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INNER-CITY NEWS July05, 27,2016 2016--October August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 11, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Acting Fire Chief Leaves; Regrets “Political Witch Hunt”

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Acting Chief Matt Marcarelli had hoped to wait until a new chief took over New Haven’s fire department before he retired, but he was left out of the loop.

Marcarelli, a a 22-year veteran of the department, put in for retirement this week. He has served as acting chief since July 8 while the city has looked for a replacement for the previous acting chief, Ralph Black.

Marcarelli worked his last day Thursday. That was the same day Mayor Toni Harp’s choice for the permanent chief position, John Alston Jr., came to town for a confirmation hearing and City Hall press conference. The department is now leaderless.

Marcarelli said he is taking a new job with the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington.

“I got the job offer a while ago,” he told the Independent. “I had

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Marcarelli.

hoped the new chief would be here before I left, but despite him being in town several times, I’ve never heard from him. I didn’t even know of the press conference today.”

He decried “a political witch hunt”

that prevented him from “enjoying more years” working with people like former Assistant Chief Pat Egan, Chief Michael Grant, and Acting Chief Black: “We accomplished great things together.”

Marcarelli also praised City Engineer Giovanni Zinn (“an excellent asset to the city”), with whom he worked on rehabbing the fire station; and city Chief Administrative Officer Mike Carter. He called Carter “great to work with. He’s had a guidance presence in the FD, but I feel his opinion on many matters fall son deaf ears. It’s unfortunate, because he’s a strong leader.”

“It really boiled down to a business decision,” Marcarelli said of the decision to leave. He expects to complete his master’s degree in the next month. He also looks forward to spending more time with his family after having “been doing the job of two or three people for a while.”

“I’ll miss the job,” Marcarelli reflected. “It was part of my life for 22 years. I’m just going to do it elsewhere.

“The best jobs I had on the fire department were as a lieutenant and captain, where I served with some great guys

and we went to lots of fires.

“Being a company officer is the best job on the fire department. I feel I made a lasting impact on the department. One of the highlights was carrying out Chief Grant and Egan’s directive to work toward an ISO class 1 rating, which designates superior fire protection. That project took six years to complete.”

Another high point: “The hiring of nearly 130 new firefighters and promotions in all ranks, again, many years in the making. I’ve had a direct impact as far as training or promotions on virtually every member of the department, and most of them are very good folks. I made quite a few other operational improvements, but most of my changes were merely putting an action plan together based on some of the ideas from the rank and file.

Much of what I accomplished was started under Chief Grant, Egan and Black. It’s not uncommon for plans a chief lays out to not come to fruition until after they’re gone.”

City GOP Unveils “Striking” Agenda

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Rev up the microbus. Give the public the mic. Stop dumping on Yale; give parents school vouchers.

New Haven will do that and more if it follows a path newly laid out by the city’s Republican Party.

Yes, we have a Republican Party in New Haven. It doesn’t have any elected officials. It’s running only one New Haven candidate for state legislative office this fall. It hasn’t won a mayor’s race since 1951.

But, under the leadership of a new town chair, the party is rebuilding. And now it at least has an official platform on which to rebuild.

A platform with specific ideas.

A six-member party committee drew up what it dubbed a “progrowth economic agenda, advocating for good governance, pushing for excellence in education, streamlining the city’s budget, promoting public safety and improving intracommunity partnerships.” You can read the full platform here.

The Democrats who run the Board

Wharton (inset): More open government needed.

of Alders are also in the process of seeking public input for a revised policy agenda of their own.

Jonathan Wharton, the new Republican town chair, discussed and defended the new policy agenda during an appearance Wednesday on WNHH radio’s “Dateline New Haven” program.

The party exercised fiscal restraint

in posting the agenda on the internet, he noted: It saved $300 a year by using a web service called Strikingly, which hosts the site for free.

Three portions of the GOP agenda take aim at the decision by Democratic alders this past year to slow approval of development projects by stretching out an approval process for a separate citywide

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parking plan by Yale University.

Wharton, who sits on the City Plan Commission, said he was frustrated to see development delayed by what he called unrelated political interests advanced by Yale’s UNITE HERE unions, which support a majority of the Board of Alders. Wharton said that concern led to the platform call that “New

Haven should improve relations with developers and investors to revitalize our neighborhoods”; should “not politicize parking spaces for specific interests”; and “should revise parking space demands by the Board of Alders placed on nonprofit institutions.”

The platform calls for allowing “vouchers and school choice for all families,” a fight that the city would need to bring to the state Capitol. Wharton said “choice” includes greater state funding for charter schools.

Wharton, who teaches political science at Southern Connecticut State University, was asked about criticisms that vouchers send needed public education dollars to private institutions, and that charter schools skim the easiest students to teach while burdening traditional public schools with special education students.

“We as Republicans believe in more competition,” he responded. He argued that traditional schools “can reform themselves” when faced with other schools

Blatant Racism, Silent Media THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy

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

Advertising/Sales Team Trenda Lucky Keith Jackson Delores Alleyne John Thomas, III

Editorial 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 New Haven Independent www.newhavenindependent.org

Memberships

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By Samuel T. Ross-Lee I watched the Presidential debate between Clinton and Trump, largely because I was uninterested in the Monday Night Football game.

Few of the comments, arguments, fabrications and exaggerations made by the candidates during the debate surprised me. Most of what they said is par for the course in political debates of any kind, and we expect the rhetoric to heighten in Presidential politics on both sides.

There was one statement that caught me off guard, however, and caused me to sit up straight when I heard it. It was Donald Trump’s claim about his success – compared to others’ failure – in getting the current President to release his Birth Certificate, thereby proving that Obama was born in American.

Now, I had heard brazen statements from Trump well before last night’s debate. Anyone who has not been under a rock for the past sixteen months has. But this statement was so brazenly and blatantly racist that I was shocked that a presidential candidate would make it with what CNN estimated over 81 million people watching. And it is safe to assume that among that number would be a sizable number of African-Americans.

Trump expressed his success in getting the President’s Birth Certificate released as a win for America, not as the result of the racist campaign that it was. His statement was no longer a dog whistle to his supporters who were discontent that an African-American is in the White House. It was a bull horn by which he announced his “success” of making an American – an African-American – President bow to his demand and to prove his legitimacy to hold the position to which the American people had elected him. An African-American may be president, but Donald set out to show that a White man was still in charge of him, in the crassest way. His supporters loved it.

I was shocked by Donald’s victo-

ry claim in this manner, but I was even more shocked that the socalled “Liberal Media” failed to call out the glaring racism in Trump’s words, attitude, and posture.

The public rightly depends on the press to provide information to which we are not privy. The media, especially the broadcast media, has many resources that average citizens must rely on to “get the story right” or to analyze and investigate the information that is put before us by those who seek political power in our country and who do so using public airways.

It would be unreasonable for us to expect Fox News and the like to point out and criticize Trump’s subtle or blatant racism. But, is it unreasonable to expect MSNBC or CNN to do so? Apparently, it is. They allowed Trump to make his victory claim based on a standard applied to no other American president in the history of the Union, and they said nothing.

But, Trump’s racist statements at the debate are not his first, and I suspect will not be his last, given how intensely he has broached the subject of race in the past.

Least we forget, Mr. Trump’s loud outburst in nearly three decades ago in 1989 during the what became known as the Central Park Jogger case. Five African-American youth between the ages of 15 and 17, who became known as the

Central Park Five were arrested for that terrible crime. Trump, the publicity hound that he is, felt the need to weigh in on the situation.

He took out a full page ad in no less than four New York City newspapers whose headlines screamed: Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police.

What exactly did Trump mean by “our’ police then? We can make a good guess now based on the “Us vs. Them” motif that defines his presidential campaign.

It so happened that the Central Park Five, arrested and convicted were railroaded by the police, the prosecutors, and the full judicial system. With the assistance of parents or attorneys, these juveniles were browbeaten into making false confessions, convicted, and imprisoned. After spending the rest of their childhood and a part of their adulthood in prison, they were released when the real offender was caught through DNA evidence.

True to Trump’s arrogance and racist stance, so far he has failed to apologize to the men whom he demonized when they were innocent boys, as he had called for their executions.

Amazingly enough, however, the Liberal Media has not made this incident a centerpiece or even a side piece in their presentation of Trump throughout this campaign. They have

barely mentioned an episode that should be a looped on every mention of Trump on their screens.

A keen focus on a story like this might serve as a deathblow to Trump’s run for the highest office in the country. But how would we know, it the media keeps ignoring it.

Trump probably feels safe in making his racist statements and in behaving in racist ways before a national audience during this campaign, mainly because he realizes that neither the conservative nor the liberal media outlets will not touch him for doing so.

He is a media draw. He is making money for the networks simply by showing up. He is a cash cow for the 24-hour news stations. And since their money is more important to them than anything else, a proper engagement of Trump’s racist is not useful.

The Liberal Media which pretends to critique the candidates has failed to mention some of Trump’s most virulent racism. So, he keeps moving along. If Trump wins this election, fueled by his bigoted claims and actions, the Liberal Media that has been complicit with him should congratulate itself.

For, they have pulled away from a full-throated investigation and presentation of Trump’s racism and have made it easy for the public to ignore or deny it, as well.

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Helen Hagan Gets Her Day THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

by LUCY GELLMAN

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

A New Havener turned musical torch-bearer is finally getting her due. That woman is Helen Eugenia Hagan, a classical pianist whose New Haven roots and boundarybreaking career that grew out of them were almost forgotten after she was buried in an unmarked grave in Evergreen Cemetery in 1964.

Thursday afternoon, a group of around 20 of musicians, scholars, city officials and Connecticut legislators gathered at the cemetery to make sure that her legacy would live on.

They unveiled a new headstone inscribed with her name and highlights from her 75-year life and long history of performing around the country.

Whole chunks of Hagan’s life still remain unaccounted for and shrouded in mystery; only her Piano Concerto in C Minor, which the New Haven Symphony Orchestra performed around 1912, remains.

But a cobbled-together biography reveals an extraordinary person.

Born in 1891 in Portsmouth, N.H., Hagan came to New Haven with her family when she was still very young, attending the Dixwell Avenue Congregational Church after they settled in the city. At only 9 years old, she made her New Haven debut there, sliding up to the piano bench during services to play, and staying on as the pianist thereafter.

That was just the beginning. A humble beginning. A beautiful beginning.

Around 1910, Hagan became the first black female student to attend (and later graduate from) the Yale School of Music, a feat that brought

LUCY GELLMAN PHOTO

Ta da!

her acclaim as she performed with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and then around the country at several historically black venues, in states that ranged from Connecticut and New York to small-town Iowa.

On a scholarship from Yale, she was able to take her performances to France from 1912 to 1914, returning as the tide of WWI escalated for American troops going abroad.

So Hagan became, perhaps unintentionally and driven by her passion to play, a trailblazer. During and directly after the war, she was one of 19 women and only black female performing artist sent by the YMCA to services for 200,000 black troops sta-

tioned in France. When she returned to a country that still honored Plessy V. Ferguson, no less she returned to a position that she had taken at the then-called Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State University (now Tennessee State University) as the institutions second-ever music director. Under her tenure, the university acquired its first-ever grand piano.

“She seemed to have a great ability to lead,” said Reginald McDonald, the eighth music director at Tennessee State, who flew into town for Thursday’s ceremony. “She’s inspired me.”

Tennessee State was only one feather in Hagan’s cap, one trail she was able to clear. In 1921, she returned to the

East Coast to perform solo in New York City, a feat unlikely for a woman of color or a woman at all during that time. From there, she held teaching positions at Texas’s Bishop College and in New York, returning to New Haven when her father died in the 1950s, and again in a casket after succumbing to a long illness in New York City 10 years later.

New Jersey-born writer Elizabeth Foxwell, author of the book In Their Own Words, led the effort to mark Hagan’s grave with a crowdsourced campaign that drew 22 members and local support from the current Dixwell Avenue Congregational Church and Yale School of Music Dean

day in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Esserman resigned under pressure form the rank and file and community members outraged over his public and private personal behavior, including a threat to pull all protection for visiting First Lady Michelle Obama when a Secret Service member didn’t immediately inform him of his place in the motorcade.

