THE INNER-CITY NEWS

Music Haven Fêtes A Year Of Growth & Transition

Lucy Gellman

Ayana Salahuddin stood quietly behind her music stand, watching a row of pintsized violinists try to stay in a straight line. A tiny musician moved, and she caught a glimpse of her younger self, waiting nervously in the wings. They raised their instruments, and she could remember that first step onto the stage, the sense that she was on the precipice of something new and enormous.

She took a breath. As she lifted her bow to join them, 13 years of lessons fell away. It was just her and the violin and the stage, sound blooming from every direction. That story of growth—and so many like it—came to Music Haven's annual summer performance party last week, as hundreds of family members filled the Dixwell Community Q House for an endof-year concert and celebration. As the organization fêted another year on the books, it switched up the party's format, bringing all 92 string students onstage for every number.

"This is the first time we are ever doing a performance party quite like this," said cellist Phillip Boulanger, a resident teaching artist and longtime member of the Haven String Quartet. Every year, "it was always my favorite part" when students would play together at the end of the show, he added. So this year, teachers decided to bring that spirit to the whole concert.

The mellifluous move showed the sheer impact of the program, which has now graduated close to two dozen students, grown its budget and staff size, and expanded its educational reach to refugees and parents. As older students eased onto the gym-turned-stage—backs straight, eyes swiveled forward, bows and instruments balanced gingerly in their hands— younger ones made their way to the front of the space, wide-eyed and hesitant. They fidgeted in place, waiting for their moment in the spotlight. A few scanned the crowd for parents and burst into tentative, goofy smiles. As teachers Boulanger and Yaira Matyakubova introduced "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," their eyes followed teaching assistant Yovahni Cruz, who has played with the group for several years. In a language entirely of gesture, he brought his own violin to his shoulder, lifting his bow in the air.

The transformation was immediate. Within seconds, the first bars of the lullaby drifted across the space, making the basketball hoops and bleachers feel like they belonged in a concert hall. The notes were spare, deliberate. They carried the melody, less tentative as Cruz gently urged students on. As he played, eyes soft and wide, he seemed to smile at all of them at once.

For years of performance parties, this might have been where the piece ended, as first-time Suzuki students repeated the bars, then lifted their bows triumphantly

to signal they had finished. Instead, waves of sound took over. From a fleet of violins at the left, a bright harmony entered the fray. Just as quickly, cellos slipped in, their voices low and silky smooth.

In a row of chairs close to the front, a tiny cellist looked up at Boulanger, her fingers pausing on the neck of the instrument. She turned to her peers, studying them, and returned to playing.

It was "Twinkle Twinkle" as the audience had never heard it before. As it filled the gymnasium, the piece felt thick and full, as if a listener could reach out and touch it. The final notes were still hanging in the air when applause erupted, some parents whistling as others cheered, roared with appreciation and whipped out their phones to record.

That fullness became the through line of the evening, lending new sonic layers to well-worn pieces like "Dragon Hunter" and "Batman Meets Bowman," which have long been part of the repertoire. It was there in "Andijon Polka," a traditional Uzbek folk dance that Matyakubova, artistic director for the organization, brought to Music Haven students for the first time last year.

As she wrapped her legs around a drum, heels pressed into the floor, Matyakubova looked around for just a moment, priming the musicians for what was to come. At the far left of the ensemble, a handful of parent musicians smiled back. Then they were off, Matyakubova's palms flying on the drum. Percussion rolled through the rows of musicians and they responded in time, sending six short bursts of sound into the air.

For Matyakubova, it's a sound of home: she came to the U.S. from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, at 16. When she plays the piece, she gets to channel a part of herself that is effusive and gregarious, less precise and exacting than her presence on the violin. Not quite halfway through, she raised her left arm suddenly, her fist punching the air, and students responded with a spirited Ay! At another point, she let the drum take over, bouncing with each beat. When she stood to take a bow, she had over 100 people up there with her.

So too as students closed on "La Bamba," splitting into a layered, buoyant arrangement that made it hard not to dance in place (and indeed, some parents did as they lifted their phones and proudly recorded). As Boulanger lifted his hands to conduct, senior cellos kicked things off, their sound certain and measured and almost throaty. Nearby, a swath of violins got the hint and jumped in, their voices high and bright. More violins and violas followed, and it felt as though they were serenading each other.

Boulanger turned to the youngest cellos, pulled out his own instrument, and mapped out the finger work without missing a beat.

Para bailar La Bamba! a listener could

almost hear as musicians plucked at their strings, and the sound was suddenly like raindrops or footfalls in the space. Por ti seré, por ti seré, por ti seré. The sound crested, a carpet of violin carrying everything. In their seats, attendees bobbed their heads, rolled their shoulders and bounced babies. By the time they finished, the applause was thunderous. The choice to play together isn't happen-

more advanced students, who are in high school, and students who are just starting out.

Last week, teachers took time to celebrate that life cycle. Midway through the evening, teachers and staff called up Miriam Magalis Cruz, Ayana Salahuddin, Prince Davenport and Max Jackson, who will all graduate from high school this month. Many have been with the organization for over a decade—meaning that they have seen it through three executive directors and a pandemic. Cumulatively, they have played for close to half a century.

"Music Haven has helped me figure out my identity," said Cruz, a senior at Wilbur Cross High School who trains as an EMT when she’s not playing music. "I've used music as an outlet in my life."

An aspiring firefighter, Cruz was just six when her Music Haven journey started at John C. Daniels School of International Communication. At the time, she was struggling with ADHD, and Music Haven Founder Tina Lee Hadari was just starting the program. “My mom was like, you need a hobby,” and it turned out that violin lessons were exactly what she needed to focus her energy.

In the years since, it has helped her excel in school and relieve stress at home, while also growing her cultural footprint as Miss Puerto Rico of Greater New Haven. When she's feeling overwhelmed, "I just like that I can go to my room and play my violin," she said. The instrument has also been a musical "gateway"—Cruz now plays piano, guitar and ukulele. As she heads to paramedic training this summer, she plans to continue playing, she said. Already, she's dipped her toe into performance at Musical Intervention downtown, and also has her eye on classes at Gateway Community College with her longtime Music Haven teacher, violinist Gregory Tompkins.

Around her, the other three seniors echoed that gratitude for the time they'd spent in Music Haven. Salahuddin, who will be attending Yale University in the fall, called the party a full-circle moment. Close to 13 years ago, she played her first concert at Wexler Grant School with Matyakubova by her side.

stance, Boulanger said during the concert. For a year, Music Haven has held "all musician Fridays" at its Erector Square space, gathering students and staff to play together before they go into the weekend. Each week, older and younger students share music stands with each other, in what has become a form of mentorship. Over an academic year, the pairings have created new relationships between some

The piece, she remembered with a smile, was "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." It was a far cry from the Vivaldi she and her sister would be playing smoothly by high school. When she stepped out onto the stage for the first time, the whole world melted away, and she just focused on the music.

"I didn't know what shy was, but it kind of broke me out of my shell," she remembered. "Today, I'm feeling a mix of emotions. I just felt really joyous ... I was trying to soak in the moment."

"I was very introverted, and in music I found that second voice," chimed in

Ayana Salahuddin soaking in her final performance party.

Miriam Magalis Cruz, Ayana Salahuddin, Prince Davenport and Max Jackson.

Gun Violence Homicide Victims Remembered

by ABIBA BIAO

Through poetry, Jordan Strother is able to capture the complex emotions he feels when he remembers his brothers Eric Lewis and Anthony Strother: he holds happy memories of their endless vitality, but then he’s hit by a wave of sadness when he thinks of how their lives were cut short from gun violence.

He shared some of that poetry at an “Annual Day of Remembrance” ceremony at a Valley Street memorial to homicide victims.

“In dreams, we laugh and play side by side, brothers forever, our hearts open wide. But nightmares creep in with a deafening sound. A gunshot echoes, tearing our world apart, profound,” Jordan recited from a poem he wrote in his phone’s notes app. “The dreams are now tainted, with sorrow and despair, memories of laughter replaced by a silent prayer. A life cut short, a future stolen away, leaving behind a void that words cannot convey.”

Friends and family members gathered for the Annual Day of Remembrance ceremony on Saturday at the New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing at 105 Valley St.

The event featured family members and local leaders such as Mayor Justin Elicker, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, Police Chief Karl Jacobson and fellow city police command staff; Superintendent Madeline Negrón, and many others. Each read aloud names of residents and family members who lost their lives due to gun violence.

Fair Haven Alder Frank Redente Jr. was a featured speaker at the event. A street outreach worker, Redente started a tattoo sleeve on his left arm back in 2014 in remembrance of New Haven gun violence victims.

“These are not just random names. These are kids that are actually a part of my life,” he said.

For Eric, Jordan, and Cathy Strother, the ceremony held significant meaning as they coped with the loss of loved ones Eric Lewis in 2018 and Anthony Strother in 2022. With Lewis’s and Strother’s deaths, Eric lost his sons, Jordan his brothers, and Cathy her nephews.

“It means a lot to me just to know that someone cares about our grieving [and] their grief. We grieve and you know, to me, this here,” Cathy said, gesturing around to the garden, is “like we’re grieving together.”

Eric couldn’t muster the energy to speak and instead referred to his shirt, showing his sons on both the front and the back. It was a small way he could

pay homage to the impact they had left.

Jordan, a student at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, said that the event helped him feel less alone and connect with other families going through similar situations. He still holds fond memories of his older brothers.

“They were protective,” Jordan said. “They were still babies and had more to live for … and they were role models.”

It’s this sentiment of resilience and strength for his brothers that he encapsulates in the last stanza of his poem.

“Yet through pain, a flicker of hope remains and dreams his spirit dances forever unchanged. His laughter echoes and the winds gentle caress, a reminder that love transcends even death’s distress.”

Kelli McBride found it important to be at the garden Saturday morning to honor her son Micheal Jordan McBride Judkins, who passed away in August 2022.

McBride takes the grieving process “one day at a time” and continues to advocate against gun violence.

“It needs to stop,” she said. “It needs to stop because it’s senseless. There’s too many senseless killings going on out here, and we’re losing our young men and women, and it’s not fair.”

While Judkins may be gone, McBride still has something by which to remember him: his 5-year-old daughter Kaylee McBride Judkins, who continues his legacy.

Dressed in matching red and white t-shirts was mom Miylena Inthirath and her family commemorating the life and

legacy of her daughter Mariyah Inthirath. Mariyah, an aspiring model from Bridgeport, died in 2021 after suffering a single gunshot wound on Sheffield Avenue.

“She was outgoing. Always the life of the party,” Miylena said. “She had friends and loved ones all the time. She wanted to do more with her life but was taken shortly.”

Milyena encourages bystanders to speak up when they see violence occur in their communities, and she said her family is still seeking justice for Mariyah.

“We have too many people holding secrets. They know who her killer is, but nobody’s speaking about it,” she said. “The community also plays a big part of it and if they’re not here to help one another, this is always going to continue on.

“For every life lost to gun violence, generations cease to exist, and when people think about committing the act of violence that can cause someone’s life [to end], we need to revert and direct that energy toward other things,” said Marlene Miller Pratt, co-founder of the New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing.

Formerly a teacher at Career High School, Miller Pratt has now made it her life’s mission to combat gun violence. To her, the garden “represents life” and is a way to find connection and peacefulness for those who have passed.

Miller Pratt was inspired to start the garden after the loss of her son Gary Kyshon Miller in 1998 at 20 years old. Miller Pratt, alongside fellow moms Pamela Jaynez and Celeste Robinson Fulcher and with help from the nonprofit Urban Resources Initiative, opened the garden in 2021.

Miller Pratt suggested that church youth groups could get involved to stop the violence and stressed the importance of positive influence on children to help “catch them while they’re young” and redirect them to artistic outlets to help with emotional management.

“I want our mentorships and some of the clubs and sororities and things like that to give back to the community, give back to young people, especially our middle school kids,” she said, and “get them before they’re influenced by gun violence and gangs and drugs.”

Miller Pratt had a cautionary warning for those thinking about acts of violence.

“Once they take that life at the spirit of moment, it’s not bringing that person back. They’re gone forever, and that has to stop.”

Eric Strother's shirt displaying his sons Anthony Strother on the front and Eric Lewis on the back.

Friends and family members of Mariyah Inthirath.

Kelli McBride and her granddaughter Kaylee McBride Judkins.

The new haven independent

When the Sharks Meet The Warhawks

by JAMIL RAGLAND

Shark Tank Pitch Competition

Bloomfield High School

Bloomfield

I hadn’t been back to Bloomfield High School, my alma mater, in at least a decade. What better reason to return to my old stomping grounds than to see the brilliance of the next generation of Warhawks on full display?

Three finalists were competing in a Shark Tank competition, where they pitted their business ideas against each other for a shot at some serious money.

Unlike the Shark Tank show that the competition models itself after, the program is designed to nurture and develop young Black entrepreneurs. All three finalists would be walking away with at least $1,000 to support their goals.

“We want to show these young people that people are willing to support you. All you have to do is put yourself out there,” said Chris Prescott, the school to career Specialist at BHS and the driving force behind the Shark Tank competition.

It was still a competition, and from the quality of the work all three students put forth, it was clear that they all intended to take home the grand prize of $2,500.

The presentations kicked off with Trezir Johnson, a junior, introducing the three judge panel to his clothing line, Saintly Apparel. Trezir wasn’t satisfied with simply slapping his logo onto the same old clothes. His goal is to bring high fashion design and quality to people at an affordable price. He’s already achieved success, with his brand reaching customers all the way in California, on top of the $4,200 worth of in-person sales he’s made.

