INNER-CITY NEWS by INNER-CITY NEWS

THE

New Haven, Bridgeport

NEWS

Volume 21 No. 2189

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

3rd Annual New Haven Caribbean American Heritage Celebration

Tenants Seek A Ticket Back Home The Kidnapped School Girls in Nigeria?

Labor leader Proto at rally

GAO GAO Report: Report: 1

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016 2

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

6 Question Encounter: Lizz Wright I want to hear is birdsong and the creek.

by Babz Rawls Ivy,

Babz: 3) Do you see yourself delving into more pop kinds of music?

Editor-in-chief, Inner-City News.

Babz: 1) Ms Wright, “Lean In” was so grown woman fabulous, what was the inspiration for it? It felt very grown and sexy. Was that the point?

Lizz: I have moments of romanticizing about pop music, but as an artist I’m always going to fall for the focus and nuances of jazz and the emotion and vulnerability of gospel. They’re like that sweet old pair of tattered jeans you refuse to toss because of the fit.

Lizz: Thank you. I was playing with a drum machine along with Jesse Harris after we had finished a writing session early. I was reflecting on the work of some of my favorite DJs in Brooklyn and Atlanta. I imagined writing a song to close a long night of dancing with friends and this is what came up.

Babz: 4) What kinds of songs are on your wish list? Songs that folks would be surprised you would like? Lizz: Perhaps I’m a bit indulgent l, because I sing every single thing I want to. There’s nothing left on the wish list. What a funny realization! Gee..

Babz: 2) Who are you digging right now? Who do you have on listening rotation?

Babz: 5) Do you watch any of the reality song competition/talent shows? If yes, which ones?

Lizz: When I am on the road I listen to everything new in several genres, but when I am at home all

Lizz: I don’t watch tv, but use

rentals and the Internet to catch up. Still, no reality talent shows for me! I find them incredibly stressful. As a singer you can trace the sound of the voice back into the body to feel what the physical experience behind the sound is. I feel too much muscle use and so much nerves. I’m way too sensitive to enjoy these kinds of shows. Babz: 6) We know you are an amazing singer, what else is Lizz Wright into artistically? Lizz: Thank you! I love to cook, to write essays, produce shows and to design. My purse always carries a microphone, a design or food maggy and a journal. Lizz Wright will be performing at the Ridgefield Playhouse, Saturday June 25, 2016 8:00 pm. For tickets www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org The new cd is Freedom & Surrender www.lizzwright.net

“Natural” Food Labels Targeted by ALIYYA SWABY New Haven Independent

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

Under current regulations, a cheese labelled “natural” could have cellulose in it extracted from ground-up wood, to make the substance stick together. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of New Haven unleashed this fun fact at a press conference Tuesday morning at Edge of the Woods grocery on Whalley Avenue to explain why she is calling for stricter regulations on how manufacturers can use the words “natural” and “healthy” on their food labels. She and Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, another sponsor of the proposal, argue the current labels are being used to deceive consumers into buying food they think is better for them when often it is not. The word “natural” should in-

Blumenthal: Finding real “natural” food is like “playing Russian Roulette.”

dicate no artificial ingredients, no toxic pesticides, and no additives in the food, DeLauro said. More than two-thirds of people think natural food labels are more meaningful than they are, and more than half think they are independently verified, she said. In reality, nothing is verified or regulated about the use of the term

when it comes to food, she said. Food companies are picking up on the fact that they can make money by using the label. About the cheese with cellulose powder, she said, “It doesn’t sound like natural to me.” DeLauro and Blumenthal are calling for the FDA to release a final definition of the word “natu-

ral” in food, and ask that the designation appear at the front of the product and on the information panel. The Food and Drug Administration developed a new nutrition label to take effect use this summer. It will include the servings in larger, bolder type, calories in larger type, the amount of total sugar that was added to the product, and serving sizes in cups as well as grams. “It’s a positive step, but we need to do more,” DeLauro said. A decision on her proposal is expected within the next few months. Blumenthal said interpreting the word “natural” is like playing “Russian Roulette,” since it can mean “a thousand things on a thousand different labels.” That does a “disservice to the good guys in this industry,” he said. Blumenthal held up a package of “Sea Crunchy” seaweed

snacks, which claimed it was “100 percent natural,” without MSG or preservatives. “This package is pure seaweed, but many others with that term may have a completely different use,” he said. He called for a “comprehensive approach to all labeling that appears on food products.” Ilisa Nussbaum, a pediatric dietician at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, joined the politicians to give a more clinical representation of the changes. The new label replaces Vitamin A and C with Vitamin D and potassium, in order to best represent what the average American is missing from his or her diet. It also de-emphasizes fat, since the focus on fat “criminalized things like the avocado,” which is healthy. “People have to begin to think about what it is they are consuming,” she said.

Publisher / CEO Babz Rawls Ivy Managing Editor Liaison, Corporate Affairs Doreen Strong Advertising Director Sales Team Trenda Lucky Delores Alleyne John Thomas III Hilda Calvachi

Editorial Team Staff Writers Ratasha Smith / Current Affairs Anthony Scott / Sports Arlene Davis-Rudd / Politics Contributing Writers David Asbery Tanisha Asbery Jessica Carl Jerry Craft/Cartoons Barbara Fair Mubarakah Ibrahim Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur Michelle Turner Smita Shrestha Kam Williams Content Contributors At-Large Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com Paul Bass New Haven Independent www.newhavenindependent.org Dr. Fred McKinney Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council www.cmsdc.org Memberships National Association of Black Journalist National Newspapers Publishers Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

New Haven, CT—The New Haven Caribbean Heritage Festival (NHCHF) committee has once again partnered with the City of New Haven, CT to host the 3rd Annual New Haven Caribbean Heritage Festival in recognition of National Caribbean American Heritage

Month (JUNE). President George W. Bush signed a Proclamation, making the resolution official on June 5, 2006. NHCHF and the City of New Haven will be hosting a celebration on Sunday, June 26th, 2016 in DeGale

Field a.k.a. Goffe Street Park, New Haven, CT from 2pm -6pm. This festival was designed to create cultural awareness of the heritage of the many islands in the Caribbean. The NHCHF festival is a free public event with Caribbean Island table dis-

plays, live music vendors, food, fun and games for all ages. For more information contact:Karaine SmithHolness 203-509-1516 Shermaine Cooke-Edmonds 203-787-8438 www.newhavencaribfest.com

House Declines To Raise Governor’s Bail Reform prior felony convictions.

by Christine Stuart

“The whole purpose of setting bond on somebody is for two reasons. One, to make sure they come back to court,” Klarides said. “And two, they’re not a danger to the community. If those two things are okay then they won’t put a bond on somebody, they’d just release them on their own recognizance.”

CT. Junkie News

Democratic lawmakers in the House Thursday decided there wasn’t enough support for Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s bail reform proposal to raise the bill. House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, said there’s not a “comfort level” with the proposal to allow all non-violent offenders charged with misdemeanors to get out of jail on a promise-to-appear. “There’s unanimous support for the concept and the principle,” Sharkey said Thursday outside the House chamber. However, legislators didn’t feel like they were part of the process and were unaware of the content of the bill, he added. There also was no attempt to make it a bipartisan bill. “A bipartisan approach is necessary to ensure that this reform receives the support it deserves,” Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said Thursday in a statement. House Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said the concept that people are sitting in prison because they can’t post a

CHRISTINE STUART PHOTO House Speaker Brendan Sharkey and Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz

small bail amount is something that has bipartisan support. But when it gets to specific individuals and what crimes are covered “that’s where we want to pause and take a look at it.” The legislation wasn’t available for most rank-and-lawmakers to read Wednesday night. “There was almost unanimous support for the bill in general, but the process by which it was derived is something other folks want to have more of a role in,” Sharkey said. Malloy did offer a compromise on Tuesday when he removed a piece of the bill that would have

treated 18- to 20-year-old defendants as juveniles. However, it wasn’t enough to make lawmakers feel comfortable with the proposal.

Klarides said the numbers the governor’s office have been putting out on a daily basis are misleading because the offense they are in court for today may be a low-level misdemeanor, “but how do you not look at the other convictions?” Sharkey, who isn’t seeking reelection, said they will leave it to Malloy to decide how to proceed.

On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers pointed out that of the roughly 400 pre-trial inmates facing a misdemeanor or lower charge, 83 were arrested for assault, 39 were arrested for threatening, and six were arrested for reckless endangerment.

Malloy acknowledged later Thursday afternoon at a press conference in his Capitol office that it’s an election year for lawmakers.

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said 77 percent of those inmates have three or more prior convictions and 60 percent of them have one or more

He said things that were being said about the legislation weren’t true but they were a “scary proposition for folks.”

“It’s hard to get things done in an election year,” Malloy said.

Malloy opined that if it wasn’t an election year then they would have passed the legislation. “I don’t agree that that’s a good excuse, but I understand it,” Malloy said. Malloy dismissed the conclusion that this wasn’t a bipartisan bill. He said bail reform was bipartisan less than a week ago until it wasn’t. He said he Con’t on page

The Inner-City Newspaper is published weekly by Penfield Communications, Inc. from offices located at 50 Fitch Street, 2nd Floor, New Haven, CT 06515. 203-387-0354 phone; 203-387-2684 fax. Subscriptions:$260 per year (does not include sales tax for the in State subscriptions). Send name, address, zip code with payment. Postmaster, send address changes to 50 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT 06515. Display ad deadline Friday prior to insertion date at 5:00pm Advertisers are responsible for checking ads for error in publication. Penfield Communications, Inc d.b.a., “The Inner-City Newspaper” , shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad or for typographical errors or errors in publication, except to the extent of the cost of the space in which actual error appeared in the first insertion. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The entire contents of The Inner-City Newspaper are copyright 2012, Penfield Communications, Inc. and no portion may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

3rd Annual New Haven Caribbean American Heritage Celebration

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

John P. Thomas Jr.

Mass Walkout At Amistad High by PAUL BASS & ALIYYA SWABY

down from the top of the facade. A call went to Achievement First offices in Hartford, and top system administrators were headed down to New Haven to meet with students.

Administrators overseeing the Achievement First Amistad charter high school promised to “do better” Tuesday after hundreds of black and Latino students walked out in protest to air longstanding complaints about racial insensitivity.

Five student leaders were ushered in to speak with school officials while students held placards and waved to honking drivers passing by on Dixwell Avenue.

The students massed on the football field of the Dixwell Avenue charter school after arriving on buses, then marched on the street chanting “What do we want? Diversity! When do we want it? Now! Now!”

Parents came to the scene, arranging for buses to take New Haven students home later in the day and bringing water and food to keep the protesters going.

Some 98 percent of the school’s 498 students are black or Latino, according to its website. Most of the teachers are white.

