THE INNER -CITY NEWS

Bike Club Grads Wheel Thru Fair Haven

by ALLAN APPEL

If you genuinely want to grow bicycle culture in New Haven, start with the kids. And, specifically, all the kids, by making cycling a regular part of the physical education curriculum in the public schools. And just to be sure, carry it over into afterschool cycling clubs as well.

On a bright and perfect-for-cycling Wednesday afternoon that very big idea emerged from a small but festive event at the Clinton Avenue School in Fair Haven: the school’s Youth Bike Club graduation ceremony for seven fifth and sixth graders and the very first of its kind in the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) organized by the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NCAT).

Led by its Executive Director Leiyanie “Lee” Osorio, NCAT was marking its fifth anniversary of holding free classes for people of all ages on safe cycling and bike maintenance by graduating its first cohort of fifth and sixth graders like proud pals Aliya Lopez and Julaya Santiago. The girls were part of a group who have spent the last six weeks learning how to check their ABCs (air, brakes, chain – and much more); how to use hand signals to communicate when riding in a pack; and how to repair a punctured tube with a vulcanized patch, as Nector Santos was doing with super volunteer, and Metropolitan Business Academy science teacher, Chris Willems.

All the learning and training, along with the bikes, helmets, pumps, and back packs are provided to the kids free by NCAT and its donors.

While Nector he loves to assist fellow riders who have taken a fall or help re-attach a chain already knew how to ride, Aliya and Juiaya learned through the club and are now pack leaders; that is, they are at times positioned in the group rides front, back or middle of the pack with jobs to keep the group together or to call out danger or instructions.

“If you see potholes, or glass, you use the stop signal [motioning down with your arm] or you use your voice,” Aliya reprised some of the lessons in the school gymnasium as the kids prepared to receive their diplomas on Wednesday.

Soon thereafter they would roll their Cannondale Catalyst trail bikes outside to meet their New Haven Police Department (NHPD) celebratory motorcycle escort, and take off on their graduation ride on Fair Haven streets.

But motorcycle cops are not needed on every ride!

Osorio was at pains to point out how on all the learning rides over the weeks of the program Fair Haven motorists have been very supportive, she said, yielding at intersections, and giving positive shout-outs to the pack and its fledgling cyclists. Osorio, an avid cyclist proud of being the first Latina certified by the League of American Bicyclists to teach and train,

met Clinton Avenue School science teacher Kattie Konno-Leonffu during the ten years Osorio was a director at LEAP and that youth leadership training organization had a site at the Clinton Avenue School.

That’s how NCAT’s first public school pilot program emerged at Clinton Avenue, in the years following the founding of the organization, in 2018, by Karen Jenkins who served as its first board chair.

Current Board Chair Doug Hausladen, a former longtime director of the city’s transportation department and now the executive director of the New Haven Parking Authority, and other board members were also in attendance donning their helmets for the celebratory ride. Hausladen recalled how NCAT formed out of a task force convened by former Mayor Toni Harp, as the city committed to ramping up construction of bike lanes and cycling infrastructure.

Hausladen, Osorio, and Konno-Leonffu have become convincing, eloquent evangelists about how much kids derive from the focused bicycle training and rides – reflecting values that go far beyond the pleasures, healthfulness, and environmental contributions of cycling.

Konno-Leonffu said that “some of these

students might not be the best at academics, but here I’ve seen their leadership qualities arise.”

When Julaya came up to receive her diploma, Osorio reminded her how, undaunted, she was the first girl to join five boys, most of whom already knew how to ride.

“Now,” she said of Julaya, “she rides with distinction, she’s [often] in the center of the pack to tell if there’s accordioning going on [the group is becoming too elongated, too much space between riders]. And she also brought in Aliya [to join the club.]”

In order to remain in the club, the kids need to perform adequately in their classes if there’s a problem, Osorio and the teachers and student usually work things out and Konno-Leonffu said membership in the club has helped some of the students cut down on chronic absenteeism.

“They show up on bike day,” she said. Social and emotional learning also take place. “In a smaller group [as opposed to a full class] here they can shine.”

In addition to the Clinton Avenue group, Osorio is completing a year of training and riding with kids at the Martin de Porres Academy, an independent Catholic school

in the Hill neighborhood. That group has spent one semester learning biking skills and this second semester exploring New Haven. In the winter bike skills, and in the spring bike adventures, is the way Osorio put it. The St. Martin de Porres kids, for example, last week rode to Center Church on the Green and had a tour of the crypt.

When kids are on bikes, as opposed to the cumbersome and expensive and fumespewing yellow school bus, opportunities to explore New Haven open up.

“Cycling is an important part of a child’s development that does not include a ball,” Osorio said, as the kids readied their bikes for the ride. “It gives an opportunity to develop motor and leadership skills [every bit as much as traditional sports like basketball and baseball]. “Our ‘captains’ are our pack leaders.

“One of my hopes is for the program to demonstrate cycling should be funded as a regular part of the NHPS curriculum. Here and at St. Martin de Porres behaviors have changed [for the better]. And the programs should be extended beyond even the regular gym classes to after-school. The kids burn energy, do their homework, sleep well, and are renewed for the next day,” she said.

If that sounds like a wild ride of an idea, Osorio pointed out that such a program already exists in the Washington, D.C. public schools, and it is one of her models. “I want to bring that to New Haven.”

This summer she’s returning NCAT to the East Rock Magnet School with a bike and skating summer program; applications for 20 spots begin June 5 and the program kicks off in July, she said. For more information or to sign up or to donate funds or equipment, the NCAT link is here. But that’s not all.

Super volunteer and NHPS science teacher (and Fair Havener born and raised) Chris Willems is devising a course on the physics of bicycle riding and its interaction with the physics and chemistry of the human body. He, along with two other high school science teachers, are collaborating on developing a new course to submit to the NHPS science curriculum director to be approved, they hope, to inaugurate in the fall.

“The [new] science director invited us to create interesting new courses,” Willems said, “and this is a course I would have loved so much to take.”

“I’ve learned so much from Lee,” he added. “And we’re using the League [of American Bicyclists] and NCAT materials.”

Then club members and grown-ups, all on bikes, went out on Wednesday to join the NHPD motorcycle escort for a twomile bicycle jaunt, along as many of Fair Haven’s bike lanes (Clinton Avenue prominent among them) as possible. Nector Santos, in cool robin’s egg blue aviator glasses, was the leader of the pack.

Aliya Lopez and Julaya Santiago, bffs.

Darren Gratic (left) with Nector Santos and NHPS science teacher and NCAT super volunteer Chris Willems

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Celebrating on Wednesday's ride.

New Haven Independent

Elks Detail Planned Move Up Dixwell

by LISA REISMAN

Noise and parking.

Those were the two main issues in a lively, sometimes heated, community meeting at the Q House about the Elks Club’s planned new Dixwell Avenue home.

Hosted by Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison and Newhallville/Dixwell/Prospect Hill Alder Troy Streater, the occasion was a community conversation on Wednesday night about the move of the Elks Lodge to a former church building at 329 Dixwell Ave.

While it became apparent that a movein date is not in the offing, the aim was to afford neighbors the opportunity to learn about plans for the building from the leadership of the historic Dixwell African American institution, as well as the site’s chief architect.

The other takeaway: the positive influence in the community by Elks’ East Rock Lodge #141 which, as part of the African American Elks created when denied membership by the white Elks has “provided its neighbors with financial, spiritual, emotional support, and other types of help as needed” since 1907.

In 2019, the Elks sold their former home at 87 Webster St. for $900,000 to ConnCORP as part of that local redevelopment agency’s plans to build up Dixwell Plaza.

In May 2021, city planners supported the Elks Club’s bid to purchase vacant city-owned land at 71 and 75 County St. Then, in October, the single-story church building on Dixwell Ave. near Munson Street became available.

