INNER-CITY NEWS

THE

New Haven, Bridgeport

NEWS

Volume 21 No. 2178

Goodbye Mrs. Cofield

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - Aprl 03, 2016

Principal Gets “No Confidence” Vote

Foot Focus More Than Symbolic On Maundy Thursday Black Women in the Peace Movement

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INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - Aprl 03, 2016

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A Powerhouse of A Woman:

Goodbye Mrs. Cofield I loved the way she said my name… with that very southern drawl thing that only southern Black mothers know how to do oh so well. I loved her. I admired her.

she knew no strangers. I believe that. I saw her tireless energy. She was a rare fearless spirit. She would go anywhere and talk with anyone and not flinch at conditions they were in.

I first heard her speak at a NAACP meeting way back in the day when I was in between gigs.

I had just showed up at the InnerCity offices on Eld street as a volunteer looking to be a writer or sorts. I fancied myself a black intellectual with a strong social revolutionary vibe… Yeah, whatever. Anyway, got to the NAACP meeting and this is what I walked away with, “HIV/AIDS is decimating our communities, someday someone will ask you where were you?” “What will you say?”

I was stunned. I couldn’t shake the call to go do something. So I found my way to AIDS Project New Haven, Caring Cuisine Meal

She was a woman of God and did not hold to the belief that HIV/ AIDS was God’s punishment on “certain people”. This pint-sized powerhouse of a woman had choice words for folks who would say it and try to get that thought to be the prevailing thought as they were discriminating against folks on the basis of an illness. An illness that was quickly moving from being a “Gay White Man’s” illness to wholly Black and Brown women and children’s death sentence. Those were hard days. There were times I couldn’t stand it. But I’d see her energized and purposeful, going toe-to-toe with ignorance… willful igno-

Delivery program for folks living with HIV/AIDS who were shut in. I volunteered to deliver meals a couple times week and before I knew it I was the program coordinator, then the Director and eventually Director of Volunteer Services. At each step I called

her to tell her and she was delighted. And so over the years, I’d drop her a call to let her know what I was into… What I was doing. She was so cool about staying connected and treating folks with the kindness that is fleeting in this day and age. Someone said

rance and I’d just catch my breath at her awesomeness.

How divine that she would go on home to God in March, when we are celebrating the history of women and their stories of accomplishments and achievements. Can’t you just see how she will be remembered and celebrated come each March? I can!

So as we all say good bye, my Sorors and I will stand in formation carrying out our time honored duty of a final farewell ritual. let us all be inspired to use our own lives for just causes, contributing to the good in the world.

Babz Rawls Ivy Soror, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. AIDS Activists Editor-in-Chief The Inner-City News

Our Community Lost a Warrior: Remembering Mrs. Elsie Cofield.

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016

Chanelle Diane Dumas, Washington DC. We speak her name and we honor her. So many can speak to their life-changing interactions with Mrs. Cofield and the work that she has done. They will undoubtedly discuss her unwavering support of her late husband Reverend Cofield, her family, the church body and the community of New Haven and beyond. They will speak to her tireless commitment to the AIDS epidemic in a time where there was so little known and so much fear.

They will also speak to her sweet spirit and disposition; and to her eloquence, her grace, dignity and genuine love for the people. When one thinks of New Haven’s icons, one would be remiss to not call on the name of

Elsie Cofield. But when I think of Mrs. Cofield, I think of someone, much like myself, small, yet so very mighty. She embodied so much of what I aspire to be to this day. She was a trailblazer, she was fearless, she changed lives.

She was a natural leader and because of that people were drawn to her. I am no different.

As a young African American girl from New Haven, I remember very vividly my encounters with Mrs. Cofield. In 2001, I was fortunate to be the last Queen Debutante crowned in the longstanding Debutantes and Beaux for Christ Pageant that Mrs. Cofield began many years prior.

Being apart of this program she started changed my life. I remember the focus on knowing yourself and your culture, there were requirements to excel academically and to participate in black

history and cultural events. We were to focus on and develop our talents, which we learned each one of us has, even if you have to dig a little deeper. Community involvement was also a major tenant to participation, there was a requirement that we gave back to the community in creative ways.

I chose to volunteer at Vincent E. Mauro in the bi-lingual first grade class and what I learned from that experience was the knowledge of how much one actually gains from being of service to others.

She taught us teens, by example, what it meant to let your light shine in order to be a light for others. She taught us the true meaning of elegance as we practiced the Waltz with our ballroom coach and our perfected curtsies and our bows week after week. I Con’t on page 5

Publisher / CEO Babz Rawls Ivy Managing Editor Liaison, Corporate Affairs Doreen Strong Advertising Director

For Elsie Cofield

Trenda Lucky Delores Alleyne John Thomas III Hilda Calvachi

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

by Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee, Immanuel Baptist Church On the campus of Morehouse College sits the most impressive of all its buildings, The Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel. The building is not the most impressive for how it looks inside or outside, but it is the most impressive for whom it stands and what it represents to the history and the culture of that small school on the red clay hills of Georgia.

In that building is a man who is the first, and to date, only Dean of the King chapel. He has presided over 1000’s of events, 37 years of Baccalaureate services for graduating seniors, hosted dignitaries from all over the world, ushered 100’s of students to Divinity Schools and Seminaries and helped to usher even more into pulpits and pastorates all of this nation. He also holds the highest academic degree possible from Boston University, the same university from which Dr. King graduated, himself, not to mention several honorary degrees, and published books and writings.

And if you ask does any of this have anything to do with why we are here today? I will answer that it has everything to do with why we are here today. For that man, with all of his degrees, his influence, and status, and his service to others from the perch on which he sits, might never have reached such lofty heights where it not for Elsie Cofield. You see, the man of whom I speak, The Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter, Sr.

It is well known by many of us, that she made the declaration as a young girl that she would grow up to be a teacher and marry a preacher, both of which she did. But what might not be as well known is that she is indirectly responsible for many, many preachers and pastor who grace pulpits all over this nation, from the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, The Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, The Memorial Church on the campus of Harvard University, and in the last church she and her late husband served so well for over three decades, The Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church here in New Haven. And all of this simply because of the help she gave a struggling student back in Virginia so long ago who took those lessons and turned them into service to others, who in turn serve so many others. The impact of Elise Cofield stretches much further than we can ever know.

It has been said that when a butterfly chooses to flap its wings in one part of the world it can cause a hurricane in another part of the world. Well, Elsie Cofield was that butterfly who choose to flap her wings wherever she went. She was a teacher, whose students, and whose students’ students are still making hurricane like impacts on the world. She was the First Lady of more than one church, during a time when the Pastor’s wife was little more than a quiet fixture on the arm of her husband. But Elsie Cofield was determined to step out of the shadows and make a ministry for herself. She served a conservative time but was progressive in mind and spirit. She spoke boldly when women were expected to remain silent. And, she

Dr. Elsie’s Cofield’s legacy will live on not merely by the signs on the street so appropriately named for her. But for her legacy has long since moved beyond New Haven where she lived and worked or Hamden where she taught. It lives in the children she taught. It lives in the preachers she inspired. It lives in the families she helped when their loved one were infected with an incurable disease.

It lives. As her blessings of mercy should live in all of us.

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Our Community Lost a Warrior

walked away from the Debutantes and Beaux for Christ pageant with a greater sense of understanding of my people, greater confidence in my own abilities and with a greater passion to give back to others.

spoke the names AIDS and HIV even when the president of the United States at that time refused to do so.

Of course, Dr. Cofield not only spoke the name of the disease, but she served the people who were denied compassion and comfort because they were afflicted with the disease. She developed infrastructure from the ground up, where none existed, to address the needs of those whom many would not touch.

She was not afraid to touch the hands or the hearts of those who were considered untouchable and unwanted. She embodied the messages of Jesus that says: “In a much as you have done it unto the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me”.

Elsie was drawn to the last, the least, the left out, and the unlucky. There she found her ministry. There she found her calling. There she find and give life

Mrs. Cofield’s influence has stayed with me my entire life, it followed me through my time at Howard University where I mentored incoming students, my time volunteer teaching second graders in Tanzania, East Africa and it follows me still to this day as I continue to work with young ladies from the Anacostia neighborhood here in Washington, DC. I do these things because I understand the importance of the work and because the work brings me great joy but most importantly, I do these things because someone poured into me, because I stand on the shoulders of giants like Mrs. Cofield and because the community needs me. I will remember her always and I will forever be grateful.

