March 2022

GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

™ March 2022

$2.95

thepositivecommunity.com

Special Section: TPC’s Annual Emancipation Day Awards Banquet Don Peebles: Dream Deferred but not Forgotten

Celebrating Women!

Positive Change Adenah Bayoh

Living the American Dream

2022 ESSEX COUNT Y B R A N C H B R O O K PA R K

Festival Events

Saturday, April 2 ~ 7am-1pm Cherry Blossom Challenge Bike Race Oval, Northern Division Sunday, April 3 ~ 10am Cherry Blossom 10k Run Cherry Blossom Welcome Center, Extension Saturday, April 9 ~ 10am 1-Mile Fun Run/Walk Prudential Concert Grove, Southern Division Saturday, April 9 ~ 11am-3pm Essex County Family Day Prudential Concert Grove, Southern Division Sunday, April 10 ~ 11am-5pm Bloomfest!

Cherry Blossom Welcome Center, Extension

Visit our website for more details and information WWW. ESSEXCOUNTYNJ.ORG

PUTTING ESSEX COUNTY FIRST

Cherry Blossom Festival You’re Invited to...

Essex County Branch Brook Park to enjoy the most diverse collection of Cherry Blossom Trees, even larger than the national display in Washington, DC. The blossoming trees create a picturesque setting that transforms the park into a stunning spring fantasyland. We invite you and your family to come out and experience this natural wonder.

Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. Essex County Executive and the Board of County Commissioners

Cherry Blossom Talks

Wednesdays, April 6, 13, 20 & 27 ~ 11am Cherry Blossom Welcome Center, Extension These 30-minute talks will discuss the history of Branch Brook Park and its signature trees.

No reservations needed.

Celebrate the Historic Collection

Historic Cell Phone Tours Available ALL Season This free self-guided historic walking tour can be accessed by cell phone or smart phone. Spend the day exploring all 72 tour stops or pick and choose your favorites. One phone call unlocks a world of park history and horticultural information. !Ahora ofrecida en espanol! 973.433.9047

COVER STORY

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Photos courtesy of Abenah Bayoh

CONTENTS

Photos courtesy of The Peebles Corporation

MARCH ISSUE 2022

29 Don Peebles: Making an Impact

Business Mogul Adenah Bayoh Restaurants and Real Estate...

What's next?

Features AACCNJ Circle of Achievement Awards Gala................. 12 Want To Become A Homeowner In 2022?...................... 13

Special Section 35 Emancipation Day Awards

Health

Healthy Habits........................................................... 15 Healthcare Heroes..................................................... 17

22

Mayor Baraka Recognizes Choose Healthy Life........... 28

Scout's Honor: Morristown Student Writes Book .......... 34

Woman Making History WNBA star Tina Charles

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DiVincenzo Hosts Campaign Kick-off Fundraiser........... 28

ess Sunday

AACEO HIV Awaren

Mayor Eric Adams Leads Candlelit Vigil....................... 54

&also inside

Guest Editorial.................................. 10 Fitness Doctor .............................. 21 Publisher’s Desk.................................36 The Last Word ................................ 58

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

24 Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson www.thepositivecommunity.com

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The CARES Surgicenter at Saint Peter’s Healthcare System is rated the number 1 Ambulatory Surgery Center in New Jersey and among the best in the nation by Newsweek. In our state-of-the-art facility surgeons perform same-day breast, colorectal, gynecologic, orthopedic, plastic and reconstructive and urologic surgeries, and procedures to treat conditions of the eyes, feet, ear, nose and throat. We treat children and adults with surgical expertise, while providing the compassionate care for which Saint Peter’s is known.

To learn more about the CARES Surgicenter, call 732.565.5400 or visit saintpetershcs.com/cares

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he clergy organizations, churches, community businesses and institutions listed below have committed to the purchase of at least 50 magazines per month at $1.50 each or they support this publication through the purchase of advertising. Find out more by calling 973-233-9200.

Concord B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Pastor

Mariners’ Temple B.C., New York, NY Rev. Dr. Henrietta Carter, Pastor

Pilgrim B. C., Newark, NJ Rev. Dr. Glenn Wilson, Pastor

Abyssinian B.C., Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, Pastor

Convent Avenue Baptist Church, New York, NY Rev. Dr. Jesse T. Willams, Pastor

Memorial, B.C., New York, NY Rev. Dr. Renee Washington Gardner, Senior Pastor

Ruth Fellowship Ministries, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Tracey Brown, Pastor

Abyssinian B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Barry R. Miller, Pastor