“Given our history and our mission, we opted to remain in the Dixwell area on Dixwell Avenue,” Exalted Ruler Gary Hogan, a third generation Elk, told the audience of 75 attendees, of the Elks Club’s purchase of Freedom Temple Holiness Church Inc. for $180,000.

“We’re here to build a facility that will serve the Dixwell neighborhood by providing a space for events, youth programs, and other community activities,” he said.

Daughter Ruler Arlice Brogdon, Pocohontas Temple, No. 55, head of the Elks’ women’s auxiliary, expanded on the programming offered by the group. In addition to a Beauty and Talent program to train girls for pageants, the Elks will be adopting several senior housing facilities in the area. There’s also, she said, “our youth team, our civil liberties team, mentoring,” as well as other community-focused events, like an Easter Egg hunt, a back-to-school drive, and food and clothing giveaways. “Our job is to serve the community,”

she said.

With that, Hogan introduced lead design architect Dwayne Dancy of the Isoparm Design Group out of Brooklyn, N.Y.

“We thought it was important that the Elks hire someone who looks like us, was educated in New Haven, and has come back to New Haven to help build a community,” Hogan said.

“All the consultants, engineers, architects working on the projects will be from here,” said Dancy, who has degrees in architecture from Howard University and Columbia. “They’ll all come from the same cloth so they can pretty much understand what the situation is.”

He said the facility will include a new banquet facility available for rent, a commercial kitchen, and meeting rooms. The plan is to build on one level, a nod to the greying membership.

“The building is spread along two different zones,” a commercial zone along Dixwell and a residential zone on Munson Street, Dancy said, in the midst of a slide show. “That makes design tricky, so the plan is to put the louder uses [like the banquet facility] on the commercial side.”

Given the proximity of the residential street, noise is a primary concern.

“Obviously, we could barricade the building with big walls, but that might become a surface for tagging,” he said.

A more viable solution is to use trees around the site.

“Coniferous trees are perfect for blocking sound, and also perfect for letting light in,” he said.

Hogan agreed. “The first thing I asked Dwayne to do is to build a structure with internal soundproofing, with trees as a secondary line of defense.”

Another issue was the parking lot, which will be in the back of the building, and opens onto Munson Street.

Munson Street resident Bridget Draughn, upon learning the space could accommodate 125 people, said the 26 parking spots currently allotted would not be enough and would overflow onto Munson, a one-way street with parking on one side.

“We’ve been going back and forth with the city to fit more spaces, so we’re going to have to figure that out,” Hogan said.

Alder Morrison said she is working with the city to get Munson residentially zoned. That will mean, she said, “the only way you can park there is if you have a pass in your car, and everyone else will be parking at their own risk.”

Germano Kimbro, while applauding the Elks for “trying to be part of the solution,” asked whether solar panels would be used.

Hogan said they would. “This is part of our larger purpose to build a facility that is sustainable,” he said. “I don’t know where other facilities in the state will be in five to ten years, but I know East Rock Lodge with your blessings will be here for the next generation of Elks to grow old here in New Haven.”

Asked about the involvement of local labor in building the lodge, Hogan said many of the members have recommended “a Black build. We will do our best.”

To a question about how the Elks could do more for the young people at risk in the community, Hogan asked Elks members in the audience to stand up. “We can offer mentorships, scholarships, and brotherhood, but we can’t help you with that until you come through our doors,” he said.

Alder Morrison sounded a similar refrain.

“The Elks are coming to Ward 22, and they’re going to offer programming,” she said. “The Q House is going to offer programming, and as we all come together, hopefully we will save someone’s life.”

“There are no guarantees,” she went on. “The reality is we’re here today to talk about how we can live together harmoniously, and that’s all we can do.”

Bridget Draughn (left), with Bonnie Moore and Sirena McNeal.

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO

The Elks' new The Elks' new home to-be at 329 Dixwell.

LISA REISMAN PHOTO Hogan and Arlice Brogdon on Wednesday.

New Haven Independent

WNHU Celebrates 50 Years On Air

by KAREN PONZIO

This past weekend saw 88.7 FM WNHU, the award-winning venerable radio station of the University of New Haven, kicking off a yearlong celebration of its 50th anniversary with three days of alumni events that included a banquet, panel discussions, on-air reunions, and a shared hopefulness about the future of college radio. Alumni included a wide range of former students from over the past five decades, including many who were there building the station from the ground up both literally and figuratively in 1973. Saturday afternoon saw them, as well as alumni from the 1990s and as recently as 10 years ago, converging at the studio’s latest location on Ruden Street in West Haven to talk music, play music, and reminisce about their experiences at the “number one college radio station in CT.”

According to Rob Toller, WNHU and its 1700 watts of power went on the air for the first time on June 4, 1973 at 4 p.m., serving New Haven County and even portions of Long Island. The first general manager was Dick Gelgauda, who Toller said “was really the one who got students together” to “make the pitch to the UNH administration the need for a student-operated radio station.”

“The whole vision,” said Toller, was “to be able to provide alternative information, alternative entertainment, really just alternative shows based around really the boundless energy of the young students.”

Toller was one of those students who came to UNH as a “big music fan.” He spoke to Dick Kalt, then general manager of WPLR, who also was teaching at UNH about how to get into radio. Toller ended up attending the school and becoming a part of WNHU, his first show “B The T” airing in January 1978. “I was known as Bob back in those days,” said Toller. “My favorite has always been the Beatles and Murray the K was one of the most fa-

mous DJs, so somehow, I came up with B the T.”

Toller recalled playing music off a playlist featuring mostly new artists but also recalled that “if you had a Police album and it was up on the playlist, you could play whatever song off that album. It didn’t have to be what the other DJs were

as one of many “wonderful memories of local musicians playing in the studio, just coming up to talk to us.”

Recalling the club scene of that era, which included Oxford Ale House, the Grotto, the Arcadia Ballroom, and Toad’s Place, as well as record stores such as Cutler’s, Rhymes, and Festoons, Toller noted that everyone helped each other and supported one another.

“It was an incredible, very invigorating ecosystem,” he said. “WNHU was a part of it.… We weren’t the mainstream, so it was an opportunity for us to respond to the students and to the community at large. It really was a wonderful time to be in New Haven from 1977 to 1981.”

Original staff member Joe Cieplak from the class of 1972, who was also director of public relations at the time, recalled that what he found the most unique about WNHU was that it was “all student run and initiated.”

“The driving force was the students,” he said. “The students made this happen.” Most college radio stations are 10 to 20 watts, he noted, while WNHU’s 1700 watts afforded them a greater reach. He had a show called Dinner with Joe and Lucy (Lucy being his girlfriend at the time) that focused on the blues. He also did some news reporting and sports broadcasting, including all the home and away UNH football and hockey games. Back then, he recalled, everything had to go through a hard phone line, which had him climbing up a pole at one game to get through and even going through a pay phone another time.

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playing, which was a wonderful opportunity. You could move different things in.” Many local bands were played during that time as well, including The Furors, Poodle Boys, The Saucers, and The Snotz. He even recalled “local New Haven legend Michael Boloton” coming in to promote his latest project and playing live on air

“I have absolutely good memories,” Cieplak added. “It was a key part of my upbringing, made me more outgoing, and gave me lifelong friends.”

Many of those friends gathered on Friday and Saturday. They were referred to as “the founding fathers” by Dan “Riff”

June: Sisters’ Journey Survivor of the Month – Robin Stanley

My name is Robin Stanley. I am 65 years old and a native New Havener.

I moved to Washington, DC to attend Howard University and remained there after graduation. I’ve worked as a labor and delivery nurse for the past 35 years. I have three children and one grandchild. I’ve worked two-to-three jobs throughout my career. Sadly, I admit that I let life get the better of me and missed several routine mammograms.