May God rest her soul as she did her job here on earth and she did it well! She left a legacy to which we can all look up. She is well loved, well accomplished and she will truly be missed.

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to the lifeless and hope to the hopeless.

credits Sister Cofield with teaching him to read when he was growing up in Virginia.

Sales Team

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - Aprl 03, 2016

John P. Thomas Jr.

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Celebrating Women of Color… “Women Pioneers Share Their Story”

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016

Sisters of Today and Tomorrow’s 10th Annual Women’s History Month program New Haven, Connecticut – Alderwoman Jeanette Morrison, African American Cultural Center at Yale and Sisters of Today and Tomorrow partnered to bring New Haven an engaging Women’s History Month program, “Celebrating Women of Color… Women Pioneers Share Their Story”, last Saturday, March 19th, at the African American Cultural Center at Yale, in New Haven, Connecticut.

The inspirational program, included entertainment, food, and an enriching conversation with New Haven women pioneers.

The “feel good” program highlighted and celebrated the accomplishments of women pioneers and history makers. The panelists included: First Gold Medalist in the Hammer Throw, Alexandria Givan; First black woman Captain of New Haven Police Department, Patricia Helliger; Alderwoman Tyisha Walker, first woman president of the New Haven Board of Alders and first woman elected president of the Greater New Haven NAACP, Doris Dumas. The panel was moderated by: Babz Ivy Rawls, Editor-in-Chief of Inner City News. Hosted by: Carla Morrison, Executive Director, Sisters of Today and Tomorrow, with a welcome by: Dean Rise Nelson, Executive Director, African American Cultural Center. And closing remarks by Alderwoman Jeanette Morrison, Ward 22 NH. Celebrating Women of Color highlights included SOT members Zaria, Knyah and Bryonna, with a special poetry performance by Tyquanda Johnson of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, Alpha Alpha Rho Zeta chapter. “’Celebrating Women of Color’ (CWOC) is a feel good program that I’ve been producing since 2003, while living in Atlanta, Georgia,” stated Carla Morrison, Executive Director of Sisters of Today and Tomorrow.

Sisters of Today and Tomorrow New Haven members: Zaria E.; SOT Founder Carla Morrison; Bryanna M.; Tyla N.; Kelcey P.; Actress Tyquanda Johnson of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, AARZ Chapter and Jeanette Morrison, Alderwoman, Ward 22 New Haven.

Photos by: Jonathan Bailey, Elm City Images

#SOTWomenPioneers Share their story during Sisters of Today and Tomorrow’s 10th Annual Women’s History Month program (l-r) Alderwoman Jeanette L. Morrison, Ward 22NH; Alexandria Givan, 1st Woman Gold Medalist in the Hammer Throw; Captain Patricia Helliger, 1st Black Woman Captain for New Haven Police Department; Dean Rise Nelson, Executive Director of African American Cultural Center at YALE; Doris Dumas, 1st Elected Woman President of NAACP Greater New Haven Chapter; Babz Rawls Ivy, Moderator of the panel & Editor-in-Chief of Inner City Newspaper, Alderwoman Tyisha Walker, 1st Woman President of the New Haven Board of Alders and Carla Morrison, Founder / Executive Director of Sisters of Today and Tomorrow.

New Haven, Connecticut Mayor Toni Harp’s Aide Maya Welfare, presents Sisters of Today and Tomorrow (SOT) Founder Carla Morrison, with a proclamation from the City of New Haven Mayor’s office.

“I am now making the transition back to New Haven, after 20 years, and thought this would not only be a great way to reintroduce myself and my passion to my hometown and the beloved community, but establish a new kind of programming for New Haven girls and women. And with partners like my sister, Alder Jeanette Morrison and Dean Rise Nelson of the AfAm Cultural Center at Yale, I know I’m on the right track.”

The event is an annual program and will take place next year, same time, different theme.

The organization is also planning their 3rd SOT New Haven Leadership Conference for Girls, July 14-16th, 2016 at the African American Cultural Center at Yale. To sign up your daughter, niece or mentee, you can pre-register (no later than Thursday, June 20th), (press the donate button) to make your $125 contribution.

You can also, call (404) 3192130 oremail: il.com”sistersoftodayandtomorrow@gmail.com. #SOTWomenPioneers “Celebrating Women of Color…” is one of three signature programs produced by Sisters of Today and Tomorrow (SOT). The program is in its 10th year and takes place in the month of March, in celebration of Women’s History Month. SOT has had a number of phenomenal keynote speakers including: Child Prodigy Kenya Jordana James, Publisher of Black Girl Magazine; Georgia State Senator Connie Stokes; Author/Poet Mark Anthony; Georgia State Representative Alisha Thomas-Morgan; 1 st African American Woman Fire Chief Rosemary Cloud; R&B Singer Chrisette Michele; The Honorable Mayor of Riverdale, Georgia Evelyn Wynn-Dixon; Music Executive / Community Activist Karen Marie Mason; Con’t on page

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1st LGBTQ-Led Black Church Debuts lesbians at Agape Christian Center on Goffe Street. It took a while, she said, but eventually she heeded the call to make the relationship permanent and launch RCC this Sunday.

by PAUL BASS New Haven Independent

In the front row of an historic church service, Kim Davis sang a hymn entitled “Holy, Holy, Holy,” not as an outcast, but as a deacon.

Harrison had the reverse experience of Lorde’s and Jenkins’s: She came out as a lesbian after receiving her ordination in Texas and found “they didn’t accept me there,” she said. She found her inclusive church back north.

No one was an outcast at the service, which launched New Haven’s first African-American gay-and-lesbian-oriented congregation.

That was the point.

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016

It was a miracle the roof remained in place at NK Betsy Ross School’s century-old restored former St. Peter’s parish hall, one of New Haven’s magical spaces, by the time Davis and more than 100 others finished singing, shouting praise, and dancing in the aisles Sunday.

A megawatt burst of joy and liberation filled the Kimberly Avenue hall for two and a half hours as Davis and other members of Restoration Church of Connecticut (RCC) held their inaugural worship service on Palm Sunday. A Peter Pan busload of parishioners from New York City’s six-year-old LGBTQ-friendly Restoration Church came to New Haven to join a dozen or so local deacons in launching the sister “progressive Presbyterian” congregation.

Presiding over the event was both congregations’ founder and senior pastor, Overseer Yvonne M. Harrison, who came to the event accompanied by First Lady Tiffany A. Harrison.

Overseer Harrison delivered a

That was 17 years ago.

welcomed gays and lesbians.

She loved it.

“The world is changing” fast since then, she said. Ten years ago she knew of fewer than 20 “inclusive” African-American churches in the country. Since then the phenomenon has exploded, with “over 100,” maybe 200 in operation, Harrison said.

After she moved back to New Haven, she missed that church.

Including one, now, in New Haven.

She met Betty Lorde, who attended an inclusive church in Bridgeport. Lorde, too, had discovered her first inclusive church when she moved to the Bible Belt, in Winston-Salem, N.C., and started looking for a similar home when she returned north.

Asked why they showed up Sunday, worshipers gave variations of the same answer: “I get to be who I am.”

PAUL BASS PHOTOS Congregation at Sunday’s inaugural Restoration Church service.

full-throated sermon on “enlarging the tent.” Quoting Isaiah 54:2 “enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations” Harrison appealed to congregants to stretch the boundaries of their lives. And she spoke of the necessity of the church itself to stretch its own boundaries, to broaden its tent.

Which is the point behind RCC’s founding: to widen the tent to gays and lesbians who have felt unaccepted because of their sexuality.

Historically, church-loving African-Americans like Kim Jenkins haven’t felt that the church has loved them back because they’re gay.

Jenkins, who grew up in the Brookside public-housing development in New Haven’s

West Rock neighborhood, loved attending her family’s Baptist church. But as she grew older she found its anti-gay message difficult to endure. She certainly didn’t feel comfortable being identified as a lesbian.

“You attend the church because it’s all you have,” said Jenkins, who is 52 years old and repairs trains for Metro-North railroad. “Then you feel uncomfortable.”

By the time she reached her 30s, she stopped going. She missed it. Especially the music.

“You lose your connection to God,” she said. “You feel you don’t belong. They don’t want you there.”

From 2001 to 2008, Jenkins lived in Atlanta. There she found an “inclusive” black church that

The Bridgeport church no longer exists. So Lorde and Jenkins (each of whom has had a romantic partner for the past year) worked on Overseer Harrison from New York’s RCC to help them start a New Haven branch.