Cross and Crown Christian Church, Orange, NJ Rev. Lula A. Baker, Pastor

Messiah Baptist Church, Bridgeport, CT Rev. Dr. James B. Logan, Pastor

Abundant Life Fellowship COGIC, Newark, NJ Supt. Edward Bohannon, Jr., Pastor

Aenon Baptist Church, Vauxhall, NJ Rev Alphonso Williams, Sr., Pastor Agape Baptist Church, Newark, NJ Rev. Craig R. Jackson, Pastor Antioch Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY Rev. Robert M. Waterman, Pastor Archdiocese of New York Brother Tyrone Davis, Office of Black Ministry Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater NY & Vicinity Rev. Dr. Charles A. Curtis, President BCT Partners, Newark, NJ Dr. Randal Pinkett, CEO Berean B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Arlee Griffin Jr., Pastor Bethany B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Adolphus C. Lacey, Sr. Pastor Bethany B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Timothy E. Jones, Pastor Bethlehem Missionary B.C., Roselle, NJ Rev. Jeffrey Bryan, Pastor Beulah Bible Cathedral Church, Newark, NJ Gerald Lydell Dickson, Senior Pastor Calvary Baptist Church, Garfield, NJ Rev. Calvin McKinney, Pastor Calvary Baptist Church, Morristown, NJ Rev. Jerry M. Carter, Jr., Pastor Canaan B. C. of Christ, Harlem, NY Rev. Thomas D. Johnson, Pastor Canaan B.C., Paterson, NJ Rev. Barry L. Graham, Pastor Cathedral International., Perth Amboy, NJ Bishop Donald Hilliard, Pastor

Ebenezer B.C. of Englewood, NJ Rev. Preston E. Thompson, Jr., Pastor Elizabeth, NJ Councilwoman-At-Large Patricia Perkins-Auguste Empire Missionary Baptist Convention Rev. Dr. Carl T. Washington, Jr., Pastor Evergreen Baptist Church, Palmyra, NJ Rev. Dr. Guy Campbell, Jr., Pastor Fellowship Missionary B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Dr. Elton T. Byrd Pastor/Founder First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset NJ Rev. Dante' R. Quick, PhD, Pastor First Baptist Church, East Elmhurst, NY Rev. Patrick Henry Young, Pastor First Baptist Church of Kenilworth, NJ Rev. Nathaniel Bullock Jr., Pastor First Baptist Church of Teaneck, NJ Rev. Dr. Marilyn Monroe Harris, Pastor

Mt. Neboh Baptist Church, Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Johnnie Green Jr., Pastor Mt. Pisgah B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, Pastor Mount Olive Baptist Church, Hackensack, NJ Rev. Gregory J. Jackson, Pastor Mt. Olivet B.C, Newark, NJ Rev. André W. Milteer, Pastor Mt. Zion AME Church, Trenton, NJ Rev. J. Stanley Justice, Pastor Mt. Zion B.C., Westwood, NJ Rev. Bernard Glee, Pastor

First Corinthian Baptist Church, NY Rev. Michael A. Walrond, Jr., Senior Pastor

New Garden State Jurisdiction COGIC NJ Bishop William Cahoon

First Park Baptist Church, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Rufus McClendon, Jr., Pastor First Baptist Church, South Orange, NJ Rev. Dr. Terry Richardson, Pastor General Baptist Convention, NJ Rev. Dr. Lester W. Taylor, Jr., President Good Neighbor B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Dr. George A. Blackwell, III, Pastor Grace B. C., Mt. Vernon, NY Rev. Dr. Franklyn W. Richardson, Pastor

Christian Love B.C., Irvington, NJ Rev. Brandon Keith Washington, Pastor

Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI) Malcolm A. Punter, Ed.D., President & CEO

Community Church of God, Plainfield, NJ Rev. Antonio Porter, Pastor

Mother A.M.E. Zion Church Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Malcolm J. Byrd, Pastor

First Baptist of Jericho, Deptford, NJ Rev. Derek V. Gaitling, Pastor

Greater Zion Hill B.C., Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Frank J. Blackshear, Pastor

Community B.C., Englewood, NJ Rev. Dr. Lester Taylor, Pastor

Metropolitan B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Dr. David Jefferson, Pastor

New Beginnings Agape Christian Center, Freehold, NJ Rev. Dr. Andre McGuire, Pastor

Charity Baptist Church, Bronx, NY Rev. Reginald Williams, Pastor

Clear View Baptist Church, Newark, NJ Rev. Curtis W. Belle, Jr., Pastor

Messiah Baptist Church, East Orange, NJ Rev. Dana Owens, Pastor

Imani Baptist Church, East Orange, NJ Rev. William Derek Lee, Senior Pastor It Is Well Living Ministries, Clark, NJ Rev. Kahlil Carmichael, Pastor Macedonia Baptist Church, Lakewood, NJ Dr. Edward D. Harper, Pastor