The Harp administration would have needed Board of Alders approval of the agreement if it had cost $100,000 or more.

Under the agreement Esserman was made eligible for the retiree medical program. The city agreed to “pay the full cost of the retiree medical from September 2, 2016 through September 1, 2017; thereafter Esserman shall pay the retiree premium cost share (as

defined the New Haven Police Union contract in effect through June 30, 2016) of said retiree program.” Esserman began serving as police chief on Oct. 18, 2011.

Esserman acknowledged in the agreement his responsibilities to cooperate with city lawyers in lawsuits and administrative claims related his time in office. The city in turn agreed to “defend, indemnify and hold Esserman harm-

Robert Blocker. She said she was motivated by a sense that she had to correctly honor Hagan’s memory.

“When I started reading the rave reviews of her performances I thought: This must be a woman of such towering talent — she blew everybody away,” said Foxwell after the ceremony. “I wish I could hear her music.”

She added that she hopes the nowmarked grave would inspire musicians and artists who visited the cemetery to have the same kind of reaction that a small girl watching U.S. swimmer Simone Manuel, the first black woman to win gold in U.S. history, did earlier this year.

“May those that visit this monument, artists and other, draw achievement, and courage, and say: Me next,” she said.

To celebrate the occasion, which falls on opening night of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s 201617 season, Mayor Toni Harp officially declared Sept. 29 “Women Making Music Day” in the Elm City, which also honors the NHSO’s current composer-in-residence, Hannah Lash. She called Hagann’s work a “prolific global contribution” that she’s proud has ties to New Haven.

Lash had a different take, as a composer for whom Hagan’s legacy is living on in a very real way in her day-to-day study of music.

“I listened to her early music [which is the only work that survives] and heard Rachmaninoff, Greig, List, Chopin ... but also a charm and selfawareness,” she said. “She represents what I love most in music: The audacity to be everything one can be.”

Esserman Got $99,500 To Quit

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

The city agreed to pay Dean Esserman a lump sum of $99,500 and to cover his health care costs for years in returning for his agreement to retire early on Sept. 2.

The terms were spelled out in an agreement signed by Esserman and Mayor Toni Harp. The city released the undated document to the Independent Fri-

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less from any and all claims that have been or may in the future be made or asserted against him which relate to, or arise out of or are in connection with Esserman’s employment as Police Chief of the City or whic arise from or are related to Esserman’s actions taken in performing or or discharging the duties or responsibilities described in this Agreement.”

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Fire Chief Candidate Wows ‘Em THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

by MARKESHIA RICKS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Answering tough questions about how he might change the culture of a fractious fire department, would-be fire chief John Alston Jr. not only impressed alders but earned their unanimous recommendation for the job.

That was the upshot of an Aldermanic Affairs Committee confirmation hearing at City Hall Thursday for Alston, a 31-year veteran of the Jersey City, N.J. fire department, whom Mayor Toni Harp has chosen to be the Elm City’s next fire chief. The unanimous vote to confirm came at the end of a two-hour grilling.

If confirmed by the full Board of Alders, Alston would step into the role vacated by former Chief Allyn Wright, who retired in January, and retired Assistant Chief Ralph Black, who stepped into the role as interim chief and was in the running to become the permanent chief before dropping out amid pressure from the fire union. (Acting Chief Matthew Marcarelli this week put in retirement papers.)

Alders Thursday night used superlatives like “flawless” to describe how Alston handled the confirmation hearing, where many of the questions put him on notice that some people including members of his rank and file view him as an outsider. And outsiders haven’t fared well when it comes to the politics of city government.

If Alston, currently the deputy fire chief in Jersey City, is ultimately confirmed by the full Board of Alders, he take office on the heels of the recent exits of the police chief, and soon, the superintendent of schools, both of whom were brought from outside the city as change agents.

Edgewood Alder Evette Hamilton bluntly told Alston Thursday night that he will face opposition.

She asked how he plans to discipline firefighters who violate rules.

“The fire department has done things a certain way for a long time,” she said. “Change is not always easy. I hope

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Alston before his uanimous confirmation vote.

Fire Chief-to-be Alston meets interim Police Chief Anthony Campbell

you don’t have a thin skin.”

He responded that if a firefighter’s action is not in the service of the community, then that behavior doesn’t belong in the department.

“The second thing that struck me is that you said that I was going to have opposition,” he said. “I already had opposition before I got here.”

That response drew chuckles from the alders and firefighters not only from the city, but from all over the Northeast who crowded the aldermanic chamber to hear from Alston.

“I read too,” added Alston, an International Association of Fire

Fighters master instructor, who has trained fire departments across the country and abroad in South Africa and Mexico.

“What it boils down to, when it comes to discipline, it is what is fair, right and appropriate,” he said. “It has to be fair, right and appropriate. And if it’s not that way, it my job to assist in making it that way.”

His response drew applause from the crowd. That happened several times through the roughly two-hour hearing, which culminated with a standing ovation.

Alston would immediately have to choose sides with either the

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Harp administration or the fire union over a proposed plan to put Engine 9 out of commission at the Ellsworth Avenue firehouse and replace it with a smaller paramedic unit. City officials say the plan will save money and lives; the union vehemently disagrees.

Committee Chair Rose Santana asked how he would make such decisions given the way popular community support for engines has blocked such plans in the past.

“My decision making is always based on facts, science and circumstances,” Alston responded.

“We also have national standards.”

Alston said he would want to see New Haven’s incident data — the information that tells everything about how long it took firefighters to respond, the type of incident and how it was resolved — before deciding whether to make changes at a particular firehouse. He said he would want to know how to duplicate the services that Engine 9 provided and still deliver the three to four minute response time.

“The traditional fire services has moved toward EMS,” he said.

“And that’s a fact. That’s indisputable. So why not put more EMS wagons on the street as opposed to engine mutual aid?

But that’s not a decision I would make in my first 100 days. I want your data, and I want to study it.”

Alston, a husband and father of two adult sons, one of whom is a firefighter, also was peppered with questions about his plans for outreach to the community, for helping current firefighters advance, and for attracting more people to the service.

He said he discovered he wanted to be a firefighter after local firefighters took him on a ride-a-long when he was 4 years old. He talked about getting firefighters out of the firehouse to educate people about smoke detectors and creating safe evacuation plans in case of a fire emergency. He also talked about his passion for growing firefighters, and praised the city for creating a public safety-oriented academy at Hillhouse High to seed

the next generation of firefighters and EMS technicians suggesting that a similar program should exist at every public high school.

Alston told alders that if they made him chief, they would not have to look for their next chief outside New Haven.

Newhallville Alder Alfreda Edwards told Alston that she considers him well qualified for the job.

“Just put your mouth where you just put it,” she said.

She wasn’t the only person who seemed impressed. Only five people from the public testified at the hearing, and they all praised Alston’s qualification.

Fire Capt. Gary Tinney, northeast regional director of the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters, said Alston has the grant writing skills and connections to bring more resources to the fire service. He said he could not only make changes, but end the divisiveness but could put an end to the divisiveness that has long plagued the department.

Fire Lt. Rafael Zayas told alders that he believed Alston is the best candidate for the job. “We need the proper training,” he said.

“We need the proper equipment. I believe that with his experience, his grant writing and his qualifications we’ll be able to get there.”

Not a bad way to end a day for a man who started the day helping guide his own fire department’s response to a train derailment hours before he had to be in New Haven for a press conference announcing him as the new fire chief. As the Jersey City Fire Department’s deputy chief of special operation he was helping coordinate that department’s work with the New York City Fire Department and 17 other committees, serving as the operations section chief for the first two hours of that event.

New Haven Fire Fighters Local 825 President Frank Ricci didn’t testify. When the Independent caught up with him, he said that Thursday’s hearing was the first chance the union got to hear from Alston but it looks Con’t on page 9

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016 Con’t from page 4

City GOP Unveils

schools “can reform themselves” when faced with other schools that make successful innovations.

Wharton emphasized a portion of the platform calling for more public decision-making. He said a portion calling for Board of Alders decisions to be made “in public” refers to the current practice of holding the main discussions about issues and votes in a closed-door party caucus before each meeting.

“We don’t want to see all decisions made behind closed doors,” Wharton said. And the platform calls for the institution for a “public comment period prior to every general meeting in Alders chambers.”

Right now citizens can speak up at alder committee hearings. Wharton said that’s not good enough because “not all the alders are there” at committee meetings.

He recommended that the alders set aside 30 minutes for a public comment session, with speakers limited to three or five minutes.

The platform supports outfitting all cops with body cameras, a topic currently a subject of negotiation between city leaders and the police union. It opposes Democratic-supported state bills to revisit Yale’s tax exemptions. It also calls for creating a “locallymanaged microbus system with new hubs particularly between the train station and medical center area.” The GOP’s party secretary, Frank Lobo, came up with this plank. Mayor Toni Harp has proposed a similar idea. On “Dateline,” Wharton echoed Harp frustration with bus service in town.

“CT Transit has a monopoly. I take the bus,” and the service relies on outdated routes, he argued.

“Sanctuary” Opposition “New Haven must end its sanctuary city status in compliance with federal law,” the GOP platform declares. Wharton was asked in what way New Haven is not complying with federal law. He mentioned the immigrant-friendly Elm City ID card, which is available to undocumented immigrants along with all other local residents. The card allows immigrants to take out library books and was intended to help them obtain bank accounts, so that they can avoid getting

mugged by criminals who regularly prey on workers they know carry their earnings in their pocket.

“It’s going against the federal government’s will,” he insisted about the ID card.

“You’re trying to position yourself as not a Donald Trump Party. ...

Traditionally the Republican Party has been a pro-immigrant party, much more than the Democratic Party ... Are you going backward with this platform [plank] and failing to position yourself as a party that can speak to New Haven, with its increasing Latino population ... by taking the Trump position?” Wharton was asked.

“I don’t think we’re going on the Trump position on this,” he responded. “I don’t think we’re going backwards. We’re recognizing the fact that the city should be there for citizens, residents at least, who live here, and not illegal ones.

That’s at least the way we see it.”

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Fire Chief

forward to working with him.

Should Alston be confirmed he will be paid $158,500. He would receive additional benefits including a $2,000 monthly housing stipend, which is good for his entire first term and the first six months of a second if he is reappointed.

A Board of Alders Finance Committee will have to approve transfers requested by the Harp administration to cover those costs.

When Mayor Harp introduced Alston during an afternoon press conference Thursday she called the announcement of Alston’s appointment “an exciting new chapter in the proud history of the New Haven Fire Department.”

“Chief Alston is a multidiscipline executive fire officer,” Harp said. “His notable service and extensive knowledge covers a broad range of what New Haven absolutely needs in a fire chief. Expertise in fire fighting tactics fire prevention and community risk reduction while essential, are no longer enough for those who lead fire departments in modern American cities.”

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Years Of Rent Payments “Disappear”

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Tenants at an Edgewood apartment complex learned they may owe up tens of thousands of dollars of rent payments they’d already made while their landlord investigates acknowledged “inconsistencies” and “inaccurate” bookkeeping.

The whole episode has tenants up in arms at the affordable-housing complex, Beechwood Gardens, a cluster of 84 brick townhouse apartments on a block bordered

by Whalley Avenue and Pendleton, Eldert, and Hubinger streets.

A new company assumed ownership of the property following the 2011 death of developer Wendell Harp. Tenants who moved in since then told the Independent they never obtained a lease and they paid the property manager with cash or money orders.

Earlier this month, they received “past due” letters from the new owner, VestA Corporation of Weatogue, Connecticut.

The past due amounts included in some cases years of rent they said they’d already paid.

VestA’s vice-president told the Independent Wednesday that the company has assured tenants that as long as they pay their current rent, no one will be evicted.

Meanwhile, he promised to work with the tenants to collect documentation about past payments in order to get to the bottom of this expensive mystery of the missing records and questioned payments.

Longer-term tenants received past due letters from VestA, too—for years worth of sewer and water bills. They said they hadn’t received those bills since Wendell Harp’s Renaissance Management company ran the complex. Tenants from seven Beechwood Gardens households said in interviews this week that they’re not paying.