Harrison visited a year ago to preach a service for gays and

RCC plans to hold worship services at Elm City Phoenix Club, 56 Wallace St., every second, third, and fourth Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. (For more information, call 404-268-1387 or 203-953-4443.)

One suggestion, based on Sunday’s service: Bring your best singing voice. An open spirit.

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Principal Gets “No Confidence” Vote

by ALIYYA SWABY New Haven Independent

Barnard Environmental teachers voted 36-3 that they do not have confidence in the leadership of Principal Yolanda JonesGenerette, who has encountered ongoing controversy at the two most recent schools she has helmed.

The vote took place last week.

Now district leaders are in conversations with administrators and teachers to determine how to resolve the issues by the end of the school year, according to teachers union President Dave Cicarella.

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016

“At this point, we’re looking to get resolutions on these concerns by the end of the school year.

Some things need resolution now.

Some things can be fixed in the short term,” Cicarella said.

Both he and Superintendent Garth Harries declined to give details about the vote or subsequent discussions, citing a “personnel matter.” Jones-Generette did not respond to requests for comment.

“I am and have been aware of a range of issues at Barnard and what we have been doing and continue to do is assessing those issues, separating them and figuring out appropriate short and long term actions in response to all of them,” Harries said. Those issues include climate and culture, student behavior and instruction, he said.

Last summer, several teachers and parents contacted the Independent to either support or criticize Jones-Generette’s leadership and management of the K-8 school.

At the time, Superintendent Harries told the Independent that

the conflict was not widespread among staff and that JonesGenerette’s job was to improve the school, not just make people happy. Jones-Generette told the Independent at the time that she has worked hard to get parents and teachers on board with new strategies to manage out-of-control behavior and increase learning opportunities.

Suspensions more than doubled between last academic year and the one before it, with Barnard seeing the highest number of suspensions in at least four years from 19 in 2012-13 to 76 in 2014-15. Harries then attributed the increase to a decrease in support for helping students affected by trauma, since the school lost part of its funding for trauma counselors.

District leaders also took an in-

formal, anonymous “climate check” of teachers last May and recorded concerns about topdown management, a lack of transparency from administrators, and a lack of support for dealing with major disciplinary issues.

Soon afterward, Ilene Tracey, a director of instruction for several schools, including Barnard, sent an email to Barnard staff and administrators saying that the school was “heading in the right direction” and that the tensions were “not pervasive.”

Tracey said in the email that “staff is still cohesive with the exception of a few who have concerns about the direction the school is heading and concerns about top down management.”

Harries moved JonesGenerette from Lincoln-Bassett School to Barnard School in

2014, after a blistering state audit showed a divided faculty, high rate of student and teacher absenteeism, and a spike in suspensions. When asked whether he regretted moving Jones-Generette to Barnard, Harries said he made the right decision. It was a decision we made at that time. It was the right decision,” Harries said.

“The question is what are the various factors going on in that school right now.”

Administrators union President Cheryl Brown said Monday evening that she had not heard about the vote, but that she felt teachers were conspiring against Principal Jones-Generette. “I don’t know why the focus is on that particular school,” she said.

“In my mind, I smell conspiracy.”

She said a pattern has formed at Barnard for the past few years, Con’t on page 19

isn’t just about what you think.

It’s not just about the people the people you know. It’s about everyone.”

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

No one interrupted an opponent, made fun of the media or called anyone a loser.

At Wednesday’s forum, students fielded questions from the school district’s Suzanne Lyons, who has been involved with the student elections process since it was formalized; and Earle Lobo of the city’s youth department. Lyons pointed out that the seven candidates had met the first test already: Each convinced 100 of their fellow students to sign a petition for their candidacy. The candidates had to get 50 signatures from students at their school and 50 from students at other schools. Lyons said the candidates actually amassed 875 signatures, 700 of which were unique signatures.

Instead, at a forum held Wednesday afternoon at the Ives main branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, seven candidates respectfully fielded questions and made their case for why they should be the next student representative on the city’s new hybrid Board of Education (BOE).

One candidate pointed to his experience as a member of his high school’s student council and the basketball team as markers of his ability to work with a team.

Another candidate pointed to her roots as a Latina as a quality needed to not only reach, but be a voice for underrepresented Spanish- speaking students.

Jacob Spell answers a question while Dwayne Carson looks on.

Jacob Spell of Hyde Leadership School pointed to his experience as a good marker of why he should be the next student representative.

“I’m a member of the student council at Hyde, so I have experience representing other students’ opinions,” he said when asked about his leadership qualities. “I do well in school, and I think I’ll be able to draw from many areas of knowledge to articulate my opinion. And I’m also a member of the Hyde basketball team, so I know how to work as a member of a team and work with others.”

The student candidates are looking to fill the vacancy that will be created when one of the two current student members of the Board of Education, Sound School senior Kimberly Sullivan, graduates at the end of this school year.

A 2013 revision of the city charter created two two nonvoting student positions on the BOE as of this January. All the students running for Sullivan’s soon-to-be vacant position are high schools sophomores who will be juniors in the fall.

Student elections will take place at all New Haven public high schools on April 7 and 8. All New Haven public high school students are eligible to vote. For more information visit New Haven Public Schools or search #NHPSStudentvoice on social media platforms.

Alondria Martinez-Lopez from High School in the Community pointed to her roots as part of the role that her voice would play should she be elected.

“I should continue speaking up for others especially since I’m Hispanic,” she said. “I’m Mexican-American and I know there are many students who don’t know English yet and are struggling to learn English and I could be that voice to help them.”

When asked how he would reach those 21,000-plus students

“I believe the first step to being able to have the people who don’t have a voice—to help them, [we have] to get to them and let them know that their voice actually matters,” he said. “On Wednesdays, I get out of school early and I would like to go around to the schools at that time because I have a solid hour and a half in which I can travel and actually get to know the people.”

Tyron Houston of High School in the Community said that diversity is the school district’s greatest asset, and he was not just talking about the different races and ethnicities of the student body. He pointed out that students from the suburbs have chosen to seek out educational opportunities in New Haven.

“I think that’s a great thing,” he said. “Our reputation must be good enough for other towns and things of that nature. Our school system must be not better than theirs, but it has to have something that has actually perked their interest to want to come to New Haven Schools.”

Career High student Yeimy Morales said that if she is elected she would address the problems she has heard from her peers who have already graduated.

“Some of my college friends said their high school and middle school education wasn’t enough for them to be in college,” she said. “I think that is a major problem we’re facing. Also, many students [feel] there are a lack of resources at school whether it’s computers or books, and I would really focus on that.”

“From the beginning of my term to the end of my term I believe that I will be more Con’t on page 16

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Sullivan reminded the studentcandidates Wednesday afternoon that student members of the BOE not only get their individual voices heard. But they along with “elder statesman” Hillhouse rising senior Coral Ortiz, who has

one more year left in her term as a desk every day like we are.” a student representative, would Ortiz gave the studentbe the voice of all the district’s candidates two pieces of advice 21,000 students. as they take the next two weeks “Through all of this, don’t lose to campaign: Share your opinion sight of what the role really is, and be open-minded. and don’t take it for granted, “When you’re running and because for a long time it didn’t campaigning, don’t be afraid to even exist,” Sullivan said. “We talk to people about how you have to make it as meaningful as feel,” she said. “Go all out. Don’t possible because at the end of the be afraid to really express your day, at the beginning of the year opinions. Tell them how you feel. there were 21,173 students, and Be open minded. Don’t be afraid they are depending on you to be to ask people for help. I think that their voice and we have the adults is one of biggest things I learned. to do it, but they’re not sitting at “[Remember] this position

from pre-K to 12th grade and even alternative schools, candidate Joseph Lampo of Wilbur Cross said on Wednesdays he only attends school for half a day and would use the other half to visit his fellow students.

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - Aprl 03, 2016

7 Students Vie For Board Of Ed Seat

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Zeta Phi Beta Chapter Turns “Service, scholarship, sisterly love and finer womanhood are the ideals of Zeta Phi Beta,” according to sorority member Carla Morrison.

by STAFF New Haven Independent

The Alpha Alpha Rho Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. celebrated the first year of its inception.

The gathering drew not only several of the chapter’s charter members, who now live throughout the state. It also attracted members who have restored their local connections to the sorority who wanted “to celebrate and reclaim their pledge to this illustrious sisterhood,” Morrison added.

Lisa Kellman, Alexandria Givan, Shirley Washington, Waleska Macklin, Shirley Harrell, Alvena Watkins, Tasha Hunt and Carla Morrison.