“Guys, you’ve got to face the street and put your signs up! It looks like you’re going on a field trip. You haven’t won the battle!” advised Melissa Jones, “auntie” of an Amistad student.

mony. “The student body should be reflected in the staff,” he said. “Diversity in the staff increases our sense of comfort and our ability to interact with confidence in our problems,” Gordon said.

The school emphasizes that it grooms students to be leaders and the students took them up on that mission at Tuesday’s orderly protest.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

Principal Claire Polcrack, left, tells parent Valerie Boyd, right, that a reporter can’t accompany parents into a meeting with school officials. They charged that a racially insensitive climate had led most of the black teachers to leave and to indiscriminate discipline. The protests brought into the open complaints students and parents have had about the racial climate in the school. “The school has young teachers that can’t handle the classroom,” said Kordell Green, one of the organizers. “We had this organized two weeks ago.The idea was for everybody to wear white. All the leaders would wear black. To show there’s a lack of minority teachers in the school,” said sophomore Isis Anderson. “We want more diversity. We want more representation of our student body.” “We’re trying to balance respect for student leadership and student voice against running a focused school where students learn a lot and have a productive day, espe-

“Growing up without a father figure, I always looked to find one inside the classroom. Unfortunately, not to sound rude, a Caucasian male would never be able to teach me how to live in a society that still looks down at the skin of my color.”

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Amistad students demonstrating outside the school.

cially with exams coming up,” said AF Regional Superintendent Jeff Sudmyer, as he monitored the protest from inside the school Tuesday morning. He said that AF, like all schools in Connecticut, wrestles with a low percentage of non-white teachers, and is working hard to diversify. “That’s not to make an excuse. We work really hard to have a diverse staff,” he said. Some 27 percent of Amistad High School “staff members identify as black, Latino or multi-racial,” reported AF spokeswoman Amanda Pinto. “This is an increase from 21 percent in 201314.” Sudmyer said the school pur-

sues a “justice, equality, access” mission. “In the ideal, they see us as collaborators with them and giving them a voice,” he said. “We want them to be leaders.” Students complained that a popular African-American frontoffice worker whom they trust is being pushed out of her job. Sudmyer said he can’t comment on that because “it’s a personnel issue. They perceive it a certain way,” but “it would be inappropriate and probably illegal if I were to comment on that.”. Around 10 a.m. students assembled on Ford Street, at the side of the school, where student Messiah Gordon led them in a calland-response first-person testi-

At 10:20, students who live in Bridgeport went inside after they were told they would not be allowed to board buses home if they didn’t. The other students gathered around protest leaders, Anderson and sophomore Miquell Shaw, both of whom are running for student president. They reported that administrators had offered to meet with the protestors in the media room if they would agree to come inside. “If they really wanted to listen to us, they would have been out here,” Anderson said. So the crowd of students marched instead to the front of the building to protest, where pictures of African-American heroes like Barack Obama, Shirley Chisholm, and Thurgood Marshall, looked

“This is not a game. This is your civil rights. This is what your ancestors died for!” Sharmont “Influence” Little, parent of a sophomore, exhorted the protesting students. “I’m happy they’re standing up for what they believe in,” he said afterwards. “Demerits” While awaiting word from leaders meeting with administrators inside the building, students discussed some of their experiences at the school. Amistad sophomore William Alvarado said he got four days of in-school suspension several weeks ago for asking a teacher whether she was on her period. He asked the dean whether a girl would be suspended for saying the same thing, and was told it would be a different consequence, he said. Students are also disciplined through a “merit system,” in which demerits start at a minimal Level 1 for small infractions and go to Level 3 for more serious ones. A second level demerit automatically gets a student detention. Three first level demerits send a student to detention. Con’t on page 21

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

Magnets’ Long-Term Future Questioned by PAUL BASS

D’Agostino, who’s 45 and a practicing attorney, dived into that question during an appearance on WNHH radio’s “Dateline New Haven” program. He predicted that tuition will prove the “death knell” for magnet schools, which he predicted will shrink anyway. And he’s not so sure that’s a bad idea.

New Haven Independent

He started a statewide conversation about charging suburban kids tuition to attend New Haven magnet schools. He ended up raising a broader question: Are magnet schools on the way out? Hamden State Rep. Michael D’Agostino popped the question when New Haven announced it might start charging tuition to suburban students in order to close a budget gap created by emergency state funding cuts. D’Agostino proposed a bill requiring communities to give other towns a year’s notice before beginning to charge tuition at magnet schools. The bill also requires the state education commissioner to sign off on any new tuition charges. The bill which passed both houses of the legislature late last month and awaits the governor’s signature ended up enjoying broad

Education has always played an important part in D’Agostino’s life. His family moved to Hamden when his father became superintendent of schools. D’Agostino himself served on Hamden’s Board of Education, including a stint as president, before his 2012 election to the state House of Representatives. D’Agostino confers at Capitol on tuition bill with New Haven State Rep. Robyn Porter.

support, including from New Haven. But it had one unintended consequence: Bridgeport officials said they hadn’t realized before that they could charge suburban towns

for the tuition.So they notified the towns that they intend to do so starting next year. New Haven is considering following suit. A broader debate hovers above the tuition question: In an era of

state budget-tightening, will Connecticut shore up its traditional public schools, continue promoting charter schools, or take a new look at its support of magnets? Or all of the above?

So he had a lot to say about where education is, and should be, headed in Connecticut. Edited excerpts of the interview follow. You can hear the whole episode by clicking on the audio file at the

City Selling Land To Not-For-Profits LCI, said although the agency has not worked with BIMEC before, BIMEC has a reputation of serving young people in community. Additionally, its proposal will help save demolition costs and restore the building for a “legitimate purpose,” Trachten said.

by QI XU New Haven Independent

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

The city is preparing to sell vacant property to two not-forprofits to bring more affordable housing to the Hill and youth training to Newhallville. The board of the Livable City Initiative (LCI), New Haven government’s neighborhoods antiblight agency, voted unanimously to sell two vacant Hill lots to Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven, and a vacant rundown Newhallville building to the Believe In Me Empowerment Corporation (BIMEC). The proposed sales now go to the Board of Alders for final approval. The rundown house at 320 Shelton Ave. is to be sold to BIMEC for $3,000. The house sits opposite the Lincoln-Bassett Community School at the intersection of Shelton Avenue and

Newhallville Alder Delphine Clyburn, who also serves on LCI board, said residents in the neighborhood need the change. QI XU PHOTOClyburn, Neal-Sanjurjo, Trachten, and Yolen at LCI board meeting.

Bassett Street. BIMEC, a not-forprofit dedicated to youth, has proposed to rehabilitate the house and turn it into a training center to improve skills for youth and young adults in the neighborhood. At Wednesday’s LCI board meeting at City Hall, Chairman Tim Yolen raised a concern about the lack of a parking lot in the plan. LCI executive director Serena Neal-Sanjurjo said she had met

with BIMEC multiple times. Although the organization does not have specific layout of the area, it has concrete ideas about how it will use the space, she said. “The issue is whether to turn about a corner in a neighborhood that we are putting a lot of effort into stabilizing. It is not based on zoning, but based on the neighborhood and youth that will go into the building.” NealSanjurjo said. Evan Trachten, a specialist at

“They want to know how fast it is going to be done. They want a turnaround in that corner,” Clyburn said. The board voted to sell the land to BIMEC on the condition that it submits confirmation of funding of the youth center and a plan to obtain regulatory approval of a parking plan. This way, LCI can ensure that the buyer does not “put the cart before the horse,” Trachten reassured the board. The board also voted to sell 35 Arch St. currently an open lot to

Habitat for Humanity for$1,000 and a piece of vacant land along Washington Avenue for $2,000, based on a rate determined by the Board of Alders for nonprofits. Habitat for Humanity plans to build a single-family home for a lowerincome family at the Arch Street site and a two-family home on Washington Avenue. The board mandated that Habitat for Humanity sell the houses to families who plan to own the property for at least five years. Trachten praised Habitat for Humanity’s track record. The notfor-profit has several construction projects underway in the city, including one on Wilson Street. Its volunteer work helps families obtain provides mortgages below market value. “It’s not overbuilt. It’s not overpriced,” Neal-Sanjurjo said of the proposed property. “[Habitat for Humanity] is one of the groups that we can really bank our money on.”

Defamation League, praised Light’s approach to teaching young kids about a challenging subject. She said watching the presentations gave her “hope for the future.”

by QI XU New Haven Independent

With yardsticks and tape, Tatyanna Russell and her friends spent two months building a star and hanging 10,000 paper clips on it.

At the Thursday presentation, the audience also heard from a special guest, Hedda Rosner Kopf, author of Understanding Anne Frank’s The Diary Of A Young Girl. Kopf’s book recounts the life of the Frank family during the Nazi period.

It would be another kids craft project if not for the meaning behind it: the star represents the Jewish Star of David, and each paper clip stands for 150 children who died during the Holocaust. Russell’s project was one of the five pieces of artwork presented at a celebration held Thursday morning at Davis Street Arts and Academics School. Over the past few months, dozens of fifthgraders their applied what they read in class about Nazi concentration camps to art projects, expressing their understanding of history and sympathy for Jewish victims. “I hope you are impacted by our project. We worked hard,” student Tamia Bromell told the gathering. “Sometimes we wanted to stop, but we kept going because we thought about what children of the Holocaust went going through.” The group drew inspiration from an award-winning nonfiction book they read for literature class, Hana’s Suitcase. The book

QI XU PHOTO The Davis paper-clip project team: Serena Nawfal, Priya Sasidharan, Tamia Bromell, Imani Tatman, Tatyanna Russell.

narrates the experience of a Jewish girl executed in the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz, as well as the story of a Japanese teacher informing the public about the Holocaust. Russell said they chose paper clips because, according to the book, people wore them to show solidarity with the Jewish population and resistance against Nazi barbarism. “I am beyond proud,” their teacher, Jessica Light, said of the five projects. “I am more proud of

them than anything I have done so far as a teacher.”

murdered six million Jews during the Holocaust.

After receiving a grant from the Lily Sarah Grace Fund, Light knew she wanted her students to take the lead and pursue an inquiry-based art project.

Caiynin Gore’s group designed a tree with special “leaves” fake passports. Gore came up with the tree idea because, just as trees continue to grow, their knowledge of the Holocaust will continue to deepen. The fake passports represent the fake passes that Jews used to bypass the Nazi border control and flee Europe.

Other projects include a replica of Hana’s suitcase with quotes inside about the Holocaust, a tower that resembles a concentration camp, and puppets to show how the Nazi exerted complete control over people’s minds at that time. The Nazis

A Holocaust educator, Marji Lipshez-Shapiro of the Anti-

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

10,000 Clips Recall Holocaust’s Children

Kopf touched her young listeners’ hearts. With an engaging tone, she recounted how her mother and her mother’s sister survived concentration camps. In order to survive, Kopf’s mother had to put up a strong front even when physically hurt. When the Western allies liberated concentration camps, they brought along food, but people had starved for so long that their bodies could not take the food. “To be honest, at the start, I was a little skeptical of fifth-graders reading and doing projects about the Holocaust. I thought it may be too much,” Kopf commented on the artwork, “[Now] I am really impressed. I am touched that they put so much of themselves into the projects.”