Some tenants have enlisted the help of New Haven Legal Assistance Association attorney Amy Marx. They’ve also brought their complaints to the Livable City Initiative (LCI), New Haven’s anti-blight agency. LCI chief Serena Sanjurjo-Neal, noting that the complex has received state assistance to help keep rents af-

PAUL BASS PHOTO Edwards

(at left) with fellow Beechwood Gardens tenants: “I’m not going to pay.”

fordable, said she’s in the process of arranging meetings to get to the bottom of the situation. The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) gave VestA $121,325 earlier this year for emergency roof and plumbing repairs. VestA is currently in discussions with CHFA about financing a “full rehabilitation” of the complex. “Why Are You Here?”

One tenant, Wanda Dawson, who pays $675 a month along with her husband to rent a two-bedroom unit, said a VestA representative visited her apartment a few weeks ago with an odd question.

“She said, ’ Why are you here?’”

Dawson recalled. “Because I live here,” Dawson said she responded. “Look around. It’s furnished.

Am I not supposed to be here?”

Dawson said she was told the apartment was supposed to be vacant.

“How do you pay your rent?” the representative asked. “Cash.

Money orders,” sai Dawson (who happens to be the mother of champion New Haven boxer Chad Dawson). “You’re not supposed” to do that, she was told.

Wendy Hoyle, who has lived at Beechwood for two years, re-

ceived a letter stating she owes over $4,000. She, too, said she paid her rent in cash and money orders to the property manager. She claimed that her signature had been forged on a letter promising to pay that amount.

Laflor Edwards, a certified nurse assistant, has lived at the complex for nine years. She stopped receiving sewer or water bills about three years ago, she said. Now she has a past-due letter from VestA saying she owes the company more than $500 to repay old bills.

The same letter was sent to Jerre Davis, a 20-year Beechwood tenant.

“They’re trying to make us pay the sewer bill from two years ago,” she said. “They paid the bill. I’m not going to pay this.”

VestA Vice-President Chuck Moran sent Beechwood tenants a follow-up letter on Sept. 15 updating the situation. “Recently you received a letter asking you to confirm an amount currently reflected on our records as rent you owe. The reason we sent this letter is due to some inconsistencies caused by the former property manager and we know that our current record keeping is in many cases inaccurate.

10

“It is our intent and plan to work with each and every resident to correct any inaccuracies and make sure that our records accurately reflect payments that have been made. It is not our intent to unfairly treat any resident and any inappropriate actions by our former manager will not negatively affect your housing.

“We apologize for this confusion and any anxiety it might cause. We need to start with the balances currently reflected in our system, work with you to get missing payment information and ultimately make sure your rental account accurately represents your payment history. ... [P]lease be assured that any past amount shown as owed will not affect your housing nor will we be seeking payment until the number can be accurately and fairly corrected.”

The letter did not assuage Tara Walters, who has lived at Beechwood Gardens for three years.

“They sent that letter to try to pacify us. We want a meeting” with VestA management. “They haven’t been talking to us. We deserve the respect of talking to us.”

Moran said in an interview that

staffers have been meeting one on one with tenants to try to collect information. She said VestA is paying for tenants to collect documentation of past money orders. He said a tenant meeting will take place.

He also said the company doesn’t know yet why tenants hadn’t received sewer and water bills. Those bills are supposed to go directly to them, he said. He promised VestA will pay back bills to the water and sewer authorities, but said tenants will be responsible for the obligations.

He stressed that the company remains in the initial “informationgathering” stage. He said the company doesn’t know yet if money was stolen; if it was, the company intends to contact the police.

The Independent reached the former property manager at the center of the controversy by phone.

She said she didn’t want to discuss the matter for publication; she denied the tenants’ allegation. She claimed she’s still working for VestA, in another office.

“Oh no,” Moran said, when asked about that. “She doesn’t work for us.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

New Chief Learned From Cop-Shoot Test

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

When New Haven got a taste of the national controversy over officer-involved shootings, the new police chief learned a quick lesson.

Anthony Campbell was just assuming the mantle of running the police department when two of his officers shot civilians in the space of three weeks.

New Haven had gone years without officer-involved shootings. Meanwhile, cities across the country erupted in protest over fatal shootings of black civilians by police officers.

Fortunately, no one got killed at Fair Haven’s Ruoppolo Manor public-housing complex on Aug. 16, when an officer shot in the leg a deranged man who vowed to commit “suicide by cop” and rushed at him with a knife. Or when another officer shot in the arm a Branford addict high on drugs and on a robbery spree who drove his car straight at two cops at the Church Street South housing complex on Sept. 6.

No protests erupted. No allegations of misconduct surfaced against the cop. The incidents offered New Haven a “test run” of what could happen if a murkier officerinvolved shooting occurs here.

In the first instance, the New Haven department fumbled the process of getting accurate information out fast to the public — a problem that proved at times deadly in other communities because it exacerbated tensions in more serious cases. Because of a new rule requiring the state to investigate local officer-involved shootings, police brass here mistakenly thought they had to defer to state police to release basic facts.

“A lot of of people who lived in the residence didn’t know what was going on. They saw all the police ... They had no idea what was going on,” interim Police Chief Anthony Campbell recalled during an appearance on WNHH radio’s “Dateline New Haven” program.

It “really hadn’t been thought out exactly how we communicate with the community what’s going on” in the immediate aftermath of an officer-involved shooting, Campbell said. “That’s

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Daly, Campbell at WNHH radio.

one of the lessons learned” from the incident. (Two years ago the department found itself battered publicly when it spent days refusing to release basic information about a case captured on a viral video, in which a white officer slammed a handcuffed, unarmed teenaged black girl to a sidewalk.)

Top city cops discussed the slow information release in revisiting the Aug. 16 incident, Campbell said.

They decided in the future to send out email blasts and robo calls with basic information in such cases.

And to have their public information office get out information fast.

The latter approach was on display just three weeks later on the morning of Sept. 6. Before noon, the police department distributed a detailed account of the Church Street South attempted attack

on the officers and the shooting.

Following one of the more recent controversial shootings by police, in Charlotte, N.C., a delay in the release of police video of the encounter became a flash point of mass protests.

“If you look at what’s going on nationally, the incidents themselves are bad. But what’s worse is that people feel this sense of ‘there’s a cover up,’ or ‘we cannot get information quickly,’” Campbell observed. “It’s natural as human beings: If we can’t get information, we fill in the void. Usually we fill it in with a lot of negative information.

“Getting information out as quickly as possible, and making sure it’s accurate information, is crucial.”

Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly, who appeared on

12

the WNHH radio program with Campbell, agreed. She noted that sometimes police face a difficult decision in how much information to release. For instance: If a video shows the identity of witnesses, releasing that video can impede an investigation.

Daly and Campbell appeared on the program to promote a series of events they’re cosponsoring as part of National Community Policing Week, beginning this coming Monday.

On Wednesday, cops and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will hand out bike helmets donated by Yale-New Haven Hospital to local kids, at 4 p.m. at the Edgewood Park playground at Ella Grasso Boulevard and Edgewood Avenue. A bike parade will ensue down to the park’s basketball courts at Whalley and West Rock Avenue. There, a threeon-three “cops & ballers” basketball tournament will ensue: The managers of each of the city’s ten policing districts will field a team with one officer and a young person who has interacted with the cops.

The week will also feature a “justice forum” Tuesday at the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Church Street from 3 to 5 p.m. Top cops and activists will discuss the distrust that has become visible in relations between law enforcement and local communities, and possible solutions. The week will conclude with a forum with chiefs of police focusing on solutions, and a com-

munity policing awards ceremony.

Since the killings of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and others ignited the Black Lives Matter movement, Daly’s office has organized ongoing outreach events to strengthen community support and establish relationships that can keep tensions down if one of those high-profile incidents occurs here in Connecticut. She estimated that a quarter of her staff devoted time, often after hours and on weekends, to outreach efforts.

She and Campbell spoke about what Daly called “procedural justice,” about how far law enforcement goes to treat citizens right, even when those citizens need to be arrested or prosecuted for crimes.

“Most people understand ... that you have a job to do,” said Campbell, who came to Yale from Harlem, where he grew up with a father involved in the drug trade, and who graduated from Yale Divinity School before becoming a cop. “It’s how you do that job.

I’ve chased people, caught them with drugs, guns. If you treat them with dignity and respect, if you talk to them ... Sometimes you let them smoke a cigarette before they get transported downtown.

Get them to eat a hamburger.

We solve so many crimes not because we sit in a room with a light bulb swinging. We sit there and have conversations with people, eat some Popeye’s together. It’s basic humanity; that’s where you get that balance. Acknowledging people’s basic humanity.

“You’re a police officer. You have a job to do. They just want you to be real.” Campbell and Daly also spoke about what New Haven has been doing right with community policing. For instance, cops who live in public-housing developments get to live rent free. One of those officers lives in Ruoppolo Manor. Campbell said he was received warmly at a community meeting there a week after the shooting, with tenants telling him they felt safer there because they live with a cop. The city has pioneered some of the ideas other cities’ departments are exploring to boost community policing. But, all agree, more work remains to be done.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Newhallville Rapper Rocks Nairobi

by PETER MACKENZIE NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

New Haven-born poet and hiphop MC Akua Naru surveyed the large and hyped up crowd at The Alchemist Bar here for the final show of a five-country African tour. Flashing a sly grin, she confided in them, “You know, there are one or two Kenyas in my family, truth be told.”

The crowd in attendance had already abandoned its characteristic Nairobian chillness before Naru started her set. More than 30 minutes before show time, a ten-deep wall of humanity formed in front of the stage, so densely packed and impenetrable it could make Donald Trump weep orange tears of jubilation.

Naru’s band the Germanbased DIGFLO started up with some pounding jazz-funk riffs, and a chant gathered steam: “Ah-koo-ah!

Ah-koo-ah!”

Naru took the stage, her piercing eyes staring out from under a black fedora, her angular face fringed by waist-length dreadlocks that flung out in all directions as she bounded around. She launched into a highoctane version of “Heard” from her 2015 album The Miner’s Canary.

“Your narrative deserves a platform and a turn,” she rapped, “to know what it’s like to be heard.”

Naru’s own narrative begins in New Haven’s Newhallville neighborhood, where she was reared on gospel music and nurtured by community institutions and continues across the globe, where she is making a name for herself in the music business.

Heading “Upmarket” That journey landed her last Thursday at the Alchemist. Situated in Nairobi’s Westlands nightlife district, the Alchemist became the epicenter for the booming capital’s hipsterdom the second it opened in January. In a city glutted with posh rooftop bars offering bottle service and VIP lounges, The Alchemist presents itself as an easygoing, come-as-you-are neighborhood joint, though its appeal so far has tilted toward the international set.

Built around a tree-lined courtyard, The Alchemist contains nooks and crannies filled with

PETER MACKENZIE PHOTO cushioned swings and stacked wooden pallets covered with throw pillows. It is festooned with hookah pipes, graffiti murals, tacked-up vinyl records, and various other tchotchkes. In addition to several bars, it also houses a sitdown brick-oven pizzeria and two food trucks, one of which serves up some of the best burgers in Kenya (which the Nigerian-Kenyan sister proprietors will happily drench in peanut sauce if you so desire). Some nights there’s a popup tattoo parlor in the back. And towering above everything, behind the stage, is a decommissioned canary-yellow double-decker bus, emblazoned with the words “Where does your faith live?”

This past Thursday night the faithful — an even mix of do-gooder expatriates and artsy Kenyans — arrived off the dusty matatu-clogged street through an unmarked gate.

An unusually long cold season had just ended, and everyone was ready to raise their consciousness while dancing under the stars.

Blonde NGO workers in peasant skirts and flannel-clad bros swilling Tusker Malts jostled for space with jamaaz in tight t-shirts and well-tended dreads chatting up

Nairobi, Kenya — chic ladies in top-knot headwraps.

I asked a Kenyan friend how she would describe the Nairobians in the crowd. She immediately and succinctly answered: “Upmarket.”

