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Troup Goes Phone-Free

by MAYA MCFADDEN

Troup School has officially kickstarted its phone-ban rollout, and saw that throughout the day, students participated in class more and were less distracted even if students said it was “awkward” and even “scary” to be without their phones.

That was the scene during Augusta Lewis Troup School’s first day, on Wednesday, of using Yondr pouches to seal away the phones of fifth- through eighth-grade students.

Last month, the school district announced that all K 8 schools would be going cellphone-free starting in January. That policy came after the state Board of Education recommended, but did not require, that K 8 schools across Connecticut should get rid of phones. Read more about students’ and parents’ thoughts on a cellphone ban here.

Troup Principal Eugene Foreman had ordered 250 Yondr pouches just before the start of the school year for Troup’s middle school students, who in recent years have struggled to remain phone-free in the classroom. He noted that during the school day, students’ phone distractions led to less in-person interaction with their peers and sometimes physical altercations that stemmed from social media drama.

On Wednesday, the 259 Edgewood Ave. public school issued 140 pouches to students to kick off a phone-free year going forward. Foreman received the pouches toward the end of October. His leadership team decided the first day of implementation would be Nov. 6, a week after the school hosted a student assembly to answer students’ questions and concerns about the pouches. The school also organized two parent information sessions for parents to also discuss the new phone policy, but no parents attended.

During the first day of rollout on Wednesday, Foreman told the Independent that the introduction of Yondr pouches had been successful, with no behavioral incidents related to phones occurring throughout the day. While students were at first hesitant about the pouches, he said that by the end of the day, many forgot their phones were locked up in their bags.

Yondr pouches require a device to magnetically unlock. Troup also purchased Velcro phone pouches for its few students with medical conditions like diabetes and kidney monitoring, for easier access. Three Velcro pouches were issued out of the 140 total Wednesday.

There have been a few main problems that stemmed from phones in recent years, Foreman said. One was that students would message each other during class to meet up in bathrooms. Another was that they would airdrop each other photos and videos and FaceTime during class. Also, educators had to go back and forth with students if they were trying to take the de-

vice away.

Foreman noted that if students damage or lose their Yondr pouch, they will be expected to pay for it.

He said he looks forward to the pouches eliminating distractions in the classroom and encouraging students to talk to their friends and get to know their peers more.

“Today the [cafeteria] was quieter than normal because those socialization skills have been lost for years,” he said.

Foreman added that when one student was dismissed early on Wednesday, their phone was easily released while they were waiting for their parent to pick them up in the main office. According to Foreman, their parent said that that they appreciate the school’s phone-ban policy.

Eighth graders Yabsira Gorigi, Milton Pittman, Nashuana Thompson, Shyanna Robinson, and Annis Strong talked with this reporter about Troup’s first day of phone-free school on Wednesday at around 2:30 p.m.

They said that their first day phonefree was “awkward” but “good.”

Yabsira said that he thinks the new phone policy is especially good because it allows teachers to not have to be distracted in class by asking students to put their phones away. “The more they focus, the more they get knowledge,” he said about his peers.

Shyanna agreed that she believes the Yondr pouches will help lessen the number of fights and disagreements stemming from social media.

Annis said that she wishes their phones were at least released temporarily during advisory time.

Nashuana argued, “If they give us a break, some might not lock it back up, though.”

Annis said she wants a break because she likes to text her mom updates during the school day. “It’s scary because what if she’s texting me for an emergency?” she said.

While Shyanna said the first day of using the pouches was stressful, she understands why the policy is in place. She added that she unfortunately won’t be able to take selfies when her classes have good lighting.

While the group agreed the policy is necessary, they also relayed concerns about safety.

Shyanna said that if there was a lock down for an active shooter, she’s scared she won’t be able to get in touch with her mom or fifth-grade brother who also attends Troup. She made sure to mute her phone’s notifications but still keep it on while in its pouch so that her mom can still track her location.

Nashuana agreed that she would prefer to have her cellphone during a lockdown because during past lockdown drills, “some

kids don’t take it serious and that scares me.”

In response to concerns about not having their phones during emergency lockdowns, Troup informed families that “if we are locking down the building because of dangers outside the building, if students are then calling their families and they’re showing up, that creates a dangerous situation for them and even law enforcement,” said Culture and Climate Specialist Da’Jhon Jett.

“As the adults in the building, one of our many responsibilities is ensuring the safety of our students first. If there’s a lockdown or any safety emergency happening in the building, the staff and administration would be in contact with law enforcement and district leadership to communicate necessary information while also ensuring everyone remains as safe as possible.”

He added that Troup has a communication system called ParentLink that would also be used to inform parents en masse of any emergency issues.

Annis said that sometimes there are personal “emergencies” that she doesn’t want to share with school staff and would prefer to just text her mom about.

Nashuana concluded that “these phones are really getting to us. We will just scroll for hours and don’t talk to anybody.”

She said her day to day includes being on her phone in her bedroom, sleeping, and watching TV. “I don’t know anyone to hang out with in my neighborhood,” she said.

Annis agreed, saying she has no desire to play outside because she enjoys staying in her room and scrolling on her phone and texting her friends.

English teacher Ranisa Sweat told the Independent that she was surprised to see so many typically-quiet students speak up more in class, which she believes was due to the lack of distraction from phones on Wednesday.

She added that even students without phones were eager to carry a Yondr pouch to be like their peers.

“It makes a difference when everyone is engaged. It’s starting to look like wholegroup discussions,” she said. Wednesday’s increased participation gave her class the chance to hear more from students who were less engaged in the past, she concluded.

As the fifth through eighth graders dismissed Wednesday at around 2:50 p.m., students crowded around Jett on the third floor as he unlocked each student’s phone from their pouches in less than ten minutes.

Students cheered and said “finally” as they slipped their phones from their pouches, which they returned to their homeroom teachers, and had their devices back in hand.

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTO

Da'Jhon Jett magnetically unlocks students' phones during Wednesday dismissal at Troup.

Eighth graders Annis Strong, Yabsira Gorigi, Milton Pittman, Nashuana Thompson, and Shyanna Robinson: In support of phone-free school but slightly weary.

Dixwell’s Varick Church Eyes Potential Move

by THOMAS BREEN

A historic Black church that has spent the past century-plus in the heart of Dixwell is considering relocating amid a broader building up of the neighborhood’s commercial corridor.

That church is Varick Memorial A.M.E. Church, a Methodist congregation that was founded in 1818 by a racial segregation-defying minister alongside 35 enslaved New Haven African Americans. Since 1908, the congregation has been based out of a church at the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Charles Street. It’s long been a citywide anchor for everything from local labor politics to racial justice organizing to social services for the homeless. Varick’s 242 Dixwell Ave. home is a recognized site on the Connecticut Freedom Trail and the Winchester Repeating Arms National Register Historic District. Booker T. Washington gave his last public speech there, in 1915.