Amistad Students, Brass Weigh Next Steps by PAUL BASS

education at AF schools, where many dedicated teachers “love the children” and offer the kind of education her parents had to send her to parochial school to receive.)

New Haven Independent

Following a mass walkout at Amistad High School, students are pushing to help rewrite discipline rules and train teachers about how to deal with black and brown teens. Officials said they’ve heard the students and are considering those ideas as well as others to improve the climate at the charter high school on Dixwell Avenue. Hundreds of students protested outside the school Tuesday rather than attend classes to call attention to what they say is a racially insensitive atmosphere: an unfair discipline code and a lack of black or Latino teachers for a school with a black and Latino student body. (This story details Tuesday’s events.)

a mid-afternoon meeting with school administrators. “Our voices were heard. They are now taking action to help us and to hear what we’re trying to say.” Principal In Waiting

Students leaders pressed that case Tuesday afternoon during a meeting at the school with Amistad’s outgoing and expected new principal, as well as co-CEO Dacia Toll and regional superintendent Jeff Sudmyer of Achievement First (AF), the charter organization that runs the school.

Also present at Tuesday meeting was Morgan Barth, whom AF has “nominated” to become Amistad’s new principal next academic year, according to Sudmyer. Barth’s appointment needs formal approval from the AF board.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

“I think the protest worked,” student organizer Kordell Green said Wednesday. He said AF brass “handled it well.” Students were marked absent for staying out of school Tuesday, but did not suffer academic consequences or get barred from bus rides home as originally threatened, Green said. And at the 5 p.m. meeting, Toll and other officials listened to the students and began brainstorming solutions. Green said proposals included having students spend the summer working on revisions to the discipline handbook. Under the current discipline “merit system,” demerits start at a minimal Level 1 for small infractions and go to Level 3 for more serious ones. A Level 2 demerit automatically gets a student detention. Three Level 1 demerits send a student to detention. Students complain they can now be suspended for playing

PAUL BASS PHOTOS

Students protesting outside Amistad High.

cards during lunch, for instance. They charge that teachers arbitrarily hand out demerits, often based on favoritism. In addition, Green said, students want to sit in on teacher training days to weigh in on how to interact better with teens of color. Sudmyer Wednesday called the proposals “good ideas. We’re going to use our future meetings to really commit to the exact next steps.” He said another idea is to have “scholars [Amistad students] give us some feedback after a [prospective] teacher gives a guest lesson, giving them a voice in that process.” A follow-up meeting is scheduled for next week.

Alders and state legislators sat in on the 5 p.m. meeting Tuesday. One of them, State Sen. Gary Winfield, called the meeting “powerful. The adults who came to support the young people allowed them to do the speaking. They listened and echoed back what the students said, allowing the students to clarify if they were correct or not.” “I thought the students were outstanding. They were thoughtful. They were reasoned,” Sudmyer said. “I think they were understanding and they were more aware of problems this time,” another student protest participant, Akira White, said after attending

Kordell Green (shown in the video speaking at Tuesday’s protest) said he had a positive impression of Barth: “I think he seems like a decent guy. By him being in that meeting, he gets a feel of what we want to see in a principal. I think he gets a sense of how the school should be run.” One parent, Lakisha Franklin, contacted the Independent to voice concerns about that appointment. Franklin’s son is a junior at Amistad. He has been at AF schools his whole career, including attending its Elm City College Prep Elementary school in Wooster Square. She said she had negative experiences dealing with him at the time. “You’re going to already have another Caucasian principal who has bad experiences with the parents,” Franklin said. “It’s not an open process. They didn’t include the parents.” (While criticizing the school’s response to Tuesday’s protest, Franklin said overall her son has received a good

Sudmyer said AF consulted the parent leadership council before recommending Barth. It has also set up three opportunities this coming week for parents to meet him. He said Barth has a “really strong record” at AF schools; he currently serves as assistant regional superintendent. He has also served as principal of an AF middle school in Bridgeport. In between the Elm City Prep and regional superintendent gigs, he served as director of the state Department of Education’s Turnaround Division for 18 months from 2013-15. He taught at Elm City Prep for four years before becoming principal; he began his career in the classroom in Arkansas in the Teach for American program. His tenure at Elm City Prep generated some controversy because he hadn’t received public school certification in Connecticut. The state passed a law in 2010 allowing charter school teachers and administrators to work without traditional Connecticut certification. A graduate of Williams College, Barth earned a master’s in school administration from National Louis University in Chicago. Barth said Wednesday that he agrees with the students that Amistad needs to do better in recruiting teachers of color and setting high standards while also promoting “wonderful, loving relationships with students and families.” “I’m incredibly excited by the opportunity. Amistad is a great school with amazing students and a great faculty. It’s a real privilege to join the team,” Barth said. “It’s particularly fun and inspiring to me since I’ve had the chance to teach and be the principal of a lot of the kids there. It feels like a homecoming to see the older, wiser version of kids I knew in their elementary and middle school careers.”

by ALIYYA SWABY

Steed raised her hand to express concern that many families have not yet received vouchers to move out.

New Haven Independent

Shannon Steed has lived at the crumbling Church Street South public-housing complex for 22 years and came to a public meeting looking for a guarantee that she can move back when the complex is rebuilt. She didn’t get it.

Lee Rodriguez explained that HANH is giving priority vouchers to people already moved from moldy apartments to hotel rooms and those with disabilities, and then starting with the families that moved into the building the earliest.

Steed is among the hundreds of tenants gradually being moved out of the 301-unit federally subsidized complex across from the train station because of a public-health emergency that will soon lead to its demolition. She was one of dozens of the complex’s tenants who filled a 54 Meadow St. conference room Wednesday evening for the latest public meeting about the relocation process out of waterdamaged apartments, and the potential for return to the site once it’s rebuilt into a larger mixedincome community. She and others wanted to talk primarily about whether they’ll be allowed back into the newer, safer complex after living somewhere else for a few years. But that wasn’t the official agenda for the meeting. So city officials tried to refocus the conversation, pushing attendees to talk less about housing concerns and more about an upcoming application for a federal five-year grant to rebuild the property and provide services for its former tenants. The Livable City Initiative (LCI), the city’s anti-blight agency, is taking the lead on applying to the Choice Neighborhood Program of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) due June 28. The city has decided to partner with landlord Northland Investment Corp., which still owns the land. New Haven can compete for a HUD Choice grant.

ALIYYA SWABY PHOTOSteed: Do we get to return?

years to support rebuilding Church Street South as a mixed-income residential development with 25,000 square feet of stores, improving the Hill neighborhood, and helping the complex’s former tenants train for good jobs, get education opportunities and access health care.

where this is at?” the woman asked.

She asked people to complete a survey explaining the needs and services they want the application to address, on factors including education, health, employment and financial challenges. The city needs to have tenants do that as part of the application process. Hence the meeting. (A second meeting is scheduled for Thursday night for the same reason.)

Attorney Amy Marx, of New Haven Legal Aid Association, whose organization represents more than 100 of the families being relocated, pressed NealSanjurjo to clarify whether the services in the application would be available for all former tenants, even those who had decided to live in other cities and towns. About “60 families have already left,” Marx said. “Many of the remainder have taken vouchers somewhere else or are living in a project somewhere else.”

But families were much more interested in talking about when they would be moved out of Church Street South and whether they would definitively be able to move back in. And they were determined to talk about it. First Step: Relocation The first woman to raise her hand asked whether the relocation process is directly tied into the application. More than 200 families have chosen to take portable Section 8 vouchers they can use to find a landlord to rent to them. “Y’all trying to relocate us to

No, Neal-Sanjurjo responded. The New Haven Housing Authority (HANH) will continue to issue vouchers and help families relocate for now, as LCI head the application process for rebuilding the complex.

Yes, Neal-Sanjurjo said. The application allows New Haven officials to follow the families for five years to provide them with services. “Are you letting us back in?” another woman raised her hand to ask. “There will be an opportunity for some to come back,” NealSanjurjo said. The room started buzzing as people discussed that potential in

the room. As the side chatter continued, HANH relocation coordinator Michelle Lee-Rodriguez took a question in Spanish, translating for one man who repeated the question of whether tenants would get to return to Church Street South. Yes, she responded, in English and Spanish. She promised tenants will be updated throughout the planning process of the grant, as HANH continues to issue vouchers. Neal-Sanjurjo added that New Haven might not receive the grant, so “we can’t change your thought process right now.” She urged tenants to continue engaging in the voucher process, instead of focusing on moving back to a property with an uncertain future. It’s very difficult to win a federal CHOICE grant. New Haven has tried before and failed. If it gets the CHOICE grant, the bulk fo the money will go to Northland Investment Corp., the current private owner of Church Street South, to build a new 1,000-unit mixed income and mixed-use community with 30 percent “affordable” housing. (That “affordable” phrase has different meanings depending on the sources of government subsidy involved.)

Neal-Sanjurjo stopped Marx from continuing on the topic and tried to refocus the conversation to the application. “I don’t want to lose sight of this meeting,” she said. “We’re here to talk about a site grant application. ...We want to talk about what your needs are and what you want to see in this application.” Some tenants began to leave the room. The ones still in the room wanted to hear more about relocation. Looking For A Guarantee Marx asked Neal-Sanurjo to clarify whether every tenant will have the right to return if the property is rebuilt through the application. “This application allows us to give them top priority,” NealSanjurjo responded. “If they chose to come back to the site, they can do that.” Will there be five-bedroom apartments on the site, or just two and three-bedroom apartments? Marx asked. Many families need those bigger apartments or they won’t be able to return. That’s a key question: It’s hard to find those big apartments in New Haven. Neal-Sanjurjo did not make a commitment on those bigger units. “Everyone will be moved through the process as part of the grant,” Neal-Sanjurjo said. “We have a requirement to follow everyone for five years.” Con’t on page

LCI Executive Director Serena Neal-Sanjurjo explained the program to the room of Church Street South tenants Wednesday. It would provide up to $30 million in new federal money over five

Marx doubled down on this response, announcing that families with priority who still haven’t received vouchers should talk to her.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

Tenants Seek A Ticket Back Home

Harries Plans School-Choice Fraud Probe said they would rather not do that. “We raised the issue. It’s best for the administration to solve that in a way they think is fair and logistically feasible,” Ostergren said.

by ALIYYA SWABY New Haven Independent

Shirin Bahmanyar’s daughter is tenth on the wait list for Worthington Hooker School’s kindergarten class, which had more East Rock families apply this year than ever before.