Trezir’s coach, Ahmya Andrea, CEO of Ahmya Artistry, was proud of how far all the students had come during the six weeks of the program which led up to the competition.

“Everybody has been able to be more confident about their business plan, and how to go about it,” she said. “They’ve also started talking about the money they make in terms of profit, and not just revenue.”

Next was senior Jazlin Wilson, owner of the eponymous Jazlin the Stylist, a hair and beauty business. Even at the young age of 17, Jazlin has been honing her craft for years, taking on internships and classes to learn how to be a cosmetologist. She started her Instagram page in 2020 at the age of 13, to remind her followers that their natural hair is beautiful. That sentiment dovetails with the motto of her business, “Helping people to look their best so that they can feel their best.” She has already amassed over one thousand followers on Instagram, and wants to base her business in Bloomfield where she sees a lack of cosmetologists who can work with thick, natural hair. Last but not least was sophomore Ra-

heem Barclay, the owner and founder of Barclay’s Dream Home Design. Raheem described himself as “a 15-year-old boy from Jamaica who’s trying to make his community better while getting paid.” He has two years of experience in technical drawing and AutoCAD, which he uses to help customers who want anything from a kitchen makeover to a brand new home designed from the ground up. Raheem offers affordable and negotiable rates for his customers, as his stated goal is that he cares more about the people than the money. Yet he still wants to make money, and has a dual track for performing affordable renovations which are subsidized by high-end home design work.

Indya Wilson, owner of Refined Twist bartending and catering business and Raheem’s coach, said that seeing the students bring their planning and ideas to fruition for the pitch competition was one of the best parts of the program.

“The students get to see that they have a circle of people around them that will guide them and help them get to the next step,” she said.

After each student’s five-minute presentation, the judges deliberated. It had to be tough for them, because I had no idea who would be the winner. Finally, after an agonizingly long wait, the winner was announced. Trezir triumphed, taking home the grand prize of $2,500. But as everyone said, although there was a winner, the goal was to support everyone. Jazlin won $1,500 for her runner-up performance, and Raheem earned $1,000 for third.

Trezir Johnson with actin

Watching these bright young people made me laugh at what a knucklehead I’d been in high school. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up,

and these students have already earned more accolades and followers than many people three times their age. It’s popular for elders to decry the state of the youth,

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy Editor-in-Chief Liaison, Corporate Affairs Babz@penfieldcomm.com

Advertising/Sales Team

Keith Jackson Delores Alleyne

John Thomas, III

Team Staff Writers Christian Lewis/Current Affairs Anthony Scott/Sports Arlene Davis-Rudd/Politics

Contributing Writers

David Asbery / Tanisha Asbery

Jerry Craft / Cartoons / Barbara Fair

Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur

Michelle Turner / Smita Shrestha

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

Contributors At-Large Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com Paul Bass

www.newhavenindependent.org Memberships

National Association of Black Journalist

&

New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

but from what I saw in Bloomfield, we should be less concerned about the newer generation letting us down, and more concerned about them showing us up.

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

Trezir Johnson, Raheem Barclay and Jazlin Wilson with State Sen. Doug McCrory.

Trezir Johnson with acting Superintendent Bethay Silver Chris Prescott, school to career specialist at Bloomfield High School, and a lot of money.

Jeremiah Davis models one of Trezir Johnson's track suits.

Music Haven

Davenport, who has played the violin for seven years and the viola for three. After moving to New Haven from the South in 2015, he started his studies with former member Colin Benn, then learned under Matyakubova and violist Annalisa Boerner, the latter of whom left last year. At some point, "Music Haven became a second home," he said.

He's grown as a mentor during that time, he added. During the first years of the Covid-19 pandemic, he worked as Music Haven's student support coordinator, helping the organization transition from remote back to in-person work. This year, he's been able to step up as a TA for Matyakubova's "Music Bridge" class, teaching lessons to Jackson, a cellist who joined Music Haven at 9, agreed that the organization has changed how he thinks about not just music, but also education. When he picked up the cello, Jackson was already playing the clarinet in the school band, but had never been around so many students who wanted to be studying and making music. "It was much more community based," he said.

As Jackson deepened his studies, Boulanger gave him a chance to mentor younger students, in whom he could see some version of his kid self. Matyakubova, meanwhile, coached him in a smaller ensemble group that made him fall in love with chamber music. This fall, he plans to study high school education at Bard College, so he can become a teacher himself. They are not the only ones who will be moving on this summer and fall. Teachers Riana Health and Gregory Tompkins, who have been with the organization one and 11 years respectively, also plan to depart this month.

Executive Director Milda Torres McClain and Gregory Tompkins. "I love all of the performance parties—they're some of my favorite concerts," said McClain. "And I've known Gregory for a really long time. Today is sort of a mixed feeling."

Tompkins, who joined Music Haven under Hadari's leadership, called the decision bittersweet. During his tenure, he's gotten to watch students grow up, helped them brave a global pandemic, and seen three different women lead the organization.

While he is leaving Music Haven, he will remain in New Haven, where he plans to teach at Gateway Community College and continue playing with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.

"I think the thing that drew me to Music Haven is the thing that has kept me here," he said, adding that he has loved being able to both teach and perform through the organization. "It's really rare to find a job that is everything you want to do under one roof. It's just a really special thing. The way Music Haven thinks about being a different arts organization ... that's such a joy."

2 Challenge Incumbent Dems For State Seats

by PAUL BASS

Nyrell Moore and Johnnie McFadden agree that voters in neighborhoods like the Hill should have a choice when they vote and they’re presenting themselves as that choice this November.

Moore, a 27-year-old insurance agent, is the Republican candidate for the 10th State Senate District seat against incumbent Democratic Sen. Gary Winfield. McFadden, a 39 year-old youth worker, is running on an unaffiliated line against incumbent Democratic State Rep. Juan Candelaria in the 95th General Assembly District. Both districts include the Hill among other New Haven neighborhoods. (The 10th Senate District also includes part of West Haven.)

“Quite frankly, I’m tired of business as usual” and “career politicians,” McFadden, until recently a Democrat, said Tuesday during a joint conversation with Moore on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program. “I’m not paid for. I don’t work for corporate donors. I work for everyday people.”

“I think for myself,” said Moore, who last year ran for West Haven’s City Council on the Republican line. “The Democratic Party has been using us as Black people for their benefit for a very long

time. Making America Great Again is the most important thing. It starts locally.” He said he wants to help build a national Republican movement, including by electing Donald Trump as president in November. “I see him as a change. We need

to have more business people” in office.

“I’m American First.”

Both candidates spoke about the need for more affordable housing. McFadden said he would favor a state bill to protect most renters from end-of-lease evictions

without a just cause, adding that he also wants to ensure landlords can evict problem tenants. (The bill didn’t make it to a final vote in the just-concluded session.)

Moore argued that making New Haven safer by “giving more power back to the police officers” would lead more housebuyers to live on the premises rather than serving as absentee landlords. He said funding the police more would help do that, while also increasing pre-hiring vetting to make sure departments “put the right people in power.” He added that while police brutality is “real,” it’s not as prevalent as some advocates claim. “They’re trying to divide us racially” on the issue, he argued.

One of his top priorities if elected would be to support mental health programs in schools, Moore said.

Neither candidate focused on their opponents in the discussion. They said they’re focusing on change they would bring to politics rather than criticizing the individual incumbents. McFadden did accuse of Candelaria of focusing more on Fair Haven than the Hill in delivering money to the district, attributing that to Fair Haven having more Latino residents. Reached by the Independent, Candelaria, who has lived in the Hill most of his life, responded that the neighborhood has

a large Latino population as well. And he cited $1.5 million in state bonding money he helped secure to rebuild the Barbell Club in the Hill’s Trowbridge Square as an example of how he has worked to support the full district.

McFadden drew a parallel during the “Dateline” interview between his personal effort to tackle obesity and working long-term for political change.

“I was about 300 pounds. Now I’m 190. It was a tough journey. It had a lot of up and downs.

“I had to look at where I am and where I want to go. Where you want to go, you need to do some things before you get there,” he said. “Most people want this quick fix. You have to do the work. You have to apply yourself. When you don’t see instant results, don’t stop. Keep going.

“Just like elections, you vote one time, the person you want don’t win, ‘I’m not voting no more.’ If you know what you want to see and you know what you want to do, you have to keep that in the forefront of your mind and not get distracted by the political chaos and the rhetoric around you. While these politicians are arguing, fighting, the people are suffering and dying.”

Complaint: Tenant Screening Discriminates

by LAURA GLESBY

Mandy Management refused to rent 58-year-old Mark Griffin an apartment because of two misdemeanor convictions from more than three decades ago.

Now Griffin and his fiancée are charging the megalandlord with racial discrimination and hoping to end blanket bans on tenants with criminal records, which disproportionately affect Black and Brown people.

Griffin and his fiancée, Cheryl Rabe, have filed a racial discrimination complaint against Mandy Management with the state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO).

On Thursday they announced the complaint at a press conference outside Mandy’s headquarters at 399 Whalley Ave., alongside two dozen housing and criminal justice reform advocates.

“We demand an end to this type of discrimination,” said Rabe. “Everyone should have access to safe housing.”

New Haven Legal Assistance Attorney Amy Eppler-Epstein, who is representing Rabe and Griffin, noted that the federal Fair Housing Act outlaws policies that seem to be neutral but have a

“disparate impact” on protected classes, including racial groups.

Connecticut has long incarcerated Black residents at far higher rates than other racial demographics. Black people made up 44 percent of people incarcerated in Connecticut in 2022, but only 13 percent of the state as a whole, according to Census data compiled by the Prison Policy Initiative.

Therefore, Eppler-Epstein argued, ruling out a potential tenant due to the existence of a criminal conviction, “without regard for how long ago it was… or any mitigating circumstances that constitutes race discrimination.”

Anderson Curtis, a senior policy organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Connecticut, referenced a 2015 study indicating that 79 percent of formerly incarcerated people and their families reported being denied housing due to a criminal conviction.

“That’s also the recidivism rate” in Connecticut, he said. “I wonder why!”

Applications Denied

Engaged after four years of dating, Griffin and Rabe were ready to move in together this spring.

Rabe had recently received a federal

Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, opening up new housing options to the pair.

The two New Haven residents searched for an apartment on Zillow. On April 4, they applied for an apartment at 45 Grace St. in Cedar Hill, owned by an affiliate of Mandy Management.

Four days later, the couple heard back via email that their application was denied.

Attached to the email was a background check, with the word “REJECT” printed in capital letters up top.

The background check flagged “limited credit experience” as well as Griffin’s two misdemeanor convictions of thirddegree assault, dating back to 1989. Rabe responded to see whether Mandy would reconsider. She noted that Griffin was arrested at the age of 24. “He is now 58 yrs old, did his time and is an outstanding citizen in the community,” she wrote.

In response, Mandy Management employee Seth Brummel replied, “Unfortunately, The landlord does not give us (the management company) any reasons why an applicant was approved or denied.” He also declined to consider the tenants

PAUL BASS PHOTO State legislative candidates Nyrell Moore and Johnnie McFadden at WNHH FM.

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO Anderson Curtis of ACLU-CT: Criminal record discrimination

to perpetual punishment.”

The new haven independent

The new haven independent

Murder Victim’s Aunt: “It’s Not Over For Us Yet”

by THOMAS BREEN

Teresa Clark wiped away tears as she thanked police for so quickly making an arrest in the stabbing murder of her nephew, Travis James and she braced herself for the long road still to come as she prepares to see his alleged killer in court as she supports the prosecution.

Clark balanced that grief, gratitude, and recognition of plenty of challenges ahead during a press conference held on the third floor of police headquarters at 1 Union Ave. Tuesday morning.

Clark joined more than a dozen of James’s fellow family and friends many holding pictures of James’s smiling face for an update from Police Chief Karl Jacobson, Lt. Pedro Colon, Mayor Justin Elicker, other city police about James’s stabbing death in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 1.

family and

James, a 47-year-old New Havener, was fatally stabbed during a fight outside of the Sam’s Mart at 285 Whalley Ave. at around 1 a.m. that day.

As Jacobson and Colon said on Tuesday, police led by Det. James Marcum promptly made an arrest less than two days later of a 48-year-old New Havener who has been charged with murder and is currently being held on a $2 million bond. Jacobson and Colon praised fellow police and community members for responding to a police “Wanted for Questioning” flyer to help identify the alleged killer.

Jacobson also credited community members for successfully urging the alleged killer to turn himself in, which he did at police headquarters on the Sunday night following James’s early Saturday morning death.

“This has been a tremendous loss for our

family,” said Clark, who identified herself as James’s aunt and said she helped raise him. “It was a senseless murder, and it needs to just stop.” She said James was a father of three who now won’t get a chance to see his kids grow up. Elicker said he had wanted to open a landscaping business, and was trying to turn his life around.

“We’re just really broken right now,” Clark said as she began to cry. Jacobson put his hand on her shoulder in support. Clark turned to the assembled officers to thank them for making such a relatively speedy arrest. She also told the press and everyone listening that “it’s not over for us yet,” as she and James’s family and friends still “have to go to court to see the killer.”

Jacobson promised to support the family each step of the way. “We will stand with you through the court process.”

At Unused Plot, Beer Garden Grows

by DEREEN SHIRNEKHI

Outdoor salsa nights, craft beers, and live music are coming to a long-empty lot in downtown New Haven, thanks to the efforts of a local innovator who is hoping to showcase Black and Brown brewers. The lot in question, next to the 360 State St. residential tower at the corner of Orange and Chapel, has now been rechristened CITA Park, an outdoor beer garden and event space.