Varick Pastor Kelcy Steele confirmed for the Independent on Wednesday that the church is looking into potentially leaving 242 Dixwell.

“We don’t have any room for expansion,” Steele said. “We want a new modern sanctuary. We want to be handicapaccessible for an aging congregation.”

He said the church’s various ministries, including a warming center for the homeless, have also “outgrown” the current Dixwell Avenue spot.

Steele emphasized that Varick has not committed to moving out of 242 Dixwell. It very well might stay put. “We don’t actually have to move,” he stressed. But, such a consideration is on the table.

He confirmed that a group of church congregants met on Monday, at an undisclosed location, to discuss the matter. “It was basically exploring the option of what a relocation would look like, and what the goal and procedures would look like” if such a move were to take place. Steele cited the coming redevelopment of the Dixwell Plaza site into ConnCAT Place right next door to Varick as one factor influencing the church’s potential move.

“A lot of our parishioners were parking there for services,” he said about Dixwell Plaza, which a local development group called ConnCORP is building up into new apartments, a food hall, a performing arts venue, childcare and healthcare hubs, and offices for the related job-training nonprofit ConnCAT. “It’s going to pose a parking issue,” Steele said.

He said that the Varick community includes around 1,000 church members, roughly 300 of whom show up on a regular basis to Sunday services.

“With ConnCORP moving beside us, and what’s going on in New Haven, we were definitely trying to explore some other options in case we want to expand,” he added.

How does Steele feel about even the

prospect of leaving 242 Dixwell Ave.?

“It’s very emotional,” he said. “Right now, it is very new.”

Underscoring how the current site is not the most conducive to the church’s hoped-for expansion, he said, “Right now, we’re landlocked.”

Instead of moving, Steele said, the church might stay at 242 Dixwell and add a “satellite location” instead.

Steele did not identify a new location if the church were to leave Dixwell Avenue. He repeated several times over the course of the phone interview that Varick has not 100 percent committed to leaving its site, that these relocation considerations are quite new.

What comes next as the church decides whether or not to leave 242 Dixwell?

“We are pausing and praying,” Steele said, and not rushing into any decision. He said the church and its congregants have to continue discussing the matter.

The neighborhood’s alder, Troy Streater, told the Independent that he had not heard about the church’s potential move before this reporter asked. He reached out to Steele, and confirmed that such a relocation is possible.

“It would be sad to see them move,” Streater said. There’s “a lot of history there. I wouldn’t want to see them go.” Streater also emphasized that the church building has not been sold, and no plans are final.

A representative from ConnCORP did not reply directly to the question of whether or not the agency is looking to buy Varick’s church building. Instead, the organization’s CEO, Erik Clemons, provided the Independent with the following written comment for this story:

“ConnCORP has been a long supporter of Varick Church and we’re humbled by

its history of serving generations of Dixwell residents for more than two centuries.

“If Varick’s leadership decides to seize strategic growth opportunities away from its home on Dixwell, ConnCORP will remain committed to supporting them and the neighborhood in the best ways we can. As a known investor in the Dixwell corridor, we’re interested in any opportunity that would support the ongoing restoration and beautification of this historic

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

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community.

“It’s no secret that ConnCAT Place on Dixwell is poised to change the lives of hundreds of community members, many of whom attend Varick services every Sunday. Should an opportunity arise that allows our organization to more deeply invest in Dixwell, we will consider every angle, examine the impact, and ultimately work on a solution that ensures the best interest of the church, its members, and the neighborhood at large.”

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

Varick Church: So long, 242 Dixwell?

ConnCORP CEO Clemons: "Interested in any opportunity that would support the ongoing restoration and beautification of this historic community."

"All Neighbors Day" Grows Into Year Two

Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

At first, it was the slow, gentle footfalls of children that brought the audience to a hush, music sweeping over the room. A joyful, sharp trill went up from a table on one side of the room, and the sound of Sudanese waza and lyre became a river, flowing down the aisles. It was a prayer, a safe place to come home to, at a time when West Haven may have needed it most.

A sense of hard-fought resilience defined the second annual All Neighbors Day, a celebration of West Haven’s diverse and expanding cultural landscape held at the Music Back Then Performance Theater on Bull Hill Lane Saturday afternoon. As singer-songwriters, poets, musicians, culinary artists and culture-bearers gathered in the space, it became a balm for the moment, and a call to action for the months and years ahead.

“It was intentional to put it after the election this year,” said Elinor Slomba, president of the community arts nonprofit ArtsWest CT. “We wanted to create a container and let the contents emerge. But there is never a bad time to strengthen goodwill with your neighbors.”

“ArtsWest CT believes community is our way forward,” she later added.

And throughout the day, that goodwill flowed through the theater, where the back room became a recognition of the need for—and strength of—multicultural community. As longtime West Havener and DJ Steve Wallace kept the sound in check, baker and mom Jacqueline Torres showed off cupcakes from Izzy’s Sugar Rush, a sweet new endeavor inspired by her two-year-old son, Israel.

Two years ago, Torres didn’t have a sense of West Haven as a town: she grew up “all over,” from Puerto Rico to Stamford to New Haven, and never felt rooted anywhere. When she made the move to West Haven, she was about to give birth, and wasn’t sure what it would mean to raise her son in a new town. She worried about their future, and didn’t yet know who she would meet.

It turned out that she had no reason to be nervous.

“I see a lot of cultures,” she said. “Here, you’re meeting new people, you’re meeting neighbors who you’ve never seen before. I love it.”

Saturday, she brought along dozens of cupcakes representing different countries, with delicate, carefully piped frosting that stood in for flags from across the globe. In one, swirls of red and green buttercream created an homage to Sudan, a nod to a small bazaar from the Sudanese American Society of Connecticut across the room. Cupcakes with green frosting and deli-

cate fondant flowers were a nod to the Caribbean; white and red cupcakes became a look at Japan; a burst of sunshine yellow atop a chocolate cupcake became a love letter to Jamaica. Even Mexico got its own twist, with De La Rosa peanut candies pressed gently into ruffles of white frosting.

As drummers who had opened the afternoon cleared the stage, Slomba introduced Connecticut Poet Laureate Antoinette Brim-Bell not just as a wordsmith, but also as a neighbor and longtime champion of West Haven. Two years ago this winter, Slomba remembered, Brim-Bell helped carry “Poets Are Not A Luxury” at West Haven High School. Now, she is holding fast to that message that artists are vital to the very existence of community.

“I’m so happy to be here with you meeting my neighbors,” Brim-Bell said as she cradled a hard-bound notebook in her hands. “I think the timing is perfect, because what we need is each other.”

She turned to her poem “Sestina for the Night,” which she thinks of as reserved for heavy-hearted days, she said. In the piece, a form of poetry that goes back to 12th-century Europe, Brim-Bell writes of her anticipation for the night, itself a weighty thing that is as maligned as it is often misunderstood.