“It should not be our role as concerned parents to point fingers at anyone or provide more information other than the fact that we are concerned,” Bahmanyar said. “We don’t want to be pointing fingers at specific people.”

She believes her daughter could be higher on the list because not all the families who reported living in the Hooker district actually do. Bahmanyar’s daughter is one of 72 students applying to Hooker in the school choice process for next year able to show proof of residency in the neighborhood, gaining them a “preference” in the process. She and a couple of other parents approached the Board of Education this spring to report that some families were submitting fake leases or utility bills that fraudulently place them in East Rock, inflating the number of applicants banging down the door of the popular neighborhood school.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

Rumors have been floating for years that people were gaming the school choice system to get into Hooker School, said Jeff Ostergren. His child got into kindergarten at East Rock Magnet School in the fall, their second choice, and is waitlisted at Hooker, their first choice. Three types of preference exist in the school choice process. The strongest comes from living in the neighborhood of a particular school and having a sibling already there, followed by just neighborhood preference, and lastly just sibling preference. Sherri Davis-Googe, director of choice and enrollment, said the concerns were raised this year because the total number of Hooker applicants who had any neighborhood preference had increased. Of those who put Hooker as their first choice for kindergarten, 72 had both neighborhood and sibling preference or just neighborhood preference, up from 62 the previous two years. The total number of kindergarten applicants

ALIYYA SWABY PHOTO

stergren & Bahmanyar: Something fishy.

who put Hooker as their first choice also increased, at 114 from 94 in 2014 and 62 in 2013. The total number of seats available has stayed steady at around 52. Davis-Googe confirmed that the fraud has occurred at other schools. She said the school system has no evidence of actual fraud at Hooker. But because parents like Bahmmanyar have raised the concern, school district officials have decided to investigate the question and crack down on potential fraud. Davis-Googe said she thinks the problem is that more families have moved into East Rock and that it’s possible the school is “outgrowing” its neighborhood. A school choice and enrollment committee is working to redraw the lines across the district, to account for disparities in neighborhood sizes and boundaries. Hooker is the only neighborhood school with many more neighborhood applicants than seats, she said. Davis Street 21st Century Magnet School also has many more neighborhood applicants, but since it is a magnet school, “the expectation is a little

different.” Families expect that being in the neighborhood will definitely get them into a neighborhood school. If parents are pretending to live in the neighborhood, it might be “keeping families and children that legitimately live in the neighborhood from being accepted to Hooker,” Bahmanyar said. In past years, most families with neighborhood preference got off the waitlist eventually. This year, the waitlist is so long, Bahmanyar is worried her daughter will not “have a first day of kindergarten at” Hooker or her second choice East Rock Magnet School. Davis-Googe’s team placed Bahmanyar’s daughter in Strong School, now located on Orchard Street in the Hill neighborhood and soon to be on Southern Connecticut State University’s campus). Bahmanyar is a pregnant working mother and Strong School is too far to be a reasonable option so she turned it down, she said. Now, she is on two waitlists and has no viable option for her daughter to start kindergarten in the fall. The Board of Ed has convened a working group to crack down on

potential fraud in the next few months, said Superintendent Garth Harries. “We agree that families who are dishonest in the enrollment process should not benefit from their dishonesty. It would be a real concern and violation of trust,” Harries said. His team is considering being “more exacting” with the kinds of documents required to prove residency. At an upcoming welcome event for Hooker families in June, Davis-Googe and her team will be reviewing the registration information of all families, to make sure it is current. If they find out that a parent committed any kind of fraud to get into the school, they will “work with the family to place them in a school with available seats” and/or at the bottom of Hooker’s waitlist. Truancy officers will help with the process by doing home visits to families about whom suspicions have been raised, she said. Harries and Davis-Googe have asked parents to help them by anonymously reporting if they hear of others committing school enrollment fraud. But Ostergren and Bahmanyar

Superintendent Harries said parents have a responsibility to the community to help solve the problem. “I don’t think it’s fair to complain about the problem but not be willing to help solve it. I appreciate that they don’t want to be accusers and be publicly named as accusers. I would want to respect that. At the same time, it doesn’t make sense to send truancy officers to every applicant to kindergarten,” he said. “It’s not a good use of resources, or a particularly welcoming and trusting thing to do with the vast majority of parents” who are not misrepresenting themselves. Davis-Googe said she understands families’ concerns and does not want them to do “anything they’re uncomfortable with.” At the same time, there is little way her team can sniff out the fraud without help, especially if a family seems to have “valid residency information.” “You can’t stalk neighborhood,” she said.

Generally, parents find out about any kind of school choice fraud when their children are in the school. “If a little girl was in the classroom and said, ‘Oh, I went to so-and-so’s birthday party and she didn’t live in our neighborhood.’ That’s the kind of stuff that happens. There’s not usually a whole tattling piece,” DavisGooge said. East Rock is a “transient area,” said the neighborhood Alder Anna Festa. “It’s hard to say who’s moving in and who’s moving out. At the same time, there are only so many apartments people can Con’t on page

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

BECOME A FOSTER OR ADOPTIVE PARENTâ&#x20AC;¦ ATTEND AN INFORMATIONAL SESSION

Please call 1-888-KID-HERO For more Information 13

Department of Children and Families

Common Ground Sprouts Greena Addition taking 100 cars off the road for a year, he said.

by ALIYYA SWABY New Haven Independent

In tours after the conference finished, five students explained the landscape architecture planned for just outside the new building. A major problem at Common Ground is that water runoff travels across the parking lot and drags pollutants into the neighboring brook, said sophomore Isobel Browe.

Nyasia Mercer said now that Common Ground has a new building able to accommodate a major expansion in students and activities, the school will no longer be a secret to those outside of its grounds. The graduating senior spoke about her pride for Common Ground High School at a celebration of its new sustainable building Thursday morning, alongside state and local officials who pushed for the money to fund it. Leaders said the school’s expansion represents a move toward closing the achievement gap dividing students who will graduate into college and careers and those who will not. The 13,000-square foot building will allow the urban farm charter school to expand from 180 to 225 students, and includes an auditorium and half-court gym, two science labs, and an art studio—largely powered by geothermal and solar energy. Community members will be welcome to use the school’s environmental education center for outside programs.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

The construction was funded by a public-private partnership, with state money being matched by $2.1 million in contributions from local organizations, said Executive Director Melissa Spear. Mayor Toni Harp encouraged students in the audience to learn from the collaboration and leadership of state officials that made the building possible. Harp was a state senator when she first began meeting with school leaders to plan the project. The expansion of the school

The land outside the building will featurae bioswales, which will remove the pollutants from the runoff water and soak in some of the additional liquid, to keep the brook clean, she said.

ALIYYA SWABY PHOTO Mercer

at Thursday’s event.

reflects a “growing demand” for learning about sustainable practices that Common Ground teaches its students, Harp said. “A green building makes perfect sense,” she said. State Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell asked seniors in the room to raise their hands. On one side of the room, a few rows of hands shot up. “At this point in your academic career, you’re, I’m sure, engaged in reflection,” she said, which also involves thinking forward. In the past few years, Common Ground has increased its graduation rate with a rate in 2014 that “outpaced the state,” Wentzell said. And last year, all students graduated on time with their cohort. “You’ve learned some things that we need to understand better,” she said. State Senators Gary Winfield and Martin Looney praised school leaders for their accomplishments. Winfield said it was “easy” for

him to get on board with pushing to fund the new building’s construction, because of his commitment to closing the achievement gap and addressing “children on the wrong end” of that gap.

structures of this sort destroy the environment, instead of helping it.

Designed by Gray Organschi Architecture, the building is powered by a “geothermal system” with 18 deep wells that harness the net heating and cooling of the earth, said spokesperson Joel Tolman. A set of solar panels will be installed to provide at least 75 percent of electric power, and the building was oriented to let in as much daylight as possible.

move into.”

The building is held up by large structural columns of “crosslaminated timber” from small trees that grow in Quebec and are cut down when they have taken up the maximum amount of carbon, Tolman said. It is the largest building in the country so far to use this type of timber for its entire structure. Traditional steel

This project is the equivalent of

Con’t from page 12

Parents are the “best source” of information because they have kids who “go to preschool together and go to the park together. They know many 5- or 6-year-old are in the district,” Festa said. She stressed that she hasn’t seen any concrete evidence to prove that the problem is rampant, but that many constituents have approached her saying they’re aware of the issue. Festa said she doesn’t think the problem is unique to Hooker School or to East Rock. “Personally, I think home visits need to be done across the board,” but that is a costly measure, she said.

Juniors Julia Farquharson and Sonny Reed explained that traditional monocultural grass would not be planted outside the building. Instead, a variety of plant species native to the state will be planted, which do not need pesticides and an excess of water to keep alive, Reed said.

Ostergren said he brought the problem to the Board of Ed to let them and parents who are engaging in school choice fraud know “how it affects other families.” He and Bahmanyar said they felt supported when they took problems to Davis-Googe and her team. But Bahmanyar said the Board of Ed has to be more proactively transparent with parents about the enrollment process, making information easier to find from the start of the process instead of providing it when asked. They plan to return to board meetings if they see the system hasn’t been repaired. “I’m going to keep up with it. I’m not going away,” Bahmanyar said.

By Freddie Allen, NNPA News Wire National News Editor

Photo: Anika Noni Rose stars as Kizzy in the “Roots” remake airing on The History Channel. (The History Channel)

make the film more accessible. Producers for the 2016 miniseries relied on a host of historians and research that simply wasn’t available in the 1970s.

“[Roots”] was the best that it could be at it’s time,” said Kirby. “We’ve updated this now, hoping that it will the best that it can be at this time.”