Members of the chapter gathered Sunday in the New Haven home of Alpha Alpha Rho Zeta President Lisa McDowellKellman to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

Though the chapter is based in Norwalk, 12 sorority members from both cities chartered the chapter. The gathering was a time also to celebrate Women’s History Month and commemorate what members of the 96year-old sorority calls “Finer Womanhood,” which is celebrated during the last full week of February and throughout the month of March, according to the sorority’s national Website.

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. is the first member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council the collaborative organization of the nine, historically black greek letter organizations to charter a graduate chapter on the African continent.

Alpha Alpha Rho Zeta President Lisa McDowell-Kellman presented the chapter with a gift of the chartering members names etched in a wooden frame during the festivities.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOSAlpha Alpha Rho Zeta members at the one-year anniversary of their chapter’s chartering.

Malloy Rescinds $65M From Budget, Asks For $13M From Other Two Branches

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016

by Christine Stuart Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ordered $65 million in executive branch budget cuts Wednesday following a meeting with legislative leaders.

Malloy also asked the legislative and judicial branches to cut about $4.2 million and $9.35 million, respectively.

Malloy said he needs the legislature’s help in cutting the remainder of the money to close the 2016 budget deficit.

Legislative leaders and Malloy agreed Wednesday to find the

CHRISTINE STUART PHOTO Gov. Dannel P. Malloy

rest of the money before the end of the month.

“We’ve agreed that the legislature has to take this up by the end of the month,” Malloy said Wednesday.

The legislature’s Office of Fiscal Analysis projected that the state is facing a $266 million deficit this year, and a $900 million deficit in 2017.

Malloy’s rescissions will impact social services and higher education the hardest.

The Department of Developmental Services took the biggest hit having to cut $17.2 million.

The Department of Social Services

will have to cut $3.2 million, at least half of which will come from Medicaid. The Department of Children and Families will have to cut $6.5 million, and the Board of Regents for Higher Education will have to cut about $1.9 million, while the University of Connecticut will have to cut $4 million.

“These were difficult decisions, but ones that nevertheless have to be made to ensure that we don’t spend more than we actually have,” Malloy said in a statement. “I appreciate our recent discussions with legislative

leadership, and hope they will continue to be productive and lead to a bipartisan solution.

Together, we must adjust our overall spending expectations.”

House Speaker Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, said Democratic legislative leaders will release their proposed budget cuts by the end of the week and expect to vote on a package before the end of the month.

Republican legislative leaders released their budget proposal to cut about $220 million from this year’s budget Tuesday.

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INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - Aprl 03, 2016

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Church Street South Demolition Begins

mature,” Hyde student Dwayne Carson said said. “By the end of my term, I hope to be able to say that I’ve helped and that I made sure that everyone had a voice.”

by BRIAN SLATTERY New Haven Independent

The claw of the excavator reached to the second-story roof of the laundromat of the Church Street South housing complex across from Union Station Monday and begin what will be a long process of demolishing a symbol of failure of subsidized housing.

Melady Morocho of High School in the Community, who was in the minority of students who had not created a social media presence for her campaign, said that she is a shy person. She said she hopes that if she were elected, by the end of her term that would change.

“You can just smell the mold,” Building Official Jim Turcio said as he surveyed the work. He looked at the shell of the building again. “It’s the beginning of the end.”

“With this opportunity I’m hoping it will help me grow and get out of my box,” she said. “At the end of my term hopefully I will be not too shy, but not too confident. But I would say for the kids, [I hope] to make them happy and enable them to be happy with what they’re doing and when they graduate.”

The claw took off the corner of the building and made its way along the north wall until the entire inside of the building was exposed. When the dust cleared, you could see how the building had been put together, from its concrete ceilings to its cinderblock walls, and get a sense of why it was being torn down.

Northland Investment Corp., which owns the 301-unit federally subsidized complex, had two permits approved Monday to begin the demolition work, on two buildings that don’t include any apartments. // www.newhavenindependent.org/ index.php/archives/entry/ church_street_south8/»Officials hope to have the whole complex cleared out of families, and the mold-infested, crumbling buildings all torn down, by year’s end so a new mixedincome complex can rise in its place.

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Turcio said that the laundromat would be demolished by the end of the day.

The daycare center nearby would be torn down possibly by Tuesday or the end of Wednesday. The city’s building department was pulling permits to demolish the rest of the structures.

About a dozen onlookers Mayor Toni Harp was asked if gathered to watch the excavator the beginning of demolition is a at work. One of them, a 26-year cause for celebration. old José who declined to give his “It’s a two-edged sword,” name, grew up in Church Street Harp said during an appearance South and moved out in 2003. on the weekly “Mayor Monday” He lives in West Haven now. segment on WNHH radio’s How did he feel about the “Dateline New Haven” program. buildings being torn down?

“It’s important that they come “Not good,” he said. “I can down. But it’s too bad that they were never maintained. And that never bring my kids here and tell people have got to at some point them this is where I grew up.” lose their homes and resettle.”

“It’s history,” said one of his

friends.

“A lot of people, when you came here to visit, you hadn’t seen them in years,” he continued. “There are too many feelings here. Words ain’t gonna express it.”

He watched as the excavator sent up another plume of dust.

“I hope they build something,” he said. “That’s the only way to make it up, make people feel like they’re back home.”

Efraín Soto, who lives on Derby Avenue in New Haven, was visiting his daughter, who still lives at Church Street South for now with her three kids; she had been there for 15 years. His daughter had no immediate plans to move out; her apartment was “in good condition,” Soto

said. This reporter expressed surprise, since so many of the apartments at Church Street South had been declared uninhabitable. “That’s what everybody says, but not my daughter,” Soto said. “She’s never had a problem.” However, all tenants will eventually have to leave, as officials have decided that the crumbling complex and its porous roofs and walls are beyond repair.

Behind Soto, a woman who had recently moved out of Church Street South was running to her mailbox to collect her mail.

“How do you like your new place?” a man called to her.

“It’s much better,” she said.

Mayor Toni Harp, who serves as BOE president, told the candidates that, win or lose, they all are taking their first steps in the political and governing process. “So many leaders in our community started out on the board of education,” she said. She pointed out that she and the rest of the BOE adults were educated generations ago, when the handheld technology that students use today was the figment of someone’s imagination.

“We were prepared for a world, frankly today doesn’t exist,” Harp said. “The school system is very different than the school system that we were in, so it’s very important to us — those of us educated in a different time, for a different world — to hear from you. Your voice is very, very important to us.

“I’m not going to tell you that there won’t be times that you will feel like the adults in the room are trying to diminish your voice, but you’ve got to be empowered to know that we absolutely need it and depend upon it if we are going to make good decisions for you and for the future of New Haven public schools,” Harp added.

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by ALIYYA SWABY New Haven Independent

Erica Lewis sobbed as she spoke about moving into a shelter with her daughter despite earning above minimum wage at two home care jobs. browser.

Behavioral issues are “systemic” throughout the district and not unique to Barnard, she said.

Principals regularly call her about safety issues in their schools, she said. Teachers as well as administrators have the “collective responsibility” create a positive school culture, she said.

She and dozens of other workers and activists packed the meeting room at 200 Orange St. Tuesday evening to testify before the Low Wage Employer Advisory Board on the need to raise the minimum wage, increase access to government benefits and curb labor violations.

The 13-member board, part of the Connecticut Department of Labor, will make recommendations to the state legislature in the next month and a half, said cochair James BhandaryAlexander, who works as a legal aid lawyer.

Workers represented Tuesday included security guards, farm laborers, home care providers and restaurant servers. They expressed support for House Bill 5370, which calls for the state hourly minimum wage to increase from $9.60 to $15, a call being raised in cities across the country. Connecticut is currently on track to raise its hourly minimum wage to $10.10 in 2017.

How many of you think Connecticut should raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour?

Bhandary-Alexander asked.

Most in the room raised their hands.

Lewis explained that she can’t afford her daughter’s public school uniform as well as the fees to pay for her driver’s license exam. Instead of driving to her elderly client’s home in Hamden, she takes the bus two hours from her home in New Haven to Hamden. She wants to go back to school to pursue a human services degree, but she can’t afford to cut back on hours and pay for school, she said.

ALIYYA SWABY PHOTO Tuesday night’s crowd signals support for wage raise.

$13.53. She qualifies for food stamps and state Medicaid for her and her daughter.

“I got into home care work by taking care of my elderly grandparents,” she said. “I love working with people and enjoy helping them out. But the low pay is making it almost impossible for experienced people like me to make critical home care work our career.”