I await the night/When my tears might fall up to heaven/And become prayers that ask, seek, and knock in earnest hope/ That daylight will bring relief, she read, and suddenly there were words for what so many in the room had likely been feeling. Moonflowers bloom intoxicating relief/Iridescent tendrils thread together, opal trumpets that herald the night—

As people listened, they could also see the singular, strange beauty that the night brings with it. Notes of vanilla drip onto jasmine bliss/and anoint our prayers, she read. We who labor/with so little recompense/Must endure each day’s sorrow/ Whatever hunger, loss, or mourning bursts through.

Attendees stilled around the room, listening with a sort of reverence. Behind Brim-Bell, strings of white light glowed against the red and purple spots over the stage, almost church like. A drum kit sat quietly, unattended, beside her. Even at the back of the room, chef Maxine Bowden stopped for a moment, leaning forward as she listened.

—Relief is reserved for the humble/ The debased/Relief is for those who await the darkness to blot their sorrows on the rough sleeve of night, she continued. These many sorrows we carry in wallets, purses, and pill bottles each day/ In our bodies and minds—

When Brim-Bell left the stage minutes later, fellow artists and attendees kept that

sense of wonder going. Speaking from both the stage and the audience, Slomba and social justice activist Elaine Kolb introduced the “Let's Get Together Translation Project,” which seeks to translate the chorus of Kolb’s 1978 poem “Let’s Get Together” into as many languages as possible.

As if on cue, Ermenia Gaeta and Esraa Khild took the stage one at a time, to read the chorus in Italian and then Arabic. At a table nearby, Sisters With A New Attitude (SWANA) Founder Deborah Elmore listened as she showed off a display of items from different countries in Africa, which have helped her feel more connected to her roots.

As a first-time participant, she praised the festival as helping to bring the community together.

She was far from the only one. Translating for a group from the Sudanese American Society, longtime Connecticut resident Abdul Nassar Mahmoud said that events like All Neighbors Day help to teach community members about each

tion—he’s trying to preserve and promote understanding of Sudanese culture thousands of miles from home.

Saturday, he added, students lived out that mission as they performed a traditional dance about safely coming home— a reality that remains far away. In Sudan, there’s no place that is currently safe from violence and fighting. When he hears the mellifluous call of the lyre and the undulating vocals that soar above it, Mahmoud thinks about his own family members who are still there, a constellation of siblings, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

“My heart is always over there with my people,” he said.

Back on stage, Kevin Diaz and members of Movemiento Cultural Afro-Continental had assembled, ready to close out the afternoon with the heartbeat of resistance. Leaning towards a mic, Diaz explained that Bomba originated in Puerto Rico, birthed from the pain and the horror of the Afro-Caribbean slave trade.

The form, in which drums, dance and voice form a call-and-response with one another, has lasted centuries, still used as a form of protest in Puerto Rico and across the globe (including in New Haven and West Haven).

As he listened, attendee Richard Cowes soaked it all in. A member of the Golden Hill Paugusset Tribe and GED facilitator at New Haven Adult Education—where students hail from nearly 80 countries— he stressed the importance of knowing one’s own culture, and also appreciating those that make a place more diverse.

other.

“We are here to share our culture, absorb other cultures, to get known in the whole community of West Haven,” his hands dancing over a table heavy with falafel, basta, baklava and carafes of gongolez or baobab juice and hibiscus tea.

“We are spreading our culture, dance, language … spreading community.”

“We have a huge community across Connecticut,” and yet very few people know about the history and culture of Sudan, he added. That extends to the current moment, in which ongoing civil war has created a vast humanitarian crisis. For Mahmoud, who grew up in Omdurman, it’s a chance to teach the country’s culture. For instance, he said, very few Americans know that Sudan is home to over 100 languages, or that different regions of the country lay claim to different climates and cuisines.

“We have to let people know who we are,” he said. After moving to Connecticut three decades ago, he made that part of his mission. When he isn’t working— he has run a grocery store and a pizza restaurant, and now works in transporta-

“It’s important to know which parts of you exist,” he said. As he spoke, he motioned to two necklaces made of quahog shells gathered at the West Haven shoreline. The jewelry is meant to honor both his mother and his great uncle, who was a chief.

“If we are who we are, as Turtle Island, we have to embrace that,” he said. In future years, he added, he would be interested in sharing drumming and music in the Algonquin language.

Nearby, The Building Complex CoOwner Sylvia Yanez said she was also glad to be there. Saturday, she had brought a sort of portable ofrenda, or traditional memorial altar, in honor of her grandfather Mario Yañez-Ortiz, who died in Castaños, Mexico two years ago. Growing up, Yanez visited the family in Castaños each fall, in time for Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead. In 2022, she was there with cousins, parents, aunts and uncles, and family elders to see YañezOrtiz pass into the spirit world. Since that time, her work obligations have kept her from returning. On the altar, she had assembled hot peppers, sugar skulls, marigolds, and a cowboy boot.

“It means a lot to me,” she said. “It makes this feel more like home.”

Members of the Sudanese American Society of Connecticut. Lucy Gellman Photos

Sugar & Spice & Sometimes Some Feist

by Trish O’Leary-Treat

(We deeply apologize for previously inserting the wrong photo of Nurse Pat Dillon with a photo of State Rep Pat Dillon)

Many of the most wonderful mothers in the world never gave birth to a child of their own; instead, they nurtured other people’s children. One of those wonders is Pat Dillon, a 92-year old retired LPN who lives in downtown New Haven.

Pat was born in New Haven, daughter of a mother descended from Native Americans and a father whose grandparents had been slaves from the Caribbean .Now a sole survivor, she grew up in Oakville CT as the second oldest of six children: four sisters and one brother.

Pat says that while her mother and siblings all loved cooking, from a very young age she herself always wanted to become a nurse. When the rest of her family moved to New York while she was in high school, she went to live with her father’s mother and stayed in Oakville until she graduated from high school in the early 1950’s.

Grace Memorial Hospital’s LPN program was begun around that time and Pat, one of three women of color in a class of 40, graduated from their yearlong LPN program in 1953. During that year, she lived with other LPN trainees at the New Haven YWCA on Chapel St.

Pat says she found her nurse’s training challenging. For one thing, she found it hard to read a mercury thermometer. Told by her teacher she had to master that skill or else flunk out, she drew for herself a giant thermometer and marked the various degrees in red. She practiced looking at it to become more comfortable reading it. photo of her graduating class is avail-

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able).

After a few years in New York looking after her other grandmother and working in her new career, Pat returned to CT and began working in Yale New Haven Hospital’s new unit for premature Infants. She continued working for YNHH for over 40 years until her retirement in 1996. In her nursing career there,Pat says she

Yale New Haven Hospital is pleased to offer patients and their families financial counseling regarding their hospital bills or the availability of financial assistance, including free care funds.

By appointment, patients can speak one-on-one with a financial counselor during regular business hours. For your convenience, extended hours are available in-person at Yale New Haven Hospital once a month.