“I grew up in an environment where black women were strong and ran shit,” Naru said in an interview before the show.

“That’s the same strength I draw upon standing on stage in front of the microphone.”

Naru had just received a stunning gift from a Kenyan fan: a perfectly fitting denim jacket, on the back of which the fan had painted a vibrant portrait of Naru’s idol, author Toni Morrison, wearing a golden crown. Naru donned the jacket as we sat down to converse over what was really the only acceptable food choice to a pescatarian New Havener like her: pizza with anchovies.

Born Latanya Hinton, Naru recounted a childhood spent on Shelton Avenue in Newhallville in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The streets of her youth were full of kids playing double dutch or kickball. There was always a block party on Starr Street. Hiphop culture was in full swing, with people gathering to rap,

14

beatbox, or dance to music pumping from boomboxes. At Helene Grant Elementary, “Lift Every Voice” was always sung never the national anthem which taught Naru to be proud of her heritage.

Naru’s mother, who had migrated to New Haven from Farmville, N.C., worked at Yale-New Haven Hospital. From infancy, Naru’s grandmother took her to church at Shekinah Glory Apostolic, off Congress Avenue. At the time, the church was largely female-led, with strong women as pastor and choir director.

Her mother’s Pentecostal faith meant that secular music was not allowed in Naru’s house. But when Naru was 9, her “cool, very evolved” 12-year-old uncle began sneaking in hip-hop cassettes for Naru to consume, including those by early female rapper Roxanne Shanté. Before long, the uncle was laying down beats for Naru to exercise her budding MC skills at backyard parties around the neighborhood. Though the uncle never achieved his own childhood dream of becoming a music producer (he’s now a businessman in New Haven), he helped set Naru on a path to achieve hers.

As a teenager, Naru joined CityKids, a program aimed at providing a safe space for urban youth to develop leadership and performing arts skills. The New Haven chapter was funded in large part by singer and New Havener Michael Bolton. Naru remembers two things most vividly about the program: First, CityKids had a professional studio, where she heard her voice on a recording for the first time and began writing songs for others to perform. Second, CityKids welcomed speakers from a variety of backgrounds every Thursday, who would speak on subjects like police brutality, fatherlessness, and racism. This challenged Naru to “find better ways to shape my argument.”

After college at Rutgers and graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, Naru became a “daughter of the world,” she said.

She realized her childhood ambition to travel extensively in Africa, lived in China for two years, and eventually made a home in Cologne, Germany, where she formed a band and began recording.

She still returns to New Haven ev-

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

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Poindexter Prevailed THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

by STAFF

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

The Harp administration Thursday notified department heads that state labor department has determined that city officials violated the Municipal Employee Relations Act by “harassing and retaliating” against city management union President Cherlyn Poindexter and the bargaining unit.

The ruling is months old. It included a requirement that city officials disseminate the findings which occurred Wednesday.

On April 13, 2015, AFSCME Local 3144 filed a complaint with the state Board of Labor Relations alleging that the city violated the act by harassing Poindexter for “engaging in protected activities,” according to a recently released ruling.

The union claimed that Poindexter “vigorously” engaged in protected activities and was punished by being banned from the city’s Information Technology area, by excluding her from an annual holiday party, disconnecting her phone at work and removing her union campaign flyers. City officials also were found to have supported her opponents in a union election.

In addition to those findings, the labor board further determined that punitive measures extended to the bargaining unit as a whole

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Poindexter with city Building Official Jim Turcio.

including the “withdrawal of certain parking benefits, removal of a take-home car, imposition of discipline, denial of access to the union’s website, and commencement of proceedings to remove positions from the unit itself,” according to the ruling.

For its part, the city admitted that “certain of its representatives may harbor personal animus as to Poindexter but denies the existence of any illegal anti-union animus and contends that its actions were reasonable and necessary at all times.”

The board agreed that such in-

cidents “viewed in isolation” wouldn’t have been enough to establish a discrimination claim, but it did find that collectively they constituted a violation of the law.

“In particular, the timing of [former fire chief Allyn] Wright’s parking memo, [Chief Administrator Michael] Carter’s role in eliciting Rosado’s ‘troublemaker’ comment, the discontinuance of the telephone line Poindexter customarily used, [Controller Daryl] Jones’ imposition of discipline on Petrillo, the filing of the clarification petition, blocking access to the Union’s

16

website, Jones’ removal of campaign flyers, and the campaign support to Poindexter’s opponents—in our view are a basis for inferring improper motive,” the board wrote. “We find particularly significant that shortly after a meeting with the mayor in which Poindexter alleged retaliation by specific officials, the City filed a petition seeking to have numerous persons, including Poindexter’s efforts to attain another term as Union president.”

While the board found some merit in the city’s defense that implementing stricter security

measure in the IT department, preserving limited spaces at the fire department headquarters and reducing the number of telephone lines and rescinding an employees car were all things it was going to do no matter any union animus, it was ultimately was unconvinced that the city had not violated the law.

“The record does not, however, establish a sound basis for a defense to the Union’s showing that the City interfered with Poindexter’s campaign in order to retaliate against her for engaging in protected activity and to secure her defeat in the October election,” the board wrote.

“Jones had multiple clashes with Poindexter during the events in question and even a good faith belief that Poindexter’s flyers somehow defamed the City did not afford him the right to engage in self-help on the City’s behalf and interfere with otherwise protected speech.”

The board ordered the city to cease and desist from harassing or retaliating against Poindexter or any other member of the bargain unit in response to Poindexter’s actions as union president. It also ordered the city to post the decision and order for 60 consecutive days in a place where employees can see it and to notify the board when it has received the order and complied.

Dixwell UCC Elevates The Backbeat THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

by SOPHIE HAIGNEY NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

“I’ve always wanted to appear on a program with Curtis Mayfield and Duke Ellington,” joked Rev. Frederick Streets joked from the pulpit.

In fact, he was sharing his church with those prophets, or at least the music they left behind.

Streets made the remarks during his reflections at Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ this past Sunday. The occasion was the church’s first ever Sacred Jazz Worship Service, a celebratory occasion that blended scripture and saxophones.

The mood was festive and the pews were nearly full as a processional entered to a lively version of “When the Saints Go Marching In,” clapping and dancing.

Up front, a jazz ensemble featuring a drummer, bassist, pianist, saxophonist, and trumpeter played near the pulpit. Light flooded in through wide windows.

Jazz isn’t new to services at Dixwell Avenue Congregational, the oldest African-American congregational UCC church in the world. Selections of jazz, especially sacred jazz, are sometimes played during normal Sunday services. But last Sunday’s events were something totally new.

“This is part of a larger mission,” said Sharyn Esdaile, who curated the musical program. “Jazz as a medium is so important because jazz is truly an art form of AfricanCon’t on page 9

Rapper Rocks

ery year and sometimes performs at Cafe Nine or on 94.3 WYBC, where her cousin Juan Castillo is a longtime fixture. She is currently recording a third LP and preparing to mount shows in Brazil.

Poetry and Alchemy Naru took ownership of the audience from her first word and didn’t let go for two hours. Every hook was shouted along with, even in her YouTube hit “Poetry: How Does It Feel Now,” a moaned slow groove so intimate that shyer listeners may feel compelled to back

SOPHIE HAIGNEY PHOTO

American origins. We want to keep a connection and understanding alive, especially for young people, who aren’t aware of a great body of sacred works.” The church works in partnership with the Institute of Sacred Music at the Yale Divinity School to compile, preserve, and educate about traditions of black sacred music, including jazz.

This service was a chance to animate this tradition for the congregation. It was the congregation’s annual “homecoming service,” which marks the shift

in season and generally draws a big crowd. It was also an excited crowd when congregation member Lisa Fluker took the microphone and launched into a powerful, slow soprano version of Duke Ellington’s spiritual “Come Sunday.” Her voice filled the space.

“Duke Ellington has a large body of spiritual work that a lot of people don’t know about,” Esdaile said.

As the service got underway, it moved through more traditional selections like Bobby Winters playing a slow, tremulous “Amazing

Grace” on the saxophone and some surprising ones. The ensemble did a jazz rendition of the English melody “Greensleeves” with long improvised solos. The teen ensemble sang Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready,” a gospel inspired by the March on Washington.

“The hope was to have variety of repertoire, of course, in the way that you want variety in any musical program, but also to draw from various traditions,” Esdaile said. “We wanted to include pieces that were spirituals, gos-

shamefacedly out of the bedroom into which they’ve intruded.

At the end of each song she gave DIGFLO space to jam, calling for solos from each player in turn while she took to a corner of the stage to dance freely. Their virtuosic improvisations were wellemployed, as they were often required to vamp as Naru grabbed the mic and spoke her mind.

It wasn’t hard to hear echoes of the Pentecostal preacher in Naru, in the call-and-response nature of her performance, her rapid and relentless delivery, and especially the charismatic sermonizing she often engaged in mid-song. During a powerful closing performance

of “Black and Blues People,” she addressed the audience about the mortal dangers black people face in the United States, recounting the fates of Terence Crutcher, Tyre King, and Keith Lamont Scott.

0“Don’t tell me to calm down,” she intoned. “I can’t be calm. This is urgent. We’ve been in this shit for 400 years. This is not a time to be calm. That’s the problem we’re still in this shit because people’s calmness is supporting the status quo!”

As the intensity rose, Kenyans in the crowd threw up single fists and crossed-forearm “X” signs.

On the dance floor, white expats glanced around nervously to see how they were supposed to be-

have. But making the uneasy wazungu in the crowd feel more comfortable was not something that Akua Naru came here to do.

Once she dove back into the song, though, the crowd cohered into a hand-waving whole, shouting along to the explosive refrain “Black people unite!”

After Naru left the stage, Kenyan TV personality Patricia Kihoro took the mic, adorned with Maasai beads, imploring Naru to perform one more song, and to adopt a Kenyan name to replace the Ghanaian one she chose at the start of her career. Naru obligingly returned for an encore, sporting her new Toni Morrison jacket.

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pels, hymns, in all their nuances.”

For more than two hours, the service moved fluidly between musical selections and words. Reverend Streets reflected on the role of music in his own upbringing.

“I was raised on gospel music and the three B’s on the South Side of Chicago,” Streets said. “That’s the Bible, blues, and barbecue.”

People laughed and cheered.

Many of the readings Psalm 150, Isaiah 42:10-12, Psalm 98 touched on themes of music as worship.

A group of children read, “Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet.” Shortly thereafter, William Fluker played; married to Lisa, he is a longtime member of the congregation and teaches music to kids in the church. He’s also a killer trumpet and flugelhorn player.

Toward the end of the service (which featured a total of 16 musical numbers) some audience members were standing up and moving to the music. Throughout, people clapped along and laughed. During Lisa Fluker’s second song, “Safe in His Arms” by Darius Brooks, more than one person started to cry.

Before the recessional an even more energetic version “When the Saints Go Marching In” to a standing ovation Rev. Streets invited everyone in the congregation downstairs for music and food.

Then he smiled. “When Charles Warner came to me and said, ‘How about a jazz service?’ I said, how about every Sunday?”

She ended the evening with “The World is Listening,” a tribute to nearly two dozen female MCs who inspired her career. In the song, she acknowledges that nearly all of these women have faded or removed themselves from the hip-hop scene, and ties it to the musical patriarchy and broader undervaluing of women within society.

“Tell me what’s the plight of a female MC’s fate?” she demanded. “Or what’s the worth of a woman’s story to a DJ?” By the time she made her triumphant exit, the title of Naru’s song had become “Nairobi is Listening,” and she had adopted a Kenyan name: Wanjiku.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

President Obama Makes Urgent Call for Black Voter Turnout

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President and CEO of the NNPA

Last Saturday, we were pleased to witness, firsthand, President Barack Obama’s keynote address at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2016 Phoenix Awards Dinner; it was his final speech, as Commander-In-Chief, at the celebration that included Black members of Congress, celebrities, civil rights leaders, journalists and corporate partners. Thousands of guests in their black-tie attire gave the President of the United States of America a rousing standing ovation in response to his speech that focused on the progress that we’ve made, as a nation, during Obama’s eight years in the White House.