New Hope Baptist Church, Metuchen, NJ Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Owens, Pastor New Hope Baptist Church of East Orange, East Orange, NJ Rev. Dr. Vernard E. Hinton, Pastor New Hope Baptist Church of Hackensack, Hackensack, NJ Rev. Dr. Drew Kyndall Ross, Senior Pastor New Life Cathedral, Mt. Holly, NJ Rev. Eric Wallace, Pastor New Reid Temple COGIC East Orange, NJ Bishop William Cahoon North Selton AME Church, Piscataway, NJ Rev. Dr. Eric and Myra Billips, Pastors Paradise B. C., Newark, NJ Rev. Jethro James, Pastor Park Ave Christian Disciples of Christ, East Orange, NJ Rev. Harriet Wallace, Pastor

Shiloh AME Zion Church, Englewood, NJ Rev. John D. Givens, Pastor Shiloh B.C., New Rochelle, NY Rev. Dr. DeQuincy M. Hentz, Pastor Shiloh B.C., Plainfield, NJ Rev. Sheila L. Thorpe, Pastor Shiloh B.C., Trenton, NJ Rev. Darell Armstrong, Pastor St. Anthony Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY Rev. Dr. Walter L. DeLoatch, Sr., Pastor St. James AME Church, Newark, NJ Rev. Ronald L. Slaughter, Pastor St. John Baptist Church, Camden, NJ Rev. Dr. Silas M. Townsend, Pastor St. John B.C., Scotch Plains, NJ Rev. Shawn T. Wallace, Pastor St. Luke Baptist Church of Harlem, NY Rev. Dr. Johnnie McCann, Pastor St Luke B.C., Paterson, NJ Rev. Kenneth D.R. Clayton, Pastor St. Mark Missionary B.C., Jamaica, NY Rev. Owen E. Williams, Pastor St. Matthew AME Church, Orange, NJ Rev. Melvin E. Wilson, Pastor St. Paul Baptist Church, Montclair, NJ Rev. Dr. Bernadette Glover, Pastor St. Paul Baptist Church, Red Bank, NJ Rev. Alexander Brown, Pastor St. Paul Community B.C., Brooklyn, NY Rev. David K. Brawley, Pastor Tabernacle B.C., Burlington, NJ Rev. Dr. Cory L. Jones, Pastor The New Hope B.C., Newark, NJ Rev. Joe Carter, Senior Pastor Union Baptist Temple,, Bridgeton, NJ Rev. Albert L. Morgan, Pastor United Fellowship B.C., Asbury Park, NJ Rev. James H. Brown, Sr., Pastor Walker Memorial B.C. Bronx, NY Rev. Dr. J. Albert Bush Sr., Pastor Welcome Baptist Church, Newark, NJ Rev. Dr. Elijah C. Williams, Pastor World Gospel Music Assoc., Newark, NJ Dr. Albert Lewis, Founder

“The Positive Community magazine does outstanding work in promoting the good works of the Black Church. All churches and businesses should subscribe to and advertise in The Positive Community. Please support this magazine, the only one that features good news about the black community.”—Rev. Buster Soaries

“We are building modern schools to provide our students with the most upto-date facilities to learn and grow. I am proud of our Essex County Schools of Technology for giving our students the educational foundation for their successful future.”

Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.

Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Essex County Executive and the Board of County Commissioners are

InvestIng In our students’ future

BY REBUILDING OUR SCHOOLS

Essex County West Caldwell School of Technology was completely modernized and expanded with a new, two-story addition. It was opened in September 2021.

The Essex County Donald M. Payne, Sr. School of Technology is a state-of-the-art, 320,000-square-foot campus that replaced two aging school buildings. It was opened in 2018.

COMING SOON! The Essex County Newark Tech Campus (right) is currently being renovated and will receive a three-story addition with a new media center, cafeteria and classrooms. The Essex County College West Essex Campus (below) is getting a complete makeover. The only building is being replaced with 51,000-square-foot of cutting-edge space. Both are scheduled to open in 2022.

Putting our students

FIRST!

“Our Essex County Parks contribute to our residents’ quality of life, provide opportunities for recreation and enhance our communities. Our outdated community centers are being replaced so residents and community groups can benefit from larger, modern spaces for meetings and gatherings. The continued revitalization of our facilities will ensure the evolving needs of our community are met.”

Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.

Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Essex County Executive and the Board of County Commissioners are

CONTINUING THE REVITALIZATION OF OUR ESSEX COUNTY PARKS SYSTEM The Feldman “Mootsie” Middleton Community Center in Essex County Weequahic Park in Newark received a complete makeover. The existing cinder block building was removed and a new state-of-the-art 15,000-squarefoot building was opened in September 2021.

Construction is underway to build a new community center in Essex County West Side Park in Newark.

The new building will have a large gathering room and two classrooms. The existing gymnasium building is being updated with heating, cooling and electrical systems. A reopening is scheduled in late 2022.

A new athletic complex is coming to Essex County Vailsburg Park in Newark! Currently under design is a football/soccer field, baseball field, softball field and rubberized running track. In addition to public use, the complex will become the home field for the athletic teams from Essex County Donald M. Payne, Sr. School of Technology. An opening is scheduled in late 2022.