Date: Monday, November 18, 2024

Time: 5 - 7 pm

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has lots of happy memories of the babies she cared for and their grateful parents and of the doctors she taught how to hold a newborn and change a diaper. She cherishes the photos of many little ones whose families she stayed in touch with. She has kept many letters from parents who would send her updates on their children, and she was sometimes became godmother to the babies she helped to thrive. Not all her memories of her nursing career were pleasant. Racial discrimination was a reality. There were hard times when she developed carpal tunnel syndrome and her supervisors tried to force her out. Eager to get the pension for which she had worked so long, Pat fought back, armed with many letters of praise for her work sent by grateful parents to the YNHH president at the time.

After a brief marriage that ended, Pat bought a house for herself on University Place and became a landlady to many students over the years before she sold her house and moved to Tower East. In the 1980’s, when inner city life was sometimes rough, Pat became block watch captain to help keep her street safe from drug dealers.

These days, her flower-filled apartment overlooks downtown New Haven’s rooftops and church steeples. She enjoys sharing with visitors photos of the five ocean cruises she took on her vacations before

her retirement: one to Bermuda, two to Italy and two others to the Caribbean. She traveled in the days of fancy dining, and her sewing skills produced some elegant outfits she wore onboard.

Pat’s political activism continues today, and she can often be found tracking the presidential campaigning on her tv. Next to her calendar highlighting notable women of color throughout American history is a shiny toaster decorated with a photo magnet of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Jackson

She is an aunt to many of her siblings’ children, and she was particularly fond of her nephew, the late Wilbur Freeman, who was a family researcher and a poet in Oakville.

After moving to Tower One, she became friends with Jason, a neighbor’s son. He walks her rescue dog Princess and she enjoys cooking outstanding chicken and dumplings and other favorite dishes for him. On Sunday mornings she can be found at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Dixwell Avenue, Over her years there, she could often be found helping to look after altar cloths and vestments.

Pat recently sent her DNA sample to be analyzed so that she can learn at long last which tribe her father’s parents are descended from. She is hoping to find out in time for Thanksgiving.

Trisho684@gmail.com

Alexis Holmes Brings A "Gold Medal Mentality" To Stetson

Lucy Gellman

The new haven independent

When 8-year-old Kamili Johnson started running last summer, she discovered what it felt like to be free in her body. Now—with the help of a role model who looks like her—she’s adding Olympian to her list of career aspirations.

Thursday night, Kamili joined dozens of people at the Stetson Branch Library for a visit from Alexis Holmes, the 24-year-old Hamden native and track and field phenom who took home a gold in the 4 x 400-meter relay at the Paris Olympics. Months after winning, she's returning to the place that raised her to inspire a “gold medal mentality” in a younger generation.

“That gold medal wasn’t won in Paris,” she said as the second floor of the library fell to a hush. Instead, it followed years of hard work and perseverance, including in New Haven, Cheshire and Hamden. "Being a gold medalist, that looks like being excited about what you're learning."

When Holmes won in Paris, part of a team that also included Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, and Shamier Little, she became Connecticut’s first track and field gold medalist in history. During her time in France, she also ran a personal best of 49.77 seconds, coming home with a new sense of both team and individual accomplishment.

But her journey to Paris began not on the track but at the local YMCA, where her parents enrolled her in swimming lessons when she was just a few months old. Even then, “she just had no fear,” recalled her grandmother, Diane Stanton. In the fierce, fast kick of her little legs, the family had a sense that their girl was unstoppable.

When Holmes was a kid, she began running with the New Haven Age Group Track Club, the fleet-footed brainchild of now-retired SCSU track coach Jim Barber. On the track, she trained rigorously, meeting kids from across the state. Off of it, she was a dedicated student (her mom, Dawn Stanton, remembered her teaching a school of stuffed animals and dolls in the family's living room) with a love for lacrosse, volleyball, and basketball outdone only by a dedication to her family. For several years, it was actually basketball that called to her. By high school— Holmes attended Cheshire Academy— she thought that "I would be the first WNBA star to dunk with nails," she said, showing off her long, immaculate acrylic nails as the room rippled with laughter. Then as she inched towards senior year and graduation, she realized that she wasn't ready to say goodbye to track and field.

It was a hard decision, she remembered: she'd already received offers to play basketball in college, and pursuing track meant turning them down. After

talking to her parents, she decided that she would give herself the grace to try making track and field work. She headed to the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. "I didn't even wear a uniform," she remembered, laughing at the recollection of a neon track suit that she wore. At the starting line, she was still virtually unknown.

"I'd struggled with picking a sport, picking a passion, but I felt most like me when I was running," she said. When it was time to run, "I just had this determination that came over me." She ultimately ran 51.21 seconds—a record time for both her career and for the event. It put her on the map.

It was also her launchpad to going pro, a choice that she said has been one of both extreme joy and extreme sacrifice, she said. After high school, Holmes started college at Penn State and finished at the University of Kentucky, from which she graduated cum laude in 2022.

It was sometimes lonely, she acknowledged—like when she was away from family for months at a time, or had to go to practice instead of spending time with friends.

When she needed motivation, she looked to track stars who had helped clear a path for her, including Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross. Despite an ankle injury in 2020, she pressed forward, ultimately soaring at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and Olympic Team Trials in Oregon earlier this year.

“Alexis, sweetheart, you are a shining star and we can’t wait to see where your strength and determination will take you next,” said her mother, Dawn Stanton. Her tenacity—and a surprisingly gentle sort of humor—was on full view during a question-and-answer with the audience, after which she donned her medal and posed for pictures with pint-sized attendees. No sooner had she finished a series of short prepared remarks than half a dozen hands went up across the room, Holmes walking to each attendee to offer them the mic.

"What's the last thing you tell yourself before running?" asked 11-year-old GG King, a student at East Rock Magnet School who later explained that she too is a runner, and sometimes has to pump herself up before hitting the pavement. Earlier this year, GG watched the Olympics, and called it “awesome” to see Holmes and her teammates compete. Holmes smiled, her eyes dancing. She gets nervous too, she said—maybe more than she would like to admit. But she always remembers "you prepared for this moment," she said. "You deserve to be here."

"What's your favorite thing when running?" asked Kamili. She later said that running—more than any other sport— just "feels like I'm free in the sky and

nobody is with me." That resonated for Holmes, who said that she also feels most free when she's running.

The questions kept coming, from how it feels to run and win a big race (great, and also like she wants to eat a cheeseburger, she said to laughs) to how she prepares for competition (phone off, mental focus on). So it felt right on time when Elaine Roper, vice president of culture and community relations at ConnCORP, asked simply "What's next?"

For years, Holmes said, she's been so focused on track that she's put her other creative passions on the back burner. But going forward, she would like to write and publish a book, share some of her poetry, and start a photography business. She's not done with track, either—and still excited to see what the future of the sport has in store for her.

Before ending the session, Stetson Branch Manager Diane Brown and students from SĀHGE Academy presented Holmes with the inaugural "Stetson Star Award," a recognition for the work she has done to inspire young people to excel in whatever they choose to do. Brown explained that the award also comes with financial compensation, because Olympic athletes are expected to pay their own way.