But the most poignant and dramatic utterance by President Obama during his remarks happened when he energetically stated, “There’s no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter. It all matters. And after we have achieved historic turnout in 2008 and 2012, especially in the African-American community, I will consider it a personal insult, an insult to my legacy, if this commu-

nity lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election.”

President Obama emphasized, “You want to give me a good sendoff? Go vote. And I’m going to be working as hard as I can these next seven weeks to make sure folks do.”

The countdown to the most important election in our lifetime has

begun. We concur with President Obama. The national elections across the nation on November 8, 2016 are tremendously important and crucial to Black America and to all Americans, who want freedom, justice and equality.

Beware of the false prophets that are predicting and even hoping for a low African Ameri-

can voter turnout. We defied the odds in 2008 and in 2012 with large Black voter turnouts. Now we must do it again.

The best way to celebrate Black history is to make more history. The turnout of voters to the polls in Black America will once again be the single most determinative factor in the out-

come of the national elections and for the future of America.

It is important to note here that President Obama’s speech to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s gala occurred exactly one week before the official opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture scheduled for September 24, 2016 in Washington, D.C. NNPA members and staff had an opportunity to have a media preview of the new museum.

It was a breathtakingly revealing display of the struggles, sufferings, and triumphs of Black America. Yet, one could also see vividly that Black Americans paid a very heavy price and bloody sacrifice to get the right to vote in the United States.

This sacred history calls us again to action today. That is why the President also said, “So if I hear anybody saying their vote does not matter, that it doesn’t matter who we elect — read up on your history. It matters.

We’ve got to get people to vote.”

We in the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)

Proposed Congressional Legislation Would Lower Borrowing Fees for HBCUs

by Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent New legislation introduced on Capitol Hill would make it easier for HBCUs to garner capital through bonds by lowering borrowing fees on those loans.

The HBCU Investment Expansion Act would allow municipal bonds issued by HBCUs to be tax-exempt at the local, state, and federal levels. It was introduced in response to a study released earlier this year that showed disparities in the underwriter fees paid by HBCUs and predominantly-White institutions with the same debt ratings.

“We all know how important our HBCUs are, and why they’re important,” said Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Keith Ellison, DMinn., who introduced the bill.

Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn

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“They offer a place for students to get an excellent education and set themselves up for success. Unfortunately, that costs money. While HBCUs are able to raise money by issuing bonds, researchers found that these universities face higher costs compared to other universities trying to raise funds with bonds. That’s not right. This legislation will level the playing field and help HBCUs get the funds they need to build new dorms, labs or classrooms without additional costs or fees.”

According to the report, originally detailed by the AFRO in April, HBCUs pay 15 to 20 percent more in fees—an average of about $50,000—for bonds compared to their White counterparts.

That’s a lot to lose for institutions already juggling

limited resources, HBCU officials said at the time. And officials said the new legislation would help staunch the bleed.

“UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and our 37-member institutions stand in full support of the HBCU Investment Expansion Act and we applaud Congressman Ellison’s strong leadership in crafting this legislation,” UNCF Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs Cheryl L. Smith said in a statement. “This innovative bill will help redress recently revealed and grievous inequities that HBCUs face in accessing financing in the private bond markets for critical infrastructure projects. We urge its swift passage by the Congress.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Breaking the Cycle: Young Mother of Seven Turns Life Around at McDonald’s

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Ten years ago, Cameo Faust, a single mother of seven, was working at an Atlanta-area McDonald’s, struggling to make ends meet and highly motivated to make a better life for herself and her family.

Now, she’s the general manager, who is responsible for the operation of the restaurant and in charge of helping to build a team of employees to help the business flourish.

Faust gave birth to her first child when she was 14. Faust’s mother, Shirley Randolph, had given birth to her first child at the age of 12.

“By the time I was 15, I had twins, plus the baby. At 17, I had four kids, and then I had five by the time I was 18 and, finally, by 26, I had seven,” she said, unapologetically, naming them in range from the oldest to the youngest – Jasmine, Markiesha, Marcus, DeMarcus, Sparticus, Sparkle and Joshua.

Now, Faust, at 36 years-old, realizes that with each pregnancy, she was desperately trying to fill a void created by the loveless, tumultuous relationship that she had with her own mother.

“My mother would always be fussing at me telling me not to

wear a head rag or not to do this or to do that…[she was] always so mean and I didn’t want to listen to her. I’m having these kids to have someone to love because nobody ever loved me,” Faust said.

Although she continued in a re-

lationship with the father of her children, Faust knew that a life of struggle wasn’t ideal. At the time, Faust didn’t even have a high school diploma. The proverbial light bulb in her head switched on when the town’s water company turned off her water, Faust said.

“I was dating my children’s father and one day the water got cut off and I asked him what were we going to do,” she said. “He looked at me, told me that he didn’t know what I was going to do, but that he was leaving.” Stunned, the unemployed Faust showed him the door.

“I just got tired,” she said. “I told him that he could go.” Now, with five children, no money, no job, no high school diploma, and a paltry $367-a-month welfare check, Faust began pounding the pavement.

“I kept walking up and down the street for about three days. There were a lot of fast food restaurants and I would walk up and down every day asking for a job,” she said.

“I stopped in at McDonald’s near Riverdale Road and asked if I could apply for a job. [The supervisor] told me to come back the next day,” Faust said. “I explained that it took me an hour to walk here, but he said, ‘I should come back.’ I kept coming back and he’d tell me to come back again and again. I was tired, but finally I was hired as a crew person.”

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At first, the job only added to Faust’s problems. She had five children at home with the oldest just 10 years-old. “I had my oldest watch the other children even though I also had an infant and a toddler in the house,” Faust said. “I know it was dangerous, but I couldn’t allow my kids’ father to come back.

I’d walk back and check on them when I could and I made sure that they had three meals every day.”

She said, adding that a neighbor did, from time to time, peak in on the children to ensure that all was well.

“It was all about perseverance and I didn’t want to be on welfare anymore, so I did what I had to do,” Faust said. Faust worked hard and began to earn promotions at the restaurant. Ironically, she said that she was inspired by Randolph who had given her such a difficult time.

“My mother pushed me to be better than her, that’s why she was so hard on me,” said Faust. “She loved me. She’s really my role model.”

Faust is now enrolled in school and she’s taking courses at McDonald’s famed Hamburger University, recognized by the American Council on Education as the only academically accredited restaurant in the country. Through a company program, employees can transfer as many as 46 hours toward a bachelor’s degree, certificate program, or associate’s degree.

Hamburger University first opened in 1961 and more than 330,000 students have taken courses there including franchise general managers like Faust whose courses include shift management, introduction to management and guest services. In a statement about the university, Rob Lauber, McDonald’s chief learning officer, said that an educated workforce has huge value for the business.

“We estimate between 20 and 30 percent of our restaurant managers haven’t finished high school and Hamburger University focuses more on leadership development, business growth, and operations procedures, with a special emphasis on service, quality, and cleanliness to help prepare students for managerial positions in the restaurant industry,” said Lauber.

John Hurt, the McDonald’s franchise owner who employs Faust, said that she has done a great job.

“This is one area of being an owner that really gives you satisfaction,” said Hurt. “Knowing you’re helping others and this one particular person, who was looking for a way out and knowing that we could provide that opportunity is special. I am really thrilled to have Cameo with me.”

Hurt said that Faust manages about 55 employees, managers report to her, and that he’s pleased with the progress that she’s made over the years.

Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, said that the NNPA salutes McDonald’s for offering career advancement opportunities for their employees. “The success story of Cameo Faust in Georgia serves as an inspiring national example that millions of young single mothers should view as proof that social challenges can be overcome,” said Chavis. “Cameo’s career journey personifies self-empowerment with grace and elegance.”

Faust said that she aspires to become an entrepreneur and a motivational speaker. Three of Faust children have graduated high school and one of her daughters attends Clark University, a historically Black college in Atlanta.

“I love McDonald’s and all that they’ve done for me,” said Faust. “I still want to let God take me higher.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Businessman Bails Men Out Of Jail To Bring Them Home For the Holidays

by Derrick Lane, Black Doctor.org

Businessman and entrepreneur Willie Wilson wants to bring at least 100 people home for Thanksgiving and the holiday season who are stuck in Chicago’s Cook County Jail because they can’t post bond.

The former mayoral candidate has a plan to raise $100,000 from community members to help people charged with nonviolent crimes post bond for the holiday who otherwise couldn’t.

Wilson has owned and operated several different McDonald’s restaurant franchises and owns Omar Medical Supplies, which imports and distributes latex gloves and other medical and safety supplies and equipment.

He also produces the nationally syndicated gospel music television program “Singsation” which won an Emmy Award in 2012.

The reason why he’s doing it is simple: Wilson got to experience how jail time affects families first hand. “I had two sons in jail,” Wilson said. “When

they came out, they came out hardened in their attitudes.”

He said one of his sons was later violently killed at the age of 20, and he doesn’t want other parents to see a similar transformation in their children. Wilson said

he would personally contribute $50,000 and was looking for others in the business and religious community to contribute the rest.

Organizers helping Wilson with his effort said they are starting to identify people jailed because

they can’t afford a very modest bond while awaiting trial. “We’ve had guys in there for two years because they couldn’t come up with $200,” said Gregory Livingston, who is heading the project.

Wilson established the Dr. Wil-

lie Wilson Foundation to fund his prison reform efforts and said he would reveal all donations and all recipients of money on the foundation’s website.

Wilson said as the bond money is returned to people for showing up at their court dates as ordered, his hope is it will cycle through the foundation again to help more people post their bond.

Wilson said he was seeking contributions from churches as well as other forms of charity.

Since conditions specify that inmates would not be released unless they could identify a family member, halfway house or… … viable place to live while awaiting trial, Wilson asked churches to seek places for people to sleep. He also formed a committee of clergy to figure out other barriers keeping people in jail unnecessarily.

He said his long-term plans were much bigger including getting prison-reform measures passed.

While the idea is well received, we hope that it catches on.

Comcast’s Internet Essentials Helps Low-Income Families Bridge the Digital Divide

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

In five short years, the cable giant Comcast has achieved incredible success with its Internet Essentials program, connecting 750,000 low-income households to the power of the Web. But for Karima Zedan, the director of the program, it’s time to dream even bigger.

“We are not complacent by any stretch, we want to continue to grow the program and connect as many families as possible,” Zedan said. “We won’t stop.

We won’t rest on our laurels.”

Five years ago, Comcast began its mission to help close the digital divide for low-income families.

In all, it’s estimated that 3 million individuals now benefit from the program and Comcast has also invested more than $300 million in cash and in-kind support to help fund digital literacy training and educational initiatives, reaching about 4.4 million people through national and local

nonprofit community partners.

The program allows qualifying families to pay $9.95 per month for Internet service, including Wi-Fi. Comcast also offers a subsidized computer or laptop for $150.

Additionally, the cable provider has also announced that it would give an additional $2 million in grants during the current back-to-school season to Karima Zedan, the director of Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, said that many children have even been able to turn their lives around by completing courses and applying for college online, thanks to the program. (Comcast)

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community-based organizations that provide vital digital literacy training and Internet access.

“I don’t think anyone here at Comcast, when the program launched in August of 2011, imagined it would grow to be the program that it is today,” Zedan said. “No other company or government organization has ever attempted anything of this size and scale before. We designed the program on best available research. We mobilized a companywide effort with hundreds of volunteers thousands of partners.”

While Comcast officials said they don’t believe that one company can close the digital divide all by itself, their efforts have led to success that have not gone unnoticed.

David L. Cohen, Comcast’s senior executive vice president and chief diversity officer, said that solving a big, societal issue like the digital divide takes a movement.

According to data collected in the 2013 American Community Survey, 98.1 percent of

households earning $150,000 or more owned a computer and 94.9 percent reported Internet use. For households earning less than $25,000, that level of access drops to 62.4 percent for computer ownership and less than 50 percent (48.4 percent) for Internet usage in the home.

Internet Essentials provides students the tools they need to succeed in and outside the classroom, according to the research.

Prior to the launch of Internet Essentials, the nation began to focus on the importance of having highspeed Internet access in the home and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) presented the National Broadband Plan in 2010, which articulated the research behind issues of broadband adoption and digital inclusion.