Officials cut a ribbon Thursday to mark the opening of the park after 14 years of failed efforts to develop the site, and on the heels of a successful trial run at the New Haven Night Market.

The local innovator behind the effort is Jamal Robinson, the founder and president of Change in the Air Foundation (CITA). Robinson is also the director of sales and marketing at New England Brewing Co.

CITA, a nonprofit dedicated to diversifying the craft beer industry, has two initiatives. The first is the CT Brewers Guild African American Brewing Scholarship at Sacred Heart University.

The second is provide spaces to promote diverse brewers. That’s where CITA park comes in, as it showcases Black and Brown brewers like Rhythm Brewing and scholarship recipient Best Friends Lunch, as well as Gorilla Lemonade for use in cocktails. While the drinks are not exclusively made by Black and Brown business owners, they will “always be highlighted.”

Thursday’s ribbon-cutting and press conference took place ahead of the space’s June 1 opening. CITA Park will remain open on weekends until Oct. 31.

The hours of operation will be Thursday and Friday 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“It takes a village,” Robinson said He thanked the city as well as the members of his team, who joined him in wearing CITA shirts and big smiles. “All the work you see here has been done by us, hands on. We’re working on a tight nonprofit budget, so we had to do everything our-

selves, including the reclaimed AstroTurf that you see before you.” He laughed, and later he pointed out a shipping container turned walk-in cooler.

“The whole concept of it being a ‘park,’ ” he said of space, “is that this is a collaboration with a lot of other Black and Brown leaders who are already doing amazing things that need space and need platform and opportunity.”

“If you are Black and Brown in New Haven, there’s not a lot of space, especially publicly, that feels like it’s built around our culture and for us,” Robinson said. “And when you come here, you’ll feel that.”

New Haven Director of Cultural Affairs Adriane Jefferson identified Robinson as an “unapologetic visionary” and identified the moment as “historic.”

“This is a move to be able to have for us,

by us spaces,” Jefferson said. She cited the city’s cultural equity plan, which emphasized “the importance of having spaces that represent the community … in a way that it is not policed, in a way where it is not restrictive, and in a way where people actually feel like they belong.” CITA Park was exactly the sort of thing that the city wanted to come to fruition.

Eugene Morton, Jr. is the general manager of the space and spearheading the public programming. (The space will also be available for private events.) Planned events include art exhibits, joint programming with other organizations, salsa nights, and food festivals. There will always be two food vendors, who will span a “variety of diasporas.”

There will also be live music, and Morton, who is an artist and in a few bands himself, will be running sound. He’s using his local industry connections and cashing out unpaid favors, and as a result, CITA Park’s programming is already almost entirely booked through October. On the horizon is a sit-down Juneteenth dinner where guests will be wearing their “Sunday best.”

The city is supporting the project with a $20,000 competitive grant through the Department of Arts and Culture and Tourism, as well as an additional $15,000, Mayor Justin Elicker said at Tuesday’s press conference. He celebrated the transformation of an “eyesore” into a community space.

“Last week it was pizza, Tuesday it was hamburgers, today it’s beer,” Elicker said to cheers and laughter. “Let me be clear, New Haven is hoppy with excitement, and brewing with new energy.”

The new haven independent

James's

friends at Tuesday's presser, with photos of their slain loved one.

Adriane Jefferson: Robinson is an "unapologetic visionary.”

The new haven independent

Teachers Union Awards 10 Scholarships

by MAYA MCFADDEN

Hillhouse senior Alex Lewis began high school feeling isolated and insecure amidst online-only classes during the pandemic. All that changed when he joined the school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), which gave him the confidence he needed to feel like he too could go to college. With the help of his sergeant and the local teachers union, Lewis received a $500 boost to chase that post-high school educational dream.

Lewis was one of ten students to receive a $500 scholarship award Monday during a ceremony hosted by the New Haven Federation of Teachers. Nearly 50 people attended at the teachers union headquarters at 267 Chapel St. to celebrate the graduating high schoolers and their next academic steps.

While the union has distributed scholarship funds before, this is the first year it’s held a ceremony to celebrate with the student awardees and their families.

“You are the motivated students who want to take advantage of every opportunity and we want to see more and more students get to this level where they’re taking advantage of those opportunities,” said teachers union President Leslie Blatteau, “and that means we need to invest in them from the start.”

She stressed the importance of the union supporting all educators, parents, students, and caregivers, and said that a portion of union members’ dues goes towards investing in students’ and their families’ futures.

This year the union received 30 applications for its $500 scholarships, a record high.

The union hall meeting room was decorated on Monday with gold and black balloons and banners congratulating the graduating students.

The student award recipients included New Haven Academy’s Julianna Santana, Co-op’s Andrew Johnson and Tamia Robinson, Career’s Samia Jimenez, Hillhouse’s Alex Lewis, High School in the Community’s Adelina Barreira, Wilbur Cross’ Molly Pellino and Harmony CruzBustamante, and Metro’s John Carlos Bustillo and Maritza Trejo Torres.

The students’ successes during their time in New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) ranged from being in the national honors society and being champions of local community service to being talented in dance, organizing, visual arts, and cheerleading.

Hillhouse senior Alex Lewis joined the school’s JROTC program his sophomore year after struggling to connect with his school due to spending his freshman year remote because of Covid. He moved to New Haven from Jamaica in 2018. He’s since risen to the top three cadets in the program and racked up over 70 hours of community service. He plans to head to Norwich University to pursue a career in

the FBI.

“This feels good. Hard work really does pay off,” he said. “I wouldn’t have made it here without this [the JROTC]. It really built my confidence up.”

Lewis received his award from Sergeant First Class Lisa Rodriguez, who has helped lead Hillhouse’s JROTC program for the past 19 years.

Pellino, who received her award from Cross English teacher Akimi Nelken, was described as exemplifying Cross pride.

She plans to head to Sacred Heart University to pursue a nursing degree to become a neonatal nurse practitioner. She discovered this passion while participating is a summer symposium hosted by Southern Connecticut State University.

She shadowed a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse and decided on her career pathway to help people.

She has always had an interest in serving others thanks to spending her entire

life watching her mother, who is a special education teacher at Cross and has been teaching for 27 years. She added that the cultural diversity of Cross also inspired her to want to help others. “It [Cross] really opened my eyes to the real world,” she said.

She celebrated almost reaching high school graduation and recalled the past four years being full of lost motivation due to the pandemic, mental health struggles, and stress. It’s also been a four-year journey of ample opportunities to get support and learning to ask for help.

While Pellino has spent her entire life attending New Haven’s public schools, she has not always lived in the city and therefore didn’t qualify to receive New Haven Promise scholarship dollars. She said she appreciates “every little bit of help” so she can have a career that allows her to give back to her community.

NHFT's 2024 Student Scholarship Recipients.

Co-op school counselor presents award to senior Andrew Johnson.

Metro's Maritza Trejo Torres with school staffers.

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTO

Alex Lewis and Lisa Rodriguez celebrate Lewis' $500 college scholarship.

The new haven independent

$5M Grant Targets Maternal, Infant Support

by JABEZ CHOI

The local chapter of a federally funded program that fights to keep moms and infants in good health has secured a fiveyear, $5 million award to subsidize doula care, increase outreach to at-risk communities, and sustain education programs for new and expecting parents.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro announced that federal funding boost during a Monday morning press conference at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven at 70 Audubon St.

Alongside Community Foundation

President and CEO William Ginsberg, Blumenthal and DeLauro said those funds are being sent to the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, which hosts New Haven’s Healthy Start program. This aid comes from the Department of Health and Human Services and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Founded in 1998, New Haven Healthy Start last received funding on a similar five-year cycle from HRSA in 2019. Since its inception, New Haven Healthy Start has received $28.3 million of funding.

“We know investments work,” Blumenthal said. “We have the facts and the evidence. At the same time infant mortality is dropping, maternal deaths are still climbing.”

DeLauro emphasized the fight in Congress to secure the funding for Healthy Start. According to DeLauro, “pro-life Republicans” had tried to cut the funding from Healthy Start from its 2024 – 2025 budget, mistaking the program with another early maternal healthcare service, Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.

“Our problem is lack of revenue. We have 55 of the major corporations in this country [that] will pay zero in taxes,” DeLauro said. “By God, we are going to ensure that [Healthy Start] is funded.”

According to Healthy Start’s website, New Haven’s infant mortality rate was 20 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1987. The current infant mortality rate is 10.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, and 14.4 per 1,000 live births for African American and Latina moms. Despite falling infant mortality rates, officials stated at Monday’s press conference that the city’s maternal mortality rate is on the rise. In Connecticut, pregnancy-associated deaths have increased from 6 in 2015 to 18 in 2020, as recorded by the Department of Public Health.

“The death of a newborn child is an unthinkable tragedy,” DeLauro said. “The cumulative sense of loss that our community experienced is hard to imagine.”

New Haven Healthy Start is one of two Healthy Start chapters in the nation that is run out of a community foundation. Natasha Ray, director of New Haven Healthy Start and member of the national Healthy Start Association, emphasized that this aspect of New Haven Healthy Start allows for the program’s services to stay close and accessible to the community.

“In our experience, being at a community foundation allows for more innovation that’s in alignment with the actual grant,” Ray said. “There is not a lot of red tape, hoops, bureaucracy.”

New Haven Healthy Start has used the funding to expand its services over the years. In its last grant cycle, Healthy Start emphasized academic collaboration, publishing six academic articles and continuing its partnership with Yale Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program,

which has partnered on research projects to address maternal health issues in New Haven. Additionally, alongside continuing to provide services to new and expectant mothers, Healthy Start has expanded its services to include consortium classes and education programs for new fathers. On Monday, one father, Robert Farrow, talked about the impact Healthy Start’s services have had on his life.

“Not many people from where I’m from have the healthiest start,” Farrow said. “They have an okay start, They have a mediocre start. Unfortunately, that start doesn’t lead them to where they need as fathers.”

Farrow cited a Healthy Start program called 24/7 Dad, run by Rodney Moore, as a pivotal resource that helped him become a better father.

In the eight-week-long program, Farrow learned not only how to become a better father to his children, but also how to apply for a credit card and home loans. Farrow, a 28-year-old father of three children, heard about Healthy Start after the doctor taking care of his wife referred him to it. Moore, New Haven Healthy Start Fatherhood Coordinator, tried to get him to join the program, but Farrow refused. It wasn’t until his mother demanded him to go that he decided to join.

“My mother looked at me and said ‘you’d better do it,’” Farrow said. “I got to listen to my mom.” While Farrow spoke, his four-year-old daughter Harmony stood by his side. The two like to sing Gospel music together, and Farrow noted that Harmony is a fiercely protective older sister. But right now, as she tugged at his leg, he said what she really wanted to do was go play at the park.

Alders Let Rush-Kittle Live In Rocky Hill

by JABEZ CHOI

The city’s chief administrative officer can now live with her family in a Hartford suburb while continuing to oversee New Haven’s police and fire departments thanks to a residency-requirement exemption granted by the Board of Alders.

Local legislators took that unanimous vote Monday night during the latest regular full Board of Alders meeting in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall.

They voted in support of an order granting an exception to the city charter requirement that the city’s chief administrative officer, Regina Rush-Kittle, live in New Haven. The CAO oversees departments like police, fire, parks,

and 911.

The vote follows the latest version of a longstanding citywide debate over whether or not top City Hall officials should have to live in the city they serve.

Last year, Mayor Justin Elicker’s administration unsuccessfully pushed to remove the residency requirement from the city charter for certain top officials. In March, a majority of the Board of Alders voted in favor of an ordinance allowing city coordinators who have served in their role for at least one year to apply to live within 50 miles outside of New Haven. The coordinator would also have to express “extraordinary hardship” in living in New Haven. While four Alders dissented against the ordinance in March, the vote Monday night for RushKittle’s exception was unanimous.

“We voted to give this item a favorable recommendation to the board as RushKittle meets the requirements to receive this exception to residency,” Board of Alders Majority Leader Richard Furlow said.

After Monday’s vote, Rush-Kittle noted that she raised her family in Rocky Hill for “many, many years.” They still live there, and she wants to move back in with them. Due to the charter’s residency requirement, she had established a residence in New Haven and commuted back and forth.

“I’ll continue to do what I’ve been doing in the past. I work long hours. I work weekends when needed,” RushKittle said. “Is it going to change the way I work? No. My work ethic will be the same.”

JABEZ CHOI PHOTO

Robert Farrow and daughter Harmony (center) with U.S. Sen. Blumenthal and Rep. DeLauro.

DeLauro, Blumenthal, and Healthy Start's Natasha Ray.

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO

CAO Rush-Kittle: "Work ethic will be the same.”

The new haven independent

The new haven independent

ConnCORP House Opens Doors On West Hazel

by LAURA GLESBY

Rachel Graziano currently lives in Naugatuck, because the rent there is cheaper but not for long.

By July, she’ll finally move back to her hometown of New Haven, renting a brand new Newhallville house built by her employer, the local workforce and housing developer ConnCAT/ConnCORP.

Graziano joined about 50 ConnCAT and ConnCORP affiliates on Wednesday morning to celebrate the completed construction of the house she’ll soon occupy at 251 West Hazel St.

“Being a New Haven native, it means the world to me to be back in my town,” she said.

The property had once been home to a crumbling, blighted house, where a tree poked through the roof. ConnCORP demolished the existing house and built a new structure from scratch, from the foundation to the roof. The organization originally purchased the property from Neighborhood Housing Services in 2020 and began construction eight months ago.