Students from SĀGHE, which is a civics-focused school helmed by New Havener Arden Santana, seemed equally excited. Student Patricia Gardner, who is a swimmer, said meeting Holmes was “amazing.” When she swims, “I feel like I’m just floating in the air,” she said. She loves knowing she’s not alone in that sense of wonder.

“I want to be friends with her but I don’t know if that would be weird,” added Santana Brightly with a smile. While she doesn’t run seriously, she and classmates agreed that Holmes’ message echoed beyond track.

Fresh off getting Holmes’ autograph, Kamili said that she now hopes to be an Olympian, in addition to a lawyer and President of the United States. Between now and then, she’ll be getting back to the track for training. “It’s a part of me,”

Holmes with members of her family and the "Stetson Star" award.

Holmes with GG and Avi King. The whole family runs, GG said.

Holmes fields questions from the audience.

SĀHGE Academy students Nevaé Brightly, Amayah Smith, Patricia Gardner, and Santana Brightly with Holmes.

Holmes and Amayah Smith.

In Biden-Trump Handshake, Black America Sees More Than Just a Gesture

While Biden extended a warm “welcome back” to

else

the

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire @StacyBrownMedia

In a scene that one might easily describe as privilege meeting privilege, two powerful white and elderly men—Joe Biden, 81, and Donald Trump, 78—shared a cordial exchange in the Oval Office, an image strikingly at odds with the grim reality many Black Americans now face with Trump’s re-election. While Biden extended a warm “welcome back” to his predecessor and successor, for African Americans and other marginalized groups, the moment marked something else entirely: the return of a leader who has made explicit promises to dismantle the civil rights framework that barely holds at the edges in the nation.

Trump is adamant about his intentions, thanks to his renewed mandate. Among his stated goals, which include dismantling the Department of Education, defunding historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and killing any remote chance that African Americans could finally receive reparations for centuries of racism and discrimination. White college students who, in his opinion, have suffered because of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies have received a signal from Trump that he would extend reparative measures to them. He’s vowed to ramp up law enforcement efforts targeting minority communities, with plans to reinstate controversial stopand-frisk laws, grant sweeping immunity to police, and dismantle the Department of Justice’s civil rights division.

For Biden, the White House meeting on Wednesday may have been just another statesmanlike duty, another handshake for the cameras. But for Black Americans, the stakes are disturbingly real.

embolden hate groups, and policies favoring predominantly white and affluent communities. Now, with the incoming Trump-led administration reinvigorated, communities across the nation are bracing themselves for policies that echo Jim Crow’s shadow.

slavery in America.

The promise of a Trump administration heavy-handed in law enforcement and dismissive of civil rights is not a distant threat; it’s an imminent one. As Biden offered his congratulations, Black Americans, knowing that white women and white men were responsible for the 2024 election results, were left with the image of a president who appeared shielded by privilege, watching as the same Oval Office welcomed back a leader intent on unraveling hard-fought protections.

As the fire crackled behind the two in the Oval Office, Biden wished for a smooth transition—ironically, the same gesture Trump had denied him four years ago— and Black America could only look on with trepidation and the unmistakable privilege that white America has fought so viciously to deny people of color. Under Trump, Black Americans saw police-involved deaths rise, racist rhetoric

In this return to power, Trump brings with him a promise of transformation— one that may bear little good news for communities of color. His rhetoric on law enforcement paints a vision of a “police state,” where “order” is synonymous with marginalization and where civil liberties are an afterthought. The administration’s proposed reforms under Project 2025 or Agenda 47 promise further marginalization of those already most affected by systemic injustices.

As Biden shook Trump’s hand, the widening chasm between the lived experience of Black people and the political theater of the day was apparent. Confederates who remain heroes of Trump and those ensconced in the MAGA movement are likely to replace the portraits of historical figures like Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. that currently line the Oval Office. Trump has spoken openly of his opposition to removing Confederate monuments and relics that honor those who fought to retain

While the two men smiled and shook hands, it’s likely that the lives of Biden and Trump and many who look like them—particularly those who enjoy their wealth—will, at worst, remain unchanged. In contrast, Black Americans— and other communities of color—are set to face an administration chomping at the bit to eradicate all civil rights protections afforded minorities. Trump’s approach has already emboldened hate groups, stirred racist sentiments, and further divided the nation.

Still, Biden, seated comfortably within the privileges that come with his office and with being white and wealthy, offered a “smooth transition” to a man who promised to tighten the grip of authority on communities that have fought hardest for equity and justice.

“Privilege meeting privilege isn’t just about two men shaking hands,” said one administration official who asked to remain anonymous and who will be without a job come January 20. “It’s about a system that protects itself, a system that tells Black America, ‘It’s your turn to wait—again.’ And while they exchange niceties, Black America holds its breath, knowing that the fight for justice got a lot harder.”

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6 Steps To Planning a Memorable Friendsgiving

by Keyaira Boone, BlackHealthMatters.com

Friendsgiving provides an opportunity for people to show appreciation to their chosen family. They can be a welcome addition to traditional holiday events or a needed refuge from complicated dynamics. Hosting Friendsgiving has become increasingly popular in recent years. People love gathering their group chat for good food and conversation as the year approaches a close. The result is a great time, but facilitating that great time can take some work. We asked seasoned event planner and Maple and Monroe founder Shakira Johnson for some of her Friendsgiving best practices to help you plan a memorable occasion this year.

Consider Budget

“Whenever you’re doing an event, you have got to start with the numbers first, whether that’s a large-scale event or an intimate event in your own home,” said Johnson.

Make a Realistic Guest List

It’s tempting to throw a grand shindig where everyone you’ve ever doubletapped on Instagram is welcome, but that is only feasible for some people. “If you have a smaller number, you can create a more elevated experience for those in that room of a few,” Johnson pointed out.

“For a sit-down, you do a hundred percent seating, meaning that if you have ten seats, then you invite ten people,” she continued. The seating requirements for gatherings that do not require place settings are a bit more lax. “If it’s a cocktail or more of a house party style, you can do as low as 50 percent [seating]. That’s the minimum that will typically do,” Johnson explained. The seating sweet spot for most affairs is between “50 and 75 percent.”

Divide The Labor…In Advance

“Parties are great, but clean up can be a heavy lift,” said Johnson. “If you already

have a housekeeper, just notify them you’re having a party.” Keeping your housekeeper informed can help get your home back on track quicker. “They can adjust their schedule around what you’re having in your home,” she explained. If this is not a service you usually splurge on, you can still get help on the fly. “If you don’t normally have a cleaning team, you can use services like TaskRabbit,” said Johnson. If enlisting hired help is not an option, you can ask those “dearest and closest to you.” “If hiring is not an option, just get some help in advance so that you’re not overwhelmed,” said Johnson. Avoid awkward interactions by designating responsibilities ahead of time. “Usually, people don’t mind, but you don’t want to spring it on people,” Johnson advised.