LINDA CALDWELL EPPS GUEST EDITORIAL

Linda Caldwell Epps is President & CEO of 1804 Consultants

Newark Honors Harriet Tubman Downtown Park to be Renamed and New Monument Constructed

T

hankfully and miraculously, the American public has entered another stage of recognition and ownership of its sin of promoting and celebrating Anglo capitalism at the expense of its Black and brown citizens. After the slaying of nine people in an historic Black church prompted permanent removal of the confederate flag in Charleston, SC, a chain of flag and monument removals throughout the country took place, increasing our attention to the sins of racism.

The removal of the Christopher Columbus statue in Newark, New Jersey’s Washington Park took place in June, 2020. A monument to honor Ms. Harriet Tubman designed by architect Nina Cooke John, along with stations within the park recognizing the efforts of disenfranchised citizens to free themselves from the historical dominance of the isms are part of the rededication of the park. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland in 1820 or 1821, Harriet Tubman became an abolitionist conductor on the Underground Railroad; a Civil War soldier, nurse, spy, and scout; and a social reformer who holds iconic status.

Her birth name was Araminta, but perhaps changing her name to Harriet was her first step towards taking her own freedom. Brave, bold, defiant, intelligent, and articulate, Ms. Tubman provided us with a perfect example of what is possible in a climate of national discord, racism, classism, and chauvinism—issues that still plague our society in 2022.

In 1849, Ms. Tubman made her escape to Philadelphia.

She returned to Maryland the next year to free her sister and her sister’s family and over the next 12 years, returned to the South some 18 or 19 times bringing more than 300 people out of slavery.

During her early years as a freedom fighter, she took up residence in Cape May, NJ where she worked as a maid to pay for her freedom trips. Given NJ’s important and active participation in the Underground Railroad and the activism of abolitionists in Newark with its proximity

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

to NYC, it is likely that Ms. Tubman did visit Newark. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act necessitated she change her residence farther north to upstate New York and Canada—firmer abolitionist territory.

When not rescuing people from slavery, Ms. Tubman developed her oratorical skills and began speaking publicly at anti-slavery and eventually women’s rights meetings. With money she earned from her speaking engagements she purchased land in Auburn, NY and eventually rescued her parents and her brothers from slavery in Maryland. Remember, she did all of this while a fugitive with a bounty of $50,000 on her head—a huge sum of money for the mid-19th century.

She continued to lead expeditions out of the South right up to and during the Civil War. Never captured, during the war she served as a spy for northern military units. Known as the first woman in this country to actually lead a military raid, in July of 1863 she led troops on the Combahee River expedition, disrupting southern supply lines by destroying bridges and railroads and freeing more than 750 enslaved men and woman. This is the only military command in American history where a woman, Black or white, led the raid and under whose inspiration it was originated.

After the war Ms. Tubman’s public life did not end.

She continued to lecture and became a businesswoman, selling home-baked goods and root beer while advocating for education and job placement for those freed after the Civil War. She continued publicly speaking on women’s rights and women’s suffrage and in 1896, Tubman spoke at the first meeting of the National Association of Colored Women, an organization that still exists. She died of pneumonia at her home in Auburn, New York in 1913.

Free long before she took her physical freedom, her example of mental freedom might be the most important part of her legacy. Resistance to her situation began as a small thought with no possibility, but she began cont’d on page 56 www.thepositivecommunity.com

Coach Herbert Ruth and Niaja Troutman, KIPP Rise Academy

KIPP Newark Lab High School junior Ahnasia Jones-Hodges

Coach Hope Whalen, KIPP Purpose Academy

K I P P NEWA R K ATH LE TIC S:

Female Athletes Make Their Mark in 2022!

As we honor Women’s History Month, we’re putting our female student athletes and coaches at KIPP Newark in the spotlight! This year, the squeaks of sneakers on gym floors, the shriek of a whistle on the field, and shouts of encouragement from the sidelines are back as our student athletes return to programs at our schools across Newark.

At KIPP Newark Lab High School, KIPP Newark’s newest high school, physical education teacher and athletics coordinator Ariel Smith is thrilled to see students getting back into athletics. “Having strong athletics programs is so important because many kids really rely on that as their outlet for energy. Sports build school culture—there’s nothing like cheering on your teammates and building that camaraderie. In high school, it’s everything,” said Smith.

KIPP Newark Lab High School junior Ahnasia JonesHodges, a two-sport student-athlete who plays volleyball and basketball, is thrilled to be back on the court. “I missed having a crowd and people in the stands when you have someone cheering your name, it makes you want to work harder,” said JonesHodges, who aspires to play basketball in college as she pursues a degree in family therapy.

KIPP Rise Academy eighth grader Niaja Troutman plays flag football and competes in track. “During quarantine, I found ways to stay active, like going to the park to get a run in or work on areas I struggled in previously,” she said. But mostly, the pandemic taught

her to appreciate the role athletics plays in her life.