“People who are not indigenous to these communities are buying up properties and land-banking,” said ConnCORP CEO Erik Clemons on Wednesday, alluding to the consolidation of large landlords such as Ocean and Mandy Management in Newhallville and New Haven as a whole.

Clemons framed ConnCORP’d residential developments as an alternative to ram-

shackle or expensive homes owned by neglectful or profiteering real estate companies.

According to ConnCORP’s vice president of real estate, Ian Williams, the house cost ConnCORP a total of $688,000 to bring to fruition, including a $300,000 grant from the city. “It’s a $300,000 neighborhood,” Williams said, touting the rela-

General Obligation Bonds (2024 Series A)

tively high cost of 251 West Hazel St. as a high-quality investment in Newhallville. Each apartment contains an electric stove, a dishwasher, and a washer-dryer unit. The new house, a three-story, two-unit structure with a total of six bedrooms, is the first of several houses in the Newhallville neighborhood that ConnCORP is in the process of rehabilitating or rebuilding.

The organization has also undertaken the redevelopment of Dixwell Plaza down the street into a residential and commercial hub.

Williams said that ConnCORP’s tenants will pay 30 percent of their household income toward rent. When asked about the house’s affordability, Williams could not provide more information about the in-

come range of tenants. Graziano said she will be paying $1,300 a month, not including utilities, for a two-bedroom apartment on the house’s first floor.

Graziano, ConnCAT’s youth program assistant, was hand-selected as a tenant after her supervisors noticed how she took the bus to work each day from the Naugatuck Valley.

Her upstairs neighbors will be a family of four, including a toddler and a teenager, who currently rent out of another ConnCORP-owned house.

Graziano said she grew up in a military family that moved around often, with New Haven considered their home base. “I’ve lived in almost every single neighborhood, from the Hill to Prospect Hill,” she said.

As an adult, Graziano moved to Naugatuck, where rent tends to be more affordable. But “I miss the culture of New Haven. I miss the people,” she said. She envisions a black and white color scheme in her new apartment, with minimalist decor and plenty of greenery. She received her first new potted plant for the home on Wednesday, a housewarming gift from Alisha Crutchfield of the Westville floral and gift shop BLOOM.

Graziano wiped away tears before ceremonially snipping a wide green ribbon at Wednesday’s celebration.

“Wipe your feet!” she joked, as dozens filed into the house to see the new apartments for themselves.

The New Haven Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (NHE3) is a business-support network partnering with entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) to build an inclusive and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem for historically marginalized entrepreneurs in Greater New Haven.

With a focus on funding BIPOC-and Woman-owned businesses, NHE3 intentionally provides grants to help small businesses thrive.

Grant round dates:

2nd round opens on Dec 1st and closes on Jan 31st (review and awards: end of February)

3rd round opens on Mar 1st and closes April 30th (review and awards: end of May)

4th round opens on June 1st and closes July 31st (review and awards: end of August)

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO

ConnCAT Youth Program Assistant Rachel Graziano (center) cuts the ribbon to her future home alongside ConnCORP's Ian Williams and Erik Clemons.

Lawson’s commitment to nonviolence and civil rights profoundly impacted the movement.

Rev. James Lawson Jr., Original Freedom Rider and Apostle of Nonviolence, Dies at 95

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire National Correspondent

Rev. James Lawson Jr., a foundational figure in the Civil Rights Movement and an original Freedom Rider, passed away at 95, his family announced on Monday. Lawson, who dedicated his life to advocating nonviolent protest, died on Sunday in Los Angeles following a short illness.

Lawson’s commitment to nonviolence and civil rights profoundly impacted the movement. He was a close adviser to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who hailed him as “the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.” During a three-year stay in India, Lawson’s studies of Mohandas K. Gandhi’s independence movement significantly influenced his understanding of nonviolent resistance.

Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, on September 22, 1928, and raised in Massillon, Ohio, Lawson’s early experiences with racism and the contrasting influences of his parents—his father, an itinerant African Methodist Episcopal minister, and his Jamaican-born mother, who believed in resolving conflicts peacefully—shaped his lifelong commitment to

nonviolent resistance. At age 10, an incident where he slapped a white child who had insulted him was a pivotal moment. His mother’s admonishment that love and intelligence were stronger than hate

left an indelible mark on him.

Lawson’s activism began in earnest as an Ohio Oberlin College student. After spending 13 months in prison for refusing to register for the draft during

the Korean War, he met King in 1957.

The two young pastors quickly bonded over their admiration for Gandhi’s ideas.

King urged Lawson to use these ideas in the American South due to his firsthand experiences.

In 1960, Lawson orchestrated sit-ins that led to the desegregation of public accommodations in Nashville, one of the first major Southern cities to do so. His workshops trained activists, including future leaders like John Lewis, Marion S. Barry, Diane Nash, James Bevel, and Bernard Lafayette, to withstand violent reactions from white authorities.

Lawson’s activism placed him at the heart of several key events in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1961, he was one of the first Freedom Riders arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, for attempting to integrate interstate bus and train travel. During the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Alabama, he was among the protesters beaten by authorities at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. In 1968, while pastoring in Memphis, he persuaded King to support the city’s striking sanitation workers.

King’s assassination followed shortly after, and years later, Lawson visited James Earl Ray, King’s convicted assassin, in prison. Lawson ministered to Ray and publicly supported theories suggest-

ing Ray had been framed. Throughout his career, Lawson remained steadfast in his commitment to nonviolence, even as segments of the Black community shifted towards militancy and separatism. His activism extended beyond civil rights to include opposition to the Vietnam War, support for labor unions, gay rights, expanded abortion access, and liberalized immigration policies.

In 1974, Lawson became the senior pastor of Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, where he served until his retirement in 1999. His teachings continued through his role as a visiting professor at Vanderbilt University, which had expelled him 46 years earlier for his activism. Vanderbilt invited him back in 2006 and requested his papers for their archives.

Rev. Lawson is survived by his wife, Dorothy Wood, his son, John C. Lawson II, a brother, and three grandchildren. His son, C. Seth Lawson, died in 2019. His life and work are a testament to the nonviolent resistance’s power and the ongoing struggle for social justice.

“If Dr. King was our modern-day Christ, James Lawson was John the Baptist,” Rev. Mark Thompson stated.

Biden-Harris Administration Celebrates Juneteenth with Concert and New Initiatives to Honor Black History

Since taking office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have prioritized advancing racial justice and recognizing Black history as an essential component of American history

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The White House planned to mark Juneteenth with a vibrant celebration on the South Lawn on Monday, June 10. The celebration would feature performances by celebrated African American artists, including Gladys Knight, Raheem DeVaughn, Patti LaBelle, Charlie Wilson, and Doug E. Fresh. Over 2,000 guests, including President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, were expected at the event, which officials said emphasized the Biden-Harris Administration’s dedication to preserving and honoring African American history.

Since taking office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have prioritized advancing racial justice and recognizing Black history as an essential component of American history. The White House said the dedication is reflected in significant actions such as signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, establishing the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, and posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to civil rights icon Medgar Evers.

Amid efforts to combat attempts to rewrite history and undermine racial

progress, the administration hosted a live-streamed event featuring officials, artists, civil rights leaders, and scholars to discuss federal initiatives to protect African American history. The gathering highlighted ways the public can commemorate Juneteenth and emphasized the broader historical significance of African American experiences.

In conjunction with the celebration, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities organized the second annual Juneteenth National Independence Day event in partnership with the White House. The large-scale concert also honored Black Music Month, showcasing African American musical legends and underscoring the cultural importance of this federal holiday.

Harris declared June 19, 2024, one of three National Days of Action on Voting, focused on enhancing voter engagement and safeguarding voting rights. The White House noted that National Days of Action will also occur on August 6 and September 17, 2024.

Aligned with Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting the Arts, the Humanities, and Museum and Library Services, several federal agencies announced new initiatives to protect African American history and culture. The National Archives Museum will display the original Emancipa-

tion Proclamation and General Order No. 3 from June 18 to June 20, 2024, while the National Park Service will offer free entrance to park sites on Juneteenth.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has launched a digital repository to deepen public understanding of African American history. Additionally, NEH will establish a nationwide program celebrating Juneteenth, leading to a grand 160th-anniversary celebration in 2025.

In response to the rising incidence of

book bans targeting historically marginalized groups, the U.S. Department of Education announced it had appointed a coordinator to address the impact of such restrictions on civil rights. The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity will host events emphasizing the importance of culturally relevant education.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) plans to announce new recipients of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, celebrating the contributions of African

American musicians to jazz. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) will highlight projects that preserve African American history as part of its “250: All Stories. All People. All Places initiative.”

The administration said it has significantly invested in preserving African American history through infrastructure and preservation projects. The Department of Interior’s National Park Service (NPS) and the Historic Preservation Fund have allocated substantial funds for these efforts, including grants to support underrepresented communities and historic site nominations.

Federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, are working to document and uplift the stories of communities affected by past federal policies. The NEH prioritizes projects that preserve historical collections on slavery and its legacies. At the same time, the President’s Committee on Arts and the Humanities will launch initiatives to support underserved creative and cultural communities.

“Through these actions and policies, the Biden-Harris Administration reaffirms its commitment to advancing racial equity and ensuring that America’s promise is realized for all citizens,” the White House said in a Fact Sheet.

Rev. James Lawson Jr.

Genealogy As Activism Uncovers Black History

by ALLAN APPEL

Members of a Woodbury, New Jersey family had not a clue that their direct ancestor was a soldier in the storied 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment in the Civil War. Or that he had written an important account of his life. Or that his remains lie beneath a paved-over, segregated burial ground, now a parking lot not a block from where they live.

Now, thanks to the genealogical activism of independent scholar John Mills and his Alex Breanne Corporation, they do. The Alex Breanne Corporation is a nonprofit dedicated to researching the lives not of the famous, but of ordinary enslaved African Americans. With that history-come-life in his hands, Mills tries to re-inject the lost past into the present through providing often full-scale genealogical portraits to families; subsidizing restoration of tombstones and other markers; campaigning for street name changes; and helping create murals, to name a few. Mills described his genealogical labors of love, which he likened to a form of activism, to a rapt audience at the Yale University Sterling Library lecture hall Wednesday afternoon.

He currently has 23 case histories of ordinary people in play ordinary, yet often, when the facts are assembled, extraordinary tales of perseverance and courage. These case histories include several soldiers from the Civil War regiments raised in Connecticut following the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

slaver in 1830s Texas and how the family ultimately migrated to California, where Mills grew up in San Diego.

“Every time I learned another piece of information, I literally felt my shoulders grow straighter, with pride,” he said.

Replicating that experience for others now often takes Mills not only to libraries and archives but to the remains of segregated cemeteries grown over or long gone and ignored for decades.

Just to be there, he said, to walk the area and sense the ancestors and their perseverance and courage is both inspiring and, he added, “spiritual.”

PRESENTATION SLIDE

“The more I learn of these stories” –he was speaking specifically of Isaac J. Hill and Alexander Newton, among the veterans he has researched from the 29th, 30th, and 31st Colored Regiments “the greater my reverence. They volunteered, they were paid less, and on the battlefield, if wounded, they were treated worse, or ignored.”

Mills discovered in Hill’s memoir, for example, statements of personal hurt and indignation that just as the 1,400 troops of the regiments were returning to Connecticut from their service at Vicksburg and other battles, the state legislature voted not to allow African Americans the franchise.

bol or the taking of a knee in collective protest in Hill’s description, for example, of a protest Hill’s unit mounted. It occurred in Annapolis, Maryland, on their way to deployment when the promised payment for enlistment for white troops had arrived, but not for the Black soldiers.

So, during a ceremony in Annapolis, Hill wrote, his unit “did not acknowledge the flag.”

A software engineer in his day job, Mills supports most of the activities of his organization out of his own pocket and from speaking fees.

Upcoming events include a ceremony for a restored burial plaque for Isaac Hill in New Jersey and a similar restoration of the burial stone of Mary Newton. She’s the mother of Alexander Newton, who also served in the 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment, and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

A free Black woman, she moved to New Haven from North Carolina in 1859 to raise money to free her husband Thaddeus and others. Mary pushed a wash cart washing the clothes of soldiers-in-training at Grape Vine Point, now Criscuolo Park in Fair Haven, near where a monument stands for where those soldiers trained and then shipped out.

The program, in honor of National Military Appreciation Month, was sponsored by Yale’s Working Women’s Network, the Yale African-American Affinity Group, and the Yale Veterans’ Network, and drew 20 people in person and more than 50 online.

In an hour-long talk by turns personal, passionate, and full of the larger histori-

Opinion: Our Paras Mattera

by ASHLEY STOCKTON

Our paras matter. Simply, our schools can not function without them. They are some of our most valuable employees, and yet their pay and working conditions telegraph just the opposite.

Currently our paras are hired at about $24,000 a year. Their hourly wage is about $16. I have two kids who are NHPS students a rising senior and a rising freshman. For the jobs they perform, neighborhood dog walking, yard work, snow shoveling, they are paid no less than $20 an hour. Let that sink in.

At last Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, Dr. Negron shared her goals for NHPS kindergarten as one part of her strategic plan. Her goals are admirable and ambitious. Meeting these goals will require individualized assessment, targeted interventions, consistent progress monitoring, and structured instruction that utilizes the science of reading mechanisms that are proven to help emergent readers meet development benchmarks.

Implementation of an instructional model that encompasses these facets requires small group instruction, daily. Facilitating this requires teachers and paraprofessionals working together to manage the classroom, meet the needs of the children, and deliver individualized learning plans. We can say that we are doing this, but in reality, without paras, one teacher cannot meet the needs of 26 young people as effectively as they could with a properly staffed classroom.