Rhonda Defelice holds two full-time jobs providing care for people with developmental disabilities and has only one morning a week to see her 9-year-old son, who has special medical needs. Her husband works one full-time job, yet still they struggle to pay bills.

“As a low-wage worker, you are always on the run, always piecing together jobs and hours, always worrying about the bills piling up. You forget how crazy, how inhumane it all is,” she said.

People testifying Tuesday also asked the advisory board to crack down on labor violations that separate employees from needed benefits.

Daniel Ravizza, researcher for the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, elaborated on data showing that contractors intentionally misclassify

employees as independent contractors, allowing them to save up to 30 percent on labor costs.

“The worker being misclassified also must pay all back taxes at the end of the year and assumes all liability for any injuries that may happen on the job,” he said.

Uninsured workers who are injured on the job depend on the state’s Second Injury fund, burdening workers and taxpayers, Ravizza said. He asked that the board recommend increased fines for employers who misclassify workers as independent contractors.

Latino immigrant workers expressed concern about issues plaguing their communities, such as wage theft in restaurants and on farms.

Adalberto Barranco, a member of activist group Unidad Latina en Accion, said he has made about $6.50 an hour working on a farm in North Branford for the last seven years. “What are we going to do about wage theft?” he said.

Luis Ramirez lives in Fair Haven and is a factory and restaurant worker. He has made $6 per hour at restaurants to provide for his wife and five children with no tips to supplement the pay. Now he works at Burger

King and is unable to spend time with his kids during the weekends.

“Every business owner in Connecticut gets rich because of our work,” he said. “We need a decent pay raise” to $15 per hour.

Paulina Lopez started working on a farm in Cheshire three years ago and earns $9.15 per hour below minimum wage. Farm work is demanding and she has a son to provide for. A salary bump to $15 would make it easier for them to survive.

“I want to know what’s going to happen with the farm workers,” she said, through a translator. “Are you going to include us in this?”

Bhandary-Alexander said the hearing “couldn’t have been any better,” as a way to connect policy issues with individual narratives.

The board heard from economic experts from the Economic Policy Institute and Demos think tank in previous hearings about how minimum wage increases have affected other cities. It meets monthly and hopes to have an initial report with policy recommendations to the legislature in the next month and a half, he said.

Brown said Jones-Generette reached out to officials leading Youth Stat, a a citywide initiative that connects at-risk students with community resources to prevent them from dropping out.

Gemma Joseph Lumpkin, the school system’s director of youth, family and community engagement, said her team has started working with teachers, students and administrators at Barnard to determine their needs, after both Jones-Generette and Tracey reached out to her department.

“We’ve met with the student focus group in gathering information on student needs, and we’ve worked with teachers gathering information,” she said.

Cicarella said there are definitely “concerns” at Barnard, which teachers, administrators, union leadership and district leaders are attempting to work out.

“You don’t negotiate in the media,” he said.

There is no question that teachers have legitimate concerns, he said. “We are working on those.

We’re trying to do it in the most thoughtful way we can.”

He said teachers are looking for some resolutions now and others by the end of the school year.

Harries confirmed that some of the upcoming steps will happen quickly while other will happen over time. “What we need to be sure is that Barnard is delivering effective instruction for its students.”

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One of her home care jobs pays $12 per hour; the other pays

“No Confidence” even before Jones-Generette got to the school, in which teachers “deflect” attention around the time the teacher evaluations are due. The deadline for teacher evaluations was Tuesday.

“People don’t want to be held accountable to a standard,” she said.

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Workers Seek $15 Minimum Wage

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Foot Focus More Than Symbolic On Maundy Thursday As some had their feet attended to, others found time to walk a nearby labyrinth, a “divine footprint” and mystical tradition which crosses cultures and religions and which was provided by the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) and the Spiritual Round Table, a collective of people from a variety of beliefs who want to connect to spirituality. The winding path is said to become “a mirror for where we are in our lives, a path which touches our sorrows and releases our our joys.”

by DAVID SEPULVEDA Twonna Pringle “Pringle, like the chips,” as she introduced herself used a walker to get to her place under the feet washing tent. After she soaked her bare feet in a warm bath for a few minutes, a volunteer began to apply an apricot exfoliant scrub, eliciting rave reviews.

Twonna was one of nearly 175 people who gathered Thursday outside Trinity Episcopal Church on the New Haven Green just as some do every Sunday as part of an outdoor ministry designed to help meet the spiritual and practical needs of the homeless or of those who are simply “not inclined to go into the church,” according to one observer.

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016

Thursday’s event under gray and blustery skies was the seventh annual gathering outside the church celebrating Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, the Christian holy day initiating the Triduum or the period commemorating the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which is observed over four days.

For some, joy was found in a plate of hot food …

DAVID SEPULVEDA PHOTO Following the example of Christ, volunteers wash the feet of outdoor congregants. Twonna Pringle, lower right.

Volder, said that the church is not about keeping people dependent.

“It’s about empowering people,” he said. “We connect them with other services to improve their situations.”

Fair Haven Community Health Center representatives handed out toiletries, pens, and fliers about health insurance.

Outreach and enrollment workers Stephanie Aybar and Carmen Camacho made it a point to talk to people about their healthcare status.

In addition to the outdoor church service, an array of social service and health agencies brought together by organizer Samantha Butler dispensed much needed foot care and general health information.

Trinity Church Deacon for Urban Ministry Rev. Kyle Pedersen noted that many who are homeless typically walk an average of eight miles per day, necessitating the extra attention and care provided at Thursday’s event.

Special foot care and grooming packages were dispensed to event participants along with a number of gift cards earmarked for new footwear. A card in one of the packages read, “God bless these feet and direct their steps Amen.”

Trinity Church parishioner Leigh Cromey passed out new pairs of socks for as long as supplies lasted.

Rev. Stephanie Johnson of St. Paul’s Church in Fairfield and

The foot-washing ceremony and attendant activities went

well beyond the symbolic ritual modeled by Christ for his disciples and especially practiced during the holy days leading to Easter. Trinity Church Rector, the Rev. Dr. Luk De

Bishop Diocesan the Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas delivered a hopeful sermon, noting God’s penchant for turning things on their head: “The last shall be first and the first shall be last” he said, quoting a biblical passage in Matthew 20. Earlier he explained his preference in always starting Triduum in New Haven: “I’m responsible for 168 parishes, and every year I start Triduum here. Caring for people who live on their feet is a manifestation of the goodness of God in the world. This is not simply symbolic — it’s a real foot washing and actual caring for people’s feet. … What a thought, huh?”

… or tasty desserts donated by Orange Street’s Romeo & Cesare, and Nica’s Market, and Insomnia Cookies on Chapel Street.

Volunteers Amy Mueller of Someday Soon Ministries of Clinton, Bethel A.M.E. WarmUp Center’s Meredith Benson.

Meredith Benson, coordinator at the Bethel A.M.E. Church and Warming Center on Goffe Street, which is part of the city’s shelter overflow program, was helping with her first-foot washing at the Trinity outreach program. She said her organization, like Trinity Church, shares the concern and care for those in need: “We don’t call them clients — we call them guests.”

Prayerful moments abounded at the Triduum observance.

After the sermon, those seated were given an opportunity to publicly offer thanks and expressions of gratitude. “I’d like to give thanks for 30 days of sobriety,” said one woman.

Katherine Brantley, who earlier could be heard drumming on a tattered five-gallon drum as part of a percussion ensemble, said she was “grateful for all who came out.”

The congregation responded: “Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.”

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Pioneering Oncologist: The Doctor Who Developed The Chemicals For Chemotherapy Was A Black Woman BlackThen.com Dr. Jane C. Wright was a pioneering oncologist (cancer specialist) who helped elevate chemotherapy drug treatment from a last resort for cancer patients to the often-effective treatment option that it is today. She also founded a leading professional organization – the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) – that addresses the unique needs of physicians who care for cancer patients.

Coming from a distinguished family of physicians, Jane was born in 1919 in Manhattan, NY where her father, Louis Wright, was a doctor specializing in treating cancer patients. He was also among the first black graduates of Harvard Medical School and was reported to be the first black doctor appointed to the

staff of a New York City hospital. Louis’ father was an early graduate of what became the Meharry Medical College – the first medical school in the South for African Americans, founded in Nashville in 1876.

fects of a variety of drugs on tumors, experimented with chemotherapeutic agents on leukemia in mice and eventually treated patients, with some success, with new anticancer drugs, including triethylene melamine.