In March 2019, I went in for a routine mammogram. I have dense breasts so when I was called back in for a sonogram, I wasn’t worried. After the sonogram, I was called back for a series of biopsies, which again didn’t worry me.

When I received the call that I had cancer, I was numb. Most of our family carry the BRCA gene, but I don’t have it. I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy, five months of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation and reconstruction with a DIEP flap, which uses your own fat to make new breasts.

During my treatment I developed neuropathy in my hands and feet and lymphedema in my right arm. I am taking medication which I will be on for 10 years. I try to see the best in any situation that I am in.

Going through this journey has enabled me to become an advocate for encouraging women to schedule and go to yearly

mammograms. It’s so important to take care of ourselves and not to get so absorbed in the activities of daily living that we become neglectful of our own health. I also made a VLOG while I was in treatment. I thought that it might help others who are going through the breast cancer journey.

Sisters’ Journey Pink Tea

Save the Date! for Our 25th Annual Pink Tea Anniversary Saturday October 28th,

2023 Bridgeport Virtual Support Group

Meeting: Every 3rd Thursday of the Month 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Contact Us: sistersjourney@sbcglobal. net Call: 203-288-3556

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DAN FERTMAN PHOTO. Some of the "founding Fathers" of WNHU gathered on Friday

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WNHU ARCHIVES. Founding members of WNHU back in the day

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New Haven Independent

Ritter: Deal To End Group Home Strike Up To Lamont, Workers

by Mike Savino

House Speaker Matt Ritter said talks over increased pay and benefits are now between striking group home workers and Gov. Ned Lamont, as lawmakers are set to approve a budget in the final days.

“I told the governor last night that you need to get this deal done, so I’m confident and hopeful that will get done in the coming days,” Ritter told reporters Monday morning.

Ritter said the current budget proposal includes roughly $50 million each year for the more than 1,700 group home and day program workers striking with New England Health Care Employees Union, SEIU 1199. He also said those workers would be eligible to get some of the money earmarked for nonprofits, as well.

Rob Baril, president of SEIU 1199, told workers at a rally Monday that this amounted to about $125 million in additional money from the state over the next two years.

The extra funding for the unions drew frustration from the Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance, which was seeking funding for nonprofit service providers.

Alliance CEO Gian-Carl Casa said in a statement that “it appears that the bulk of the funding” going to nonprofits “will be earmarked” for the striking workers,

while other nonprofit providers will only see a 2.5% increase in funding.

“This budget will hurt residential and outpatient addiction and mental health programs, worsen the workforce crisis, force the closing of programs, and create longer waiting lists,” Casa said. “We’ve warned of this for months. None of this should be a surprise.

SEIU 1199, which first went on strike May 24, has been demanding a $25 hourly minimum wage and better health and retirement benefits. The union has estimated this would cost $400 million over the biennium, split evenly between state funding and Medicaid.

“What we’re hearing is we’re not going to wind up with nearly what we deserve,”

Baril told union workers who gathered in the Emanuel Lutheran Church for Monday’s rally. “But you have to remember where we started.”

Baril said after the rally that the union is committed to “rock it until the wheels fall off” with the strike, and his comments were not meant as an acceptance. He also said he’s not aware of any recent

talks with Lamont about additional funding.

“We’re trying to have some dialogue,” Baril said. “We’re not quite where we need to be. I think we are hopeful we can positively impact things at this stage.”

A spokesman for Lamont’s office did not respond to a request for comment. But Ritter expressed hope the two sides can come to a deal to end the strike, which will enter its third week Wednesday. Ritter said he’s encouraged Lamont and his budget office to find funding with the Department of Developmental Services budget.

“My guess is they could probably find a little more in some line items, as well, that has not been spoken for,” he said. Ritter also said lawmakers would come back in to find a solution of their own if the strike continued.

Baril said the union has not yet scheduled a vote to end the strike, even after the budget. He said the members want to see a contract before that happens. Meanwhile, workers continued to make their plea for more pay and better benefits during Monday’s rally. “We shouldn’t have to be dead to meet our deductible,” said Alana Davis, who works with Whole Life Inc. Workers also continued to picket outside the Capitol and Legislative Office Building.

OPPORTUNITY + EQUITY

The B lack F utures F und

Uplifting and empowering Greater New Haven’s Black Community Commemorating

J uneteenth

One hundred Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits were supported in 2023 by The Black Futures Fund during The Great Give.

As we commemorate Juneteenth, we also thank our Black Futures Fund supporters without whom we could not continue to advance racial equity in our community.

cfgnh.org/blackfuturesfund

African American William Lanson (d. 1851), a leader of New Haven’s Black community.

Sculpture: Dana King; Photo: Judy Sirota Rosenthal

SEIU 1199 gathers in a church before returning to their strike outside the state Capitol complex Credit: Mike Savino photo

Hundreds Hit The Marina For 15th Annual Quinnipiac Riverfest

by ALLAN APPEL

A place of peace and sanity, almost a stay-cation; a sense of history so deep you can feel the life of people here 10,000 years ago; a place where the local beer is a beautiful amber and you can also practice tai chi, as the gods intended, in nature, down by the banks of a river.

Those were some of the paeans of appreciation – and reasons – people come down to the water’s edge as more than 500 of them did so on a blustery Saturday morning. They were there to celebrate the 15th year of Riverfest, complete with vendor tables, craft brews, art, community organizing, and local mayoral politicking at the annual Fair Haven love song to the Quinnipiac River.

The celebratory scene was the Quinnipiac River Marina, at 307 Front St., where the river widens at its mouth getting ready to flow under the Grand Avenue Bridge to meet the harbor and the Sound.

For the last several years under the ownership of Johnny Grunblatt and Jonathan Perlich, the marina has upped its game, reaching out and embracing residents not only from the immediate area but many parts of the city, who often do not even know the east side of town offers what amounts to a classic New England coastal village, said Perlich. .

“One of the things we loved about it,” Perlich said, as he took a break from mcing the several bands and presentations on a platform set up in the center of the marina, “is that this is [beautiful] New England waterfront, but we tend to lose sight of that.”

Not any longer.

“It just needed some operational changes, new services, and marketing, for example, for the kayak services; shoring up the docks; new meters and lights for the boaters,” and keeping the fueling dock in good shape, he added, “because there are very few of those in the New Haven area.”

Perlich also cited partnering with local organizations like the Fair Haven Community Management Team on events (such as this one) and bringing in the current operator of the restaurant, Fair Haven Oyster Company.

While there have been an array of eateries on the site during the ownership of Lisa Fitch (she was also on hand, retained as a consultant for the marina operation), this one seems to have genuinely caught on, Perlich said, for its “seafood fine dining” experience.

In addition, and soon to open near the kayak launch 25 yards away is a new wooden shed Perlich calls “The Pearl.” Out of it they’ll soon be serving lobster rolls, hot dogs, smash burgers, and ice cream.

The marina has also purchased the building to the north end, the former home of the New Haven Partition Company, and has converted it into a kind of small business incubator or creative work space. Al-

most all of the 16 office spaces already are rented out to local folks, attorneys, and nonprofits like City Seed and Greenwave, an ocean-farming start-up, among them.

Many of those were among the two dozen colorful tented tables of for-profits and nonprofits set up on the grounds of the marina CitySeed, Save the Sound,

Copp Island Oysters, New England Brewing, Fair Haven Garden Exchange, Mary Wade Home– and new ones as well. Among the latter is MATCH (Manufacturing And Technical Community Hub), soon to open at 26 Mill St. (not far from the banks of Fair Haven’s second nearby river).

The brainchild of long-time economic development official and philanthropist Lindy Gold and Branford business owner Marcia LaFemina, this nonprofit is aiming to enroll up to 600 local low-income women for manufacturing training, pay them a wage while they learn, and make all that possible by providing childcare, and childcare-sensitive work shifts, financial management, and other services.