Our paras do more than anyone can imagine. I know this because I am a kindergarten teacher and have been a teacher in NHPS since 2006. I have observed paras year after year, taking one for the team, being good soldiers, call it what you may. In short, our paras roll up their sleeves, do whatever needs to be done, and show up the next day to do it all over again. They help children pour milk into their cereal, listen to fears and wipe tears, teach children how to grip a pencil, sit beside them while children read to them, and provide our strugglers with the support and compassion they

cal context, Mills reported that every new detail of his own lineage, triggered by his sister’s interest in genealogy, was both eye-opening and personally empowering. Those details included, for example, how his last name derived from that of an en-

It would take Connecticut until 1870 to ratify the 15th Amendment and alter its own constitution that until then retained a “white men only” qualification for voting.

Mills also discovered early versions of the modern Black Power raised fist sym-

need in order to feel included.

When they are told to, paras leave their kindergarteners and provide coverage for absent teachers in eighth grade, fifth grade, phys ed, wherever they are needed. The work they do each day is gracious and beautiful and for that we should be thankful. Our thanks needs to come in the form

of fair wages and working conditions.

This is long past overdue I am heartbroken listening to our paras at the Board of Education meeting after meeting. In a nutshell, they repeat the same message, “We love our job. Please pay us a living wage.” In addition to their jobs, paras perform the following duties: substitute

Mary Newton, Mills reported, went on to become a distinguished homeopathic doctor in New Haven. Her life and that of her son Alexander, also a memoirist of his service in the colored regiments, will be celebrated, through the unveiling of her restored tombstone, on June 21, at 11:00 a.m. at Evergreen Cemetery.

teaching for all grades and content areas, covering long term leaves for teachers who are on administrative, family, or medical leaves, covering the front office of their schools, performing nursing responsibilities, supervising lunch waves, and countless other responsibilities. Often they are told with no notice and no choice. They perform these duties because someone must. Without our paras, our schools wouldn’t make it through a day. It’s about time we show them that they and their contributions are seen and valued.

Finally I want to share a few things I saw paras do this past week. I saw kindergarten paras substitute teach third grade, administer one on one math diagnostics during their lunch break, buy bubbles, pails and shovels for kindergarteners to use at recess, tuck prizes into backpacksa for children to find once they got home, bring in popsicles on a Friday afternoon because the children had cooperated so beautifully all week. I could keep writing, but there just isn’t enough space to list it all. These are our paras, New Haven. They matter.

ALLAN APPEL PHOTO

John Mills with Marinda Monfilston, Lakeisha Robinson, and Shawana Snell.

MAYA MCFADDEN FILE PHOTO Paras speaking up at a recent school board meeting.

The following opinion essay was submitted by Ashley Stockton, a New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) teacher and parent and city resident who currently teaches kindergarten at Truman School.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Faces the Battle of Her Life After Cancer Diagnosis

Now, the stalwart Texas representative is facing the battle of her life after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has fought tirelessly for groundbreaking legislation throughout her career. She authored the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, creating the first new federal holiday in nearly four decades, and fervently championed the Violence Against Women Act, ensuring its passage for the first time in almost ten years. Now, the stalwart Texas representative is facing the battle of her life after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

In a statement posted to X on Sunday, the 74-year-old congresswoman disclosed her diagnosis and treatment.

“My doctors have confirmed pancreatic cancer, and I am currently undergoing treatment,” Jackson Lee shared. “I am confident that my doctors have developed the best possible plan to target my specific disease. The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me.”

Jackson Lee has represented Texas’ 18th

District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995. Now in her 15th term, she serves on the House Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and the Budget, and is the first female Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, a subcommittee she chaired during the 117th Congress.

Her legislative achievements are extensive and impactful. Jackson Lee has spearheaded the Sentencing Reform Act, the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, and the RAISE Act. She has also introduced crucial bills like the Fair Chance for Youth Act, the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act, and Kaleif’s Law. An unwavering advocate for women and children, she fervently supports the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and has championed outreach to minority- and women-owned businesses in the commercial space industry. Additionally, she authored the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Research and Education Act.

Recognized as one of the 50 most effective Members of Congress by ‘Congressional Quarterly’ and among the ten most influential legislators in the House by ‘U.S. News and World Report,’ Jackson Lee’s influence extends beyond legislation. She is a founder, member, and Chair of the Congressional Pakistan

Caucus and the Congressional Children’s Caucus, as well as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Energy Braintrust and Co-Chair of the Justice Reform Task Force.

Educationally, Jackson Lee holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. She is married to Dr. Elwyn Lee, an administrator at the University of Houston. She has two children: Jason Lee, a Harvard graduate, and Erica Lee, a Duke graduate and member of the Harris County School Board. She is also the proud grandmother of twins Ellison Bennett Carter and Roy Lee Carter III. Despite her diagnosis, Jackson Lee remains resolute in her commitment to her congressional duties. “I am committed to working with our Congressional leadership, including Leader Hakeem Jefferies and the Speaker of the House, to serve this nation and be present for votes on legislation that is critical for the prosperity and security of the American people,” she affirmed.

Take the month of June to take a look at your health. Get on track during Men’s Health Month.

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.

Use the benefits that are part of any health and dental coverage you have; they make it easy for you to do what’s needed to stay healthy. And remember that regular checkups can help identify health issues before they become more serious.

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

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

Biden-Harris Administration Celebrates Juneteenth with Concert and New Initiatives to Hoanor Black History

Since taking office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have prioritized advancing racial justice and recognizing Black history as an essential component of American history

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

The White House planned to mark Juneteenth with a vibrant celebration on the South Lawn on Monday, June 10. The celebration would feature performances by celebrated African American artists, including Gladys Knight, Raheem DeVaughn, Patti LaBelle, Charlie Wilson, and Doug E. Fresh. Over 2,000 guests, including President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, were expected at the event, which officials said emphasized the Biden-Harris Administration’s dedication to preserving and honoring African American history.

Since taking office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have prioritized advancing racial justice and recognizing Black history as an essential component of American history. The White House said the dedication is reflected in significant actions such as signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, establishing the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, and posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to civil rights icon Medgar Evers.

Amid efforts to combat attempts to rewrite history and undermine racial progress, the administration hosted a live-streamed event featuring officials, artists, civil rights leaders, and scholars to discuss federal initiatives to protect African American history. The gathering highlighted ways the public can commemorate Juneteenth and emphasized the broader historical significance of African American experiences.

In conjunction with the celebration, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities organized the second an-

nual Juneteenth National Independence Day event in partnership with the White House. The large-scale concert also honored Black Music Month, showcasing African American musical legends and underscoring the cultural importance of this federal holiday.

Harris declared June 19, 2024, one of three National Days of Action on Voting, focused on enhancing voter engagement and safeguarding voting rights. The White House noted that National Days of

Action will also occur on August 6 and September 17, 2024.

Aligned with Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting the Arts, the Humanities, and Museum and Library Services, several federal agencies announced new initiatives to protect African American history and culture. The National Archives Museum will display the original Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 from June 18 to June 20, 2024, while the National Park Service will offer free

entrance to park sites on Juneteenth.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has launched a digital repository to deepen public understanding of African American history. Additionally, NEH will establish a nationwide program celebrating Juneteenth, leading to a grand 160th-anniversary celebration in 2025.

In response to the rising incidence of book bans targeting historically marginalized groups, the U.S. Department of

Education announced it had appointed a coordinator to address the impact of such restrictions on civil rights. The White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity will host events emphasizing the importance of culturally relevant education.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) plans to announce new recipients of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, celebrating the contributions of African American musicians to jazz. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) will highlight projects that preserve African American history as part of its “250: All Stories. All People. All Places initiative.”

The administration said it has significantly invested in preserving African American history through infrastructure and preservation projects. The Department of Interior’s National Park Service (NPS) and the Historic Preservation Fund have allocated substantial funds for these efforts, including grants to support underrepresented communities and historic site nominations.

Federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, are working to document and uplift the stories of communities affected by past federal policies. The NEH prioritizes projects that preserve historical collections on slavery and its legacies. At the same time, the President’s Committee on Arts and the Humanities will launch initiatives to support underserved creative and cultural communities.

“Through these actions and policies, the Biden-Harris Administration reaffirms its commitment to advancing racial equity and ensuring that America’s promise is realized for all citizens,” the White House said in a Fact Sheet.

Our Role in Perpetuating the Downfall of Democracy: A Call to Action

By Bobby R. Henry, Sr., Publisher of the Westside Gazette Newspaper

As citizens of a democracy, our role in shaping its course cannot be overstated. Whether we cast our vote for President Joe Biden and the strides he has made for inclusion or Donald Trump for all that he has done and is doing to discredit this country as a democracy as a whole, our actions affect what happens in our country’s history. We better believe that our responsibility for our rights extends way beyond the ballot box; it includes the values we uphold, the causes we champion, and the ideals we strive and will fight for. No one man, woman or other should stand in the way of our freedom for equal rights and our will to be FREE-come hell or high water!

The actions of those who lead speak volumes about the direction in which we are headed. Whether we stand for women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), affirmative action, or combatting white supremacy, our choices shape the landscape of freedom, equality, and justice for all.

Supporting candidates who champion values essential for equity, it is not enough. We have to hold leaders accountable, demanding transparency, integrity, and loyalty to the principles upon which our democracy stands. We cannot afford to be passive observers, content with merely casting our votes and hoping for the best. We must actively engage in our communities, standing up for the voices least heard, demanding change, and

standing up against injustice wherever it may intrude. The continuation of democracy depends on us and rests squarely on our shoulders.

It is a collective endeavor, requiring the participation and dedication of every citizen who is willing not to fall for the bovine excretions. We must refuse com-

placency and apathy, recognizing that the fight for democracy is ongoing and requires our persistent concern. Now is not the time for us to be divided or allow our lack of concern to see our democratic systems crumble right before our eyes.

We have to know who is in the “foxhole” with us before we can conquer the foes who are attempting to destroy us by keeping us apart.

It is a time for unity and action. Regardless of our political affiliations, we must come together in defense of our shared values and the principles that define us as a nation. Only then can we ensure that freedom, equality, and justice are not just lofty ideals, but tangible realities for all Americans.

Screening

for other Mandy-controlled properties.

On behalf of Mandy Management, Yudi Gurevitch wrote in a statement, “While we do not comment on potential or pending litigation, Mandy Management does not discriminate against tenants or potential tenants based on race, color, family status, disability, sex, national origin, religion, marital status, ancestry, source of income, sexual orientation, or age or any other basis prohibited by law.”

He added, “To maximize transparency and fairness in rental decisions, we apply the same screening criteria and procedures to every applicant so we can make informed decisions to protect our rental community and to promote fairness and inclusiveness.” He did not directly answer a question about how Mandy weighs prospective tenants’ criminal histories.

After the first rejection, they subsequently applied to an apartment in the Annex neighborhood owned by a company called P2P Realty.

According to the CHRO complaint, a P2P Realty representative indicated to the couple that they would automatically be rejected, since Mandy Management had denied them. P2P is also a defendant in the CHRO complaint. A representative of the company did not respond to a request for comment in time for this article.

Months later, Griffin and Rabe are still looking for an apartment that will accept their application.

Advocates: Change The Law

Advocates at Thursday’s press conference said they hope the CHRO complaint will eventually set a precedent for challenging blanket bans on tenants with a criminal record.

They also argued that legislation is needed to directly limit how landlords can make use of tenants’ criminal history. One bill that would have regulated criminal history considerations, H.B. 5242, failed to pass this year.

“Landlords should be restricted to looking at convictions that have to do with how you’re going to be as a tenant,” said Eppler-Epstein. And prospective tenants who get flagged for their criminal histories should have a chance to explain any mitigating circumstances, she added.

Alden Woodcock, the executive director of the local re-entry organization EMERGE Connecticut, said that he personally rented from Mandy Management starting in 2012. Back then, they did not run a background check on him and did not rule him out as a tenant due to his own criminal history.

Curtis stressed that Griffin had already served his time: one year in prison over three decades ago.

“This amounts to perpetual punishment,” he said.

New Haven Public Schools

Programs for 3 and 4 Year Olds in New Haven

Free 6-hour early childhood programs for low-income New Haven families in the following New Haven Public Schools:

Dr Mayo Early Childhood School

Fair Haven School

Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration

Hill Central School

John Martinez Sea & Sky STEM School

Lincoln Bassett Community School

Truman School

Additional community locations also participate in the program.

Sliding scale, fee-based 6-hour early childhood programs for New Haven families in the following New Haven Public Schools:

Augusta Lewis Troup School

Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration

East Rock Community School

Hill Central School

Nathan Hale School

Additional community locations also participate in the program

any questions

Will be Accepting Applications

How to apply

The Office of Early Childhood will be accepting applications electronically beginning May 20th Parents of 3 and 4 year old's are encouraged to apply online.

What you will submit with your Application

1) Proof of Age

Child’s Birth Certificate, Passport OR Legal Custody/Guardianship Papers

2) Proof of Address

• Current utility bill (Gas, Electric, Phone, Cable) in your name

• Letter from leaseholder or homeowner along with a document listed above with their name on it

3) Proof of Income

• 2 months of Current & Consecutive pay stubs OR W-2 or 1040 Tax Return

• Budget Statement from the CT Department of Social Services or Social Security Office or Child Enforcement Bureau

•Notarized Statement indicating Parent is unemployed

• Additional forms may be requested

4) Proof of a Physical (within one year-to-date)

• CT Department of Education Early Childhood Health Assessment Record

• Anemia and lead level test results

•TB assessment

• Immunizations records

• Seasonal flu vaccination

• Health insurance card

5) Proof of a Dental Exam (within 6months-to-date) Dental Exam record

The law is subject to interpretation. Interpretation of the law lays on the altar of perspective. For example, the recalcitrant White culture encoded Jim Crow laws to defy the rule of the new social order. Blacks, never obsequious, used the intent of the law to fight back.