“If there is something that’s keeping the younger generation from accessing that, then I believe we need to find a new way and I’m hoping that’s what we did with this [miniseries],” said Kirby. Like Rose, Kirby expressed some anxiety about appearing in the reboot at first. “I felt extremely unprepared for this,” said Kirby. “I literally spent most of my time worrying about what I would do if I got the job instead of preparing for it. Then when I finally got it, I didn’t have a clue how to tackle this.” Kirby turned to prayer to assist him in bringing his interpretation of Kunta Kinte to the screen. “I came to an understanding that [Kunta Kinte’s] strength and his power would have come from the knowledge of himself and his spirit and so I decided I wanted to take time to get a bit deeper into myself, so I could play him and also strengthen myself in spirit,” said Kirby. Kirby acknowledged that many people were left feeling very angry and very hurt after watching the “Roots” miniseries in the 1977. Kirby hopes that the updated “Roots” sparks public dialogue about America’s history of racism and the legacy of slavery and that people gain some form of empowerment, healing and understanding

Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose admitted that she questioned why Mark Wolper, the son of the producer of the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries “Roots,” would ever consider returning to that story. The original miniseries, based on Alex Haley’ Pulitzer Prize-winning 1976 novel “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,” won nine Emmy awards and was watched by more than 50 percent of United States population. The miniseries inspired scores of families to trace their own genealogy, according to the Christian Science Monitor. With the legacy and emotional burden of the original “Roots,” Rose said that she needed to understand the mindsets of the producers, their plan and what they were trying to accomplish with the remake. When Mark Wolper sat down to watch the 1977 miniseries with his own son, then 16 years-old, he discovered that the pace and style of the original didn’t resonate with younger audiences. Wolper shared what his son told him with actors and producers. His son understood why the story was important, but similar to his father’s music, it didn’t speak to him. After meeting with the producers, Rose came around. “I think that this is a story that deserves to be told over and over again. As much as we hear about the Jewish Holocaust, we need to hear about our Holocaust. This particular American Holocaust. The second American Holocaust,” said Rose. “I hope that this is the beginning of the telling of the story of, you know, another America. Of the America that built America. I hope that we continue to tell this story from different angles.” Rose continued: “We need to tell the story for new eyes, and a [younger generation] used to watching movies and television that move in a faster way and [speak with] a different language.” Malachi Kirby, the English-born actor who stars as Kunta Kinte, said that the reboot was necessary to

in the process. “There’s ‘Birth of a Nation’ coming out, there’s ‘Underground’ and [‘Roots’]. There are so many projects coming out about this same narrative, I don’t think that it’s a coincidence,” said Kirby. “There’s a discussion that needs to be happen. I don’t think that people really understand this period of time. I hope that this project brings about more understanding and clarity.” Rose said that she hopes more Black filmmakers like Nate Parker with “Birth of a Nation,” will get the opportunity to tell stories about this part of America’s history. The cast also includes Laurence Fishburne as the narrator Alex Haley, Forest Whitaker, Mekhi Phifer, Erica Tazel and the rapper Tip “T.I.” Harris. Mario Van Peebles directed the second episode. Will Packer, the executive producer of “Straight Outta Compton,” also earned production credits on the “Roots” remake. Rose said that she’s excited that young people of color and others will be inspired to learn more about their own roots after watching the miniseries. Kirby said that through the experience of filming “Roots” and conversations with actors and staffers on set, he learned the importance of self-knowledge and knowing where you come from. Kirby, knew that his parents were from Jamaica, but he didn’t know any of his family’s history past his grandparents. Kirby recently took a DNA test and learned that his roots go back to West Africa. “Now, I can say it with confidence: ‘That is where I’m from.’ I can go to that land and know that is where my people are from. I can pass that down to my children and that’s just the beginning,” said Kirby. Kirby continued: “It has already empowered me so much, just rooted and grounded me so much, that little information, and I’m just going to continue on that journey.” The “Roots” miniseries airs May 30 – June 2 at 9PM EST on The History Channel. Visit roots.history.com/ for more information.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

“Roots” Remake Targets Younger Audience

18 INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

R: Dan Adelman, BGCNH Board Chair, Stephanie Barnes, BGCNH Executive Director; Jim Clark, CEO BGCA]

Boys & Girls Club of New Haven receives the prestigious Merit Award for Program Excellence in Character & Leadership Boys & Girls Club of New Haven receives the prestigious Merit Award for Program Excellence in Character & Leadership from Jim Clark, President, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The award was recently presented during Boys & Girls Clubs of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 110th National Conference in New Orleans. Merit Awards for Program Excellence, are sponsored by MetLife Foundation and presented annually for outstanding programs developed and implemented to lead youth to great futures at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. Each honoree also receives a $2,500 award. Each year, hundreds of entries are submitted in the five core program areas: character and leadership development; education and career development; health and life skills; the arts; and sports, fitness and recreation.

Tenants Seek A Ticket Back Home One tenant, Judith Ortiz, raised her hand to ask in Spanish whether families who move to other cities would be able to participate in the application process. Yes, Lee Rodriguez responded. “For the next five years, we’re going to be knocking on your door.” Before ending the meeting, she and Neal-Sanjurjo reiterated the importance of filling out the survey either that night or in the near future and dropping it off with LCI. “I’m going to fill it out,” Steed said, after people had started to disperse. She works at 18 Tower Lane, around the corner from Church Street South, and would love to stay close to her job, where she has been for 15 years. Steed said she doesn’t know where she would move with the voucher. She needs just one bedroom. Her friend and co-worker Jessica Andino has been living at Church Street South since 2007. She received a voucher to move on May 19, despite not being in a priority group. Her apartment’s bathroom has mold on the ceilings and walls. But she didn’t tell HANH officials that during the voucher application process. “I’m happy but I’m kind of concerned,” she said. “I filled everything everything right. I’m not disabled. Neither is my kids. Everything was normal on my side.” Andino has gone to a few open houses for apartments in New Haven, but also would be happy eventually to move back to a rebuilt Church Street South to be close to work.

past. What was not discussed in this meeting was housing.” Families want to know what right they would have to take a portable HUD Section 8 rental voucher now and move back later, she said. Marx said the most important questions are whether Church Street South Section 8 voucherholders will have priority over others with vouchers to move back to the rebuilt property, and whether the building will be welcome and inclusive of Section 8 tenants.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

Con’t on page 11

“The meeting gave short shrift to that component,” she said. HANH Director Karen DuBois-Walton said after the meeting that the federal grant would require city officials to consider the needs of former tenants looking to move back when deciding how to rebuild the property. She said she “can’t imagine” how the city would get through the process without building five-bedroom apartments, if former tenants need them. The city likely also has the option to build some of the replacement affordable housing in nearby land parcels. “All people have to be accommodated for,” she said.

Two-Thirds To Northland “The most important thing in this conversation to me is housing,” Attorney Marx said after the meeting. Of the total $30 million over five years the [CHOICE] grant would provide, $21 million would go to Northland to rebuild the complex.

“The services are wonderful, Marx said. “I fully support the idea of doing a community survey to ask what services will be available to Church Street South tenants because they were tenants in the

Scleroderma Facts Vs. Fiction By Gwendolyn Harris, BlackDoctor.Org

Myth: It’s easy to diagnose scleroderma.

Queen Latifah looks up to her mother, Rita Owens. ” In a recent PSA for the American Heart Association, Queen Latifah describes that her mother was diagnosed in 2013 with scleroderma, an incurable autoimmune disease that caused scar tissue to build up in her lungs, requiring her to be on oxygen around the clock. Owens, like many others, may not have been aware of the many ways systemic scleroderma can affect the body’s organs. With scleroderma affecting an estimated 300,000 Americans and African Americans being diagnosed more frequently and at an earlier age than other ethnic groups, it’s important to know the facts. Myth: Scleroderma is a disease that only affects the skin. Truth: Scleroderma is primarily characterized by thickening of the skin, but this chronic connective tissue disease can affect the blood vessels and internal organs in addition to the skin. Localized scleroderma affects certain parts of the body (usually the skin), but with systemic scleroderma the entire body can be affected – skin,

Truth: It’s difficult to diagnose scleroderma because it shares many symptoms with other autoimmune conditions. Noticing a rapid thickening of the skin can make it easier to properly diagnose, but often scleroderma can go undiagnosed or even misdiagnosed. Myth: You can “catch” scleroderma from someone else. Truth: Scleroderma is not contagious. Myth: Scleroderma can be cured

Queen Latifah with mother, Rita Owens; Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

kidneys, digestion, joint, teeth, lungs, heart and Raynaud’s Phenomenon. Myth: Scleroderma is a genetic disease. Truth: Scientists do not know what causes scleroderma, but researchers do not believe it is passed on through genes. According to the Scleroderma Foundation, “Most patients do not

have any relatives with scleroderma and their children do not get scleroderma. Research indicates that there is a susceptibility gene, which raises the likelihood of getting scleroderma, but by itself does not cause the disease.” Myth: Scleroderma only happens to “old” people.

in every age group, from infants to the elderly. Typically, onset is between the ages of 25-55. Localized scleroderma is more common in children and systemic scleroderma is more common in adults. Women are diagnosed more than men and as mentioned earlier, African Americans are diagnosed with systemic scleroderma more than other groups.

Truth: Unfortunately, scleroderma is not curable. However, there are treatments to help manage symptoms and reduce progressive damage. Treatment varies from person to person. If you think that you have scleroderma, it’s important to see a doctor right away to determine whether you have the disease. If you have scleroderma you should begin to receive treatment as soon as possible.

Truth: Scleroderma can develop

Russell Simmons’ RushCard Makes Strong Comeback INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA News Wire Contributing Writer Russell Simmons is just starting to regain a little normalcy in his life. He’s back at yoga and the hiphop and business mogul is even able to run some errands without worrying about whether a disgruntled RushCard holder might verbally attack him or worse. Simmons never hung his head despite mounting – if unfair – criticism that rocked the music impresario when his innovative pre-paid RushCard experienced a computer glitch last fall that prevented hundreds of thousands

of card holders from accessing their money. “I took full responsibility. It’s my card and I made sure to reach out to card holders personally and I reached into my own pocket to

help people with their rent, their medicine or whatever emergency that may have come up,” Simmons said. “All I knew how to do was to make good on it and try to make the people that were damaged whole again,” he said. Simmons has done even more and he continues his push to have the underbanked and the underserved benefit. “My mission is to eventually see that when someone pays their rent on time, pays their light bill on time, that these things go on their credit reports,” Simmons said. “It should be and if I can’t get regulators and the credit bureaus to do it, then I will have to start

my own credit bureau.” If that sounds like a bit of a stretch, Simmons points to his starting the RushCard as proof that real change can happen. “I was first, no one else did this until I came out with my card,” he said, noting that he’s not only the face of RushCard, but along with his American Express and other items in his wallet is his own RushCard that he regularly uses. “Look, we were the ones who invented this and what I don’t like is when people refer to us as a celebrity company,” Simmons said. “All of what American Express is doing, all of what Chase Manhattan did, we did first. We’re a virtual bank. The other thing is that we

didn’t build this company to make money when we started and, really, I didn’t think it would become a business but it did and I go to work every day to try and improve the service we provide.” Simmons said his fight for credit building is an uphill battle, but it’s a battle that can be won. It’s as much part of his life as yoga, he said. “You pay rent every month for eight years on a RushCard, why can’t you get a mortgage? I think that’s a travesty. I think a lot of the big companies like MasterCard, the Visas, the others that do the processing and infrastructure work; a lot of us

Mass Walkout At Amistad High Alvarado said teachers give students demerits whenever they want, often without good reason. He said students don’t feel listened to by teachers. Students can now be suspended for playing cards during lunch, he said. Amistad junior Denaja Green said the system worksthrough favoritism, with a select group of students never being disciplined for the same actions that get others suspension or detention. When Lourdez Moody, I’onna Roselle, T’onna Roselle and a few other girls got into a verbal altercation with another student, they felt they were blamed for the incident — and the other student was not. Both parties have to go through mediation. And staff members are directed to observe them in the halls to make sure they do not continue to fight.

for free. Alicia Jones, parent of I’onna and T’onna Roselle, joined the alders in the meeting. She said the school was failing the students by not hiring more teachers of color. The only staff of color in the school are behavioral managers, not teachers, she said. “I don’t completely disagree with you,” Sudmyer responded. “We need to do a better job.” He said students needed consequences for walking out because he was also “running a school” and students need to be in class. Jones asked why a white teacher was allowed to stay at Amistad after calling a black secretary a “nigger.” Many students and parents had brought up that story throughout the day to describe the atmosphere in the school for people of color.