What makes it innovative is that the women, with their deep contacts across the state, intend to attract contract manufacturing work, finishing products, and so forth that will be the source of both the training and revenue to pay the trainees.

“There are no tests, you just come, knock on the door, we find out what they need, we’ll train and we’ll find them jobs [through out connections],” Gold said, as she gazed out at the river.

“The river is peace and sanity,” Gold said. “It feels like a staycation.”

“The river takes me away,” added LaFemina,

When they return, they can be reached, for now, at 475 – 33-MATCH, with a website going operational later this week.

Lee Cruz, a member of the organizing committee, along with Perlich, Christel Manning, among others, said this year’s Riverfest had added more music offerings like jazz, and more vendors even than last year’s festival, which attracted about a thousand visitors.

One of the lessons particularly well learned by those who live down by the river is that there’s no control over the weather. Still, despite windy conditions and an overcast sky nearly 300 people were in attendance within the first two hours of the festival, which lasted until early evening.

Shirley Chock and her students from the Aiping Tai Chi Center in Milford were giving a demonstration of the ancient art. “Tai chi is best experienced out in nature,” Chock said before stepping out to perform. “It’s because we tap into the natural energy of the universe.”

Then she offered attendees to put down their IPAs and their wraps and their tangy oysters and to do just that. Cruz estimated that by day’s end more than 500 people had come down to the river.

Christel Manning, Jonathan Perlich, Lisa Fitch, Lee Cruz (all of the Riverfest organizing commitee), and 15th Ward alder challenger Frank Redente, Jr.

Marcia DeLafemina (right) and Lindy Gold.

ALLAN APPEL PHOTO Valerie Richardson lives on a houseboat in the marina and makes art, often of the river and its bridges

Westvillian Aedan O'Brien with his Sea Hag American IPA.

Mayoral hopeful Shafiq Abdussabur makes a campaign pitch to Fair Havener Isaiah Cooper.

Mauro-Sheridan Lends Its Ears To The Bard

by ELEANOR POLAK

Nineteen middle-schoolers, all dressed in black, filed into the band room of Mauro-Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School. They were preparing for the dress rehearsal of their production of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

Before they took the stage, however, they partook in a light refreshment of fruit snacks, Cheez-Its, juice boxes — and grapes. When the students dangled bunches of the purple fruit from their hands, they looked for all the world like the Roman citizens they were about to embody.

This week’s performance is the 14th year of Mauro-Sheridan’s Shakespeare series, and part of a seven-year collaboration with Elm Shakespeare Company. Sarah Bowles, Elm Shakespeare’s director of education, selected Julius Caesar because she believes that it is a play that children can connect to — even if they have to tone down the violence of the subject matter.

“Kids really relate to the story in terms of fairness,” she said on Monday afternoon. “They know that if someone has more than someone else, that’s not fair.” At the opening of the play, the titular Caesar certainly has more than the people around him. He is angling toward being crowned emperor, and his fellow Romans must decide how to rectify the power imbalance that Caesar has created. The kids “all get it, that one guy shouldn’t get all the power,” said Bowles. They can relate to a structural disparity that aligns, in its simplest terms, with a lesson that all middle-schoolers know: the importance of sharing. No one child should hoard the toys, and Caesar has them all.

Semaj Battle-Reed, a 13-year-old and an eighth grader at the 191 Fountain St. public school, said that fairness isn’t the only lesson he’s learned from the production. Battle-Reed, who plays Metallus Cimber, has wanted to act since he started watching Law & Order. Performing in Julius Caesar has taught him confidence and overcoming the stomach-churning pangs of stage fright (he recommends three deep breaths). “I’m growing out of my shell,” Battle-Reed said. Mauro-Sheridan Shakespeare, he said, “encourages people not to be nervous.”

Isabelle Capuras, a 12-year-old seventh-grader who plays Cassius, also emphasized the value of deep breathing to combat nerves. She has channeled her confidence to fit into the role of an antagonist, a part she says fits her well. Her spirited and defiant portrayal of Cassius owns the stage, as she hones her anxiety to make for a pithy and sympathetic instigator. “Playing an antagonist makes me feel important,” she said.

At rehearsal on Monday, Bowles got the students’ attention with a theatrical call — “Friends, Romans, countrymen!” — and response — a chorus of “lend me your ears.” The students filed up to put on their costumes, professional pieces borrowed

from Southern Connecticut State University’s theater department. The room was abuzz with energy and morale as the students rushed to don togas and swords.

“We’re not doing autographs today, sorry,” quipped one student as she pulled out the clothes rack.

“I need an autograph, though!” mockwhined another.

The dress rehearsal commenced with a rigorous commitment to the underlying beat of political urgency that consumes the play, emphasized by a steady drum beat from Justin Pasce, a co-director alongside Aleeki Shortridge.

Each part was performed with a gusto that made six actors feel like a hoard of enraged citizens. Political intrigue built into violent altercations, as the students performed a choreographed battle dance to mark the play’s concluding battle.

The set, designed by New Haven artists David Sepulveda and Amie Ziner, was put to good use as the students pranced, stomped, and stormed on and off the stage.

The titular Caesar was played with pomp and self-righteous assurance by Nadia Bellamy, a 12-year-old in the sixth grade. She enjoys being the lead, she said, because it offers her an opportunity to express confidence and dignity. “I like feeling powerful when I do all my lines,” she said. “It’s taught me not to be too cocky … and not to betray your friends.”

Marc Antony was by turns incensed and calculating as played by Edith Stoehr, an 11-year-old sixth grader. The students were cast in part based on preference, and Stoehr felt well-suited to her role of loyal friend and silver-tongued tactician. “I wish I had even more lines,” she laughed. Stoehr’s eagerness to participate was echoed in the rest of the cast. When, during her post-run through notes, Bowles asked if anyone wanted a new job (moving a pillow at the end of a scene), all hands went up. The students committed to every aspect of the production with enthusiasm. Everyone wanted to do the most that they could to make Julius Caesar come to life.

The directors weren’t afraid to push the students to commit even further. “The only thing that looks stupid is if you take yourself out of the world of Rome and become your Mauro-Sheridan self again,” said Bowles.

As Bowles wrapped up rehearsal, she had a final comment: “Tomorrow is the show, can you believe it?” A battle cry of cheers went up from the students. They prepared to go home, ready and excited to return and put on the performance they had all been preparing for. Exeunt Romans — for now.

Julius Caesar will be performed at Mauro-Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School, 191 Fountain St., at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6 and Thursday, June 8.

Mama Karmara (Calpurnia, Lepidus) and Marwa Nakhi (Marullus, Octavius) get into costume.

ELEANOR POLAK PHOTO At Monday's Shakespeare-in-the-schools rehearsal.

Freddy Fixer Makes A Triumphant Return

by NORA GRACE-FLOOD |

Thousands of people filled Dixwell Avenue to march and mingle in a revived Freddy Fixer parade, marking a moment of community celebration following an extended pandemic-prompted pause.

Nearly 70 marching units, drill teams, bands and businesses joined on Sunday afternoon with groups like the Ebony Horsewomen, the New Haven Firebirds, and the Walter Pop Smith Little League plus politicians and city representatives for two-hours of music, dancing and remembering neighborhood roots all after a three-year hiatus on one of the region’s premier Black community events.

“People really didn’t think it would happen, but we’re back,” said Chanelle Goldson, Newhallville native and president of the Freddy Fixer Parade Committee.

The parade began in 1962 as a neighborhood beautification initiative across Newhallville and Dixwell and has evolved into an annual honoring of Black history and culture in New Haven and beyond. It lost some of its force with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing financial woes before making a triumphant return on Sunday, starting at Dixwell and Bassett and making its way all the way down past the Q House.