“The challenges of last year, of not being able to be with my friends and play for fans, taught me to not take things for granted. I know so many families were isolated, and it was sometimes hard to keep up with school,” said Troutman. This year, she’s playing as many sports as possible. “My mindset for this year is to ‘go get it!’” she said.

This year, KIPP Newark opened a new middle school KIPP Purpose Academy where student-athletes are supported by the leadership of coach Hope Whalen.

Whalen, who coached soccer for years at the college level, is bringing as many female students into athletics as possible.

“In a new school, sports offer the community so much,” said Whalen. “I believe there’s a place for everyone in athletics, whether students are in the crowd cheering on their classmates, helping out as athletics trainers, or recording statistics. There’s a way for sports to impact everyone in our community,” she said.

KIPP Newark female athletes are following in the footsteps of athletes like wrestler Goodness Okoro, who made history in 2020 as the first wrestler from KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy to ever represent the school at the New Jersey State Wrestling Championship—where she finished in fourth place.

We can’t wait to see where athletics takes our students at KIPP Newark!

KIPP Newark Public Schools are currently enrolling for the 2022-23 school year.

You can learn more about applying to our schools at WWW.KIPPNEWARK.ORG

Community Award recipient Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries Jr.

Keynote Speaker: President of Kean University Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D

President/CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce NJ John E. Harmon and friends

Executive Director NBCC Charles H. Debow III, AACCNJ’s John E. Harmon, Board Chairman NBCC President/CEO Illinois BCC Larry Ivory

Center: Gus Heningburg Award recipient, Founder/President National Black Farmer’s Association John Wesley Boyd Jr.

MTA Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Michael J. Garner, MBA and John E. Harmon

AACCNJ’s John E. Harmon with Business Award recipient CEO SUEZ North America Nadine Leslie

AACCNJ Circle of Achievement Awards Gala

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ome of the biggest names in Black business and politics showed up in their finest on February 17, 2022, at the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey’s (AACCNJ) 15th Anniversary Circle of Achievement Award Gala held at the Venetian in Garfield, NJ. The AACCNJ welcomed Governor Phillip D. Murphy, Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, and keynote speaker President of Kean University Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D. Each year the AACCNJ honors business and community

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

leaders. This year’s awardees included Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries Jr., MTA’s Michael J. Garner, CEO SUEZ North America Nadine Leslie, and Chief Administrator Officer Delaware River Port Authority Toni Proffitt Brown. The Gus Heningburg Award was presented to Founder & President of the National Black Farmer’s Association John Wesley Boyd Jr. The AACCNJ also received an award. They received the Chamber of Commerce of the Year for 2021 from the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC). www.thepositivecommunity.com

Want To Become A Homeowner In 2022?

These Steps Can Help You Get Started

The path to homeownership can be overwhelming, and current market trends (low inventory, rising rates) have created barriers that may make it even more challenging for potential homeowners to envision a future in which they can call a home their own.

For those striving to become a homeowner this year, wanted to share a few steps on behalf of Chase Home Lending that buyers can take to get prepared and make the homebuying process a little more seamless:

• Educate Yourself on The Process: Consumers planning to buy a home this year, particularly first-time buyers, should start by educating themselves on the homebuying process. There are many avenues for this, including a homebuying course, online articles, etc. One resource prospective buyers can consider is the Beginner To Buyer podcast from Chase. The Beginner to Buyer podcast breaks down the homebuying process – what it means, where to start, how to deal with what seems like an overwhelming process and more.

• Contact a Home Lending Advisor: A qualified home lending advisor can help you better understand how much you can afford, what financing options are best, and where assistance is available. A real estate agent will also be vital to your home search and ensure you’re getting the best deal possible on your home. Surround yourself with the right network of www.thepositivecommunity.com

people and you’ll be on the right path to achieving your homeownership goals.

• Take Advantage of Down Payment and Closing Costs Assistance: One of the main challenges for first-time homebuyers is the upfront cash – a down payment and closing costs.

Chase offers down payment assistance for first-time buyers via its DreaMaker mortgage, with which you may qualify for as little as 3% down. There are also many local homebuyer grant programs available that may be able to help with upfront costs.

Chase also doubled its Homebuyer Grant program in 2021 to up to $5,000 to help more customers with closing costs and down payment assistance when buying a home in more than 6,700 minority communities nationwide.

March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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Health ideas for wellness

L-R: NYPD Chief Jeff Maddrey, NY AG Tish James, President of One Brooklyn Health LaRay Brown, NY Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, and AACEO COO Divinah Dee Bailey

L-R: NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, Brooklyn PS 5 Principal Lena Gates, NY AG Tish James, NY Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, NY Senator Roxanne Persaud, NYPD Chief Judy Harrison, AACEO COO Divinah Dee Bailey, AACEO President Rev. Dr. Waterman, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, US Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, NYC Councilwoman Crystal Hudson, NYC Councilman Che Osse, and US Attorney Breon Peace.