Internet Essentials was the first comprehensive and actionoriented response by a major Internet Service Provider to address the three main barriers to broadband adoption.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

First Black Woman Director Ever of a $100 Million Film

Filmmaking, like many other fields, is dominated by men. It’s not that women have no interest in filmmaking or film directing. In fact, half of all graduates of film schools are women. But, only 1.9 percent are directing big budget films. That small group includes Ava DuVernay, the first Black woman to direct a $100 million film.

DuVernay is the third woman to direct a film with such a huge budget, but she is the first African-American woman to do so. The film she is directing is Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time.”

In addition, DuVernay has a new TV series, “Queen Sugar,”

that is already airing on OWN. Not at all new to the scene Filmmaking and directing is not only DuVernay’s career, but her passion. Five years ago in 2011, she released a feature film called “I Will Follow.” In 2012, she released another one, “Middle Of Nowhere,” which won her the Best Director Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. She was the first African-American woman to win this award. Also, the first to be nominated for a Golden Globe DuVernay was also the first Black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award, which

she earned for her work in Selma, and the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

So, it should come as no surprise that DuVernay has now broken through the glass ceiling to direct a big budget film. This Los Angeles resident whose hometown is Compton, California, is well on her way in a career that is quickly seeing excellent talent and accomplishments among women.

For more details, visit her official web site at www.avaduvernay.com

Michelle Obama Takes A Stand To End Mental Health Stigma

by Barry Anderson, BlackDoctor.org “The stigma around talking about mental health and getting help for it just doesn’t make any sense,” First Lady Michelle Obama said in an interview in the October issue of Prevention magazine. “This is an issue that affects us all.”

The First Lady is right. How many times have members of African American families dismissed a family member or friend who “isn’t right in th head” or “just a little touched?”

According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. Common mental health disorders among African Americans include: Major depression – Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – Suicide, among young African American men – Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), because African Americans are more likely to be victims of violent crime African Americans are also more likely to experience certain factors that increase the risk for developing a mental health condition: Homelessness. People experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk of developing a mental health condition. Exposure to violence increases the risk of developing a mental health condition such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disor-

24

der. African American children are more likely to be exposed to violence than other children.

In the African American community, family, community and spiritual beliefs tend to be great sources of strength and support.

However, research has found that many African Americans rely on faith, family and social communities for emotional support rather than turning to health care professionals, even though medical or therapeutic treatment may be necessary. Do rely on your family, community and faith for support, but you might also need to seek professional help as well.

In 2011, the first lady teamed up with Jill Biden to launch Joining Forces, an initiative that ad-

dresses mental health care for military members and their families. And she’s doubling her efforts now stateside to continue to address the issue with help.

“I kept meeting service members and military spouses who were hesitant to ask for help because they thought they should be able to handle it themselves or that seeking help meant they were weak or broken,” she told Prevention. “But of course that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

“Our service members, veterans and their families are some of the most courageous, resilient folks I have ever met, and asking for help is always a sign of strength,” she continued. Obama also teamed up with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge earlier this year to advocate for more awareness around… … children’s mental health � a topic she continues to discuss stateside.

She explained to Prevention that in order to change the culture’s negative perception around mental illness, parents need to stress the importance of psychological wellbeing to their children.

“We need to teach our kids that mental illnesses are just like physical illnesses and deserve the same kind of care and compassion,” she said.

The First Lady’s Let’s Move Campaign also fits right in with her approach to end the mental health stigma. Recently, reports showed how physical activity can help brain fight against mental health issues, while obesity plays a part in compounding mental health issues.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Legendary Publisher of the Chicago Citizen,

William Garth, Sr., Dies at 78

Mr. William Garth, Sr. was the Chairman of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group Inc., Garthco, Inc. and Founder/Chairman of the QBG Foundation, as well as Chairman of the Chatham Business Association. Mr. Garth was the guiding force behind what is known as the largest Black-owned ABC audited newspaper in America.

Having started with the Citizen Newspaper in 1969 as an advertising sales representative under the leadership of former Congressman Gus Savage, he purchased the Chatham Citizen, South End Citizen and Chicago Weekend in 1980. Garth later added the South Suburban and the Hyde Park editions, and founded Garthco Publications, which published PUSH Magazine, a bi-monthly national publication. With Chicago’s population being nearly 50 percent Black, the Citizen has effectively reached this market.

Citizen Newspapers have a total combined circulation of 121,000 and a weekly readership of over 400,000. The circulation areas cover Chicago’s South and West sides as well as the South Suburbs.

As a tribute to his business acumen, Garth became the first Black person to be elected President of the Illinois Press Association (IPA). The IPA is the state’s largest newspaper association and the official trade organization for Illinois weekly and daily newspapers.

Garth was the second Black person in the nation elected president of a statewide press association. Garth sat on the Board of Government

Affairs Committee, of the Illinois Press Association and has served as a board member for more than 15 years. In addition, he was elected a stockholder in the Cook County South Suburban Publishers Association and in 2009, was elected to become Chairman of the Cook County Publishers Association for 2010. His business savvy and knowledge in the publishing industry allowed him to also serve as a board member of the Midwest Black Publishers Association. In December 1998,Garth received the honor of being appointed to Governor-elect George Ryans Transition Team and was later appointed to the Board of Directors for the Illinois Inauguration 1998, Inc. In 1995, Garth founded the Quentis Bernard Garth (Q.B.G.) Foundation in memory of his youngest son, Quentis B. Garth, of which he is chairman. The Q.B.G. Foundation provides scholarships to the

disenfranchised, inner city youths in the Chicagoland area. To date, the Foundation has helped over 49 students and has disbursed over $1million in scholarship awards. A dedicated activist and leader in the business community, Garth maintained memberships and positions with several business organizations. He is the former President of Midwest Region III of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Region III Advertising Representative with the NNPA, Transition Team for IDOT Dan Ryan Project, board member of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, a lifetime member of the NAACP and a member of the Chatham Lions Club. Garth received numerous local and national awards and honors. In 2002 before the Winter Olympics that year, Garth carried the torch during the Olympic Torch Relay stop Chicago.

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The Zoo just got a little cooler!

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

2016 Legendary Women Claudette J. Beamon Rosemary Bess Dora Lee Brown Katurah Bryant Florence Caldwell Sharyn A. Esdaile Dr. Judy Gray

A Special Tribute:

Capt. Patricia Helliger Gloristine Cotten-Reid Arlene Davis-Rudd

Late Florence Esdaile Late Olivia Monk A Day of Mentoring & Evening Celebration We proudly announce the 9th Annual Legendary Women’s Brunch & Evening Affair.

Our 2016 “Legends” have agreed to come forth and present to young women words of inspiration and sage advice that comes with time and experience in meeting challenges.

Hazel B. Houston-Pappas Audrey Tyson Shirley Ann Moss

Guest Speaker: Enola Aird, Founder & President Community Healing Network

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DAY OF MENTORING

(all ages welcome)

Full Day Event

Founder Jeanette Sykes

Date: October 8, 2016

2016 Committee Members

Begins with a “Women Only” Brunch to inspire and mentor women 18 - 35 years, but all ages are welcome!

Legendary Committee: Cathy Bell, Sherry Guess, Ann Reynolds, Cathy Sykes, Jennifer Tillman Leadership Committee: Roberta Hoskie, Yi-Chun “Tricia” Lin Middle School Committee Min. Orsella Hughes, Claudine Chambers

Morning Brunch

(complimentary with ticket • $10 without) Time: 10 am - 1 pm Place: Eli’s On Whitney 2392 Whitney Ave., Hamden, CT

What Makes a Women “Legendary?”

The Path of a Legend is a Legacy Leading to Greater Horizons

Evening

$55 per person 6:30 pm - 11 pm Place: Zandri’s Stillwood Inn 1074 S. Colony Rd, Wallingford, CT

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Considered a “Building Block” Commitment to Change Activist in Areas That Impact Our LIves: Family Church Community Education Social Justice Economics

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Cookie Johnson, Wife of Magic Johnson, Admits It Was Difficult at First When She Learned Her Son is Gay

Nationwide — During a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey on her Super Soul Sunday series, Cookie Johnson, the wife of NBA Legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson revealed her inner struggle after their son EJ revealed to others that he was gay. EJ publicly came out in 2013 when photos surfaced of him holding hands with his then boyfriend. He is now the star of his own reality show called EJNYC on the E! cable and satellite channel.

During the interview, which aired on OWN on September 25, Cookie said, “This was one of those moments where I had to go directly to God and I prayed… and the answer I got back was love.”

Oprah asked her, “You’re Christian, you believe in the word, you live by the word.

How did you reconcile what Christianity says about being gay with your loving of your son… and still remaining Christian?”

Cookie replied, “That was a very hard thing for me. That was a very, very hard thing

for me. I tried everything, but finally I just said to myself, ‘This child is innocent.

He was like this when he was a baby, it can’t be wrong. It can’t be wrong.’”

She added, “And [God] said, you know, ‘I give you all great gifts and the greatest of that gift is love,’ and so, that’s when I knew I could love my son and support him on who he was and I was okay with it.”

Oprah also spoke with Cookie about her spiritual journey after her husband announced he was HIV-positive.

The Super Soul Sunday series airs on OWN every Sunday at 11a/10c & 7/6c. The award-winning series features all-new conversations between Oprah Winfrey and top thinkers, authors, visionaries and spiritual leaders exploring themes and issues including happiness, personal fulfillment, spirituality, conscious living and what it means to be alive in today’s world.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Changing America’s Narrative: The New Black History Museum Opens on the National Mall

By Marian Wright-Edelman, President, Children’s Defense Fund

“In the shadow of the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the King Memorial, and the front yard of the Washington Monument, like a phoenix, our museum will rise…Believe me, if we can build a museum…there’s nothing that you can’t do. There’s nothing you can’t reach. There’s nothing you can’t teach, but it begins with the vision, and it begins with a vision that maybe nobody else can see.”

– Dr. Rex M. Ellis, Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, National Museum of African American History and Culture The September 24 opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture was the realization of a dream that’s been a very long time coming, beginning a century ago when Black leaders first proposed a memorial to Black Civil War veterans. Dr. Rex M. Ellis, the museum’s Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, speaking to young teachers during the Children’s Defense Fund’s 2016 Freedom Schools® training program, shared his hopes that the museum will help light the way for the next generation of Americans and that the museum’s vision will “change the master narrative of our nation”: “When people come to the Smithsonian now, they’re not just going to hear about American art or American history . . . We have a 76-ton train, a segregated train car that was built and adorned as a segregated car in the 1940s.

We brought that train all the way from Berea, Kentucky, down 14th Street. It took two 16-wheelers to bring that 76-ton train down, and then two cranes . . . that lowered it into the museum, and as it was lowering into the museum, I said to the director, ‘We are bringing a part of our history that will [be here] forever’ – because we had to put the train in, and then build the roof over the top of it.

So the train is going to be there.

Segregation is going to be there.

Segregation and lynching and slavery and everything that we have gone through as a people is now a part of a master narrative.”

Dr. Ellis shared how special the opening of this museum is to him: “For museums around the world, the question is are we going to contribute to the solution to the problems and challenges of our nation and our world, or are we going to sit back like Nero and watch Rome burn to the ground?

Our plan is to use our museum as a way to make America better.”

The new museum opens at a critical inflection point in our nation’s history. By capturing America’s struggle to overcome our birth defect of slavery and our ongoing struggle to close the gap between America’s creed and deed, for the first time our children will be able to accurately learn the too often hidden or misstated history of America. With this museum, I hope new generations of children will grow up not

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only learning the truth about who we are and where we came from but also what they can do to create a more equal and just America.

The struggle to build the museum often seemed to mirror the story it was trying to tell. One that required grit, determination, and persistence — a struggle Dr. Ellis feels was well worth having: “When we began back in 2005, we had nothing. We had no building. We had no collections. We had no land to put a building on and very little money. We had a very small staff of about three people. Now, just11 years later, we have a staff of over 180 people, nearly 37,000 objects, five acres of land that shares our neighborhood with the Washington Monument and the White House and the United States Capitol and the National Park Service and 18 Smithsonian museums.”