Plan The Menu Thoughtfully

Inclusion is always in style. Please remember to ask your guests about any dietary restrictions before the event so that

you can make sure they’re comfortable. Labeling items on a table or passed tray helps avoid issues as well. Everyone will be informed about their options to make the right decision.

Pick Unique Post Dinner Activities

Instead of pulling out the card games, cigars, and cognac, try something new by adding a charitable element to your party this holiday season. “Social impact is the new black,” declared Johnson. “So post dinner. I see that as a great opportunity to make baskets that can be taken down to food shelters or given to groups already collecting holiday items.” “You can wrap toys,” she added. “As we know, this economy has created a scenario where the food pantries have more demand than they can even supply, and many people are losing their jobs. So, as a part of your invitation, ask people to bring a gift or an item aside after dinner,” she continued. “What’s better than a Friendsgiving but by blessing others?” You'll be thankful you

November is National Adoption Awareness Month: The African American Adoption Crisis:

Our Kids are Hurting by BlackDoctor.org

According to The Adoption Institute, researchers from the University of Vermont (UVM) discovered that although many white adoptive parents were open to adopting children of other races, they did not want to adopt African-American children.

With more than 100,000 students waiting to be adopted in the U.S., why are Black kids the least desirable? And why do parents go overseas to adopt?

The United States leads the world in international adoptions. The National Center for Adoption reports that Americans completed 6,441 intercountry adoptions in 2014. (This is way down, though, from the peak of 22,000 international adoptions in 2004.)

Meanwhile, there are about 108,000 children available for adoption in the U.S. as of July 2015, according to the National Council of Adoption. African-American children are overrepresented — they make up about 24 percent of the children waiting for adoption. (The African-American population in the U.S. is 13 percent).

Researchers at UVM interviewed 41 parents from the northeastern U.S. (all were white except one Asian) who had adopted 52 kids. Thirty-three of the children adopted came from other countries, mostly China, Korea and Guatemala. The researchers shared their findings in a report titled, “We Didn’t Even Think About Adopting Domestically: The Role of Race and Other Factors in Shaping Parents’ Decisions to Adopt Abroad.” The main reasons the subjects chose to adopt kids from overseas were:

- Fear of birth parents changing their mind and wanting their child back

- Concern about open adoptions where

birth parents maintain some contact with their child

- An assumption that adoptive children in the U.S. have more health issues due to alcohol or drug abuse by their mothers

Here’s where it gets really interesting. While many of the parents surveyed said they were open to adopting children of any race — and even actively sought nonwhite children overseas — several said no when it came to black American children. In fact, 18 of the parents explicitly said they wouldn’t adopt a black child. African-American children, in particular, were seen as “too different” physically and culturally.

“It was weird that we were fine with Asian. We were fine with South American. And we weren’t with African American… Maybe I wasn’t exposed or I just thought it would be too different.”

— Jenny, study participant who adopted from Guatemala

Just two of the adopted children in the study group were African-American. The other four black children adopted came from other countries: Haiti, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nikki Khanna is a sociology professor who led the study. She notes via email that U.S. adoptions from Africa have more than tripled between 2003 and 2010. But she says it’s not clear why the parents she interviewed found African children more adoptable than black American kids. “For these parents, it is possible that they perceive African-American culture as more ambiguous and less defined than that of Tanzanian or Congolese culture, for example, and hence more accessible to them. More research, however, is needed.”

For Black Americans, ‘Sundown’ Approaches as a Fateful Inauguration Looms

Black citizens face the brunt of that decision, confronting the potential resurgence of sundown towns, unchecked racist policing, and policies that threaten to let America’s ugliest prejudices flourish once more.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire @StacyBrownMedia

With more than half of Latino men and white women voting to elect Donald Trump, the repercussions for African Americans were blatantly ignored. While there’s little doubt that white women— sacrificing their rights to choose healthcare—and Latinos—sealing the fate of many of their brethren who will be ostracized, deported, and worse, will reap some of the repercussions of Trump’s return—Black citizens face the brunt of that decision, confronting the potential resurgence of sundown towns, unchecked racist policing, and policies that threaten to let America’s ugliest prejudices flourish once more.

Trump’s proposed and devastating agenda includes dismantling the Department of Justice’s civil rights division and ending federal oversight that has long been essential for marginalized communities. Even more alarming, Trump has pledged to grant police officers complete immunity in cases involving unarmed citizens, signaling a return to a climate where police can act without accountability. For many, this agenda is not only a step backward—it is a revival of an era when Black Americans had to tread carefully in towns across America to avoid violence or worse.

Sundown Towns: A Legacy Closer Than Expected

Historically, “sundown towns” were communities where Black Americans were told to leave by sunset or face violent consequences. Though often associated with the Jim Crow South, these towns spanned the entire country, from coast to coast, leaving their mark in states not far from Washington, D.C. In Levittown, Pennsylvania, for instance, Black families were explicitly barred from purchasing homes when a town was developed in the 1950s—a policy reflective of racial exclusion in other nearby communities. Similarly, Elkton, Maryland, located less than two hours from D.C., held an unspoken “no-go” rule for Black travelers after dark, a reminder of the racial divide near the nation’s capital.

Further examples dot the region. Vienna, Virginia, although not historically labeled a sundown town, had neighborhoods with restrictive covenants excluding Black residents, and Greenwood, Delaware, similarly held an exclusionary legacy through much of the 20th century. Such towns, both near and far, stand as reminders that racial hostility is not confined to distant history or faraway places. In Ohio, Parrysville and New Lebanon

carry lingering reputations for exclusion, while Martinsville, Indiana, a required pass-through town for students heading to Indiana University, is marked by Confederate flags and reminders of a time when Black residents were warned to stay away. In Kentucky, research indicates that at least 60 towns continue to be identified as sundown towns, with Corbin and Salisbury, North Carolina, retaining incredibly hostile attitudes toward Black residents and travelers. In Vidor, Texas— another notorious sundown town—Confederate flags and racially exclusive policies create an environment where Black visitors know they are unwelcome.

Driving While Black: An Ongoing Risk

The legacy of sundown towns is alive in the experiences of Black Americans today, especially while traveling. The experience of Sheila Lettsome and her husband in 2019 serves as evidence that “driving while Black” is still a dangerous reality. Driving through a quiet Ohio town, police stopped the couple without reason. Despite having an updated registration, police officers asked where they were going and if they were “lost.” Sensing a silent threat, they quickly took the officer’s “suggested route” out of town. Only later did they learn they’d crossed into a known sundown town—a reminder that, in some places, Black travelers are still unsafe on the road.

Such incidents highlight the dangers Black Americans continue to face in areas with sundown legacies. Trump’s plan to grant police full immunity—especially in cases involving unarmed citizens—amplifies this threat. The proposed protections for police, combined with a dismantling of the DOJ’s civil rights division, effectively tell Black Americans that abuses could go unchecked and unpunished, making “driving while Black” an even greater risk.