Jane’s mother Corrine was a substitute teacher in the New York school system. After medical school, Jane worked as a doctor for New York City schools and later began her career as a researcher working alongside her father at a cancer center he established at Harlem Hospital in New York.

Other Achievements: After her father died in 1952, Jane took over as director of his cancer research foundation, and in 1955 she joined the faculty of the New York University Medical Center as director of cancer research, where her work focused on correlating the responses of tissue cultures to anticancer drugs with the responses of patients.

Why She’s Important: In the medical field that is known today as chemotherapy, Dr. Jane Wright was an innovator. Working with her physician-father at the Harlem Hospital Cancer Research Foundation, which he established, she was a pioneer in

the discovery and development of chemicals that effectively attack and destroy cancer cells.

Today in the realm of chemotherapy, such chemicals form the basis of drugs that are viable treatments for most forms of cancer.

Collaborating with her father and others, she studied the ef-

In 1964, working as part of a team at the N.Y.U. School of Medicine, Dr. Wright developed a non-surgical method, using a catheter system, to deliver heavy doses of anticancer drugs to previously hard-to-reach tumor ar-

eas in the kidneys, spleen and elsewhere. That same year, she founded the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which today still functions as key organization that addresses the unique needs of physicians who treat cancer patients.

In 1967, she became head of the chemotherapy department and associate dean at New York Medical College –becoming the first black woman to hold such a high post at an American medical school.

Education: She completed her undergraduate studies at Smith College, where she studied art before turning to medicine. She received a full scholarship to New York Medical College, earning her medical degree in 1945.

She died in 2013 at her home in Guttenberg, N.J. She was 93.

You Have to Understand Why “Diamond” and “Silk” Support Trump

By Bill Fletcher, Jr.

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016

NNPA News Wire Columnist I saw it on Facebook. These two Black women at a Trump rally expressing their support for “The Donald.” I realized, once again, that there is a certain type of emotional naiveté that I possess when it comes to our people. I assume that in light of the history of White supremacy which we have experienced for several hundred years, including indentured servitude, slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and de facto segregation, not to mention the ideological demonization of our people at the hands of an

assortment of characters, that we can look a racist in the eyes and know their stand.

I found myself staring at these two Black women backing Trump and I realized that I felt the same emotions about the candidacy of Dr. Ben Carson.

How is it, I have asked, for a Black person to utter some of the most ridiculous statements known to humanity? It is only when I have calmed down that I remind myself that not only are we, as a people, far from monolithic, but that—despite our history—there is a very conservative, if not outright reactionary minority among Black Americans that are actually

convinced that we—ourselves— are the problem or that there is some other racial/ethnic/religious group, e.g., Latinos; Muslims, who can take some of the racist heat away from us that we have experienced for so very long.

It is not simply self-hatred that we are facing. In some respects, that would be easy to address. It is that there are people who honestly believe, for whatever reason, that their personal future or our collective future resides in conforming to the worst caricatures that White America has of us. They seem to believe that by joining in on the pile-on against Latinos and Muslims, for instance, that we will somehow

become accepted as REAL AMERICANS. It will never happen. Some Black folks tried that after 9/11.

It does not work. We are still hated. It is the revelation that the Adolph Caesar character has at both the beginning and end of the classic film “A Soldier’s Story,” i.e., the ‘game’ has been rigged and masses of Whites still hate us, even when we get on our knees and do everything that they ask.

Donald Trump called for the execution of five Black men who were accused in the Central Park brutal rape of a white woman in 1989, only for them to be exonerated. Trump calls for

excluding and expelling Mexicans for allegedly bringing crime to the U.S., as if no other ethnic group has ever been or is associated with crime. Trump calls for banning Muslims from entering the U.S. for allegedly bringing terrorism despite the fact that most terrorist attacks since 9/11 have been carried out by white supremacists.

What am I missing? Is there any reason to take anyone who supports Trump with any degree of seriousness? I think not.

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a talk-show host, writer and activist. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.

Black Women in the Peace Movement

By Julianne Malveaux (NNPA News Wire Columnist) Some words seem rarely mentioned in this highly toxic political season. We’ve heard about bombs and walls, but very little about peace. One is almost tempted, when some of the candidates are speaking, to burst into song – give peace a chance. In this Women’s History Month, it makes sense to reflect on women and the peace movement, and especially on the African American women who have been peace activists and have played a significant role in this movement.

The Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom (WILPF) was founded in 1915 in the midst of World War I. Its first chair, Hull House’s Jane Addams, cared deeply about world disarmament. Early on, though, there were criticisms of WILPF and the peace movement because African American were too often invisible. In a book poignantly title, No Peace Without Freedom, Race and WILPF, Joyce Blackwell writes about tensions within the path breaking peace organization. In a similar book, “A Band of Noble Women: Racial Politics in the Women’s Peace Movement,” Melinda Plastas writes that African American women combined the effects of race, gender and war, and “demanded a place for Black women in the international peace movement.

Terrell was not the only woman who worked with WILPF during its early days.

Addie Hunton came to activism early, working as an organizer for NACW in the early twentieth century. She worked with servicemen in France during the war. Those war experiences perhaps influenced her to work as a peace activist during the 1920s.

In 1926, she wrote a report condemning US occupation of Haiti.

Bertha McNeill was another of the African American women involved in WILPF. She led the Washington, D.C. chapter, and also served as a vice president of the organization for two terms.

These women – as do some of our non-African American sisters like Media Benjamin and Arandhati Roy – come to mind in the middle of this raucous political season. Sane, calm voices are missing in these presidential debates. We are also missing a future focus that takes the futility of increasing militarism into consideration. With the immigration crisis sparked by conflict in Syria, the violence maintained

by ISIS, unrest in the Middle East, and tension with Russia, not to mention the number of US troops still in Afghanistan and Iraq, wouldn’t it be appropriate for us to hear about alternatives

to militarism.

That brings me to California Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the only person who had the courage to oppose President George W. Bush’s push for military action after September 11, 2001. She appropriately asked whether our country was rushing into war. Subsequent events suggest that we did rush – “weapons of mass destruction” were never found. Many of us are quite familiar with Barbara Lee’s peace activism, but far fewer of us know much about Mary Church Terrell and Addie Hunton. While African American peace activists were few in the WILPF early days, their contributions were significant and, more importantly, they paved the way for activists like Barbara Lee to advocate a peace agenda and a peace budget.

Those who profit from the military industrial complex seem so welded to the notion of war that they won’t give peace a chance. And they’ll take war however they can – at home, as police departments are increasingly militarized (do we really need tanks in city streets), or abroad, where it is easy to create an enemy. Black women’s history of peace activism should be lifted up this month, especially the work of Mary Church Terrell and Barbara Lee. Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist based in Washington, D.C. Her latest offering, “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy,” is available for purchase at www.juliannemalveaux.com Julianne Malveaux is an author, economist and Founder of Economic Education. Her latest book “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy” is available to order at www.juliannemalveaux.com.

Follow her on Twitter @drjlastword.

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Mary Church Terrell was involved in WILPF almost from its outset, serving on its board for a time. The D.C. doyenne, who was one of the first African American women to earn a college degree, was involved in the civil rights and social justice

movements. A teacher by profession, she was one of the first women to serve on the Washington, D.C. Board of Education.

She played founding roles in many justice organizations, including the NAACP, the International College of Women, the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Some of her dealings with WILPF were not smooth – she was not reelected to serve a second term on the Board of the organization, to the chagrin of many of the White women who felt that Black women’s voices needed to be heard on peace matters.

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - Aprl 03, 2016

From Mary Church Terrell to Barbara Lee:

Black Women’s Roundtable Emphasizes Power in Female Vote

by Shantella Y. Sherman Hundreds of Black women and girls from around the U.S. recently convened at a national summit that empowered them with the tools to maximize their social power through civic engagement, political participation, and strategic advocacy, enabling women to network and lobby with each other to ensure candidates in local and presidential campaigns focused on issues important to Black women.

The Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) hosted the Women of Power National Summit on Capitol Hill from March 17-20.

“Our summit is not just about getting Black women out to vote, but also about getting policies enacted that will benefit the best interests of our communities” Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, said at the “Power to the Sister Vote” Town Hall. “We have to be cognizant of our school boards, city councils, and other offices so we do not have to read about Flint in the paper and we can hold our governments accountable.”

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Members of the roundtable said the Black female vote is particularly important in elections, though the needs of Black women, their children, and the institutions that undergird their lives, such as health care systems, schools systems, etc. are often dismissed by politicians.

