

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

INNER-CITY 27,23 2016 - August 02,29,2016 THE INNER-CITYNEWS NEWS July - June , 2021 - June 2021

Construction

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreNOTICE man, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide.

Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send HOME INC, behalf of Columbus House and the NewBox Haven368, Housing Authority, resume to:onPersonnel Department, P.O. Cheshire, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develCT06410. opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apAffirmative Action/Equal Employer M/F/V ply. Pre-applications will be available Opportunity from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending whenDrug sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have Free Workforce 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.

CONSTRUCTION HELP WANTED

LaRosa Building NOTICIA Group Is looking for people with experience for potential work with subcontractors a project in Hamden CT. VALENTINA MACRIon VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES Qualifi Hamden residents toAuthority, apply.está HOME INC, ed en nombre de la Columbus House are y de laencouraged New Haven Housing 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 For applications: máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 Visit us on Wednesday, June 30th from 4-6 PM for our julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) Community Outreach Event at 11serán Pine St, Hamden, CT. en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes enviadas por correo a petición Work will for the Newhall Renovation Project llamando a HOME INCbe 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 .

Email: hr@larosabg.com An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Income based affordable Rental apartment

NEW HAVEN 2 bedroom, Riverview.

242-258 Fairmont Ave Contact 347-366-1204 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

available in the heart of Westport.

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY 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.

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.

DELIVERY PERSON

NEEDED

Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested call

Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

(203) 387-0354 QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Town of Bloomfield

Assistant Director of Information Systems & Technology

Full Time - Benefited

Economic Development Marketing Specialist Town of Wallingford Part-Time (19.5 hours per week). Dynamic municipal economic development office seeks an individual with exceptional digital marketing skills to perform a variety of confidential, responsible administrative duties in creating and implementing marketing programs to support economic development activities within the Town of Wallingford.

The successful applicant must maintain active engagement with local businesses, State of Connecticut economic development agencies, commercial real estate brokers, and other Town of Wallingford departments in order to best position the community as a destination for business expansion and relocation. The position requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in marketing, business administration or related field, plus one (1) year of experience in marketing, digital marketing, economic development, business development, or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. Wage Rate: $22.00 hourly. Cover letter and resume can be sent to: Economic Development Office, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. (203) 294-2062. Email: edc@wallingfordct.gov. EOE

Animal ControL Part-time, 19 hours per week. Assistant needed to help operate and maintain a municipal animal control facility in accordance with State statutes and local ordinances. Must be available to work evenings, holidays, weekends, and able to respond to calls within 30 minutes. This position requires a valid CT driver’s license and the ability to lift and carry up to 100 pounds. Rate of pay: $12.00 to $15.00 hourly. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Room #301, Wallingford, CT 06492. This position will remain open until filled. (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Firefighter/ParamediC

$75,909 to $117,166

Pre-employment drug testing. For details and how to apply go to www. bloomfieldct.org AA/EOE

The Town of Wallingford is currently accepting applications for Firefighter/Paramedic.

Applicants must have: a valid CPAT card, issued within two (2) years prior to July 2, 2021, HS diploma/GED, valid driver’s license and hold a valid Paramedic License that Invitation meets to Bid:CT State Regulations. Applicants who are enrolled in an accredited Para-mediState of Connecticut Office of Policy 2nd Notice cine training program may apply, but will not be considered for appointment until they and Management complete the Paramedic licensing requirement. Copies of licenses and certifications must be submitted with application materials. The Town of Wallingford offers a competitive The State of Connecticut, OfficeOld of Saybrook, CT pay rate of $58,377.28 to $75,262.20 annually. In addition, there is a $4,950 Policy and Management is recruiting annual paramedic bonus plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Application deadline (4 Buildings, 17 Units) for a Policy Development is July 2, 2021. Apply: Human Resources Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Coordinator Taxposition.

Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project Main St., Wallingford, CT. phone: (203) 294-2080; fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE.

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castinstructions for this position is available at: Class A Full time driver for a petroleum

in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding,

and pool water company for

https://www.jobapscloud.com/ deliveries day and weekends. Previous experience required.

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances,for Residential Casework, CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= Competitive wage, 401(k).

Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, 210506&R2=1581MP&R3=001 Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

Guilford, 06437. requirements.

Thecontract State of Connecticut equalset-aside and This is subject istoanstate contractCT compliance opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Project documents available via ftp link below:ELM CITY COMMUNITIES http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Town of Bloomfield Invitation for Bids Essex Exterior Envelope and Dwelling Unit Improvements Library I- PT Fax or Email Assistant Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

HCC encourages of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Hourly Ratethe-participation $25.41 The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is curHaynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 rently seeking Bids for Essex exterior envelope and dwelling unit improvements. A Deadline to applyAA/EEO EMPLOYER complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Ven6/24/21 dor 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.

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

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

21

beginning on

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 3:00PM.

THE INNER-CITYNEWS NEWS July - June , 2021 - June 29, 2021 INNER-CITY 27, 23 2016 - August 02, 2016

The Town NOTICE of East Haven

is currently accepting applications for the following positions:

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Public Safety Dispatcher: $54,953.60/year HOME INC, onPolice behalf of Columbus and the New Haven Housing Authority, OfficerHouse C: $59,025/year

is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develApply online at www.policeapp.com/ opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apEastHavenCT<http://www.policeapp.com/EastHavenCT>. ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications have Tax Assessor: $98,377/ year For application(approximately information100) please been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon visit https://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-service-commis-request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed presion/pages/job-notices-and-tests applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third The Town of East Floor, New Haven, CTHaven 06510. is committed to building a workforce of

diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged NOTICIAto apply.