Trump’s Campaign Rallies: A Signal to “Sundown America”

Trump’s campaign rallies themselves sent alarms across Black communities. Choosing to hold events in towns known for racial exclusion and Ku Klux Klan activity, such as Howell, Michigan, and Cullman, Alabama, many civil rights advocates argue these stops are intentional dog whistles. Cullman, a town where for decades Black visitors were warned to “not let the sun set on their heads,” hosted a Trump rally—a move some called a loud signal to his far-right base.

In Howell, which has a history of KKK activity, videos from the rally showed Black attendees facing verbal and physical harassment, reinforcing the racial tensions that sundown towns once wea-

ponized to intimidate. At the time, Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign described these venues as a “deliberate choice,” intended to rally extremist supporters and rekindle painful reminders of America’s past racial hostilities.

A Future Without Civil Rights Protections

The Trump agenda is not limited to rhetoric or rally locations; his proposal to eliminate the DOJ’s civil rights division would strip away vital protections for Black communities. The DOJ has long served as a backstop for holding law enforcement accountable and defending against housing, employment, and voting discrimination. Without it, Black Americans are left without crucial federal support, leaving them exposed to abuses and discrimination that could escalate under Trump’s immunity plan for police. Granting complete immunity to police who shoot unarmed citizens creates an environment in which law enforcement could operate without consequences, giving Black communities fewer options to contest misconduct or violence. This vision threatens to turn back the clock to an era where sundown towns enforced racial exclusion with impunity. Trump’s campaign promises, coupled with his choice of rally venues, suggest that his second term could usher in a “sundown America”—a country where Black citizens must once again live with constant vigilance, mindful of the dangers of traveling, living, or simply existing freely. An Ominous Roadmap for Black America

For Black Americans, Trump’s campaign rallies, rhetoric, and policies form a chilling roadmap toward a society that looks disturbingly like the days of Jim Crow. As historian James Loewen, author of Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, warned, the greatest mistake is to assume sundown towns are relics of the past. “Driving while Black” in these communities often means navigating unspoken rules, risking dangerous encounters, and carrying a constant awareness of hostile environments.

“Sometimes the dog whistle actually works, loudly spoken,” remarked Professor Joyce Alene Vance. For Black Americans, the threat of sundown towns and Trump’s proposed rollback of civil rights protections cast a dark shadow. “Without the DOJ’s oversight and with broad police immunity, Black Americans could face a landscape where, once again, some towns remain dangerous to enter, let alone call home,” Sandra Allison, a defense lawyer in Alabama, stated.

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Denzel Washington says he will retire after starring in these movies including Black Panther 3

by Stephen Nartay, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Denzel Washington, 69, has announced his plans to retire from Hollywood after completing his current slate of acting projects.

“I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. Probably not that many,” Washington said during an interview with Australia’s Today on Monday. “I want to do things I haven’t done. I’ve played Othello at 22, I’m about to play Othello at 70. After that I’m playing Hannibal. After that I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that Ryan Coogler’s writing a part for me in the next ‘Black Panther.’”

He added, “After that I’m going to do the film ‘Othello.’ After that I’m going to do ‘King Lear.’ After that I’m going to retire.”

Washington began his career with the 1977 made-for-television film “Wilma,” followed by his big-screen debut in the

Judith Jamison, Alvin Ailey Artistic Director Emerita Has Died

by Corynne Corbit, BlackHealthMatters.com

Judith Jamison, a consummate dancer, choreographer, and artistic director, has died. The acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director (AADT) Emerita, 81, passed away following a brief illness, according to Christopher Zunner, a spokesperson for the dance company. “We remember and are grateful for her artistry, humanity, and incredible light, which inspired us all,” he said, according to the Associated Press. Judith Ann Jamison was born in Philadelphia on May 10, 1943. Her parents, Tessie Bell (Brown) Jamison, occasionally taught drama at the elementary school level, and her dad, John Henry Jamison, was a sheet metal engineer who dreamed of being a classical pianist. They met while singing in the church choir of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. According to the New York Times, she and her older brother, John Jr., lived in the Germantown section of Philadelphia and were exposed to lots of music.

According to the PBS documentary “Free to Dance,” Jamison was already tall at age six, so her parents enrolled her in dance to complement her exceptional height with grace. She took ballet lessons at the Judimar School of Dance at six and continued until 17. The paper says that she attended Fisk University before deciding to pursue dance and transferred to Philadelphia Dance Academy.

Nothing in my life, until then, had prepared me for rejection,” she told Dance Magazine. “Every time I was turned down, I took it personally.”It was at one such unsuccessful audition that summer

for Donald McKayle that Alvin Ailey spotted her and decided to ask her to join his company. (“You mean, you decided to take me that day, the day of the audition?” Jamison asked Ailey when the two told the story of their first encounter to Maynard. “I went home and cried for three days until you called me!” Ailey replied, “Well, I didn’t know where to find you, and I had to get your phone number from Carmen [de Lavallade], and Carmen was out of town.”).

The documentary recounts that Jamison toured Europe and Africa with the Ailey company in 1966. The company had financial challenges in 1967, so Jamison danced with the Harkness Ballet. When she returned to the reformed AADT, Jamison was a Principal dancer. She was

Ailey’s muse and was featured in many of the company’s works. She was the Goddess Erzuile in Geoffrey Holder’s “The Prodigal Prince,” she did a duet with ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov, set to music by Duke Ellington, “Pas de Duke,” did an amazing solo works “Masakala,” and “Cry,” her 15-minute tourde-force that propelled her to stardom. A quote from Dance Magazine describes the power of the latter performance.

Those were the opening lines of Olga Maynard’s November 1972 Dance Magazine cover story on Judith Jamison, then in her late 20s and at the height of her powers as a star performer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

In 1980, Jamison left the company to star in a Broadway musical, “Sophisticated Ladies,” set to Duke Ellington’s tunes. Later, she started her own eponymous dance company, the Jamison Project.

According to her bio, in 1989, Mr. Ailey asked her to return to the AADT and asked her to succeed him. In the twentyone years that followed, Ms. Jamison grew the company’s prominence nationally and internationally. There were two separate historic engagements in South Africa. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary with a 50-city global tour. She also received a National Medal of Arts in 2001 and “A TIME 100: Most Influential People in 2009” and was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Museum of Dance in 2015.

Jamison has left a body of work that will continue to be performed by dancers for years to come. She inspired many generations of dancers. May her legacy live on. They include: “Divining,” “Forgotten Time,” “Riverside,” and “Double Exposure,” among others.

1981 film “Carbon Copy.”

“Black Panther” emerged as a key franchise for the MCU, with the 2018 film starring Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, and Michael B. Jordan grossing over $1.3 billion.

Following Boseman’s death from colon cancer in 2020, the 2022 sequel, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” honored his legacy while continuing Wakanda’s story. He hinted at his potential retirement in August. “There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in,” Washington told Empire magazine. “I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley.”