African American Clergy and Elected Officials (AACEO) AACEO COO Divinah Dee Bailey and US Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

Recognize Black History Month and National HIV Awareness Sunday

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he AACEO gathered at Antioch Baptist Church in Brooklyn to honor modern-day historians on the first Sunday of Black History Month. The AACEO honored those who have taken up the mantle to record and teach about the proud history of African Americans.

Host Pastor and AACEO President Rev. Dr. Robert M. Waterman welcomed Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who brought the word.

AACEO President Rev. Dr. Waterman

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Photos by John Abbott

Healthy Habits

With the Aim of Lowering High Rate of Cancer Deaths, a Community Outreach Effort Promotes Positive Lifestyle Changes

A disturbing disparity has become increasingly evident in recent years: that residents of underserved areas suffer a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and are also diagnosed with cancer—and die of the disease—at disproportionate rates.

“The two go very much hand in hand,” says Dr. Erica Phillips, the Jack Fishman Associate Professor of Cancer Prevention at Weill Cornell Medicine, “because the behaviors that increase adults’ risk for developing heart disease and cancer are actually more the same than they are different— such as excess weight, excess alcohol, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and low fruit and vegetable consumption.” In New York City, the first and second causes of death before Dr. Erica Phillips the age of 65 are cancer and heart disease, respectively.

Dr. Phillips and colleagues at the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center have been working with community groups, faith organizations, and social service agencies in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan to strategize the best way to encourage lifestyle habits that lower the risk of cancer and heart disease.

“What we’ve generally heard from community groups is that individuals and communities are tired of being told by physicians and the healthcare system, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that, or this bad thing is going happen,’ rather than truly talking about wellness and how to live healthier within your environment,” says Dr. Phillips, who is also associate director of community outreach and engagement at the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Cornell Center for Health Equity, and herself a Brooklyn native.

For Donna Y., of St. George’s Episcopal in BedfordStuyvesant, it’s no mystery why people salt their food, drink sugary sodas and opt for that side of fries: it all tastes good. But when it comes to encouraging healthier choices, she agrees that a wagging finger is far less effective than solid education about why those dietary habits can www.thepositivecommunity.com

A man getting screened for prostate cancer

have negative consequences, and practical ways to make better choices.

In response to this feedback, Dr. Phillips and her team have established programs to address the communities’ unmet needs. In 2021, the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement launched BWELL4LIFE, a curriculum that is taught to peer educators from faith-based organizations (and other community-based organizations) and educates individuals on cardiac health and cancer health. The peer educators are then tasked with teaching this curriculum to their communities. Scriptures from the Bible are interspersed throughout each chapter to connect body and spirit.

As BWELL4LIFE classes begin to launch this year, the team looks forward to using learnings from HeartSmarts,New York-Presbyterian/ Weill Cornell Medical Center’s faith-based community education and outreach program, which focuses on cardiac health, to guide their programming. Dr. David Nanus For instance, food insecurity was found to be a significant indicator for participants not finishing the HeartSmarts program.

Therefore, BWELL4LIFE participants who screen for food insecurity will be connected to resources made available thanks to a grant from the Cielo Foundation.

Though adopting healthier habits remains one key factor in reducing cancer deaths, getting people screened through routine, age-appropriate testing such as mammograms, colonoscopies and prostate exams is another. Participants of the BWELL4LIFE who are identified as not being up to date on cancer screenings, will be contacted by the Office’s outreach navigators to assist with navigating them to care—a service that the Office is pleased to extend to any resident living in Queens, Brooklyn, and areas of Manhattan.

March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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Protect your child Learn about lead testing Lead poisoning is a danger you need to know about. Although a child may not look or feel sick, lead could be in their blood. This could cause serious health problems such as slower growth and development, as well as learning and behavior problems. High levels of lead could cause seizures, coma and possible death.

Healthcare Central

NOW OPEN

Healthcare Central NJ FamilyCare Guidance Center Sign up for NJ FamilyCare Get assistance with finding a provider Understand the NJ FamilyCare renewal process Understand your Aetna Better Health® benefits Hours of operation Monday – Friday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

All children are at risk for lead poisoning.

Every Medicaid-eligible and NJ FamilyCare child must be tested for lead at age 1 (12 months) and again at age 2 (42 months). Any child age 25-72 months who has not been tested previously should be tested immediately.

Contact your child’s healthcare provider to talk about testing your child for lead. Your child’s healthcare provider can give you a doctor’s order for a lead test.

Our goal at Aetna Better Health® of New Jersey is to help you and your family maintain a healthy lifestyle. We know that keeping your child healthy and protected is important to you.

As a member, lead testing can be completed in the comfort of your home by a trained technician. This is a covered service at no cost to you for your family. Results will be sent directly to your child’s healthcare provider.