Goldson, who said she grew up attending the parade every year, said she spent the past 12 months re-pitching the parade to potential sponsors and to the public, working to convince or remind others about why Freddy Fixer matters. “A lot of people think it’s just a parade,” she said. “It’s way more.”

“We’re an underserved community and oftentimes our stories are not told… But this is a chance for community activism, for arts and culture and neighborhood, to give our kids a place to perform and a space to belong.”

“It’s been hard but it’s been fruitful,” she said, estimating that about 4,000 people ultimately came out to cheer from sidewalks and street corners.

For Freddy spectator and Newhallville neighbor Patricia Highsmith, 73, the parade’s return on Sunday was a call-back to the past and a symbol of hope for the future. She set up a red folding chair by the Dixwell Q House where the parade wrapped up alongside her daughter, Alise Scales, 50, with whom she has long observed the event.

Highsmith said she attended her first parade in the early 1980s, when the Winchester Newhall club of the Communist Party of which she is still a member marched alongside other organizations working to secure housing rights, boost union numbers and keep people fed and clothed.

Since then, she said, “a lot of restaurants, a lot of clubs have closed down. There’s nowhere to go after this if the Elks Club was still here, the party would

be going all night.” She said in years past the parade extended into downtown New Haven and drew an even larger audience than the one gathered Sunday.

The hardships faced by organizers of the event as well as everyday New Haveners over recent years, she said, made the parade’s homecoming even more powerful. Both Highsmith and her daughter work in healthcare. Highsmith is a certified nurse assistant who worked long hours in the hospital during the peak of the pandemic.

“To see this after all of that brings tears to my eyes,” she said.

“No one wanted to be near each other, there was a lot of depression and this feeling of not being able to live, you know?” her daughter, Scales, added.

“This feels like a message: Get on back and live!” she said of the parade.

Highsmith said she had few personal affiliations with the groups represented in Sunday’s march the communist party, she said, is losing its older leadership and no longer walks in the parade. However, she said she showed up primarily to see local kids flaunt their talents and cement their community ties.

“I love to see young people participate,” she said. “As you get older, you wonder what the kids of today are gonna do. We don’t know what’s gonna happen in the future. But I’d be happy if it looks like this.”

Below are the winners of cash prizes ranging from $300 to $950 for their performances in Sunday’s parade. The award recipients will be honored in a ceremony hosted by the parade committee on July 26.

1st Place

Grand Marshal Award – DJ Majesty Elm City Freddy Fixer Spirit Award –Assistant Police Chief Bertram Etienne (NHPD)

Best Marching Unit – Ebony Horsewomen, Inc., Hartford, CT

Best Float – Pro Maintenance Pro, LLC Best Motorcycle Group – Major Movement Auto Club (MMAC)

Best Drill Team – Elite Drill Squad & Drum Corps

Best Marching Unit – James Hillhouse High School Band & Dancing Assemble 2nd Place

Grand Marshal Award – New Haven

Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Elm City Freddy Fixer Spirit Award – Arabic Temple Lodge #40 Shriners

Best Marching Unit – The Firebird Society of New Haven – Local 825

Best Float – Elm City Housing Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven

Best Motorcycle Group – Flaming Knights Founding Chapter

Best Drill Team – The Howling Symphony of Soul – Amistad High School Band

Best Marching Unit – Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy for Global Awareness Magnet School

NORA GRACE-FLOOD PHOTOS Hamden Academy of Dance and Music dancers ..... and quads and motorcycles ..... help fill the streets for the Freddy's festive return to Dixwell Ave.

Committee President Chanelle Goldson and Secretary Haley Viccent-Simpson.

Alise Scales and mom Patricia Highsmith.

Kendra Blackwell proudly takes pictures of grandkids Avion and Aria as they march with the Pop Warner Smith Little League.

New Haven Independent

New Haven Public Schools

June is Pride Month: How the Pride March Made History

by BlackHealthMatters.com

Around the world, Pride celebrations take a variety of forms, from parades to parties to protests and proms. Since the start of the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement in the 1970s, hundreds of independent Pride events have sprung up in cities worldwide. But how did Pride become what it is today? Let’s take a deep dive into Pride and explore its history. Although it may feel like a party today, protests are deeply embedded in the history of Pride. It all started with the Stonewall Uprising in New York City. In the early morning of June 28th, 1969, eight officers from the New York City’s Pub-

lic Morals Division, a unit of the police department, raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village.

This raid wasn’t unusual in New York (or many other cities). Back then, the Public Morals Division enforced all laws for vice and gambling, including prostitution, narcotics and homosexuality. Cops could arrest and even force hospitalization of gay people. On this particular evening, however, the bar patrons fought back. More and more patrons joined the fight, including people from neighboring bars, and mayhem ensued. Hundreds of people resisted arrest and fought against police oppression. The protest lasted six days.

The following year, the anniversary of the Stonewall riots was marked by demonstrations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The parades were a mix of politics and celebration. They promoted visibility of the LGBTQ community including their needs and rights — like protection against harassment, raising awareness of the AIDS epidemic or fighting for marriage equality. Since the Stonewall riots, Pride events have grown tremendously, bringing out hundreds of thousands of people to celebrate each year across the world. And while there have been some huge gains in LGBTQ+ rights, there is still a ways to go.

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

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Ariel

from the new live-action story “The Little Mermaid” begins greeting guests Friday, May 26, 2023, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and at Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort in California. At Walt Disney World Resort, Ariel greets guests at Prince Eric’s shoreside castle, on a beautiful terrace with sweeping views of the sea, pictured here. At Disneyland Resort, Ariel meets guests where the land meets the sea in a location inspired by Eric’s castle library, complete with whosits and whatsits galore. (Photo credit: Abigail Nilsson, Photographer)

For full details on all the ways to journey “Under the Sea,” be sure to check out the Disney Parks Blog.

You owe it to yourself (and the people you love) to take care of your health. A great first step is to schedule your next medical and dental checkup, screening or immunization.

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Aisha Bowe, 1st Black woman to travel to space with Jeff Bezos, gets billion-dollar contract

by Mildred Europa Taylor, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Months after it was announced that Aisha Bowe will be the first Black woman to travel on a commercial flight to space with Blue Origin founded by Jeff Bezos, Bowe has made it big in entrepreneurship.

The former rocket scientist, who is behind three multimillion-dollar businesses, recently secured a billion-dollar government contract, according to Blacknews. com. The news platform reports that the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has awarded a new $947 million contract designed to “provide support to NGA’s total lifecycle acquisition management, strategic financial management and strategic business management activities to Exacta Solutions.”

In 2022 when it was disclosed that Bahamian-American Bowe would be making history with Bezos, she was preparing to become the sixth Black woman to cross the Karman line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. Bowe’s historic flight was announced decades after former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison became the first Black woman to travel to space in 1992. There have been only four other Black women to go to space — Joan Higginbotham, Jessica Watkins, Stephanie Wilson, and Dr. Sian Proctor of the SpaceX Inspiration4 Mission.

“I’ve dedicated my life to helping people break stereotypes,” said Bowe at the time.

“I am honored to follow in the footsteps of these pioneers as we begin to realize the potential of public access to space.”

While in high school, Bowe was advised by a counselor to pursue cosmetology but she knew she wanted more than that. So she decided to study mathematics at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor before transferring to the University of Michigan where she earned both an undergraduate and master’s degree in aerospace engineering.

Bowe went on to work for NASA as a rocket scientist and served as a State Department global speaker, becoming an inspiration to many young people all over the world. Being a serial entrepreneur, she was recognized on Inc.’s fifth annual Female Founders 100 list, which honors a group of 100 women whose innovations are making the world a better place. Her award-winning tech company STEMBoard was ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America.

What’s more, Bowe is also one of a select group of Black women who have raised over $1 million in funding. The aerospace engineer’s LINGO, a venture capital-backed enterprise made up of 57% women, helps students to learn how to code at home and is currently sold on Amazon, Target, and Walmart. In January this year, Virginia Business Magazine recognized Bowe as an honoree for their Inaugural Black Business Leaders Awards.