Alvarado showed a “hallway support heat map” he found on the floor that listed all the students involved in that altercation, along with their lockers and schedules.

Sudmyer said that story wasn’t true. “I’m sorry you don’t trust us,” he said. “Each of these incidents was investigated very thoroughly.”

First Meeting With Students

“You have to hold your staff accountable,” Jones said. “They’re very rude and nasty to our students.”

Student leaders Shaw and Gordon reappeared at around 12:40 from their meeting with administrators. They told students gathered that they would get transportation home. Administrators had also agreed to allow students into was allowed to be present.) They reminded him that including diverse staff was part of the agreement community members and alders had with Achievement First when deciding whether they could build Amistad on Dixwell Avenue. The full Board of Alders unanimously agreed to sell the abandoned Martin Luther King School to Achievement First for $1.5 million, so it could raise and build a new home for Amistad.

Text Of Letter To Protesters The administration distributed the following note to the protesters Tuesday morning: Rally Participants: We want to start by recognizing your leadership and want to recognize that your message has been heard. We look forward to meeting this afternoon with Ms. Polcrack, the principal, Mr. Sudmyer, the superintendent, Ms. Toll, the co-CEO of Achievement First, and other network representatives to further hear your concerns and comments. We all come here each day to learn. You are here to learn, and IAs are approaching. Many of you need to get your GPA’s as high as possible. Classes are still going on today and important work is being missed. Scholars who come to classes by 9:30 am will have minimal consequences. If you choose to stay out after 9:30am the consequences will be more significant and can include up to:

“I don’t want staff to be rude and nasty to the kids,” Sudmyer responded. “Come around and take a look at the classes.”

• a tardy or absence to school (absence after 10:30am)

“They’re not going to do it when you’re there,” Jones snapped back.

• non-participating with any school activities If you choose to stay out after 10:30am it is an absence of school. Therefore you will not be eligible for privileges of attending school to include: • access to the building

AF Co-CEO and President Dacia Toll issued this statement at 1:17 p.m.: “We are a school that focuses on developing student leaders, and today’s rally is an example of their leadership – we are proud of our students for their activism, advocacy and voice. Network leaders are meeting with students and families later today, and we’re looking forward to discussing their concerns. Staff diversity is a priority at AF Amistad High and across Achievement First, and we are proud of the progress we’ve made. We are also proud of our students and of our school.”

• unexcused missed work that may not be made up

• lunch • bussing • no participating with afterschool activities (including athletics) Thank you for making your voices heard and to make sure you are ready to learn today. Please check back later for updates and a fuller story with student interviews and video.

The community benefits agreement included points such as recruiting minority teachers, partnering with New Haven Works job pipeline agency to get New Haveners into jobs at the school, and allowing community access to the school’s athletic field and gym

Amistad High is changing its principal at the end of the school, from Claire Polcrack to Morgan Barth.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

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22 INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

4 Tips For Sizzling Summer Dates by Yanni Brown, BlackDoctor.Org When we think about dating, what’s it really about? The purpose of dating, generally speaking, is for two or more people to assess one another’s suitability and compatibility as a long-term companion or potential spouse. While we know that dating can be stressful sometimes and it is often easy to get caught up in “dinner and a movie” or the increasingly popular “Netflix & Chill,” this isn’t always ideal and can become boring pretty quickly. Whether you’re meeting someone for the first time or in the moment of rekindling the romance in your relationship, remember dating can be creative, fun and yes romantic, too. As the weather breaks and the summer sun calls your name, here are a few date night tips to make the most of this hot energy. These are guaranteed to make your summer dates fun, spontaneous, adventurous and will absolutely say “I’m interested in getting to know you better!” 1. It starts with the invite. A wonderful way to a great date begins and could possibly end with the invitation. Every woman can appreciate a chivalrous man and every man can appreciate an assertive woman. Your invitation sets the tone for the date. My suggestion is to always K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple and Spontaneous. Handwritten notes will never go out of style. It adds a personal touch to the invitation and shows that you went the extra mile. The invitation simply states the when, where and time of the date. You can bonus the invitation with your

favorite scent. You can also do this via email or text message as well but, there’s just something about an invitation that sets the tone and the intent of the actual date. If you’ve been dating for a while or live twogether these invitation notes can be next level. You can leave a Post-It Note in the bathroom, a rose and a note on the passenger seat of his or her car or if you want to really go all out with the invitation, send a nice bouquet with your invitation to his or her job. Sound corny? YES, but just try it and watch how suddenly you are the man or the woman that he or she is thinking about and talking about, too! 2. Have a plan. There’s nothing more disappointing than being asked on a date and there’s nothing planned to do. The date is filled with questions like, “Where do you want to

go? What would you like to do?” It doesn’t have to be an elaborately planned date, but a man or woman with a plan says that he or she has a plan. If it has to be a “Netflix & Chill” kinda date then go all out! Create movie tickets, grab theater snacks, popcorn and actually make it a movie date. Keep in mind this is suggested more for the couple that already knows one another pretty well. This is not an ideal date to get to know someone. Grabbing a cup of coffee or tea, meeting at a museum, art gallery, or even an event that you’re both interested in attending, are easy ways to test the waters, get to know someone better, have you engaged in hopefully a great conversation and provide an opportunity to get to know each other’s likes and dislikes. Dating should be a series of fun experiences! Don’t take it or your-

self so seriously. Enjoy finding things that you both enjoy doing and have fun doing them. If you both love nature, take a walk in the local park. If you’re a sports nuts, check out a local sporting event. Find dates that let you be yourself, and most importantly, get to know your date. 3. Use the city to your advantage! Every city has so many cool things to do in the summer. The trick is planning, getting creative and then last but not least, enjoying. Some great suggestions are outdoor dancing or movies in the park. If you have a nice backyard you can create your own outdoor movie night, maybe even have multiple couples over. Most of your city zoos have events for adults. Have you checked out your local museums lately? Check out the tours all around your city. Most cities have rock climbing tours, helicopter tours, boat tours, architectural tours, nature walks, day trekking tours and the list goes on and on. Then we have the festivals! Tasty treats along with good music make for great conversation. All it takes is a quick Google search, some planning, an invitation, creativity and the city as your playground. 4. Keep it creative. As a relationship educator one of the biggest complaints that I hear from couples is that the spontaneity and spice is leaving or no longer existent in their relationships or marriage. Relationships take work. The work is worth it but my suggestion to couples is to KEEP IT CREATIVE! One of my favorite lines is from the movie

“Love Jones” says it best: “ROMANCE…is about the possibility of the thing, from the time when you first meet some fine ass woman… To the time you make love to her. From the time you first propose to her. To the time you say I do. When people who have been together for a long time say that the romance is dead….nuh uh……they just EXHAUSTED THE POSSIBILITIES “ “Love Jones” The possibilities can be endless when planning great date nights. All it takes is a little creativity. One of Making Love Better TwoGether’s signature suggestions is the “Date Night Box.” It’s a simple box that you can make twogether or one can be purchased. Once you’ve been on a few dates, things are going well and you’ve gotten to know each other, you take that box and in it you both put in 12 things that you’d like to do. Then before its date night, you just pull from your Date Night Box, plan and enjoy. I also suggest cooking twogether. It can be a friendly competition, a battle of the meals or just the moment of mixing spices, kneading some dough and sampling food. It allows both parties to get involved in the planning and to be adventurous, spontaneous and flex their creativity. Planning a date is not always about the money being spent, but more about the time invested. Planning and seeing just how creative you can be to impress the person you just may be preparing to spend the rest of your life with is well worth it. Yanni Brown is an author, Con’t on page

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

Atlanta Teen Wins “2016 Best Film” at Delta Sigma Theta Sorority International Film Festival — Nzinga Set to Raise Scholarships Funds for Young Women in Ghana — Atlanta, GA — Fathers Incorporated and Black Rose Mediaworks is pleased to announce that its recent documentary; “A Queen’s Discovery: A Young Girl’s African Journey To Find Her Greatness Within” coproduced by 16-year old Nzinga Braswell, has been awarded “2016 Best Film”. The award was given by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s (Atlanta Alumnae Chapter) International Film Festival on Saturday, April 30, 2016. Actress and AIDS activist, Sheryl Lee Ralph, was the 2016 Ambassador for the Delta Sigma Theta International Film Festival! Also, donations to help the students of Africa continue with their schooling are being raised by producer Nzinga Braswell via her Go Fund Me Page. The film follows Fathers Incorporated’s 2015 LEAP mission trip to Africa from the perspective of 16-year-old Nzinga Anasa Braswell. Her journey to the country as a first time visitor gives her a unique comparison between her black American experience as a youth and what she discovered in Africa. As a result of Nzinga’s travel she has committed to raising funds

queensdiscovery. Nzinga and her dad are planning at 10 city tour in July to promote the documentary and raise the necessary funds to send at least 10 young women in the Konko Village of Ghana to secondary school. Nzinga is also looking for sponsors to help support the 10-city tour. About Nzinga Braswell

for the Nikki Giovanni Scholarship Fund. The scholarship provides financial assistance for qualified students to attend secondary school; pays for tuition, boarding, travel, book, and other school related fees. WWE Superstar wrestler Titus O’Neil was one of the first to commit to donating to Nzinga’s campaign at the agency’s gala in Atlanta. “We must give back and giving to our youth makes my heart smile, I love what Nzinga is doing and I wish her nothing but success,” stated O’Neil.

“I am excited to receive this award and finally share my journey with the rest of the world. I realize that my experience in Africa was life changing and impactful. I believe those who see the film will also feel the same way, refreshed and ready to make a change. However, I am more excited about helping these students achieve their academic goals and by raising these funds I know I will be able to send these well-deserved students to secondary school,” says Nzinga. The Delta Sigma Theta Interna-

tional Film Festival was created to support Delta’s global initiatives and to promote cross-cultural awareness within the Atlanta community. The proceeds from the event will benefit children who are orphaned by HIV and AIDS at The Delta House in Swaziland, Southern Africa, and provide scholarships for students at Morehouse College pursuing an International Education. You can purchase the documentary at www.fistoreonline.com or donate directly to Nzinga’s work at www.gofundme.com/

Nzinga Braswell is 17-years old and is currently a junior at North Springs Charter High School in Atlanta, GA. In addition to the Good Hearts Club, she is a Manager for the Varsity Basketball team and is currently working with her school to establish a Step Team that will compete through the Georgia Steppers League. Upon graduation in 2017, Nzinga plans to attend college and pursue her dream of becoming a Medical Examiner. About Fathers Incorporated Fathers Incorporated is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit (S) corporation and is dedicated to strengthening the community and family infrastructure by encouraging and enabling the positive involvement of fathers in the lives of their children.