For more information 959-299-3102 (TTY: 711) AetnaBetterHealth.com/NewJersey NJ-22-03-02 | 097-20-69

HONORS

F

or more than 18 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our lives more than any of us could imagine, none more than healthcare professionals who consistently risk their lives to protect the lives of others. Facing unexpected challenges, limited staff, inadequate supplies, and dealing with double, often triple the number of patients needing immediate and intensive care, abiding by their sworn Hippocratic Oath to “…do no

harm,” with courage and grace, they tackled any obstacle to serving or saving a patient.

Sponsored by Aetna, The Positive Community’s Healthcare Heroes campaign salutes the doctors, nurses, aides, EMT’s, cooks, janitors, hospital and healthcare executives and many more who toil in anonymity— selflessly serving…

WE THANK YOU!

To read more about health care heroes visit: https://thepositivecommunity.com/healthcareheroes/

Newark Department of Health,Community Wellness and Immunization

L-R: Amanda Khight, RN (Former Immunization Nurse); Roslyn Goodwin, RN Immunization Nursing Supervisor; Velda Font- Morris, Former Immunization Coordinator; Yajaira Rivera, LPN, Immunization; Jessica Brobbey, LPN, Immunization

Nurses of the City of Newark Health Department,at Hello Fresh to provide vaccinations: Sandra Bacley, LPN, lead nurse Kathy Schappa, Susie Collin, RN, NP, and Cornelia Goetschakckx, RN

The nursing staff at the Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness, Immunization Program's main goal is to increase community immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases in the City of Newark. Day to day, they do so much for the community. Since the covid vaccine became available, the department has had to work overtime every day, including Saturdays and staff has been reduced. The nurses here did not see covid patients, but despite facing long, sometimes disorderly lines of citizens

hoping to get their vaccinations, they remained professional, courteous and kind and continue to be the hub for covid vaccinations in Newark.

Nurses were dispatched and will continue to travel to other locations to distribute vaccines. Reduced hours have begun, they only have one late night, but off-site clinics and a Saturday clinic are still in effect.

Even through fear, death, guilt, and so much sorrow, these healthcare sheroes kept showing up with hope and pride, even on the worst day of the pandemic.

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March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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Heart Attack:

What’s different for women?

Chest pain is a common symptom, but women often experience less obvious signs.

Women and men don’t necessarily have the same heart attack symptoms.

“Chest pain can be a symptom of a heart attack, but it’s not the main or only one,” says Gautam Visveswaran, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBI). “For women, the symptoms may be harder to tease out. Because these symptoms are more subtle than sharp, sudden chest pain, many women ignore them or mistakenly attribute such signs to the flu, indigestion or just the aches and pains of getting older.”

Gautam Visveswaran, MD

Risk factors for a heart attack include age, high blood pressure, high cholesterol,

obesity, diabetes, smoking, excessive alcohol use, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, having a family history of heart disease, cardiac issues related to pregnancy, and congenital heart issues.

“The more information you and your doctors have about your risk factors and the state of your heart health, the more you can minimize your chance of having a heart attack,” says Dr. Visveswaran. “Women should seek preventive care early, especially if they smoke or have a family history of heart disease.”

Whoever your heart beats for, our hearts beat for you. To connect with a top cardiovascular specialist at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, call 888-724-7123 or visit www.rwjbh.org/heart.

7 STEPS TO A HEALTHIER HEART 1. Visit your primary care physician for a yearly physical and risk factor assessment. Risk factor modification and preventive medications, particularly those aimed at cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes management, can greatly reduce the future risk of heart disease.

2. Go for a walk. Walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes, five days a week can lower your risk for heart attack and stroke.

3. Get enough sleep. Adults need at least seven hours a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

4. Eat a healthy diet, one that’s rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Minimize red meat and processed meats, as well as saturated fats and sugar.

5. Avoid overeating. Heavy meals have been associated with heart attacks.

6. Brush and floss regularly, and see your dentist. Poor oral health has been associated with overall decreased nutrition and increased risks of infections, affecting heart health.

7. Quit smoking. After one year, you’ll have cut your risk of coronary disease by 50 percent. To learn about a free program to help you quit smoking, call 833.795.QUIT (7848) or visit www.rwjbh.org/nicotinerecovery.

COVID-19 vaccine boosters are available for people 12+.

PRAYER AND WORSHIP SERVICE

SATURDAYS 11:00 – 11:45 AM

CALL LINE 727-731-1201

Talk to your doctor or find a booster appointment near you at covid19.nj.gov.

A safer, healthier NJ

The Upper Room Ministries is a national call-in ministry housed in New Jersey and dedicated to promoting the spiritual life of believers through worship, prayer and featuring ministers bringing the WORD. 20

The Positive Community March Issue 2022

www.thepositivecommunity.com

KAHLIL CARMICHAEL THE FITNESS DOCTOR

Kahlil Carmichael MAPCC, MDIV, CPT is the pastor of Live Well Church, in Somerset, New Jersey.