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Melanie Campbell (Photo by Shantella Y. Sherman)

DeWeever’s “Black Women in the United States 2016 – Power of the Sister Vote,” show that only 3.4 percent of Black women make up Congress, despite Black women having the highest number of eligible potential voters.

With 2.6 million more Black women voting between 2000 and 2016, members of the organization are critical of the ten states with no Black female representation – local or state, as well as President Barack Obama oversight in nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court.

“We are disappointed and had hoped that an African-American woman would be nominated. We have and will continue to advocate for the next Supreme Court vacancy to be filled by an exceptional Black woman to bring about a balance that ensures the court is more representative of all Americans,” Campbell said in a press release. “We continue to believe it is time for AfricanAmerican women to be repre-

sented in all sectors of government – including the U. S. Supreme Court of the United States, which in its 227 year history has not had a Black woman nominated to serve on the highest court in the land.”

The Rev. Regena Thomas, former secretary of state of New Jersey, told the town hall participants that it is not enough to vote because it is the right thing to do or for your ancestors who could not vote, but because the stakes are too high not to vote. “We continue to create a cycle where even when we do vote, we are leaving our young sisters at home. We have to be strategic in our own space so I challenge each woman here to work within their own social media space at least,” she said. “Make sure that every one of your Facebook friends, Twitter associates, LinkedIn, Snapchat, all of them, get out and vote. If they don’t have a ride, need a babysitter, need help getting identification – help them.

BECOME A FOSTER OR ADOPTIVE PARENT… ATTEND AN INFORMATIONAL SESSION

Please call 1-888-KID-HERO For more Information Department of Children and Families

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016 26

BY JESSE JACKSON President Obama’s historic trip to Havana, Cuba — the first American president to visit since Calvin Coolidge in 1928 — opens the door to a new era in relations not only with Cuba, but also with our neighbors across the hemisphere.

Extensive press coverage of the trip will feature the President’s meeting with Cuban leader Raul Castro, the Tuesday baseball game pitting the Cuban national team against Tampa Bay, the president’s meetings with business leaders and with Cuban dissidents. We’ll get pictures of aged Chevy’s held together by duct tape, of lovely but crumbling Havana mansions, of Cuba’s lively culture and its widespread poverty.

Cuba surely is a poor country.

Its government, while still enjoying popular support, is a far remove from a democracy.

Freedom of speech and assembly are greater than most realize, but still severely policed. But much of what we think about Cuba is upside down, and inside out.

First, in many ways, the president’s initiative to normalize relations with Cuba isn’t so much ending their isolation as ending ours. Cuba has enjoyed good and growing relations with our neighbors across the hemisphere for years.

In recent years, those countries have threatened to exclude the U.S. from hemispheric meetings if we continued to demand that Cuba’s exclusion. We have sought to isolate Cuba for over 50 years; we ended up isolating ourselves.

Second, for many across the world, Cuba, not the U.S., has been on the right side of history.

Cuba stood with Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress while the U.S. was supporting the apartheid government and labeling Mandela a terrorist.

When South Africa invaded

Angola in the mid-1970s to block the independence movement there, it was Cuba, not the U.S. that sent troops to force South Africa’s withdrawal. One of the first visits Mandela made after he was freed was to Havana to thank Fidel Castro for his support, hailing the Cuban revolution as “a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving peoples.”

Similarly, for many across Africa and Latin America, Cuba is known for supplying doctors and teachers, aiding in the development of nations emerging from colonialism.

America, too often, has been either allied with the former colonialists or hostile to the emerging independent movements.

Third, while some of Cuba’s poverty is self-inflicted, some is also the direct result of 50 years of the embargo. Cuba is a small island, 90 miles off our coast, without its own oil. Before the revolution, tourism was a leading industry; foreign investors were central to the economy. The revolution upended that order.

The embargo severed those and any new ties. In the Cold War

years, the Soviet Union alone provided a lifeline for the regime. Since the end of the Cold War, more and more countries have chafed at the American embargo and begun to deal with Cuba.

Fourth, most popular leaders in South America see Cuba as an example of proud, national independence. In many ways, our hostility to Castro elevated his stature across the world.

Emerging populist leaders in South America don’t plan to imitate Cuban socialism, which is being slowly reformed. But they are envious of Cuba’s health care and education systems, which provide Cubans with a standard of health and educational opportunity far above most developing countries.

Fifth, Cuba has not been closed to us; we have been closed to Cuba. The Cubans have been looking for a dialogue for years. When I went to Cuba in 1984, I met with Fidel Castro and even took him to church. We negotiated the release of 22 American and 26 Cuban political prisoners. He was ready for a

dialogue then, but the U.S. continued its no-talk policy until President Obama finally launched his historic initiative.

Reform will come slowly in a Cuba that is still proud of its revolution and anxious to preserve its gains in health care and education. Its foreign policy will remain proudly independent.

The regime remains on guard against U.S. efforts to undermine it from within.

But reform will come slowly here also. To this day, Congress refuses to lift an embargo that punishes a small neighbor off our coast. To this day, our arrogance and ideological blinders make it hard for us to see Cuba whole.

The president has opened the door. Increased travel, cultural exchanges and the beginnings of business investment will push it open further. Most Americans already support normal relations and an end to a policy that has failed for over half a century.

And one day, we can hope, even the ideologues and zealots in the Congress will get the message.

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - Aprl 03, 2016

Americans often see Cuba upside down

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PLACING AN AD EASY

Classifieds Classifieds 203 387-0354

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

CITY PLANNER City of Norwich Salary Range: $76,986 - $83,145 Visit www.norwichct.org/hr to apply and for more information regarding qualifications and application deadline. AA/EEO.

CARPENTER Large CT Fence Company looking for a carpenter 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 building fence panels, posts, gates and more. Some pickup & delivery of materials may also 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

CONSTRUCTION FENCE ERECTING CONTRACTORS Experienced Iron Workers needed. Must have tools, transportation, OSHA 10 card; Will conduct background check and pre-employment drug test. EOE-M/F Call 860-585-9016.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is seeking to fill a full time position for a Communications Officer.

Please refer to our website for details: http://www.cfgnh.org/About/ContactUs/EmploymentOpportunities.aspx EOE electronic submissions only. No phone calls

Listing: Accounting-AR Specialist

Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for Fence Installer foreman and helpers. Foreman must have at least 5 years’ experience. Helpersno experience required, will train the right person. Work available 10-12 months per year. Valid Ct. Driver’s license required and must be able to get a DOT Medical Card. All necessary equipment provided. Medical, vacation & other benefits included. Must be able to pass a physical and drug test. Foreman rates from $22 to $28/hour plus benefits, helper rates from $16/hour plus benefits. OSHA 10 training is a plus. Please email resume to rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE

FENCE ERECTING SUBCONTRACTORS

Immediate opening for an experienced professional in an extremely fast-paced petroleum environment. Requires AR knowledge, high volume billing experience and familiarity with Excel, Adds Energy experience a plus. Candidate must possess a high level of accuracy and attention to detail. Petroleum industry and propane experience a plus. Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for experienced, responsible commercial and residential fence erectors and installers on a subcontractor basis. Earn from $750 to $2,000 per day. Must have truck and your own tools. Email resume to mpicard@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE

**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

Driver: CDL Driver needed for site work Company. Applicant must have at least a Class B license with clean driving record. Tri Axle Dump Truck experience required.

Seeking WBE drywall suppliers and subcontractors for New Haven housing authority project. Please email info@tecconllc.com if interested.

Drivers: Company Drivers. $5000 transition bonus. Paid out in the first 4 months - Call us for details! New Home Time policy: 5 days out - 2 days off; 10 days out - 4 days off; 15 days out6 days off. We offer: average $1200$1400 weekly. $1500 quarterly bonus. $5000 referral bonus. Dedicated lanes.

Longevity bonus. Dedicated driver advocate team. Health, dental, vision benefits available. Paid layovers & orientation. Requirements: must have CDLA with tanker & hazmat endorsements.

Have or be willing to obtain TWIC card. 1yr. tractor-trailer exp. Call Jessica: 866-983-0855 or apply online at www.Work4QC.com

Construction Site Work Company looking for experienced laborers, operators, foremen and drivers

Construction Site Work Foreman: Minimum 5 years’ experience as Site Work Crew Foreman.

Applicant must have knowledge of site layout & grade and utility installation a must.