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

DELIVERY PERSON

NEEDED

Part Time Delivery Needed

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

One/Two Day a Week,

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) enHousing las oficinas de HOME INC. Lasofpre-solicitudes serán Elm enviadas correo a petición The Authority of the City New Haven d/b/a City por Communities is curllamando a HOME al 203-562-4663 esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse rently seeking Bids INC for VDI equipment.durante A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavena las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 . housing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested call

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids VDI Equipment

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 3:00PM.

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

LaRosa Group, LLC requesting new tradecarpet, qualificlose cations AllBuilding new apartments, newisappliances, tofor I-91the & Newhall/ I-95 Highwood Community, residential housing Hamden,center CT. There will be a highways, near bus stop &inshopping total ofPet fiveunder phases bid separately.

Qualifi cationMaria criteria can be obtained by 40lbeach allowed.

Interested parties contact @ 860-985-8258 contacting Vince Parete via email and are due to vparete@larosabg.com on July 01, 2021 by 2pm. Required trades are paving, fencing, landscaping, concrete, CT. Unified carpentry, Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s masonry, roofing, painting, mechanical, and electrical. Selected trade Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates contractors will be provided plans and cations competitive bidding. in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost isspecifi $125. Classes startfor Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 project Contact: Chairman, Davis, M.S., B.S. Set Aside requirements. An outreach This will be Deacon subjectJoetoJ.CHRO State (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster event will be held on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 from 4 to 6pm at 11 Pine St, St. New Haven, CT Hamden, CT. LaRosa Groups is an AA/EOE, minority businesses are encouraged to submit.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour

Housing Coordinator FT: The Bristol Authority is looking hire a Housing until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, AugustHousing 2, 2016 at its office at 28toSmith Street, Coordinator. This is a Full-Time Union position. Previous rent calculation experience Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the with Public Housing subsidies is a must. The successful candidate must be organized, Smithfield Gardens literate, Assistedable Living Facility, 26 Smithenvironment, Street Seymour. team player, computer to work in a fast-pace possess excellent interpersonal skills and be highly motivated to assist low income households.

Hourly wageconference is determined bargaining unit Contract.

Excellent benefi Send A pre-bid willbybea held at the Housing Authority Office 28ts.

Smith resume with references by June 30, 2021 to Evalyn McMahon, emcmahon@bristolStreet Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. housing.org. Or mail to 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT 06010 The Housing Authority are of the City of Bristol is anSeymour equal opportunity does Bidding documents available from the Housingemployer.

AuthorityIt Ofnot discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status of vetfice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. eran, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.

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

Workforce Alliance

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

(203) 387-0354

Town of Bloomfield Custodian

$23.40/hourly (benefited)

Business Services Coordinator Workforce Alliance is a non-profit organization that delivers employment solutions, prepares people for jobs and careers and connects people with jobs in South Central CT. The Business Services Coordinator is responsible for marketing and administering Workforce Alliance services to employers in the region and creating employment opportunities for job seekers. Leads a staff of 5, develops plans, supervises and conducts employer visits, assesses business needs and makes presentations. Special effort to do business with Black and Brown owned employers, small businesses and non-profits is a focus of this position.

Bachelor’s degree is required plus at least 5 years of related experience, preferably in business or career development. Knowledge of the local labor market and workforce needs of business. Excellent communication skills. Ability to effectively collaborate with diverse internal and external groups. Ability to travel around the state.

Compensation: Competitive salary plus excellent benefits package.

Please send resume to: Earl Foster, HR Consultant at efoster@workforcealliance.biz Workforce Alliance is an equal opportunity employer.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids Moving and Storage Services Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for moving and storage services.

A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/ gateway beginning on

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE. Invitation to Bid: For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.gov

Monday, May 10, 2021 at 3:00PM.

2nd Notice

CITY OF MILFORD Old Saybrook, CT

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Seeking qualified condidates fill 17 Units) (4 to Buildings, numerous vacancies to include, Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project Deputy Assessor, Mechanic Sewer Line, Public Health Nurse New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castand more. Forin-place information and Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, detailed application instructions, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, visit www.ci.milford.ct.us Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

Click on SERVICES, JOBS and This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

JOB TITLE.

Town of Bloomfi eldStart: August 15, 2016 Anticipated

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Project documents available via ftp link below:

Library Assistant I- PT http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Hourly Rate - $25.41 HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Deadline apply Haynesto Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER 6/24/21

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

22

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

Job Corps Now Offers Online Learning That Can Work With Your Schedule

Get Started Online. Finish on Campus.

Whether you’re a full- or part-time employee, a caregiver, or even a mom, now you can do it ALL and still start training for the career you want. strong organization and time management skills, and are ready to achieve your career goals, Job Corps’ online learning program might be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

And it’s all FREE!

(800) 733-JOBS[5267] OR JOBCORPS.GOV

23

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 23, 2021 - June 29, 2021

Find quality health insurance for nearly

0 /month.

$

A new federal law will make health insurance more affordable for many residents by providing more financial help for people at almost every income level. In fact, over half of current households in a qualified health plan will now pay under $16/month for their health insurance. You might even find a new plan for nearly $0 – but only through us.

Find out what financial help you may qualify for during a Special Enrollment Period from May 1 – August 15, 2021.

Compare plans at AccessHealthCT.com or with a broker!

Connecting you to quality health insurance plans.

AHCT-38423 ARP-925x105_AA_ICN_f.indd 1

24

5/6/21 10:13 AM