Meet Frank Arthur Bailey, London’s first Black Firefighter

by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Frank Arthur Bailey is widely known as the very first Black Firefighter in England and was born in Guyana. He moved to England as a political activist in 1953, where he joined the West Indian Standing Conference (WISC), an organization that represented African-Caribbean communities in Britain.

He heard about the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) while he served as a member of WISC but was unfortunately discouraged by one of the representatives. However, he still went ahead and applied for the position.

“I was told that the authorities were not hiring black men because they were not strong enough physically or well enough educated to do the job. I immediately recognized racism and said I’m going to apply to be a firefighter and see if they find me unfit,” he said.

He was received into the service in 1955 and joined the West Ham Fire Brigade. He served at Silvertown Fire Station, making history as possibly the first fulltime Black Firefighter in the country, according to Black history month.

Before joining the Firefighters, London Fire Brigade records that he attended lo-

cal schools growing up, and eventually got employed on a German trade ship which took him to New York. There, he once again found employment, first as a porter and later as an assistant in the physiotherapy department. During this time period, he staged a walkout to protest racially segregated dining facilities.

Bailey became very active in the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) and even attained

the position of branch secretary, however, he later left the brigade in 1965 despite his commitment; a decision that a former colleague believes could have been caused by Bailey being passed over for a promotion for racial reasons.

Though he left FBU, Bailey didn’t leave behind his passion for helping people. He continued in his journey to become a social worker and the first Black legal advi-

sor to Black youths at Marylebone Magistrates Court. The pioneer spent most of his life advocating equality and broke many limitations while doing so.

Frank Bailey died six days after his 90th birthday in 2015. In a statement to Google, his daughter, Alexis, wrote, “I’m very proud of my dad. He spent his whole life fighting against injustice and he never gave up. He taught me to challenge things

I believe are wrong and stand up for myself and others even when it scares me,” according to the Independent.

She further explained that though she didn’t appreciate her father’s actions at a younger age, she has grown to see its benefits and learn from them. Alexis added that years after he left the fire service, he continued to support and motivate Black firemen to get involved in politics.

She also mentioned her late father’s determination to effect change wherever he found himself, as a trade unionist, a firefighter, a medical assistant, a warden at a social club for ex-soldiers, and an advocate for young black men appearing in court.

She recounts that although he got in trouble many times, he always stood to his principles. In 2020, Google commemorated his memory and 95th birthday with a doodle by West Yorkshire-based guest artist, Nicole Miles.

The London Brigade also honored him during their 150th anniversary in 2018. The then London Fire commissioner Ron Dobson said: “Frank was a pioneer and rightly challenged the outdated practices prevalent at the time.” He added that Frank was a pacesetter who played a big role for Black Firemen in the country.

photo credit: Aisha Bowe, a Bahamian-American who is a former NASA rocket scientist.

Photo: Aisha Bowe/Instagram

photo credit: Bailey became very active in the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) and even attained the position of branch secretary. Photo Credit: Wikipedia, London Fire Brigade

Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVII Champions visit White House

By Ashleigh Fields, AFRO Assistant Editor, afro.com

The White House welcomed the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time ever on June 5. The visit came after the professional football team’s 38-35 Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 12. The team has earned the title of Super Bowl champions a total of three times in NFL history.

Their first championship, won in 1970 against the Minnesota Vikings, occurred a decade before the U.S. President’s tradition of hosting NFL champions at the White House began. They didn’t taste victory again until 2020 during the global COVID-19 pandemic which limited celebrations.

“When the media experts and NFL draft picks said that maybe the Chiefs’ run was over and that maybe the division was just too tough, the guys behind me proved the naysayers wrong,” said Mark Donovan, president of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs have been a force in the league, toting 64 wins in the last five years. Despite this record, multiple analysts favored the Philadelphia Eagles to win this year’s Super Bowl title–but the Chiefs prevailed.

At the congratulatory event on the South Lawn, Biden first held a moment of silence to mourn the loss of Kansas City

Chief matriarch Norma Hunt, 85. She was the wife of Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, who passed away in 2006.

…Norma was known as the ‘First Lady of Football.’ She attended every — ev-

ery single Super Bowl in history, all 57, including the past one, where her Chiefs won,” said Biden.

Shortly after recognizing Hunt, Biden went on to proclaim Patrick Mahomes as

“one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation” — and not just his generation, “any generation.”

Ironically, Mahomes graduated from Whitehouse High School in Texas. His

excellence on the field there led him to the White House in the nation’s capital.

“It’s surreal to be here– I mean I’ve never been to Washington, D.C. So, I’ve never even got to see it from the outside; the White House or any of the monuments and memorials,” said Mahomes. “I don’t think I could have ever imagined it being as cool as it was.”

Fellow player and tight-end Travis Kelce, who recently hosted Saturday Night Live in March, said that Biden’s personalized tour of the White House was a memory that would last forever.

“Hearing President Biden talk about the pieces and the things that mean a lot to him in the Oval Office and the West Wing was pretty eye-opening. You can tell he’s in it for the right reasons,” said Kelce.

Nick Bolton concluded with sentimental comments about having team members old and new join the official White House visit.

“We got new guys coming in and we’ve got guys that laid the groundwork for us,” said Bolton. “Those guys came in every single day– especially for my first two years in the league– and kind of showed me the ropes of how to be better every single day. Having those guys back in the building was huge for us.”

(Photo courtesy of people.com)

Claws for celebration!

Come

Black scholar Cornel West announces he’s running for U.S. president

Celebrating Black Music Month

National Museum of African American History & Culture

nmaaahc.si.edu

June is African American Music Appreciation Month! Created by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, this month celebrates the African American musical influences that comprise an essential part of our nation’s treasured cultural heritage.

Formerly called National Black Music Month, this celebration of African American musical contributions is re-established annually by presidential proclamation. Though by no means exhaustive, we’ve prepared a primer that will guide you through some of the different genres that African Americans have created, inspired and fostered.

Sacred Music

Sacred music, which includes spirituals and gospel music, illustrates the central role that music plays in African American spiritual and religious life. The earliest form of black musical expression in America, spirituals were based on Christian psalms and hymns and merged with African music styles and secular American music forms. Spirituals were originally an oral tradition and imparted Christian values while also defining the hardships of slavery. Gospel music originated in the black church and has become a globally recognized genre of popular music. In its earliest manifestations, gospel music functioned as an integral religious and ceremonial practice during worship services. Now, gospel music is also marketed commercially and draws on contemporary, secular sounds while still conveying spiritual and religious ideas.

Cornel West Cornel West

Historian and Philosophy professor Cornel West announced Monday that he is running for president in the 2024 election. The 70-year-old scholar disclosed in a video on Twitter that he is running as a candidate for the People’s Party, adding that he had “decided to run for truth and justice”.

“I come from a tradition where I care about you,” West said in the video. “I care about the quality of your life, I care about whether you have access to a job with a living wage, decent housing, women having control over their bodies, healthcare for all, de-escalating the destruction of the planet.”

Some of the activist’s policies outlined on his campaign website include stopping all foreign military aid, banning Nato,

abolishing student debt, and introducing Medicare for All. He would also dwell on fighting to end poverty and mass incarceration, ending wars and ecological collapse, and guaranteeing housing.

West, who is now a professor of philosophy at Union Theological Seminary, previously taught at Princeton, Yale and Harvard. He is against both Democrats and Republicans and in 2016, he threw his weight behind then-Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. A progressive political activist, West’s works have focused on race and class in U.S. society.

West’s announcement on Monday comes weeks after Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, announced that he would be running for president. On Monday, former Vice President Mike Pence also launched his campaign. Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are running again.