COMMENTARY:

By Rev. Norman Franklin The Cincinnati Herald

Overview:

Brown vs. Board, 70 years Later

• The Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954 altered the social landscape in America, challenging segregation and promoting equality.

• Despite progress, current setbacks include extremist rhetoric, restrictive voter legislation, and efforts to prohibit accurate history in school curricula.

The Brown vs. Board of Education decision handed down by the Warren Court in 1954 changed the social landscape in America. Particularly in the southern region where Jim Crow laws mandated separation of the races.

The Fourteenth Amendment armed the former slaves with the constitutional rights of due process of law and equal protection of the law.

The Fifteenth Amendment gave the new citizens the right to vote. [Editor’s note: The 15th amendment, ratified on Feb. 3, 1870, gave the right to vote to all male citizens regardless of their ethnicity or prior slave status].

It was well into the twentieth century before the Fifteenth Amendment was fully exercised. It took decades of struggles,

protest and demonstrations, and murder before the apartheid south was bought under the law of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Blacks would use the intent of these laws to challenge systemic social and political attitudes prohibiting the exercise of their

constitutional rights. The law was subject to interpretation. Interpretation of the law lays on the altar

of perspective. For example, the recalcitrant White culture encoded Jim Crow laws to defy the rule of the new social order. Blacks, never obsequious, used the intent of the law to fight back.

Homer Plessy challenged Jim Crow laws that prohibited Blacks from the use of public facilities, from riding the same buses, and attending the same schools as Whites. Plessy refused to give up his seat to a White man on a train. He was jailed. The Fourteenth Amendment case, Plessy vs. Ferguson, was argued before the US Supreme Court in 1896. Perspectives interpreted the law. In an 8-1 vote, the Justices upheld Jim Crow.

The majority agreed that the amendment was meant to enforce equality, which they viewed as political equality, but not social. “If one race be inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put them upon the same plane.”

That perspective of “one race inferior” and separate but equal accommodations, governed well into the twentieth century. The errant perspective of “intent of the law” employed to uphold separate but equal became the primary argument of the NAACP Legal Defense Team. Charles

been in a nursing facility for 60+ days to get the care and supports they need at home. MFP can also help people find housing and assist with home modifications. Learn more.

Learn more about your options at MyPlaceCTMFP.org or call the toll-free number 1-888-99CTMFP (1-888-992-8637).

Have you thought about a new career path but aren’t sure where to start? With Career ConneCT, you have a partner through application and training – plus the support and resources to take you even further!

Jim Crow

Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall won a string of victories before the Supreme Court against Jim Crow laws. They argued the intent of the law to defeat discrimination in institutions of higher education. The separate but equal and equal protection clauses were successfully argued in four cases before the Supreme Court from 1936 to 1950. The string of victories sharpened the strategic genius of NAACP lead counsel, Thurgood Marshall.

Marshall had five cases before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1952. Each challenged the constitutionality of state-sponsored segregation in public schools.

The Supreme Court consolidated the five cases under Brown vs. Board of Education.

Separate school systems for Blacks and Whites were inherently unequal, Marshall argued, and therefore violated the “equal protection clause” of the Fourteenth Amendment.

He also introduced sociological data from social scientist Kenneth Clark. The data showed that segregated school systems tended to make Black children feel inferior to White children.

The unanimous decision, delivered by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren on May 17, 1954, ruled that state-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution and was unconstitutional. Chief Justice Warren stated, “We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

The decision changed the landscape of public education and gave the name of Thurgood Marshall a coveted place in history. We pause to celebrate his legacy of audacious genus; we pause to celebrate 70 years of the transformative Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

But we can only pause. Reflection is needed amid setbacks trending in the toxic sociopolitical environment eroding social progress today.

In many ways, the sociopolitical environment is as toxic now as in the era that required the Brown vs. Board of Education fix.

These setbacks are trending: extremist rhetoric in the political arena; restrictive voter legislation; the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) gutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act; SCOTUS gutting Affirmative Action; state legislatures’ move to make Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) statues in education, government, and private industries that receive federal funds, illegal; and legislative moves to prohibit the sharing of accurate history in K-12 school curriculum because it makes some uncomfortable.

Escuelas Públicas de New Haven

Programas para niños de 3 y 4 Años de edad en New Haven

Programas para la infancia temprana GRATUITOS de 6 horas para familias de bajos ingresos de New Haven en las siguientes escuelas públicas de New Haven:

Dr. Mayo Early Childhood School

Fair Haven School

Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration

Hill Central School

John Martinez Sea & Sky STEM School

Lincoln Bassett Community School

Truman School

Con lugares comunitarios adicionales que tambien participan en el programa

Programas de educación temprana de 6 horas con tarifa variable y de escala móvil para familias de New Haven en las siguientes escuelas públicas de New Haven:

Augusta Lewis Troup School

Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration

East Rock Community School

Hill Central School

Nathan Hale School

Con lugares comunitarios adicionales que tambien participan en el programa

dudas o preguntas

Para mas informacion contactar:

P a m e l a N g

Coordinadora de inscripción de Infancia Temprana Tel: 475-220-1440

pamela.ng@new-haven.k12.ct.us

La oficina de Registracion de Infancia Temprana esta ubicada

Oficina de Elección e Inscripción Escolar 54 Meadow St 1st Fl New Haven, CT 06519

ESTAREMOS

ACEPTANDO APLICACIONES PARA EL CICLO ESCOLAR 2024-2025 !!!!!

Como aplicar: La Oficina de Infancia temprana aceptará solicitudes electrónicamente a partir del 20 de mayo Se anima a los padres de niños de 3 y 4 años a presentar su solicitud en línea.

Qué incluir en su inscripción:

1) Prueba de edad

• Certificado de nacimiento / Pasaporte del niño/a O

• Documentos legales de custodia / tutela

2) Prueba de dirección •Factura de servicio actual (gas, electricidad, teléfono) a su nombre •Formulario de declaración jurada de residencia

3) Demostración de ingresos

•2 meses de talonarios de pago actuales y consecutivos O W-2 o Formulario de impuestos 1040

• Declaración de presupuesto del Departamento de Servicios Sociales de CT, o de la Oficina del Seguro Social, o de la Oficina de Cumplimiento de Menores (Child Enforcement Bureau)

• Declaración ante notario indicando que el padre o la madre es desempleado/a

4) Físico (dentro del último año)

• Registro de evaluación de la salud del Departamento CT de educación de primera infancia

• Resultados de exámenes de anemia y plomo

• Evaluación TB

• Registros de inmunizaciones

• Vacunación de la gripe de estación

•Tarjeta de seguro de salud

5) Examen dental

• Registro de examen dental (dentro de los últimos 6 meses)

Hope Wade, Jamaican-American Fashion Designer, Honored by School District

By Mell P | NY Carib News

In honor of Women’s History Month for the third consecutive year, East Ramapo Central School District rolled out an exclusive series of videos celebrating the vital role women in the community have had in our society: The East Ramapo Central School District Regent Judith Johnson Sheroes Series.

Among the honorees this year was Jamaican-born Hope Wade, founder of Hope Wade Designs and creator and executive producer of Rockland Fashion Week, who was selected for the 2024 video because of her strong support of her community, her belief in “giving back,” and her mentorship of high school students who have an interest in fashion.

She has crafted gowns for Miss Jamaica World, Miss Jamaica Universe, Miss

Jamaica Nation, Miss Intercontinental pageants, and various other international competitions. Wade’s creations enjoy a significant celebrity following. Her designs have been donned by Academy and Grammy Award-winner Darlene Love during performances for former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.

Wade responded to this honor saying, “To be called a Sheroe in any capacity is humbling but to think that your name is esteemed in the same light as Regent Judith Johnson is daunting. And I think what really got to me was that the video would be shown to all the students in the E. Ramapo School District. Wow! (I had the honor of meeting her once when I was invited by President Michael Baston of Rockland Community College to a breakfast at the college.)”

In 2022, East Ramapo rolled out the sheroes series for the first time, and it was so well received by the administrators, principals, teachers, students and community members. Each year since, the committee of devoted community members has been working with the District to identify new sheroes, compile their impressive bios, and produce several sheroes videos for East Ramapo students to view and appreciate.

The members of the East Ramapo Central School District Regent Judith Johnson Sheroes Series include: Carole Anderson, Anita Cunningham, Jean Fields, Drusilla Kinzonzi, Teri Mersel, Charlotte Ramsey, and Robin Wren, along with District team of Ellen Andriello, Executive Director for Elementary Schools and Dr. Augustina West, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools.

Jamaica – Court Rules Vybz Kartel to Remain in Jail

Supreme Court Justice Andrea Thomas ruled that, without a verdict of acquittal from the Privy Council, the murder charges against Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, and his co-accused Shawn “Shawn Storm” Campbell and Andre St John, remain valid.

“In view of the fact that their appeal is not yet determined, they should remain in custody until their appeal is concluded. That is until a verdict of acquittal is entered or there is a decision for a retrial,” Justice Thomas stated to a packed courtroom in

This ruling follows a vigorous legal battle to determine if Kartel and his co-accused were being unlawfully detained. Their attorney, Isat Buchanan, argued that “a conviction must exist for there to be authority to detain” the men. In contrast, state attorneys contended that the Privy Council’s decision to quash the convictions did not amount to an acquittal but rather reverted the men to their pretrial status with active murder charges.

On May 13, the defense lawyers filed a habeas corpus application seeking their clients’ release, arguing that there was no order from the Apex Court for their continued detention and that they should therefore be released. The writ aimed to have the judge order the prisoners to be brought before

the court to determine if they should be released or granted bail.

One co-accused, Kahira Jones, who reportedly faces another charge, was not included in the application, and no order was made regarding his status.

On March 14, the Privy Council overturned the convictions of Kartel and his co-accused for the 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams. The Privy Council directed that the case be returned to Jamaica’s Appeal Court to decide whether a retrial is necessary for Kartel, Shawn “Shawn Storm” Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John. This ruling followed an appeal in February, where the defense raised concerns over the admissibility of telecommunication evidence, allegations of jury misconduct, and pressure on the jury to reach a verdict.

First Black Racer in Porsche Carrera Cup Competes at Formula One Miami Grand Prix

By Blair S. Walker

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA — When

Jordan Wallace was a 5-year-old, his grandmother bought him a little, battery-powered Mercedes car. She may have regretted that move, because Wallace immediately hopped into his miniature whip and practically drove the wheels off it.

Convinced that Upper Marlboro, Maryland, had never produced a racer with his combination of awe-inspiring speed and daring, Wallace began looking for pre-pubescent butts to kick.

“I tried to race the girl down the street in her Barbie Corvette and she whupped me,” Wallace said, still incredulous 31 years later. “And after that, I was like – I gotta get this figured out. Ever since then, I’ve been on a charge.”

One that had Wallace swaddled in a helmet and Nomex driving suit as he blasted a 510-horsepower Porsche 911 GT3 Cup around the 3.36-mile, 19-turn Miami Inter-

national Autodrome road circuit, sounding like a bellowing, deep-voiced hound from hell.

Welcome to the Porsche Carrera Cup North America racing series, Jordan Wallace’s world. He found himself onstage with the globe-trotting Formula One circus, which was in town for the Miami Grand Prix. Formula One promoters like to have other kinds of racing cars circulating tracks while F-1 cars are being tweaked in their garages.

Wallace is an admirer of Formula One, but at 36 is too old to be dreaming about an F-1 seat. Instead, Wallace wants to move up to the Batmobile-like, fiendishly quick sports cars that compete in famous endurance races.

“The ultimate goal is to win the Daytona 24 Hours, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Sebring 12 Hours, and to be the first African American to win all of those,” Wallace said. “I’ve got a ton of work ethic, a ton of desire and I think I’m showing that I’m

pretty quick.”

That last statement is all fact and no brag, because Wallace came within one-hundredth of second of being the fastest qualifier for his Miami International Autodrome race. To put that in perspective, it takes the average person between one-tenth to fourtenths of a second to blink their eyes.

A resident of Austin, Texas, these days, Wallace keeps a roof over his head with his racing activities, and by working as a driving instructor at a nearby race track. When it comes to the Kellymoss/Vision Motorsports Racing Porsche he’s piloting in eight races this year, his sponsor is Davis Infrastructure, a Northern Virginia business that builds data centers.

“I grew up thinking race drivers were aliens, because no one in my family, or in my culture, was in this sport,” Wallace said. “Now I’m part-owner in the team that I’m driving for. Not only a Black driver, but a Black owner. We’re really trying to grow that side of the sport, as well.”

Hope Wade, founder of Hope Wade Designs and creator and executive producer of Rockland Fashion Week.

Dancehall star Vybz Kartel and two of his co-accused will remain incarcerated after a judge denied their habeas corpus application on Thursday.

By Mell P | New York Carib News

Dancehall star Vybz Kartel and two of his co-accused will remain incarcerated after a judge denied their habeas corpus application on Thursday.

downtown Kingston.

Photo Captions: Jordan Wallace, from Austin, Texas, drove a Porsche during one of the Miami Grand Prix’s support races. Photos courtesy of Blair S. Walker

Salary Range:

$87,727 to $136,071

Deputy Finance

Director/Controller

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE.