Dr. Ellis continued: “Many said it could not be done. ‘How are you going to raise over $540 million and a building that you say will have over 300,000 square feet and seven stories? It’s too much,’ they said. ‘It can’t be done,’ they said.

‘It will certainly take more time

to build, and what about collections? How are you going to find a world-class collection? Most of the stuff worth having museums have already collected. You’re not going to get the good stuff. Bet you don’t have anything from Michael Jackson.’ Yep, we got a vest he wore during his Victory Tour and one of his signature gloves — but that’s not all. We’ve got Chuck Berry’s Cadillac, but that’s not all. We’ve got Maybelline, his guitar. But that’s not all. We got hip-hop artist Chuck D’s jacket.

The original funkmaster George Clinton, we got his Mothership.

We got Prince’s tambourine.”

Dr. Ellis went on as the audience cheered: “We got Nat Turner’s Bible. We got Harriet Tubman’s shawl. We got Radio Raheem’s boombox from Do the Right Thing. We got a training plane flown by Tuskegee Airmen. We got the Olympic torch that Muhammad Ali signed in the 1999 games in Atlanta, his headgear, his training robe, and on and on and on…we never stopped believing that we could do it.

We could build this museum. We could make it happen. We didn’t give up, didn’t turn back, didn’t listen to those who said that we would fail, and the more people saw and experienced our belief, they caught the fever too.”

The African American experience has always been an integral and essential part of the larger American experience. Now, with this beautiful and powerful new museum finally open in the heart of the nation’s capital, many of those connections that help complete the true and full American narrative are on full display. Acknowledging our shared American past and all of the ways it echoes in the present is the only way to keep moving forward together.

Only the truth can make us free.

Marian Wright Edelman is President of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www.childrensdefense.org.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Senior Construction Estimator for Fusco Corporation, NEW HAVEN, CT Provide cost estimating on a variety of project types including mixed use, commercial and tenant fit-out and education sectors.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Be able to work with minimal supervision to prepare estimates and bids for General Contracting / Construction Management, both new construction and renovation.

• Design-Build, Hard Bids and CM-R estimating will be the main focus of this person’s estimating role.

• Take a project from schematic design through CD stage working with Owner and design professionals.

• Present budgets and estimates to management and Owners.

• Assist with the development of the project schedule.

• Participate in design review meetings with Owners and Design Professionals.

• Ability to perform constructability reviews in conjunction with the project manager.

• Ability to incorporate new estimating systems and software as they are made available.

Westbrook Housing Authority 1224 Mill Street Building A, Suite 102 East Berlin, CT 06023

OPEN WAITLIST The Westbrook Housing Authority hereby announces that pre-applications for the State Elderly/Disabled Complex Worthington Manor will be accepted for ONE BEDROOM UNITS on OCTOBER 3, 2016 through NOVEMBER 30, 2016. To qualify you must be at least 62 years old or disabled. Income limits as published by HUD cannot exceed $46,000 (one person) and $52,600 (two people). Interested parties may pick up an application at Worthington Manor, 34 Worthington Drive, Westbrook, CT 06498 or have one mailed by calling (203) 481-5632 ext. 202. Completed pre-applications must be returned or postmarked no later than NOVEMBER 30, 2016.

Westbrook Housing Authority 93 Deming Road Berlin, CT 06037 203-481-5632

SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Presentation experience and ability to participate in proposal interviews with Owners.

• Working knowledge of structural and architectural building systems including a general knowledge of all trades.

• Experience in participating as member of a project based estimating team.

• Working knowledge of various software systems such as iSqft, on-screen take-off, MC2 or Timberline, Excel and Microsoft Office applications.

• Possess the analytical skills necessary to compare various building systems and configurations

MINIMUM YEARS OF EXPERIENCE:

12 + years of estimating experience working for a general contractor or construction manager.

Prior field experience a plus.

Prior experience in Design-Build a plus.

EDUCATION: BA/BS degree in related field REPORTS TO: Chief Estimator CONTACT INFORMATION: Interested candidates please email cover letter and resume to openjobs.group@fusco.com.

Candidates will be asked to provide references.

Competitive benefits include medical, dental, life and 401(k). Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Phone calls will not be accepted.

WAITLIST ABIERTO

La Autoridad de Vivienda Westbrook comunica que pre-solicitudes para el Estado de ancianos / discapacitados Complejo Worthington Manor será aceptado para unidades de un dormitorio el 3 de octubre, el año 2016 hasta el 30 de noviembre de 2016. Para calificar, usted debe tener al menos 62 años de edad o discapacitados. Los límites de ingresos según lo publicado por HUD no puede exceder de $ 46.000 (una persona) y $ 52.600 (dos personas). Las partes interesadas pueden recoger una solicitud en Worthington Manor, 34 Worthington Drive, Westbrook, CT 06498 o tener uno enviado por correo llamando al (203) 481-5632 ext. 202. Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse o enviarse antes del 30 de noviembre 2016.

Town of Bloomfield Town Assessor - Reposted $77,881 - $120,209

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

AA/EOE

DISPATCHER The Town of Wallingford is seeking responsible candidates to perform 911, police, fire and EMS emergency dispatching duties. Must be able to work under stressful conditions and be able to type information with a high rate of speed and accuracy. Must be able to work all three shifts including weekends and holidays and be able to work additional shifts beyond the regular shift schedule. Requires a H.S. or business school diploma with courses in typing and 2 years of responsible office work experience. $ 21.32 ~ $ 25.43 hourly plus shift differential and excellent fringe benefits. Closing date is September 14, 2016 or the date of receipt of the 50th application, whichever occurs first. Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT 06492. EOE. 29

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

BROOKFIELD - BROOKS QUARRY The Brookfield Housing Authority is accepting applications for a wait list: Efficiency for 1 person; Once the applications are received and determined to be qualified, lottery selection will determine the order of a wait list. Total household income may not exceed $49,600 for 1 person in an efficiency. Monthly Rent: Efficiency - $416 or 30% of household income, minus eligible medical expenses, whichever is greater; Brooks Quarry is a STATE SPONSORED INDEPENDENT LIVING thirty-five unit housing complex for ELDERLY and DISABLED individuals. All applicants must be at least 62 years of age or classified as permanently disabled by the Social Security Administration. Applications can be picked up at the office (Mon-Thurs, 9am-1pm) at 3 Brooks Quarry Road, Brookfield, CT 06804; or call (203) 775-1403 and request an application. Accepting applications post marked no later than November 15, 2016.

TOWN OF EAST HAVEN ASSISTANT TOWN CLERK

The Town of East Haven seeks qualified candidates to serve in the position of Assistant Town Clerk.

The Assistant Town Clerk works under the direction of the Town Clerk and upon the absences of the Town Clerk, serves as such. The duties require knowledge of the laws, ordinances and charter provisions governing the duties of the Town Clerk and Registrar of Vital Statistics; some knowledge of legal instruments used in connection with the ownership and transfer of property; and strong computer skills. The Assistant Town Clerk also directly oversees and coordinates the operations of the offices as well as the employees in the office of the Town Clerk. Qualified candidates should possess a High School Diploma and one year of Business School or the equivalent and 4 years of experience in a responsible administrative position. Experience in the Town Clerk’s Office is preferred. The salary range for this position is $47,848-53,181/year, 35 hours per week and the Town offers an excellent benefit package. Please send resume with references to: Frank Gentilesco, Jr., Assistant Director of Administration & Management, Town Hall-250 Main Street, East Haven, CT 06512 or email to eh.gentilesco@att.net . Deadline September 23, 2016. The Town of East Haven is committed to building a work force of diverse individuals. Minorities, females, handicapped and veterans are encouraged to apply. The Town of East Haven is an equal opportunity employer.

INVITATION TO BID Dwight Gardens 94 Edgewood Avenue, New Haven CT (4 Building, 32 Units) A Taxable Non-Prevailing Wage Rate Project Renovation of wood framed building, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Div. 10 Specialities, Appliances, Residential Casework, Electrical, Plumbing.

Bid due date: October 14, 2016 Anticipated start: November 15, 2016 Project documents available at Joseph Merritt & Co. 60 Hamilton Street, New Haven, CT 203-562-9885 Fax or email questions & bids to: Al Ridinger rmail: paraal@earthlink.net Paragon Construction encourages participation of all Veterans, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses.

19 South Main Street, Branford CT 06405 P 203-624-0009 / 203-624-2339 CT G.C. Lic #00900468 Equal Opportunity Employer / Affirmative Action

Tri-axle drivers need.

Prior construction exp a plus. 2 years driving exp necessary. Please call Nano Construction Services, LLC for interview 860-585-9090.

An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

Fusco Corporation is seeking a Project Manager for Construction Projects in the $ 15M to $100 M range.

DUTIES AND RESPONSBILITIES • Develops, monitors, and maintains Progress and Cash Flow Schedules for the project.

• Reviews invoices and approves payment to all subcontractors and vendors required for the project.

• Maintains proper contractual relations with owners, subcontractors and vendors, interpreting contracts, plans and specifications.

• Keeps a complete current record of work performed under the contract, and maintains the Cost Reports in conformance with the requirements of the corporation’s established cost system..

• Reviews and drafts monthly requisitions for final processing by the Owner. Monitors the payment requirements of the contract.

• Accumulates data and prepares statements covering extra work for the owner’s account; subcontractor and vendor claims, back charges and any data required by the Manager of Construction Administration.

• Reviews required procedures and develops systems necessary to close out all projects for which he/she may be responsible.

Administers processing of guarantees, warrantees, releases, maintenance and procedures manuals.

Insures collection of final payment from owner and proper final payment to all subcontractors and vendors.

• Produces customized Monthly Owners Progress Report

• Assists in Pre-construction Services, attend meetings, produce constructability and plan completion reports...

• Participates in formal presentations and interviews on qualification based project selection teams.

QUALIFICATIONS

• BS degree in Engineering or Construction Management would be helpful.

• Well rounded computer skills Fusco Corporation offers a competitive benefit package including medical, dental and 401k. Fusco is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Resumes should be sent to openjobs.group@fusco.com. Phone calls will not be accepted.

Maintainer II Must have 2 yrs. exp. as laborer in field of construction work involving the operation and care of mechanical equipment or 2 yrs. in a skilled trade and 1 yr. exp. in construction operations or and equiv combination of experience and training. A valid Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Class B and a clean driving record. Pay rate: $21.33 to $25.00 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 50th application form/resume is received, or August 17, 2016, whichever occurs first. Candidates without a valid CDL should not apply. A copy of your license will be

City of Norwich Fire Department

FIREFIGHTER

Salary: $49,296 - $62,901 Visit www.norwichct.org/hr to apply and for more information. AA/EEO.

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 1:30-3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitt hapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

C

FENCE ERECTING CONTRACTORS

Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for Fence Installer foreman and helpers. Foreman must have at least 5 years’ experience. Helpers-no 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 $18/hour plus benefits. OSHA 10 training is a plus. Please email resume to rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE

Portland Youth Services – Junior Staff

Town of Portland, CT (EOE) Junior Staff: High School Youth (age 15 to 18) part-time from August 31, 2016 to June 2017, Monday thru Friday 3:00 to 6:00 PM; Counselor I, $9.60 per hour. Individual schedule determined by need and availability. Based at Brownstone Intermediate School, the Kids Blast After School Program is a very structured team program. Working, interacting and supervising children ages 5 to 12. Help with homework by staff is required. Other creative activities are also planned. Previous experience working with children preferred.

Send Seasonal Recreation Employment Application to: First Selectwoman’s Office P.O. Box 71 Portland, CT 06480-0071 Deadline: August 29, 2016 or until filled

30

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Dear America, Is This What Post-Racial Looks Like? Dr. Chandra Gill

From sadness to strain, distress to drain, for us, these feelings and stresses are supremely real! This has become far too familiar, reminiscent of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Jordan Davis and Sandra Bland. The list is so much longer and these are just the names of those who happen to garner national attention.

Yet, we’re at work again today, trying to muster the strength to stay the course per our job description.