The pair previously worked together on the 2007 film, “American Gangster.”

“We had a great go-round the first goround [on ‘American Gangster’], and here we are,” continued Washington.

“He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration.”

“We should all want to feel like that at 86,” the star added.

by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Kemi Badenoch has been chosen as the leader of Britain’s opposition Conservative Party, becoming the first Black woman to lead a big British party. The very outspoken, right-wing politician succeeds former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, winning 57% of the nearly 100,000 votes to rival candidate Robert Jenrick’s 43%.

Badenoch is now the Conservative Party’s fourth female leader, following Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May, and Liz Truss, who became prime ministers. She is the first Conservative leader with African ancestry and the second leader of color after Sunak.

In a victory speech to a packed house of Conservative legislators, staff, and journalists in London, the 44-year-old trailblazer stated, “The task that stands before us is tough but simple.” Badenoch said the party’s job was to hold the Labour government to account and to craft pledges and a plan for government, according to the Associated Press.

Addressing the party’s election drubbing, she said, “We have to be honest— honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we let standards slip.”

“The time has come to tell the truth, to stand up for our principles, to plan for our future, to reset our politics and our thinking, and to give our party and our country the new start that they deserve,” Badenoch added.

Badenoch, a former software engineer who served as a business secretary in Sunak’s administration, was born in London to Nigerian parents and spent much of her early years in West Africa.

She moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 16 and became the MP for Saffron Walden in 2017 after replacing Nadhim

Zawahi. The software and IT engineer studied Systems Engineering at the University of Sussex and later pursued a law degree before spending some years in the IT and banking sectors, working in the banking sector for firms such as Coutts and RBS, reports The Guardian.

As per the Associated Press, she presents herself as a disruptor who advocates for a free-market, low-tax economy and promises to “rewire, reboot, and reprogram” the British government. Unlike her fellow right-winged rival, she has not called for Britain to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, but she has opposed multiculturalism and advocated for reduced immigration.

Badenoch has vowed to bring about “renewal” for the right-of-center Conservatives by opposing identity politics and advocating for a smaller state.

Before serving in Sunak’s administration, she made it into the cabinet of Boris Johnson in 2019. The Nigeria-born lawmaker took the office of Junior Minister for Children and Families following a government reshuffle.

Her post encompassed “child protection, children in care, adoption, care leavers, social work, local authority performance, and family law.”

Denzel Washington's acting career spans over four decades -- Photo Credit: GabboT

Judith Jamison

Meet Nigeria’s Kemi Badenoch, who is now the first Black woman leader of a major British party

Kemi Badenoch. Photo: Roger Harris/Wikimedia Commons

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

El período de comentarios de treinta (30) días comienza el viernes 1 de noviembre de 2024 y finaliza el sábado 30 de noviembre de 2024. Se pondrán a disposición copias del Informe Moving to Work (MTW) del año fiscal 2024 en el sitio web de la agencia www.elmcitycommunities.org o a través de Twitter, www.twitter.com/ECCommunities o a través de Facebook www.facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities.

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

$87,727 to $136,071 Deputy Finance Director/Controller

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE.

For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

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

Construction

Section II and Section VII of the Authority's Moving to Work Agreement {the "Agreement") requires that before the Agency can file its Approved Annual Moving to Work Report and Report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (the "HUD") that it must conduct a public hearing, consider comments from the public on the proposed amendments, obtain approval from the Board of Commissioners, and submit the amendments to HUD.

The thirty (30) days comment period begins on Friday, November 1, 2024 to Saturday, November 30, 2024 and copies of the Moving to Work (MTW) FY2024 Report, will be made available on the agency website www.elmcitycommunities.org or via Twitter, www.twitter.com/ECCommunities or via Facebook www.facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities.

You are invited to provide written comments addressed to: ECC/HANH, Moving to Work FY2024 Annual Report, Attn: Evelise Ribeiro, 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 or via email to: eribeiro@elmcitycommunities.org.

Pursuant to said Sections II and VII), a public hearing where public comments will be accepted and recorded is scheduled for Monday, November 25, 2024 at 3:00pm via RingCentral: https://v.ringcentral.com/join/185686287?pw=d7db4e4f735df6289ed5ad fb24f3f113

Meeting ID: 185686287

Password: yaw6Zk28PK

Or dial:

+12679304000 United States (Philadelphia, PA)

Contraseña de acceso telefónico: 9296952875

Números internacionales disponibles: https://v.ringcentral.com/teleconference

NEW HAVEN

Cualquier persona que requiera una adaptación razonable para participar en la audiencia puede llamar al Gerente de adaptaciones razonables (203) 498-8800, ext. 1506 o al número TDD (203) 497-8434.mber (203) 497-8434.

Listing: Mechanic

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

Access Code / Meeting ID: 185686287

Dial-in password: 9296952875

International numbers available: https://v.ringcentral.com/teleconference

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

Any individual requiring a Reasonable Accommodation to participate in the hearing may call the Reasonable Accommodation Manager (203) 498-8800, ext. 1506 or at the TDD Number (203) 497-8434.

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Immediate opening for a full-time mechanic; maintenance to be done on commercial diesel trucks and trailers. A valid driver’s license is required in order to run company errands efficiently and safely. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email hrdept@eastriverenergy.com

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

***An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans*** Continuum of Care, New Haven, Connecticut

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

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

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

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

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

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

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

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

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

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

NOTICE INVITATION TO BID: CONTINUUM OF CARE, NEW HAVEN is requesting licensed and insured contractor bids for their property located at 979 Quinnipiac Avenue, New Haven. Complete first floor kitchen renovation. Scope to include new kitchen layout. Owner to supply new cabinets. Scope to also include new flooring of area. Job also includes complete first floor bathroom renovation. This includes a complete gut (down to studs) of the bathroom. Environmental testing will be conducted by the owner. Scope includes supplying and installing new step in shower stall, vanity, toilet, tile flooring and wall finishes, tile 4ft wainscot is desired, lighting, grab bars by toilet and showers, exhaust fan with motion sensor, and baseboard heating. The scope of work to include floor drain for the bathroom. Scope to include replacement of existing windows, entry doors. Owner to select tile style, colors, and style of faucets and light fixtures. Further detailed information will be given on the scheduled site visit. GC price should include dumpster and permit feeds. Minority/women’s business enterprises are encouraged to apply. A bidding site meeting will be held at 979 Quinnipiac Avenue, New Haven on 11/22/2024 at 1pm. All bids are due by 12/6/2024 at 10 am. All bids, W9, work scope timeline and copy of license and questions should be submitted in writing to Monica O’Connor via email moconnor@continuumct.org or delivered to 109 Legion Avenue, New Haven.

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

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

& Preventative Maintenance. A complete copy of the requirements may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s vendor Collaboration Portal. https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, September 23, 2024, at 3:00 PM.