For Details go to  www.bloomfieldct.org

NOTICE

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

FOR BIDS

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Town of Bloomfield

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.

Finance Director

NOTICIA

Salary Range - $101,455 to $156,599

(expected starting pay maximum is mid-range)

VALENTINA

MACRI

Fully Benefited – 35 hours weekly

Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website –www.bloomfieldct.org

Portland

Town of Bloomfield QSR STEEL CORPORATION

VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

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

Police Officer full-time

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

The Housing Authority of the City of Danbury (HACD) is seeking sealed bids for the following Project:Ives Manor – Parking Lot Structure and Deck Repair. Bid Opeing date is 26th of June 2024 at 11:00 AM at the Housing Authority of the City of Dabury, 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 12th of June 2024 at 10:00 AM at 198 Main Street, Danbury, Connecticut. Contract documents including Plans & Specifications can be viewed on-line and purchased from the Digiprint Plan Room Services website.Visit www.digiprintplanroom.com/jobs/public and select Ives Manor – Parking Lot Structure and Deck Repair beginning on 5th of June 2024. Bidders will note requirements of 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. Section 3 requirements will be required on this project. HACD is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Ms.

Devin Marra

Acting Executive Director

Assistant Production Manager

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

APPLY NOW!

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

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

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

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

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Labor Relations Specialist in the Office of Labor Relations.

Large CT Fence and Guiderail Contractor looking for an experienced Assistant Production Manager to assist with vehicle inspections, shop and yard management, and support of daily operations of residential and commercial fence divisions. Duties include: Monitor and manage quality control for shop and yard activities, including labor hour utilization, process staff paperwork in a timely manner, assist with Inventory Management, attend daily meetings with Scheduling Manager and Superintendents to plan future material and production requirements and participate in weekly sales meetings. Will require physical work in wood, PVC and metal shops. Qualifications: Previous construction and personnel supervisory experience, Valid CT Driver’s License, DOT Medical Card, Demonstrate good time management skills, OSHA 10 certification and required to pass a physical and drug test. Medical, holiday, vacation & other benefits included. Starting pay $22.00 to $28.00 per hr based on experience level. We are an AA/EOE company. Submit resumes to: gforshee@atlasoutdoor.com.

Help Wanted –

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FOR

Vinyl Siding and Soffit Installation at Oval Grove Development, New Britain, CT

The Housing Authority of the City of New Britain (Authority) is inviting sealed bids and fee proposals, in triplicate, for the complete installation of insulated vinyl siding and soffit at the Oval Grove Development.

Submission Deadline: June 28, 2024, at 3:00 p.m.

To Obtain a Copy of the RFP: Visit our website at www.nbhact.org under the procurement section.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Housing Authority of the City of New Britain is soliciting proposals from licensed Contractors under the laws of the State of Connecticut, to furnish all labor, materials, equipment, and supervision necessary to complete all work as specified or reasonably implied in the RFP, relating to Twenty-Seven 2Story Apartment Building approximately 160 units. Deadline: June 28, 2024, at 3:00 p.m.

To Obtain a Copy of the RFP: Visit our website at www.nbhact.org under the procurement section.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

Fence Installers:

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for Fence Installation helpers. Must have at least 2 years of experience installing chain link, wood, PVC and ornamental iron fencing. Work available 10-12 months per year. All necessary equipment provided. Medical, holiday, 401K, vacation & other benefits included. Must be able to pass required physical and drug test. An OSHA 10 Certification is required. A valid CT driver's license is required and must get DOT Medical Card. We are an AA/EOE company. Send resumes/inquiries to: rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com.

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

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

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

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 240508&R2=5256MP&R3=001

Lg CT fence company looking for an experienced foreman in CT and surrounding states who will work as a leader of small crews. Individual will be responsible for all types of fencing installation. Specific tasks include but are not limited to: May be responsible for crew(s) of two or more individuals, manage and troubleshoot problems that arise on site and notify superintendent when needed, ensures employees adhere to all safety and company policies and practices, able to perform fence installation and setting posts as indicated by plans, project site clean-up. Job requirements include the following: preferably have up to 5 years’ experience, have a valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record, must be able to get a DOT medical card, OSHA safety training required prior to start of employment, pass drug screening and a physical test. Medical, vacation, 401K and other benefits included, all necessary equipment provided. We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. Send resume to gforshee@atlasoutdoor.com

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.

Fence Erecting Subcontractors:

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

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

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

Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for Experienced Fence Subcontractors with at least 5 years of experience in commercial fence. Work available 10-12 months per year, highest labor rates paid. OHSA 10 safety training required and valid CT driver’s license. Must have a reliable truck, proper insurance coverage and your own tools. We are an AA/EOE company. Send resumes/inquiries to: rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com.

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

Large CT Fence Company looking for a full-time individual for our Wood 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. This is an in-shop production position. Duties include mortising & drilling wood posts for fence panels, building fence panels, gates & more. Use of table saws, routers, miter saws, nail guns and other woodworking equipment is required. Some pickup and delivery of materials will be required. Must have a valid CT driver’s license and 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

NOTICE

MAINTAINER II PUBLIC WORKS

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Attention Landlords!

The Housing Authority of the City of Danbury Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program

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.

If you have a rental unit in Danbury, Bethel, New Milford, New Fairfield, Ridgefield, Newtown, Brookfield, Redding, Sherman, Bridgewater, Roxbury or Washington CT Learn how this program can benefit you!

• Tenants are required to comply with your lease.

• Keep your vacancy rates low with a large pool of tenants to select from.

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

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

Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

LEGAL NOTICE Request for Proposals (RFP) RFP# 2025-0904: AIDS CADAP

The Town of Wallingford Department of Public Works has openings for Maintainer II. Applicants should possess 2 years’ experience as a laborer in construction work involving the operation and care of trucks and other mechanical equipment, or 2 years training in one of the skilled trades and 1 year of experience in construction operations, or an equivalent combination of experience and training. A valid (CDL) Class B or higher is required. $24.87 - $29.16 hourly plus retirement plan, paid sick and vacation time, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, family medical & dental insurance, and promotional opportunities. A complete job announcement and application 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 3, 2024, 2024. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

NOTICIA

• Tenants are already prescreened for criminal background.

• Guaranteed portion of rent each month from the Housing Authority, direct deposited to your account.

• Tenant rent portion is affordable based on income.

• No cost, documented inspections of your unit.

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

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

• Stay in compliance with the law, Section 8 (HCV) discrimination is illegal.

Visit our website at www.hacdct.org or call for more information and to have your rental advertised for free to our HCV participants at 203-744-2500 x1260

NEW HAVEN

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

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

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

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

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

The Department of Public Health (DPH) Infectious Disease Section is requesting proposals for the Connecticut AIDS Drug Assistance Program (CADAP). A qualified Pharmacy Benefits Manager or other organization is needed to provide enrollment, pharmacy benefits, insurance premium payments, and rebate management for CADAP.

The Request for Proposal is available in electronic format on the State Contracting Portal at https://portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/BidBoard, on the Department’s website at https://portal.ct.gov/ DPH/Request-For-Proposals/Request-forProposals, or from the Department’s Official Contact: Mitchell Namias, 860-509-7718, Mitchell.namias@ct.gov

Deadline for submission of proposals is Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 4:30 PM.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Request for Qualifications

IQC Architectural and Engineering Services

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

Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 3:00PM.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

send resume to attielordan@gmail.com

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

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

NOTICE

Chimney Cleaning and Repair Services

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

IFB No. B24005

Please register here to obtain Bid Package: https://ha.internationaleprocurement.com/requests.html?company_id=49968

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL RETURN:

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

Town of Bloomfield

Salary Range:

$87,727 to $136,071

Seymour Housing Authority

Deputy Finance Director/Controller

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE.

For Details go to  www.bloomfieldct.org

Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No. B24005, Chimney Cleaning and Repair Services

Attn:

Lisa Gilchrist, Purchasing Agent

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.

SUBMITTAL DEADLINE

NOTICIA

June 17th, 2024 at 10:30am (EST)

Town of Bloomfield

Finance Director

Salary Range - $101,455 to $156,599

at Castle Heights NOTICE OF BID

Sealed bids are invited and will be received by the Seymour Housing Authority, until 2:00PM on Monday June, 24, 2024, in the Office of the Seymour Housing Authority, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483, at which time and place they will be publicly opened and read aloud.

Proposals must be submitted on the forms provided and in a sealed envelope plainly marked with the appropriate title. “Revitalization at Castle Heights for the Seymour Housing Authority”.

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

CONTACT PERSON FOR IFB DOCUMENT: Lisa Gilchrist – Purchasing Agent Telephone: 203-744-2500 x1421 E-Mail: lgilchrist@hacdct.org

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

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

Request for Proposals

The South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG), North Haven, Connecticut is seeking proposals from qualified and experienced Environmental Consultants to develop a comprehensive regional climate action plan, which builds upon the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) completed and submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 1, 2024. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise firms are strongly encouraged to respond as a prime contractor or to play a significant role within a consultant team. Responses are due by June 13, 2024 (12:00 p.m. local time). The full RFP document and any potential updates can be viewed at SCRCOG’s website: www.scrcog.org. If you would like to request a copy of the RFP, please contact Stephanie Camp, Director of Regional Planning via email: smcamp@scrcog.org.

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

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

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

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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Professional Engineering and Architectural Services

For Enabling Project - Phase 1

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.

At New Haven Union Station New Haven Parking Authority New Haven, Connecticut NHPA Project #23-051

Proposals due May 31, 2024 at 3:00 PM.

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.

Proposal Documents will be available beginning May 1, 2024 at no cost by downloading from the New Haven Union Station Partnership website at https:// unionstationnewhaven.com/bids-and-proposals/.

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

NHPA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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

(expected starting pay maximum is mid-range)

Fully Benefited – 35 hours weekly

Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website –www.bloomfieldct.org

Portland

Police Officer

full-time

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

A NON-MANDATORY pre-bid conference will be held at the Seymour Housing Authority, Seymour Avenue, Seymour, CT 06483 on Tuesday June 4, 2024 at 2:00PM. All prospective bidders are required to attend.

A satisfactory Bid Bond or Certified Check, in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the base bid, shall be submitted with each bid. The Bid Bond shall be made payable to the Seymour Housing Authority and shall be properly executed by the Bidder. A 100% Performance, Labor and Material Bond is also required. All sureties must be listed on the most recent IRS circular 570.

Attention of bidders is directed to certain requirements of this contract which require payment of Davis-Bacon wages, and compliance with certain local, state and federal requirements. This is a partially Federally funded project.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

Contract Documents including plans & specifications can be viewed online beginning Wednesday May 29, 2024 and purchased from Advanced Reprographics Planroom website, visit http://www.advancedplanroom.com/ select “Public Jobs” and select “Revitalization at Castle Heights for the Seymour HA” dated 5/28/24.

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

APPLY NOW!

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Note: Addenda to this bid will be issued via email. Contractors intending to bid MUST BE REGISTERED on the Advanced Reprographics Plan holder’s list in order to receive direct email of any and all addenda.

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

Bids, to receive consideration, must be in the hands of the authorized representative, no later than the day and hour mentioned above.

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.

The Seymour Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids; to waive any informalities, or; to accept any bid deemed in the best interests of the Seymour Housing Authority.

All bids will be considered valid for a period of One Hundred Twenty (120) days.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Labor Relations Specialist in the Office of Labor Relations.

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

The contractor who is selected to perform this State project must comply with CONN. GEN. STAT. §§ 4a-60, 4a-60a, 4a-60g, and 46a-68b through 46a-68f, inclusive, as amended by June 2015 Special Session Public Act 15-5.

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

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 240508&R2=5256MP&R3=001

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

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

State law requires a minimum of twenty-five (25%) percent of the state-funded portion of the contract be set aside for award to subcontractors holding current certification from the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (“DAS”) under the provisions of CONN. GEN. STAT. § 4a-60g. (25% of the total state-funded value with DAS-certified Small Businesses and 6.25% of the total state-funded value with DAS-certified Minority-, Women-, and/or Disabled-owned Businesses.) The contractor must demonstrate good faith effort to meet the 25% set-aside goals

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate.

Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

Contact: Tom Dunay Phone: 860- 243-2300

Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

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

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Union Company seeks:

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

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Construction

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.

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

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

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

Laurel Gardens – Stair Replacement Project. Bid Opening date is 19th of June 2024 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 10th of June 2024 at 10:00 AM at 385 Main Street, Danbury, Connecticut. Contract documents including plans & specifications can be viewed online and purchased from the Digiprint Plan Room Services website.

Visit ww.digiprintplanroom.com/jobs/public and select Laurel Gardens – Stair Replacement beginning on the 29th of May 2024. 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. Section 3 requirements will be required on this project. HACD is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Ms. Devin Marra

Acting Executive Director

Senior Sales Representative

Penfield Communications, Inc. Publishers of The Inner-City News Weekly Print Publication is seeking a Senior Sales Representative The Inner-City News is a legacy, Black owned print publication, celebrating 30+ years as Greater New Haven’s urban news and information outlet. The Inner-City News is a weekly print publication with a readership spanning across Greater New Haven. From Hamden, New Haven, West Haven, Stratford, Milford, Bridgeport. This free weekly print publication is committed to sharing news and information important to the Black community.