‘Negro’ and ‘Oriental’ Terms Removed from Federal Law; Debate Continues over ‘Illegal Alien’ groes, Spanish-speaking, Orientals, Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts” and inserts “Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, African American, Hispanic, Native American, or Alaska Natives” in Title 42 of the U.S. Code. Title 42 consists of federal laws that deal with public health, social welfare and civil rights.

by Stephen K. Cooper Special to the AFRO What’s in a name? Well, if you ask Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), the names “Oriental” and “Negro” are outdated and insulting words that have no place in federal law. President Obama agreed with the two-term New York lawmaker on May 20 and signed into law H.R. 4238, which was her bill to modernize terms relating to minorities found in the Department of Energy Organization Act and the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976. The legislation passed both the House and Senate by unanimous consent. The new law strikes the derogatory and antiquated terms “Ne-

“Many Americans may not be aware that the word ‘Oriental’ is derogatory,” Meng said. “But it is an insulting term that needed to be removed from the books.”

Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) pushed to remove derogatory language from federal laws. (Courtesy Photo)

During House floor debate, Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said despite the growth of American society in the last century, federal law contained antiquated and inappropriate language on ethnicity.

Keeping ‘Oriental’ in federal law lends the term a legitimacy it doesn’t deserve, Royce said, calling Meng’s bill “a simple, yet important, way of demonstrating respect for our nation’s diversity.” Royce was an original cosponsor of the legislation. In a sign that words used to describe race still matter, lawmakers are currently debating legislation to prevent the Library of Congress from removing the term ‘illegal aliens’ from subject matter headings used by researchers for cataloging and search purposes. Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee pushed through a 2017 federal spending bill on May 17 that would stop that process. During committee debate, Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) said Repub-

licans were simply requiring the library to be consistent with U.S. Code, which describes immigrants as illegal for being in the country without proper authorization. Democrats voted against the GOP legislation, but were unsuccessful in stopping the bill from moving forward. The measure will likely be considered by the full House at some point in June. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said the legislation funding the Library of Congress, and other legislative branch operations such as pay for federal employees working on Capitol Hill, is typically bipartisan. However, this year, she was urging Democrats to vote against the bill. The Library of Congress adCon’t on page

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Russell Simmons’ RushCard Makes Strong Comeback could come together and force them to accept this information on credit reports of the world,” Simmons said. As Simmons pushes for changes in policies in the credit industry, he’s leaving the door open for starting his own credit reporting agency. In the aftermath of the muchpublicized computer glitch – which Simmons still refers to as a “tsunami” – the business leader provided free service to card holders for five months, sacrificing all of his company’s profits to do so. He also reached a more than $20 million settlement from a class action lawsuit filed against RushCard, because of the glitch. “I’m glad to do it. I had put aside $25 million,” Simmons said, noting that the card isn’t just for communities that have been forgotten and underserved by banks. “There’s no reason why small businesses can’t use a Rush Business Card. We just added a feature, just now where if you lose your card, you can turn your card off instantly through an app. Then you can turn it back on.”

Simmons continued: “This card should be for affluent people as well as underserved community members and it should be the wave of the future for millennials. This is the bank for millennials and the growth rate for our company is 70 percent millennials, when it used to be single mothers. Millennials who don’t like banks are coming in our direction and we haven’t even begun the branding exercise to speak to them.” Simmons said that he didn’t mind paying the $20 million settlement. “I don’t mind paying the $20 million. I don’t mind that that was our cost. I am going to spend a lot more money than that in the community, in my peacekeeping programs, in RUSH and art education,” he said. Simmons said so much more will soon be announced and he’s confident that RushCard holders and others will be pleased. “We are going to be in the community in a way that we’ve never been,” Simmons said.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016 26

of the reasons why this is so.

By Jason Hughes, BlackDoctor.org Staff Writer

Washington D.C. ranks the highest on the prevalence list, followed by Maryland, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana.

Yes, it’s 2016 – nearly 35 years since the first cases of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. But, the sexually transmitted disease is just as dangerous today as it was years ago. More than 37 million people were living with HIV by the end of 2014, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And since the early 1980s, about 39 million people have died from infection across the world. Here are some things to keep in mind about the disease: Who is more at risk? Black men just can’t catch a break. According to the Center for

Gay or straight? Unfortunately, 1 in 6 men who have sex with men (MSM) will become infected with HIV in their lifetime, according to the CDC. Also, half of Black men and a quarter of Latino men who engage in sex with men are more at risk for the virus, as well. Disease Control, an estimated 1 in 20 Black men will contract HIV in their lifetime. That’s compared to 1 in 132 white men. Black people have to be careful in general, though. We are the most at risk to catch HIV than any

other racial group. The Dirty South Sorry, southerners. You are more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than anyone else in the U.S., the CDC reports. Poverty and lack of access to healthcare are a couple

Getting Tested There are options. You don’t have to visit a doctor to get tested these days. You can also take an at-home test. Fourth-generation blood tests can detect the virus

within days to weeks after exposure. Make sure you find a test site near you, or ask your physician about at-home tests. Treatment Guidelines Today, new WHO guidelines state people diagnosed with HIV should take antiretroviral therapy medication as soon as possible. It’s not a cure, but it can stop the virus from multiplying and transmission through sex. It can also prevent the virus from developing into AIDS. If you fear that you may have been exposed to HIV, don’t hesitate to seek help from your physician. The best way to practice safe sex is through abstinence, but condoms are another great way to protect yourself.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

5 Things Every African American Should Know About HIV/AIDS In 2016

GAO Report: Segregation Increasing at Some U.S. Schools By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA News Wire Contributor

right of an integrated education,” U.S. District Judge Debra Brown wrote. At a press conference on Capitol Hill, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield (DN.C.), House Education and Workforce ranking Democrat Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), and House Judiciary ranking member Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) along with Reps. Xavier Becerra (DCalif.), Sheila Jackson Lee (DTexas) spoke on the issue. Reps. Conyers, Butterfield and Scott will author a bill that would require schools to “designate at least one employee” to work on complying with diversity

opportunities than in decades prior.” NAACP Legal Defense Fund Director Sherrilyn Ifill said that the report shines a light on worsening education inequities that that cannot be divorced from our nation’s legacy of racial discrimination that has perpetuated racial and socioeconomic isolation. Ifill said: “It is our imperative

on the 62nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education to ask, ‘How will we act to address current disparities like resource inequities and discriminatory discipline practices?’” Lauren Victoria Burke is a political analyst who speaks on politics and African American leadership. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke.

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dressed the naming controversy in a March 22 statement, saying it had “concluded that the meaning of aliens is often misunderstood and should be revised to noncitizens, and that the phrase illegal aliens has become pejorative.”

blogger and relationship educator. If you asked her, “What’s love got to do with it?,” she’d answer without hesitation “Absolutely everything!” As far back as she can remember, Yanni has always been a passionate observer of relationships, intrigued with the dynamics of what works for some and didn’t work for others. She’s taken that passion and has made it a business. Yanni has been featured in Essence, Rolling Out, WCIU’s You and Me This Morning, the Six Brown Chicks blog and Black and Married With Kids. Best know for her appearance on OWN’s Iyanla: Fix My Life, Season 1 (“Fix My Backstabbing Friends”). Visit her atyannibrown.com.

That notice sparked a response from Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), who introduced legislation to block the library’s change, which she called a needless accommodation to political correctness. “By trading common-sense language for sanitized political-speak, they are caving to the whims of leftwing special interests and attempting to mask the grave threat that illegal immigration poses to our economy, our national security, and our sovereignty,” Black said.

A recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the segregation of African American and Hispanic students nationwide is getting worse. In particular, a notable increase in segregation among K-12 public schools was pointed out in the study. The study also found that charter schools may often take students from public schools and enroll them into less diverse schools. The study also found that Hispanic students were “triple segregated” by economics, race and language barriers. The report was released on the 62nd anniversary of the landmark decision in the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which declared that segregated schools were unconstitutional. On May 16, a judge in Cleveland, Miss., found that schools in the town were just as segregated as they were a halfcentury ago. “The delay in desegregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally guaranteed

requirements. “The percentage of schools where 75 percent of students are both low-income and Hispanic or African-American has increased from 9 percent in 2001 to 16 percent in 2014,” Rep. Conyers said. The report also found that schools that were segregated offered fewer courses in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related fields and college preparatory classes. “Segregation in public K-12 schools isn’t getting better. It’s getting worse, and getting worse quickly,” Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia said. Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted that, “There are 6,727 highlysegregated schools in our nation, where one percent or less of the school population is white. #BrownVBoard.” In a statement about the report, National Urban League President Marc Morial said that the findings in GAO report confirm “that the promise of Brown remains a promise that has gone largely unfulfilled.” Morial continued: “In too many communities, students of color are now more segregated with less access to equitable educational

The

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The Housing Authority of the City of Waterbury is accepting proposals for Chief Financial Officer Consulting Services. The pre-proposal conference will be on Monday, May 02 at 2:00 pm at the 2 Lakewood Road office in Waterbury. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, May 10 at 3:00 pm. To obtain the required documents pertaining to RFP S-CFO04012016 please contact Gina Worth, Purchasing Coordinator, at (203) 596-2096 or email at gina.biello@waterburyha.org .

NOTICE OF LEGAL SERVICE NORWALK HOUSING AUTHORITY The Norwalk Housing Authority is seeking Legal Services. Proposals are to be submitted no later than 4:00 p. m. on May 4, 2016 at Norwalk Housing Authority, 24 _ Monroe Street, Norwalk CT. Copies of the RFP Legal Services are available on our website, www.norwalkha.org under the Business tab, RFP/RFQ. Please use the following contact information for any additional inquiries; TTD/TYY 800-545-1833 x437, or the Office of Thomas F. Hickey, Director of Finance at 203-838-8471 x133. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director

DEEP RIVER HOUSING AUTHORITY OPENING WAITING LIST FOR SENIOR/DISABLED

Pre-application for waiting list at Orchard Hill Estates II State Elderly complex will be accepted until June 30, 2016. To qualify, you must be at least 62 or disabled with a maximum gross income of $46,000 (one person) or $52,600 (two people). Interested parties may pick up an application on line at coventryct.org, or at 1630 Main St., Coventry, CT 06238 or have one mailed by calling 860-742-5518.