Folk Music

African American folk music links back to African cultural traditions. Stemming from field hollers, work chants and game songs, folk music bursts with social commentary. Popular folk protest music spread in the 1960s, and its influence is still found within hip-hop today.

The Blues

The blues form the foundation of contemporary American music. As did sacred and folk music, the blues also greatly influenced the cultural and social lives of African Americans. Geographically diverse incarnations of the blues arose in various regions, including the Mississippi Delta, Memphis, Chicago, Southern Texas. Each regional manifestation of the blues features a uniquely identifiable sound and message. For example, Mississippi Delta blues illustrated the poverty of the region while celebrating its natural and cultural richness.

Military Music

Beginning with the Revolutionary War, African Americans have always held a significant role in the armed services’ military band tradition. In the Revolutionary War and Civil War, African Americans served in fife and drum corps. Musicians that played in military bands during World War I and World War II often incorporated modern musical styles, such as jazz, into their song selections. They also toured the United States and Europe, entertaining civilian and military audiences alike.

Jazz

Jazz evolved from ragtime, an American style of syncopated instrumental music. Jazz first materialized in New Orleans and is often distinguished by African American musical innovation. Multiple forms of the genre exist today, from the dance-oriented music of the 1920s bigband era to the experimental flair of modern avant-garde jazz.

Rhythm and Blues

The predecessor to soul music, R&B is another stylistically-diverse genre with roots in jazz, the blues and gospel music. R&B helped spread African American culture and popularized the idea of racial integration on the airwaves and in white society. Today’s iteration of the genre has assimilated soul and funk characteristics.

Rock and Roll

Rock 'n' roll music incorporates elements from all African American music genres and combines them with American pop and country music components. The genre was born in the 1950s and appealed to the rebellious yearnings of American youth culture.

Hip-Hop and Rap

Hip-Hop and rap are musical traditions firmly embedded in African American culture. Like jazz, hip-hop has become a global phenomenon and has exerted a driving force on the development of mass media. Hip-hop music spawned an entire cultural form, while rap remains a means for artists to voice opinions and share experiences regarding social and political issues.

This list of musical styles merely scratches the surface. In addition to the genres previously detailed, African American musicians and artists have also developed and influenced classical music traditions, country and western music, pop music, and dance music such as disco, techno and house, among other genres and styles. Millions of people around the globe listen to and are touched by music that carries elements of African American musical traditions.

Mildred Europa Taylor, Face2FaceAfrica.com

American jazz pianist and bandleader Count Basie (William Basie, 1904 - 1984) rehearsing at the Cafe Anglais, Leicester Square, London.

(L-R, top row) James Herndon, Albertina Walker Inez Andrews, Johnnie Erin "Johneron" Davis and (L-R, bottom row) Cassietta George and Shirley Caesar of the gospel group "The Caravans" pose for a portrait in New York, 1960. Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Little Richard, circa 1956.

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

CURTAIN CALL

Stamford’s Award-winning Theatre

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

Our 33rd Season!

The inspiring story of Thuso Nokwanda Mbedu

by Ben Ebuka, Face2FaceAfrica.com

OPEN AUDITIONS

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

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

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

June 5 & 6 Sterling

Thuso Mbedu. Photo -IOL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks

NOTICIA

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

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

AA/EOE-MF

Union Company seeks:

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

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

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

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

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

State of Connecticut

Office of Policy and Management

Roof Replacement at Wooster Manor. Bid Opening date is June 15, 2023 at 11:00 am at the Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Road, Danbury, CT 06811. All bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. A pre-bid walk thru will be held on June 1, 2023 at 9:30 am at 36 West Wooster Street, Danbury, CT. Contract documents including plans & specifications can be viewed on-line and purchased from Advanced Reprographic’s website. Visit www.advancedrepro.net, select access our planroom here, select all public jobs and select “Danbury HA –Roof Replacement at Wooster Manor beginning on May 26, 2023. 5% Bid Security and 100% Performance/Payment Bonds are required. Bidders will note requirements of minimum wage rates, nondiscrimination/equal opportunity rules (Executive Order 11246) and related provisions in the General Conditions. No bid shall be withdrawn for ninety (90) days. Complete bidding requirements are noted in the Contract Documents. This project is federally assisted. Therefore, bidders must comply with the following requirements: Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968; Equal Opportunity provisions of Executive Order 11246; Non-Discrimination provision of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Labor Standards provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act and related acts and Contract Work Hours Standards Act; prevailing wage determinations as issued by the United States Department of Labor; and all applicable provisions under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. HACD is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Section 3 businesses are encouraged to participate.

Accountant

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

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

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

PROPERTY FOR SALE (SEALED BIDS)

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

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

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

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

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

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

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

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

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

DRIVER CDL CLASS A

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

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

Full Time – All Shifts Top Pay-Full Benefits

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

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

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

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

NOTICE

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport

Request for Proposal (RFP)

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

Solicitation Number: 243-MD-23-S

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Ductless Split Units Preventative Maintenance and Repair Services

IFB No. B23002

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

SCOPE:

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

BID SUBMITTAL RETURN:

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811

Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No.B23002, Ductless Split Maintenance

SUBMITTAL DEADLINE

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

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

NOTICIA

CONTACT PERSON FOR IFB DOCUMENT:

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

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

Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

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

WALLINGFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY

E-Mail: dmarra@hacdct.org

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

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

WANTED TRUCK DRIVER

Truck Driver with clean CDL license

Please send resume to attielordan@gmail.com

PJF Construction Corporation AA/EOE

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

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Principal Labor Relations Specialist. Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 230417&R2=6342MP&R3=001

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

POLICE OFFICER

City of Bristol

Waiting List Opening Announcement

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

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

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

Invitation for Bids Agency Wide HVAC Services

NEW HAVEN 242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE GLENDOWER GROUP, INC. Request for Proposals Development Consultant

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

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

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

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

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

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

DEADLINE: 05-04-23

EOE

Town

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

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

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

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

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

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

Laborer

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

Please send resume to attielordan@gmail.com

PJF Construction Corporation AA/EOE

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

of Bloomfield DRIVER

Assistant Building Official $39.80 hourly

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOTICE

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY STATE MODERATE RENTAL PROGRAM

MR 19, 19A, 066, and 008

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

PUBLIC NOTICE

OPENING OF THE 2 AND 3 BEDROOM WAITING LISTS

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

Town of Bloomfield

Patrol Police Officer

ENGINEER

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

Deadline: Applications will be accepted until position is filled

NOTICIA

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

Public Notice

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Town of Bloomfield Finance Director

Junior Engineer – The Town of Wallingford’s Water Division is seeking a responsible individual to prepare and maintain permanent utility location records and perform basic utility construction design and assistance in project management. Requires an associate’s degree or the equivalent in civil engineering plus two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in the water/sewer utility field, or an equivalent combination of education and qualify experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. Salary: $63,116 to $80,755 annually, plus an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, medical insurance, life insurance, paid sick and vacation time. The Department of Human Resources will begin to review applications on June 9, 2023 and then on a bi-weekly basis. A closing date will be established once a sufficient number of applications have been received. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Water Utility

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

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

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

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

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

FY 2023 Low-Income (80%) Limit

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

Portland

Important Information

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

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

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

Police Officer full-time

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

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

Water Treatment and Pumping Supervisor. The Town of Wallingford Water Division is seeking qualified applicants to perform highly technical and supervisory work involving the operation and maintenance of the municipality's water treatment facilities, pump stations, and well facilities. Applicants must have 4 years of progressively responsible experience with 2 years as a supervisor in the operation of a municipal water treatment and pumping system, plus an A.S. degree in engineering or chemistry, or any equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience. Must possess or have the ability to obtain within the probation period, State of Connecticut Department of Health Services Class IV Water Treatment Plant Operator and Class II Distribution System Operator Certifications. Must possess and maintain a CT driver’s license. Salary: $73,068 to $93,488 annually, plus an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, medical insurance, life insurance, paid sick and vacation time. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov by the closing date of June 20, 2023. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

Construction

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

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

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

Invitation for Bids

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

Hotels/Temporary and Emergency Housing

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

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

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

APPLY NOW!