Advertising and the cultivation of existing and new advertising clients is key to the growth and continued success of The Inner-City News. The paper is delivered weekly to businesses, schools, shopping outlets and wherever

360 Management Group Company está actualmente aceptando aplicaciones para la lista de espera de Mill River Crossing

Ubicados en vecindarios revitalizados, nuestros apartamentos y casas adosadas de nueva construcción cuentan con una, dos, tres y cuatro habitaciones con acceso conveniente al transporte, excelentes escuelas y comodidades. Las características del complejo incluyen mantenimiento de emergencia las 24 horas, actividades para residentes y acceso al área de juegos para niños.

REQUIREMENTS:

Los ingresos del hogar no deben exceder el 60% del ingreso medio del área (IAM). Consulte la siguiente tabla para conocer los requisitos específicos de ingresos y del hogar. # Personas en el hogar

Ingreso máximo para

Ingreso máximo para 50% AMI

Ingreso máximo para 60% AMI

Solicite en línea en https://ecc myhousing com o descargue una aplicación en: http://www.cthcvp.org/ http://www.elmcitycommunities.org

Para recibir una solicitud por correo, por favor llame 475-355-7289 o envíe una solicitud por escrito a Attention: Waitlist Department, Elm City Communities, PO Box 1912, New ¡Escanee el código Haven, CT 06509

QRL para aplicar! Las solicitudes se pueden presenta � En persona en 360 Orange St, New Haven, CT 06511 (a través de un buzón ubicado en la puerta principal); o � Enviada por correo al PO Box 1912, New Haven, CT 06509

Si usted necesita acomodación razonable para completar su aplicación llame al 203-498-8800 ext. 1506

Las solicitudes se procesaran en el orden en que se reciban y se sellaran la fecha y la hora

Las solicitudes estarán disponibles el 6/17/2024 y deben presentarse antes del 7/17/2024

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

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.

360 Management

Group Company is currently accepting applications for Mill River Crossing

NOTICIA

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Located in revitalized neighborhoods, our newly constructed apartments and townhouses feature one, two, three, and four bedrooms with convenient access to transportation, great schools, and amenities. Community features include 24-hour emergency maintenance, resident activities, and playground access.

REQUIREMENTS:

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

The Housing Authority of the City of Danbury (HACD) is seeking sealed bids for the following Project: Ives Manor – Parking Lot Structure and Deck Repair. Bid Opening date is 26th of June 2024 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 12th of June 2024 at 10:00 AM at 198 Main Street, Danbury, Connecticut. Contract documents including Plans & Specifications can be viewed on-line and purchased from the Digiprint Plan Room Services website. Visit www.digiprintplanroom. com/jobs/public and select Ives Manor –

Household earnings must not exceed 60% of the Area Medium Income (AMI) Please see the table below for specific income and household requirements.

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

Parking Lot Structure and Deck Repair beginning on 5th of June 2024. Bidders will note requirements of 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. Section 3 requirements will be required on this project. HACD is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Ms. Devin Marra

Acting Executive Director

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

Apply online at https://ecc myhousing com or download an application at: http://www.elmcitycommunities.org

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

Scan the QRL code to apply!

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

To receive an application by mail, please call 475-355-7289 or send a written request to Attention: Waitlist Department, Elm City Communities, PO Box 1912, New Haven, CT 06509

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

Submit paper applications: � In person at 360 Orange St, New Haven, CT 06511 (via the drop box located at the front door); or � Mail to PO Box 1912, New Haven, CT 06509

FOR

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Vinyl Siding and Soffit Installation at Oval Grove Development, New Britain, CT The Housing Authority of the City of New Britain (Authority) is inviting sealed bids and fee proposals, in triplicate, for the complete installation of insulated vinyl siding and soffit at the Oval Grove Development.

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

If you need a reasonable accommodation for assistance in completing the application, Please call 203-498-8800 ext. 1506

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

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.

Applications will be processed in the order that they are received, and time and date stamped, Applications will be available on 6/17/2024 and must be submitted by 7/17/2024

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

Listing:  Commercial Driver

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.

Submission Deadline: June 28, 2024, at 3:00 p.m.

To Obtain a Copy of the RFP: Visit our website at www.nbhact.org under the procurement section.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

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

Immediate opening for a Class A full time driver for petroleum/like products deliveries for nights and weekends.  Previous experience required. Send resume to:  HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email: hrdept@eastriverenergy.com

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

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

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

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

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

‘Ms. Martha’ Humphrey is Oakland’s 2024 Mother of the Year

By Carla Thomas | Oakland Post

Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development (OPRYD) honored Martha Humphrey as Oakland’s 2024 Mother of the Year.

Affectionately known as “Ms. Martha,” Humphrey was recognized during the 71st Oakland Mother of the Year Award Ceremony held at Morcom Rose Garden, May 11. Nestled in an Oakland hillside above Lake Merritt, the garden event was hosted beneath a white tent beside a reflection pool surrounded by fragrant flowers and greenery.

Councilmember Nikki Fortunato-Bas, District 2, provided the welcome and 2005 Mother of the Year Naomi Schiff served as mistress of ceremonies.

Oakland Deputy Mayor Dr. Kimberly Mayfield-Lynch and Councilperson Carroll Fife, District 3, commended Humphrey for her impact on the community and her various accomplishments.

“So often the sacrifices that our elders make go unacknowledged and I think that it is so fitting to be at the Rose Garden to give roses to Ms. Martha while she is still here,” said Fife.

Humphrey is an inspiration who provided family and structure to so many foster youths, Fife added.

“Ms. Martha giving that to so many children is like planting seeds that will last forever. We are so grateful for you. We love you and we appreciate you. Happy

Mother’s Day,” said Councilmember Dan Kalb, District 1, who presented Humphrey with roses.

Marilyn Reynolds of the City of Oakland Head Start program said, “It’s wonderful to see her recognized.”

OPRYD Special Events Coordinator and organizer Zermaine Thomas ensured the program ran smoothly and was excited to congratulate Humphrey and provide closing remarks.

Dressed in a royal blue satin suit with a matching hat accented with rhinestones, Humphrey was elated to be the lady of honor flanked by family members, foster children, government officials, and members of the community.

“I’m grateful to God,” she said as attendees took photographs with her. Humphrey began caring for children at 8 years old, starting with her youngest sibling. At an early age, Humphrey decided

Unveiling the Truth: Riveting January

that caring for children delighted her. When she reached adulthood, she began housekeeping, which would often include caring for her employer’s children. She accepted a job as a nanny caring for the four children of a lawyer and his wife at their home in Houston, Texas. When the family relocated to San Francisco in March of 1950, Humphrey came with them to assist in the caring of their four young daughters. When the last daughter had completed

high school and went to college, Humphrey moved out of their home and moved to the Fillmore Center.

In the early 1970s, Humphrey acquired a home with two large bedrooms and decided to start a foster home. She contacted a foster care agency, became certified to work with foster children, and began her ministry.

Humphrey put two cribs in one bedroom and set it up as a nursery. It was not long before she got a call about parenting and began caring for her first foster child.

Over time, she received more and more calls from foster agencies and hospital social workers who begged her to take infants in fragile health because of her excellent reputation. For over 50 years, Humphrey has fostered over 300 children and continues to this day.

“Ms. Martha has been known throughout her community as the person that wants to ‘just serve’ by being a caretaker and a guide for vulnerable children and youth over the past 50 years,” said Post News Group Publisher Paul L. Cobb, who initiated the nomination.

Oakland’s Mother of the Year Award was created by the OPRYD in 1954 to publicly honor an Oakland resident whose contributions to the community symbolize the finest traditions of motherhood.

Past honorees have included hard-working, dedicated community servants whose volunteerism has been exemplary.

6 Documentary Grips Audience with Untold Stories

The documentary, titled “The Sixth,” not only captured the horror and chaos of that fateful day but also delved deep into the lives of those thrust into the heart of the storm, evoking a profound emotional response from the audience.

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

In a moving gathering of survivors and spectators, a select group of invitees congregated at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Northeast D.C. on Monday, June 3. The occasion? The unveiling of a long-awaited documentary that sheds new light on the deadly events of January 6, 2021, a day etched in the annals of American history.

The deft hands of Oscar-winning filmmakers Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine drew viewers into a heart-wrenching gutpunch of a narrative as the curtains pulled back and the screen came to life. The documentary, titled “The Sixth,” not only captured the horror and chaos of that fateful day but also delved deep into the lives of those thrust into the heart of the storm, evoking a profound emotional response from the audience.

“It’s never been a mystery as to what happened… but tonight, we bring forth a narrative that transcends mere recounting,” remarked Andrea Fine, one half of the acclaimed filmmaking duo. “The Sixth” doesn’t just document the events—it humanizes them.”

The film eschewed the typical focus on the perpetrators and even the insurrection’s primary instigator, former President Donald Trump, opting instead to shine a spotlight on the untold stories of resilience and courage. Through the eyes of six individuals—a diverse ensemble that included a Black photographer named Mel D. Cole, Erica Loewe, a Democratic staffer who serves as the only caregiver to her mother who lives with Alzheimer’s, Congressman Jamie Raskin, and three Metropolitan DC police officers—the audience gained unprecedented insight into the human drama that unfolded amidst the chaos.

Torn with emotion and right in the middle, capturing all the chaos, was Cole, thinking about a world where his toddler son might have to grow up without him because Cole doesn’t know if he’ll survive the Trump-inspired riot. Raskin, there to help certify President Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump, is drenched with emotion, having buried his 25-year-old son a day earlier. Raskin’s son had suffered from mental health challenges and committed suicide. Making the heart pound ever more, Raskin also had to worry about his daughters, who

were inside the Capitol as the attack unfolded.

Loewe, believing death was imminent and worried about who would care for her mother, was among Congressman James Clyburn’s staffers who were barricaded inside an office where rioters were just feet away.

“Every single one of our characters is

serving the public in different ways,” emphasized Andrea Fine. “And so, we love that idea of, what if you’re just coming to do your job, and you’re saddled with that, and how they came through.”

As the documentary unfolded, viewers were transported back to the Capitol grounds, where the echoes of violence still reverberated. From Raskin’s anguish, Cole’s uneasiness, and Loewe’s uncertainty to Officer Christina Laury’s harrowing experiences and the gripping personal history of then-D.C. police chief Robert Contee, “The Sixth” left no stone unturned in its quest for truth.

The fear of rioters yelling at law enforcement, and Contee demanding more help and responding incredulously as U.S. Department of Defense officials held back sending the National Guard because they were concerned about “optics.” All the while, the rioters blast through lines of undermanned officers beating them, including policeman Daniel Hodges, mercilessly.

While the National Guard stood just minutes away but refusing to assist, D.C. Metropolitan Police struggled mightily to fight off the mob, with some of the rioters yelling, “Get his gun,” as they grabbed and viciously assaulted one officer. With ladders, poles, and others flying from the crowd (Cole says he couldn’t understand how and where the rioters got their hands on such objects), officers desperately tried to defend the Capitol with pepper spray. They appeared to be the only ones who suffered harm from the aerosol.

Infuriatingly so, after DC and Capitol Police finally received assistance from state police officers in Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey, Trump finally and tepidly asked his supporters to go home as the deadly event finally reaches its conclusion and at, too little, too late, the National Guard arrives

As the credits rolled and the lights came up, the audience grappled with the weight of what they had witnessed. In the words of Mel D. Cole, “For anyone from D.C., this film hits different… It’s just a different day for all of us here.”

“Politics was inherent in the violence,” remarked Andrea Fine. “What we were trying to do is [determine] like, okay, what happened that day? Truthfully. Really. And how did it feel to go through it? How did it affect the people who just showed up to work?”

Martha Humphrey, Oakland’s Mother of the Year, is seated in the front row in blue, and is supported by friends, family and Oakland’s elected officials.

June 18, 2024

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, Nokwanda is a Zulu name, and Mbedu is Xhosa.

Mbedu went to Pelham Primary School and Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School and graduated from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa in 2013, where she studied Physical Theatre and Performing Arts Management. Earlier in 2012, she took a summer course at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City.

Her acting career began in 2014 when she played a minor role of ‘Nosisa’ in the popular South African Soap Opera ‘Isibaya’ from Mzansi Magic. In 2015, she played a guest role as ‘Kheti’ in the Second Season of the SABC 2 youth drama series ‘Snake Park.’

She got her first starring role in the teen drama television series ‘IS’THUNZI’ from Mzansi Magic where she played ‘Winnie.’ Her international debut was in ‘The Underground Railroad’ an American fantasy historical drama series based on the novel ‘The Underground Railroad’ written by Colson Whitehead.

In 2022, she starred in her first film ‘The Woman King’ an epic historical drama about Agosie, where an entire female warrior unit protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 17 – 19th century. She played ‘Nawi’, a zealous recruit in the military unit.

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

sion series ‘The Underground Railroad.’ She won the ‘Critics Choice Television Awards’ for ‘Best Actress in a Miniseries or

er 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’

da Lane happened in 2016. The role that Amanda Lane gave me was the difference

ing that audition brief, I told myself that

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

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

tion. I gave it the last of everything that I had, that at the time I got the callback, I had nothing left. I secretly made the decision not to do the callback because I had nothing left to give. But fortunately, I received cause the role was mine. I had given up. I was in a very dark place at the time, and the character, the role, the opportunity, was a much needed light. And I told myself that I will act as if it was the last character that I will play. And through a great script and an amazing director, I earned two International Emmy Awards for that role…”

Where personal breakthroughs are powered by medical ones.

At Yale New Haven Health, we’re delivering pioneering research from Yale School of Medicine to improve people’s lives every single day. Like Dr. Ozan Bahtiyar and the team who perform in utero surgery to successfully treat spina bifida before birth. Together, we’re powering breakthroughs with the greatest of care.