Reports are due with no room for extensions, co-workers smile as if nothing is happening, our homes are stressed, our children need more encouragement and our families need therapy and generational healing.

All this and we’ve not even touched on the self-hate, white racism and post-racial discourse that fuel the very problems we deal with daily.

Yep, it seems like one big nightmare.

Typical to America’s narrative, more Black bodies gunned down in the streets of America begets this same ol’ insulting retort of blaming us for it all amidst ‘Black on Black Crime’ propaganda. Never mind, Dylan Roof audaciously and arrogantly left one person alive as a living witness to his heinous crime when he brutally killed 9 of us in a church in S.C. Yet, even he will receive a trial as an alive man. But 13-year-old Tyree King is dead. Gone! Tamir Rice all over again. Terence Crutcher, a father of four, hands raised, yet shot down and left dead in the streets of Tulsa.

After all of the marches, yelling and screaming against systemic racism, police brutality, over-crowded jails, under-performing schools, health disparities and white colleagues and co-workers who refuse to get it, our hearts are left heaviest as we pray our hardest hoping the next time it won’t be our own father, son, daughter, brother or cousin. Heck, even our own selves. Yet, we’re continually explaining why Black Lives and Colin Kaepernick’s protest really do Matter.

Dr. Chandra Gill My brothers and sisters, it’s imperative that we stand even stronger during these times. Ask yourself first, what do you believe? Who/what do you believe in? This isn’t some feel good article couched in 3-5 reasons on how you can choose to live your best life.

Nor is it another piece centered on complaining and explaining. This is about our ancestry that survived slavery. Slavery! Ponder that a bit today!

An ancestry that always believed in us, having no tangible knowledge of us. An ancestry that took on the institution of slavery and won freedoms.

Enslaved women who witnessed their own children snatched and sold to even more evil slave masters than their own. Having not the opportunity to breastfeed their own children but forced to do so for their slave masters’ children. Raped and disgraced. Brutalized and criminalized.

Yet it was Harriet Tubman who said, “I freed many slaves and would’ve freed (so) many more had they only known they were slaves.” It was Harriet Ann Jacobs who decided to risk her life for freedom, declaring, “I had a woman’s pride, and a mother’s love for my children; and I resolved that out of the darkness of this hour a brighter dawn should rise from them. My master had power and law on his side; I had determined will. There is might in each.”

Hall of Famer Allen Iverson’s legend-

31

ary rant to reporters regarding missing basketball practice crystallizes such: “We sitting in here — I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talking about practice. I mean, listen: We talking about practice. Not a game. Not a game. Not a game. We talking about practice. Not a game.

Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last. Not the game. We talking about practice, man. I mean how silly is that, we talking about practice.”

America, oh America, borrowing from our game-changing brother A.I. I say: “We sitting in here – We’re supposed to be a super power, and we in here talking about a song. I mean, listen: We talking about a song. Not what the song fails to live up to. Not the truth regarding why the song was even written. Not the Black lives that were lynched then or those even now.

We talking about a song. Not the execution of Rekia Boyd, LaQuan McDonald and the racism that we know

to be real, even if we choose denial.

Not the country that my own ancestors fought and died for till their last breath. Not the dignity they deserved and the honor they showed America even still. We talking about post-racial, man? A song? I mean how silly is that, we talking about not standing for a song; never mind the fact, we should probably be singing the Negro National Anthem in every stadium since it has more relevant meaning (and truth) for those who actually built America. We talking about some post-racial stuff and a song.”

My beloved brothers and sisters, fret not! Our ancestors proved the power of our collective brilliance and resilience. Oklahoma has a severely traumatizing history of executing Blacks. The race riots of 1921 proves that. But we can’t give up now.

Cry and hurt if you must but now is the time to go deeper, live healthier, pray harder and fight stronger.

There’s a Colin and remixed A.I. in you, too. Bigger than #Staywoke, it’s time for us to truly #GetWoke!

Dear America, this isn’t our version of post-racial and it’s truly our time to stand taller in showing you (as we’ve always done) what freedom really looks like beyond the spurious, superfluous suggestions otherwise.

We weep for our brothers Terence and Tyree. We’ll fight for their legacy and the oh so many more you deem disposable and unworthy of life. #GetWoke Dr. Gill is the CEO of Blackademically Speaking, a cutting edge educational consulting firm created to better educate our children.

She’s an award-winning Motivational Speaker and Author of: Champions Break Chains and Black Genes-Black Genius: A Motivational Handbook to Empower Black Youth. She’s on a mission to motivate and educate youth worldwide. See her inspire and empower youth here: Youtube; Twitter/ IG: @drgill5; Facebook: Dr. Chandra Gill – Blackademically Speaking

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

TheAfricanDream LLC Founder makes US-Ghana trip aboard South African Airways

Oral Ofori, Founder of TheAfricanDream LLC gives thumbs up to South African Airways (SAA) who were very instrumental in the facilitation of his business trip to Ghana in September 2016.

Mr. Ofori is the Founder of TheAfricanDream LLC firm; an information and communication consultancy on African affairs based in the United States (US). On September 1, 2016, Mr. Ofori embarked on a-two-week business trip to Ghana in West Africa courtesy aboard SAA. TheAfricanDream LLC Founder recounts Ghana-trip In a conversation with Mr. Ofori, he said the trip was to enable him visit with family and meet with some business partners of his firm, TheAfricanDream LLC. “My South African Airways experience was a very pleasant one, it was my first trip outside the US aboard an SAA flight and I chose them not only because they were a direct flight to Ghana from the Washington DC area, but I had heard of their legendary in-flight experience.”

Founder of TheAfricanDream LLC told this writer that George Bright-Abu; Editor of the Afrikan Post Newspaper, a US-based publication covering Diaspora Africans recommended SAA: “George

spoke highly of them and was kind enough to put me in touch with Deborah Droke, the SAA Director of Sales Development in the MidAtlantic who is also in charge of International Sales & Marketing. The South African Airways experience According to Mr. Ofori, Deborah was very nice and went out of her way to ensure his Ghana flight on SAA was a very personal and memorable one. South African Airways started their direct flights to Ghana from Dulles airport in the

Washington DC area on August 3, 2015, with the Airbus A340-600.

Some members of the Ghanaian and other African communities in the US this writer spoke to indicated their appreciation of SAA for playing a great role in helping bridge the air transportation gap between travelers, investors and tourists in the US, Ghana and across Africa with their SA #209 direct flights.

“The almost 11hr flight without a transit stop was just perfect for me and my family, the friendly air-

line crew and entertainment were amazing, the warm South African courtesy was always felt in first, business and economy classes of the plane. When I arrived in Ghana I needed less than 24hr rest to allow me prepare to meet with some old friends and then jump into business as I was not heavily jet-lagged.” — Oral Ofori While in Ghana, Oral Ofori briefly met with Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare – Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative

Arts, Rama Brew — ace Ghanaian actress and jazz musician and Gyedu Blay-Ambolley — Legendary Ghanaian musician. The others were Andrew Asare-Boffo — CEO of Aspects Consult, Yaw AmpofoAnkrah — veteran sports journalist and President of Ghana Beach Soccer Association, and Ahmed Abdul-Rashed — Administrative Manager of Syphics Studios.

The Founder of TheAfricanDream LLC also interacted with Ameyaw Debrah, the award winning Ghanaian blogger and musicians Danny Beatz and AJ Dahottest. “these were rather brief but very fruitful meetings. I know most of these individuals will soon be in the US to finish the discussions we started in Ghana, which is why I will be recommending SAA to them” Mr. Ofori said in conclusion.

Email Mr. Ofori with contact@ oralofori.com and do not hesitate to contact South African Airways about their direct flights to Ghana from Washington DC, and connecting flights to other parts of Africa and the world or group and corporate deals by emailing Deborah Droke with DeborahDroke@ flysaa.com. Find more info also at www.flysaa.com and tell them TheAfricanDream LLC sent you.

Source: TheAfricanDream. co / Rexford Nkansah

Urgent Call for Black Voter Turnout

are helping to lead the combined nationally coordinated Get-OutThe-Vote (GOTV) campaign to ensure that more than 20 million Black American voters will surge to the voting polls in every precinct throughout the county on November 8. 2016.

To achieve the goal of “20 Million Black Voters to the Polls,” the NNPA’s Project Black Voter Turnout 2016: 20 Million Black Voters to the Polls will work in coordination with the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) that offers an online link for voter registration. Time is running out to register to vote in many states. If you are not registered to vote, do it today without delay.

In addition, the NNPA will work to coordinate national GOTV

efforts with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Urban League, National Action Network (NAN), Rainbow PUSH, National Medical Association, National Association of Black Social Workers, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), Thurgood Marshall Center for Social Justice, National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NARWB), and with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Project Black Voter Turnout 2016: 20 Million Black Voters to the Polls will also work with the following national Black church organizations and religious lead-

ers: National Baptist Convention, Progressive National Baptist Convention, African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Church of God in Christ, United Church of Christ, and the Impact Network.

President Obama concluded, “If you care about our legacy, realize everything we stand for is at stake.

All the progress we’ve made is at stake in this election. My name may not be on the ballot, but our progress is on the ballot. Democracy is on the ballot. Justice is on the ballot. Good schools are on the ballot. Ending mass incarceration — that’s on the ballot right now!”

The NNPA member Blackowned newspapers reach more than 20 million readers per week and we all will be engaged and

aligned in the necessary mobilization and encouragement of millions of Black Americans and others to vote on November 8. Keep up with our campaign with social media by following the hashtags #BlackVotesMatter and #BlackPressMatters. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook @BlackPressUSA and @NNPA_BlackPress.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and can be reached for national advertisement sales and partnership proposals at: dr.bchavis@nnpa.org; and for lectures and other professional consultations at: http://drbenjaminfchavisjr.wix.com/drbfc.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

17th Annual

Employer Recognition Dinner

ACES Business Advisory Council cordially invites you to ACES 17th Annual Employer Recognition Dinner

Wednesday, October 19, 2016 Cocktail Hour 5:30pm | Buffet Dinner 6:30pm Keynote Speaker: Anthony Rescigno | President, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce

Anthony’s Ocean View 450 Lighthouse Road • New Haven, CT 06512 Dinner Cost: $45/Per Person Two complimentary dinners will be provided to each company recognized. Additional dinners may be purchased at $45.00 each. In addition to each company’s two complimentary dinners, a table of 8 may be purchased for $340.00. A table of 10 may be purchased for $410.

RSVP by October 4, 2016 to Gene Crocco by email: gcrocco@aces.org, by phone: 203-281-3577, or by fax: 203-248-8312

at

FALL JAZZ SERIES

THE GROOVE PROJECT

DARIUS, OLI SILK SEPT ERIC JEFF BRADSHAW GERALD VEASLEY SAT JJ SANSEVERINO

Camille A. Brown & Dancers BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play Friday, October 7, 2016 at 8pm CFA Theater, 271 Washington Terrace, Middletown

Acclaimed choreographer Camille A. Brown returns to Wesleyan with the Connecticut premiere of BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, which features the rhythmic play of African-American dance vernacular and live music.

24 OCT

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Tickets on sale now! $28 general public; $26 senior citizens, GET YOUR TICKETS AT

LYMANCENTER.ORG

203-392-6154

Wesleyan faculty/staff/alumni, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students

860-685-3355 www.wesleyan.edu/cfa CENTER FOR THE ARTS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

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buy 1 hour, get second hour free buy 1 hour and jump/play for two hours Mon-Thurs only. Not to be combined with any other offer or promotion. Not valid online. Does not include required jump socks. Exp: 9/30/16

$20

HOURS: 10AM TO 10PM • 7 DAYS A WEEK

off

any Birthday Party booked Monday - Friday Coupon MUST be mentioned when booking. Coupon must be redeemed at time of party to receive discount.

Exp: 9/30/16

203-989-3357 • jumpoffct.com 27

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 05, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Apply to The Workshop at Macy’s today.

If your woman or minority-owned company is ready to own your next phase of growth, then we invite you to apply for The Workshop at Macy’s – our free and exclusive vendor retail development program in New York City.

Learn more and apply now at macysinc.com/workshop

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