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

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

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

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

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Invitation for Bids

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

TEMPORARY STAFFING SERVICES

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

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

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

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

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

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

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

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

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

The Town of East Haven: Assistant Animal Control Officer. $51,605.00 per year. Qualified candidates must possess a high school diploma or equivalent and 3 years of experience in an animal control department. Experience in managerial/supervisor role is preferred. Considerable Knowledge of animal handling, especially dogs, and of safety practices in handling domestic and wild animals; considerable knowledge of effective methods of controlling and containment of such animals. Ability to effectively communicate in person and written correspondence. Some experience working with wild animals, ability to work with local veterinarians and vendors. Must possess basic computer skills, a class 3 Connecticut driver’s license and be able to obtain a pistol permit. Must successfully pass a pre-employment background check, physical and drug screening is required. Candidates’ bilingual in Spanish are encouraged to apply. The town offers an excellent benefit package. Please send cover letter, resume with references to Ed Sabatino, Assistant Director of Administration and Management, 250 Main Street, East Haven CT 06512. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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

Surprising Facts About Alzheimer’s And Black People

BlackHealthMatters.com

The CDC estimates that the number of people with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias will double by 2060. The director of the CDC has also acknowledged the existing disparity between various ethnic groups and the effect this sharp increase will have, especially on black people. They report that the African American population has the highest percentage of dementia cases at nearly 14% but that by 2060, Hispanics are likely to surpass this. However, black Americans still face many challenges in fighting this brain disorder. Let’s look at some facts surrounding Alzheimer’s Disease and black people.

African Americans are More Susceptible to Risk Factors

You may not be surprised that the African American population typically has more risk factors for dementia. Even those they share with different ethnicities and multiracial people, affect the race disproportionately. Some risk factors lead to others. Many are unavoidable, but some could be lessened with better education and resources within mainly black communities.

• Age: The risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases as you get older, with the highest risk after age 85. We should note that caucasians still have a longer lifespan, on average, compared to blacks, but that the life-expectancy gap has narrowed significantly in recent years.

• High Blood Pressure: More black men are diagnosed with hypertension than white males. The disparity between black and white women is even more significant.

• Vascular Conditions: While this is still being studied, those with chronic vascular conditions may be at higher risk.

• Stress and Depression: It’s well documented that African American communities experience higher rates of depression and related symptoms of stress due to racism, segregation, socioeconomic barriers, and more. Stress directly contributes to cognitive decline later in life.

• Diabetes: Stress and many of the same risk factors can lead to diabetes, which creates another risk factor for dementia.

• Heart Disease and Stroke: Vascular dementia is typically caused by a stroke but may be caused by any condition that reduces or blocks blood flow to parts of the brain, damaging brain tissue.

• Obesity: It hasn’t yet been proven that weight contributes directly to the risk of developing dementia. However, obesity does increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease. All three can be decreased with a healthy lifestyle.

• Family History: There appears to be DNA unique to African American populations making them more susceptible to

dementia. If you have a family member with Alzheimer’s Disease, you should be screened regularly and limit your risk factors.

• Exposure to Pollution: One study suggests that those living in neighborhoods with higher levels of environmental pollution are at higher risk of developing dementia.

Many View Dementia and Aging Differently

African American adults perceive their health and the health care system differently than others, especially compared to white men. Some misperceptions may come from a lack of health education, and others from previous experiences, either their own or people they know. However, the Alzheimer’s Association reports that more than half of black people believe that significant memory loss is natural as they get older, and only about a third are concerned as symptoms develop. Even more startling is that these numbers are despite nearly two-thirds of Black Americans knowing someone with some form of dementia and severe memory problems.

Healthcare Discrimination Affects Patients and Caregivers

Discrimination is a significant part of black history. Healthcare disparity is one of the ways in which black communities are still affected by it, and there are several reasons these racial inequalities persist. Neighborhoods comprised mainly of African Americans often don’t have enough clinics or hospitals. If they do, they may not have access to the latest technology, or those who live there might not be able to afford it. The rates of low-income health insurance are higher in primarily black communities, which can limit the care received.

Even within these neighborhoods, there is a lack of diversity among providers, making it challenging for patients and caregivers to find a doctor with the same ethnic background. Caregivers may find navigating the healthcare system more difficult, especially with some types of insurance, like Medicare, because they haven’t done it before, and the processes can be confusing. Finding a caseworker or other advocate is a hurdle that many family members face when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia.

Blacks are Less Likely to Receive an Early Diagnosis

Even though black people are up to two times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease than the general population, only a third will receive a correct dementia diagnosis and begin a treatment plan on the first visit compared to white patients.

In total, African American patients are 10% less likely to receive a diagnosis of dementia at all even as the disease progresses and the first symptoms develop. Cultural perceptions delay care for memory problems because many believe it to be a natural part of aging. Black people often won’t see a doctor until more severe signs of dementia develop, like hallucinations and behavioral symptoms. This makes it less likely they will be diagnosed early on. Discrimination may play a factor, as it seems that many patients need to exhibit more severe symptoms to warrant a dementia diagnosis than white patients. Some people may not have access to health care due to socioeconomic status, even with low-income options and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In 2018, it was reported that 9.7 percent of black racial groups were uninsured compared to only 5.4 percent of Caucasians.

disease.

Survival Rates Vary Among Ethnic Groups

It’s difficult to find a consistent answer when determining how long individuals living with dementia will live past their diagnosis. A study by the University of Southern California School of Gerontology found that the African American population with dementia had one of the shortest survival rates, only slightly longer than caucasians. One published by the National Institutes of Health places black people above both white and indigenous populations. However, we should note that many develop Alzheimer’s much earlier than they seek treatment, so their survival rates would be much longer had they received an early diagnosis at the onset of memory problems.

The Black Population is Under-Represented in Studies

Rena A.S. Robinson has been studying Alzheimer’s Disease on a molecular level, looking for a biological reason for the disproportional number of African Americans with dementia. While this research is vital, and you can read more about it below, she found something equally as significant regarding understanding how these statistics could be misinterpreted. Her research shows that most clinical trials rarely represent the actual U.S. population. On average, these studies include approximately 5% blacks, yet they comprise around 13% of the total population. This could lead to skewed results.

There is a Possible Biological Vulnerability

The Cost of Care is Typically Higher

The cost of medical care for those in the early stages of dementia is much lower. Many patients can still live at home with a family member as long as they have supervision until the disease progresses and memory loss worsens. However, this assumes a treatment plan only for mild cognitive impairment. Managing behavioral symptoms can be much more costly, including in-patient care in a facility designed for more advanced cognitive decline. According to UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, the cost of treatment of dementia and dementia-related illnesses in the United States for African Americans was over $71 billion in 2012. With the number of cases of dementia estimated to double overall by 2060, these costs will become astronomical, especially for those seeking care for more advanced stages of the

A recent study began by evaluating past medical research reports including over 1,200 people ranging from age 43 to 104. Researchers discovered that approximately one-third had symptoms of the early stages of dementia-related memory loss. They then used brain scans and spinal fluid samples to test for two biological markers indicating Alzheimer’s Disease. Amyloid plaques were the same regardless of ethnic background. However, in the study, spinal fluid from African Americans showed significantly lower levels of tau proteins. These levels seemed to correlate to the APOE4 gene directly. In other studies, this gene has shown an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease even in those who are white, but the risk factor may not be as profound in black people. Still, tau proteins may mean that the African American population has a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other related dementias.

What is Being Done to Address These Disparities?

Read more by going to THE INNERCITY NEWS .COM

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