Equipment Operator: Immediate opening for experienced operator with 5 to 10 years of experience, P6 or P7 license preferred for a site work company. Must be able to operate excavators, dozers, skid steers, earth rollers, etc. Must have experience with site layout & grade and utility installation. Must have knowledge of required daily equipment maintenance.

Laborer: Must have previous construction experience and reliable transportation. Applicant should be able to perform manual labor for 8 hour day and lift up to 50lbs.

Please indicate position of interest when applying.

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016

Please fax resume to 203-630-1998, email to HR@LaRosaBG.com or apply in person at LaRosa Earth Group 163 Research Parkway, Meriden, CT. Women and minorities encouraged to apply.

AA/EEO

LABORERS NEEDED Full time openings for Construction Laborers with benefits after 90 days.

Minimum two years experience required. All interested parties please apply in person at: True Blue Environmental, 5 Northfield Rd, Wallingford, CT. An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Elm City Communities Invitation for Bids Matthew Ruoppolo Manor Electric Generator Replacement Elm City Communities also known as The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (HANH) is currently seeking Bids for Matthew Ruoppolo Manor Electric Generator Replacement. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 @ 3:00 PM.

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

Connecticut’s First Choice For Urban News Since1990

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Classifieds Classifieds 203 387-0354

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

Listing:? Maintenance Assistant Immediate opening for a part time maintenance assistant for grounds and building maintenance.

Position requires flexible work schedule. Some heavy lifting required. Computer knowledge a plus. Send resume to HR Manager, 401 Soundview Road, Guilford, CT 06437. **An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids Winslow- Celentano Hydronic Upgrades The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (HANH) is currently seeking Bids for Winslow- Celentano Hydronic Upgrades. Bids will be received until March 4, 2016 at 3:00 PM. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 on Wednesday February 17, 2016 @ 11:00 AM. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from HANH’s front desk at 360 Orange Street beginning on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 @ 3:00 PM. Request for electronic copies of the request should be emailed to bids@newhavenhousing.org.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is seeking to fill a full time position for a Communications Officer.

Please refer to our website for details: http://www.cfgnh.org/About/ContactUs/EmploymentOpportunities.aspx EOE electronic submissions only. No phone calls

Drivers Needed Full time openings for Class A Drivers with benefits after 90 days. Previous experience required. All interested parties: Apply in person with Rich Merly at True Blue Environmental 5 Northfield Road, Wallingford, CT. An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - Aprl 03, 2016

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Inner-City Inner-City News

The Town of East Haven is currently accepting applications to participate in the exam for Public Safety Dispatcher. Hourly rate of pay is $ 23.59. Candidate must possess High School diploma or GED. Successfully pass background investigation and fingerprinting, pass a physical exam including a drug screening test as well as have the ability to distinguish and identify different colors and pass a hearing test. Must possess good computer skills, have the ability to learn new computer updates and systems as they are implemented and obtain and maintain State of Connecticut Telecommunication Certification.

Must become trained in Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD). Additional Preferred Qualifications: Ability to speak and understand Spanish, demonstrated knowledge of local geography, Emergency Medical Technician, previous dispatch/police/fire experience, previous NCIC/Collect/911 experience and certified in ProQA. Please apply at www.PoliceApp.com/EastHavenCT. The fee to apply is $40 and the deadline is April 8, 2016.

Coordinator of Assessment Systems: The Town of East Haven is currently conducting an examination for the position of Coordinator of Assessment Systems. Qualified candidates must possess a Bachelors Degree from an accredited college of university in Computer Science, Business or related field and five (5) years experience with computer appraisal and administrative systems used in an Assessor’s Office or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provide a demonstrated potential for performing the duties of the position. Excellent computer skills essential, experience in Assessor’s Office preferred. The starting salary is $49,385 per year. The application is available at www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-service-commission/pages/job-notices-and-tests or the Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven CT and the deadline to apply is April 8, 2016.

The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Minorities, Females, Veterans and Handicapped are encouraged to apply.

CONSTRUCTION Experienced Iron Workers needed. Must have tools, transportation, OSHA 10 card; Will conduct background check and pre-employment drug test. EOE-M/F Call 860-525-9016.

Class A CDL Driver with 3 years min. exp. HAZMAT Endorsed. (Tractor/Triaxle/Roll-off) Some overnights may be required. FAX resumes to RED Technologies, at 860.342-1042; Email: mandrade@redtechllc.com Mail or in person: 173 Pickering Street, Portland, CT 06480. RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

Listing: Senior Accountant.

Immediate opening in a fast-paced petroleum environment for a degreed accountant w/ 2+ year’s public accounting experience. Duties include data transmission, tax prep, assistance w/monthly closing, account analysis/reconciliation, assistance managing network and system projects. Strong Excel and analytical skills a must. Great growth potential! Benefit package. Candidate must possess a high level of accuracy and attention to detail. Petroleum industry and propane experience a plus. Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

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**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

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

PLACING AN AD EASY

Classifieds Classifieds 203 387-0354

BUSINESS HOURS - MONDAY FRIDAY 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM - 50 FITCH NEW HAVEN CT, 06515 - Career/Education/Training • Bid• L egal and Public Notices • Health Care • Real Estate • Professional Drivers: Company Drivers. $5000 transition bonus. Paid out in the first 4 months Call us for details! New Home Time policy: 5 days out - 2 days off; 10 days out - 4 days off; 15 days out- 6 days off. We offer: average $1200-$1400 weekly. $1500 quarterly bonus. $5000 referral bonus. Dedicated lanes. Longevity bonus. Dedicated driver advocate team. Health, dental, vision benefits available. Paid layovers & orientation. Requirements: must have CDLA with tanker & hazmat endorsements.

Have or be willing to obtain TWIC card.

1yr. tractor-trailer exp. Call Jessica: 866983-0855 or apply online at www.Work4QC.com

The Glendower Group, Inc Request for Proposals Compliance Consultant The Glendower Group, Inc, an instrumentality of The Housing Authority City of New Haven is currently seeking Proposals for Compliance Consultant Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:/ /newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 @ 3:00 PM.

The Glendower Group, Inc Request for Proposals

Real Estate Broker Services The Glendower Group, Inc, an instrumentality of The Housing Authority City of New Haven is currently seeking Proposals for Real Estate Broker Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, March 7, 2016 @ 3:00 PM.

HVAC Apprentices Now Hiring HVAC apprentices. Current or previous HVAC trade school is required. We are hiring for a long term multi-family housing project in New Haven. Prevailing wage rates up to $55 per hour. We are an innovative and fast growing heating and AC contractor. We offer paid holidays, vacation time, 401K, Health Insurance and many other benefits. Call 860-283-4878 or email Chris@ctcomfortcontrol.com today to schedule a confidential interview.

HVAC Journeymen Seeking WBE drywall suppliers and subcontractors for New Haven housing authority project. Please email info@tecconllc.com if interested.

Now Hiring licensed Journeymen HVAC technicians and installers. CT S, D, or SM license required. We are hiring for a long term multi-family housing project in New Haven. Prevailing wage rates up to $75 per hour. We are an innovative and fast growing heating and AC contractor. We offer paid holidays, vacation time, 401K, Health Insurance and many other benefits. Call 860-283-4878 or email Chris@ctcomfortcontrol.com today to schedule a confidential interview.

CLERK TYPIST

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016

Performs a wide variety of clerical duties requiring excellent computer and interpersonal skills.

This position requires 1 year of office work experience of a responsible nature and a H.S., G.E.D. or business diploma. $19.63 to $23.76 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package.

Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. The closing date will be that date the 75th application form/resume is received, or March 30, 2016, whichever occurs first. EOE Electric Utility System Operator/Dispatcher Operates electric distribution substation and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for an electric utility serving 25,000 customers. Coordinates electric system switching and places equipment in and out of service during routine and emergency operations. Requires HS diploma/GED with 2 years experience in the operation of Distribution SCADA equipment and/or switchboards used in the distribution of electricity. Experience and training may be substituted on a year for year basis. Must maintain valid system operation certification from Connecticut Valley Exchange (CONVEX) or other approved agency or be able to obtain the same within 90 days of hire.

Must posses and maintain a valid State of CT driver’s license. $ 31.84 - $ 37.83 per hour plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply to: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Fax #: (203) 294-2084. Closing date will be April 11, 2016. EOE.

Drivers Needed Full time openings for Class A Drivers with benefits after 90 days. Previous experience required. All interested parties: Apply in person with Rich Merly at True Blue Environmental 5 Northfield Road, Wallingford, CT. An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - Aprl 03, 2016

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INNER-CITY NEWS March 28, 2016 - April 03, 2016 32