Town of Bloomfield Finance Director $87,871-$135,632 For details and how to apply, go to www.bloomfieldct.org. Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE

Pre-applications for waiting list at Orchard Hill Estates I HUD complex will be accepted until June 30, 2016. To qualify you must be at least 62 or disabled with a maximum gross income of $18,800 (one person) or $21,450 (two people). Interested parties may pick up an application on line at coventryct.org, or at 1630 Main St., Coventry, CT 06238 or have one mailed by calling 860-742-5518.

The Deep River Housing Authority will open its waiting list for Senior/ Disabled Housing on June 1st. This list will remain open until July 31, 2016. To request an application please call 860-526-5119 applications will be accepted by mail (must be postmarked by 7/31/16) Housing is available to anyone over 62 or handicapped/disabled that meet the income guidelines. Monthly rate is based on income with a minimum base rent requirement of $495. Deep River Housing Authority

60 Main Street Deep River, CT 06417

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

The Glendower Group, Inc Request for Proposals Tax Compliance Consultant Services The Glendower Group, Inc an affiliate of Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Tax Compliance Consultant Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, May 23, 2016 @ 3:00 PM.

242-258 Fairmont Avenue Apartments for Rent

Beautiful, spacious, Newly renovated Two bedroom units for $1200.00 and Three bedrooms units for $1350.00 plus utilities. Close to shopping center, and on bus line. Section 8 welcome. For more information contact Maria Figueroa Housing Consultants, LLC @ (860) 985.8258 cell or (860) 231.8080 ext. 11 office.

Help Wanted. Immediate opening for construction laborer. Please call PJF Construction Corp. @(860)232-9251. We are an equal opportunity employer. M/F Elm City Communities Invitation for Bids 76 Day Street Townhouse Renovation Elm City Communities also known as The Housing Authority City of New Haven is currently seeking Bids for 76 Day Street Townhouse Renovation. Bids will be received until Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at 3:00 PM. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, April 25, 2016 @ 3:00 PM.

Welder-Exp. Welder for structural steel Misc shop. Send resume:gwf@snet.net

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Elm City Communities Invitation for Bids Landscaping Services at Valley and Waverly Townhouses The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (HANH) d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Landscaping Services at Valley and Waverly Townhouses. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/ gateway beginning on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at 9:00am

Elm City Communities

FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDIC AND FIREFIGHTER/EMT The Town of Wallingford is currently accepting applications for Firefighter/Paramedic and Firefighter/EMT. Applicants must have a valid CPAT card issued within 1 yr. prior to June 20, 2016, HS diploma/GED, valid driver’s license and hold a valid EMS License applicable to the level/position applying for, which must meet CT State Regulations. Copies of licenses/certifications must be submitted with application materials. The Town of Wallingford offers a competitive pay rate $51,964.64 to $66,994.72 annually. In addition, there is a $4,200 annual paramedic bonus or a $1,700 annual EMT Bonus, plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Application deadline is June 20, 2016 or the date the 75th application for each position is received, whichever occurs first. Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT. phone: (203) 2942080; fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE.

ELECTRIC UTILITY ELECTRICIAN

Request for Proposals IQC- Architectural and Engineering Services Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Qualifications for Architectural and Engineering Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:/ /newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at 3:00 PM

Electric utility is seeking a highly skilled maintenance electrician with extensive substation experience to maintain and repair transmission and distribution class switchgear, bus-work, lightning arrestors, protective relays, insulators, switches power transformers, data circuits, controls and other related components. Must be a high school/trade school graduate and have 4 years’ experience in the maintenance and operation of electric utility substations and/or utility grade protection and control systems. Completion of a recognized four (4) year maintenance electrician apprenticeship program may substitute for the experience requirement. Two (2) years of college-level education or advanced training in related field may substitute for two (2) years of the experience requirement. Must possess a valid motor vehicle operator’s license issued by the State of Connecticut and be able to obtain with 6 months of hire a valid Protective Switching and Tagging Procedure certification from CONVEX or other approved agency. Wage rate: $34.73 to $38.31 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Closing date will be that date the 100th application form/resume is received, or June 24, 2016 whichever occurs first. Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. (203) 294-2080 / Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

HVAC Service TechnicianQualifications & Requirements: Valid and active S2 or S1 license issued by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection . Minimum 5-7 years experience installing and servicing commercial and industrial systems a must. Knowledge of code requirements. Write up necessary parts, supplies and equipment specific to each job. Ability to diagnose and properly repair system and unit problems and install new equipment. General Maintenance on systems and units. Safe and proper usage of tools used in the trade. Perform work as requested by Management. Must be client focused and professional with excellent communication skills both oral and written. Must have a current valid driver’s license with a clean driving record. Competitive salary along with excellent benefits including medical and dental insurance, vision care coverage, 401K, PTO, paid holidays, short & long-term disability insurance,

The Glendower Group, Inc an affiliate of Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Tax Compliance Consultant Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway

and life insurance. Please email resume to lcross@sarracco.com EOE/M/

beginning on Monday, May 23, 2016 @ 3:00 PM.

The Glendower Group, Inc Request for Proposals

Tax Compliance Consultant Services

FPipefitter Sarracco Mechanical Services, Inc. is currently seeking experienced Pipefitters who hold a Qualifications & Requirements: Valid and active S2 or S1 license issued by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. Minimum 5-7 years experience. Knowledge of code requirements. Safe and proper usage of tools used in the trade. Must have a current valid driver’s license. Excellent benefits including medical and dental insurance, vision care coverage, 401K, PTO, paid holidays, short & long-term disability insurance, and life insurance. Competitive wages based on experience. Please email resume to lcross@sarracco.com EOE/M/F

SEMAC ELECTRIC ELECTRICIANS

Please visit http://commongroundct.org/get-

involved/join-our-staff.

Un nuevo y lujoso complejo de apartamentos, situado en las faldas de la roca del oeste, Augustine St. Nuestros departamentos son amplias y luminosas de un y dos dormitorios .Comienzan desde de $ 1.300 incluyendo los servicios públicos y están equipadas con refrigerador de tamaño completo, aire acondicionado central, trituradores de basura, walk in closet y conexiones de lavadora/ secadora. Llame a la Oficina de Gestión de la Propiedad al 203-389-2100 o 203-410-9427 para programar una cita. Visítenos en www.twinbrookproperties.com.

Twin Brook Properties. A luxurious new apartment complex, located in the foot hills of West Rock, Augustine St. These spacious and bright, one and two bedroom apartments start at $1,300 including utilities and include full size refrigerators, central air conditioning, garbage disposals, walk in closets and full size washer/dryer hook ups. Call the Property Management Office at 203-389-2100 or 203-410-9427 to schedule a viewing. Visit us at www.twinbrookproperties.com.

Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids Uniform Physical Conditions Standards Contractor (UPCS)

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (HANH) is currently seeking Bids for Uniform Physical Conditions Standards Contractor (UPCS). A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday. May 18, 2016 at 3:00PM

Glazier Apprentice Opportunity Well established Architectural Glazing Contractor doing business in CT and NY. We are looking for someone interested in building a career with our company in the glass and glazing industry. Ideal for someone in the construction industry looking to build a career in a licensed trade. Please call Sonya @ 1-203-748-8620

Invitation for Bids

An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Uniform Physical Conditions Standards Contractor (UPCS)

SEMAC ELECTRIC DDD ELECTRICIANS

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (HANH) is currently seeking Bids for Uniform Physical Conditions Standards Contractor (UPCS). A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday. May 18, 2016 at 3:00PM

Semac Electric is seeking Electricians (CT Licensed Journeymen & Foremen, E1 and E2) to join our team for medium & large commercial construction projects thru out the State of CT: Hartford, Fairfield & New Haven Counties. We have excellent wages and benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications available at our main office at 45 Peter Court, New Britain, CT or send resume to P.O. Box 638, New Britain, CT 06050 or via fax to 860-229-0406 or email: mailto:careers@semacelectric.com”careers@semacelectric.com

JOB OPENINGS AT COMMON GROUND!

Twin Brook Properties.

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

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Inner-City Inner-City News

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Inner-City Inner-City News Connecticut’s First Choice For Urban News Since1990

PLACING AN AD EASY

Classifieds Classifieds 203 387-0354

BUSINESS HOURS - MONDAY FRIDAY 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM - 50 FITCH NEW HAVEN CT, 06515 - Career/Education/Training • Bid• L egal and Public Notices • Health Care • Real Estate • Professional

CT Junior Republic Human Service Positions CLINICAL COORDINATOR (Danbury, Meriden, Waterbury) (3) FT Positions Available – Conducts client assessment and supervises intake process, develops service plans, provides clinical supervision, provides crisis intervention, prepares reports and cofacilitates service team meetings. Master’s degree and 3 yrs exp in screening, assessment and treatment planning. LCSW, LMFT, or LPC license required. EDUCATIONAL ADVOCATE (Danbury) FT - Reviews the educational history of clients, advocates for clients and coordinates services with school districts and provides academic testing and tutoring. Master’s with 2 yrs exp or Bachelor’s with 3 yrs exp. THERAPIST (New Britain) FT – Provides evaluations and individualized treatment plans, both clinic-based and community/ home-based treatment services utilizing the A-CRA and ACC models of care to youth and families. Master’s Degree and will be CT licensed or license eligible, bilingual (English/Spanish). CJR offers a competitive salary and benefits package – EOE For full position descriptions go to: www.ctjuniorrepublic.org Send cover letter and resume to hr@cjryouth.org

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF NEW HAVEN MOVING TO WORK 2017 ANNUAL PLAN

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

Section VB of the Authority’s Moving to Work Agreement (the “Agreement”) requires that before the Agency can file its Approved Annual Moving to Work Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (the “HUD”) that it must conduct a public hearing, consider comments from the hearing on the proposed amendments, obtain approval from the Board of Commissioners, and submit the amendments to HUD. Pursuant to said Section VI B, the Authority will conduct a public hearing on May 31, 2016 at 4:00 PM, in the 3rd floor Board of Commissioners Conference Room at 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 to receive comments and recommendations. A copy of the Plan will be available for review starting May 2, 2016 on the Authority’s website at www.elmcitycommunities.com or can be picked up at the front desk in the main lobby area at 360 Orange Street. You are invited to provide written comments addressed to HANH MTW 2015 Plan, Attn: Maza Rey, P.O. Box 1912, New Haven, CT 06509-1912. Any individuals requiring a reasonable accommodation to participate in the hearing may call Teena Bordeaux, Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator for HANH at 498-8800 extension 1507 or at the TDD Number 497-8434.

JOIN US OPEN HOUSE “NEW APARTMENTS” 258 Fairmont Avenue, New Haven, Ct. 06513 May 7, 2016 from 10:00am to 1:00pm Spacious two and three bedroom units, new appliances, carpet, parking, close to I91 and I95, bus stops and shopping centers. For more information contact Maria @ 860.985.8258

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016

INNER-CITY NEWS June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016 32