He is a fitness specialist at The Fitness Doctor, a fitness and wellness consulting company; and the author of 50 Tips for a Better You. He is a contributor to Guideposts magazine. His first publication, Living Longer Living Better, is available now. Go to www.livewellchurch.org for more information.

Making Time for YOU

M

arch is Women’s History month; let’s celebrate all of the beautiful, hard-working women in our lives. As I make rounds at the hospital, I see women immersed in assignments, in the same place for hours–sitting at their desks. I witnessed my very own wife on a Zoom call from 8am to 6:30pm! My God, I don’t know how you do it! These powerful women deserve our honor. “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.” (Proverbs 31:17 NIV) We all need to work, and some tasks are urgent. How can you fit in the recommended 30 minutes of exercise daily when you can’t step away? The Fitness Doctor has the answer! I have developed an eight-minute routine designed for the office environment and you can repeat it multiple times during the day to meet your fitness goals. It will also help eliminate stiffness, neck and back pain, and the dreaded hip spread.

Start with these seated stretches: • Put your hands flat on the desk in front of you then tuck your chin into your chest while rounding your back. After holding for several seconds, arch your back while looking up. Repeat.

• Then, holding both hands shoulder level and shoulder width apart, raise hands over your head while arching your back, then return to the original position. Repeat.

• Next do a side stretch. Reach across your body with one hand and grasp your outer hip. Lift your other arm and lean sideways, holding for 30 seconds.

Repeat.

These stretches will mobilize the spine and reverse hunching, reducing fatigue by increasing blood supply and nutrients to your muscles. Stretching wakes and warms up the muscles. No more standing up after hours of sitting and almost collapsing from back spasms!

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Chair exercises are not just for seniors, add more to get a complete workout!

• Chair crunches will engage and strengthen the core • Knee extensions will strengthen your quadriceps and loosen the knee • Single-leg calf raises will contract the calf muscle and stretch the ankle • Seated marches or knee raises to stretch the leg • Sit and stand several times, waking and strengthening your leg muscles • Investigate getting a standing desk for your workstation • Go for a stroll; inside or outside!

Working from home and sitting in front of a camera all day can be exhausting. But remember, movement and physical exercise is medicine. Do take a few moments and start moving right in the comfort of your office.

Here is a YouTube link to a 12-minute workout you can do 3 days per week. https://youtu.be/E625Kq64XmQ Live well and prosper.

Fitness training is available through the Live Well Church FITCARE program, offered at the Fitness Doctor Studio in Somerset, New Jersey. Please call Karen Beasley at 732-912-4435 to schedule a free assessment.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this column is of a general nature. You should consult your physician or health care professional before beginning any exercise program or changing your dietary regimen.

March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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Women Black

Making History Then and Now —TPC STAFF

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Ruby Bridges

At the tender age of 6, Ruby Bridges was the first African American to integrate a white school in the south in 1960. It was the first test case following the decision of Brown v. Board of Education that separate was not equal. Ruby’s family felt strongly that she should be given the best educational opportunities even when her family faced consequences in segregated New Orleans, Louisiana. Her father lost his job and grocery stores refused to sell to her mother.

Even her share cropping grandparents were evicted, forced to leave their home. “The Problem We All Live With,” painted by Norman Rockwell, famously celebrated her courage on her first day of school. Bridges wrote two books based on her early experiences, and she continues her lifelong activism for racial equality, founding The Ruby Bridges Foundation in 1999.

Jeannette J. Epps

Jeannette J. Epps’ love for science informed her early career plans to become an astronaut.

During graduate school she was a NASA fellow and after earning her master’s and PhD, Epps joined Ford Motor Company, working in the scientific research lab with smart materials. She later worked at the CIA in the Directorate of Science and Technology, where Epps spent four months in Iraq trying to find out what happened to Iraq’s WMD (weapons of mass destruction) in 2004. Initially chosen to be the first Black astronaut to live on the ISS (International Space Station) in 2018, NASA pulled her off the mission without explanation. Epps is currently on the team for the Boeing Starliner mission to the ISS, originally slated for 2021. Technical delays and a global pandemic have delayed Epps’s mission, but she continues working at NASA and will be ready when called upon.

Amanda Gorman

American Poet and Activist Amanda Gorman’s writing speaks to Black identity, feminism, marginalization, and climate change. Many were stunned by her youth, beauty, and grace at the 2021 inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden, where she recited her poem “The Hill We Climb.” In a recent interview with Former First Lady Michelle Obama for Time, Gorman said, “If we look to the Black Lives Matter protests, you see banners that say, 'They buried us but they didn’t know we were seeds.' That’s poetry being marshaled to speak of racial justice.

If you analyze Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, it’s a great document of rhetoric that’s also a great document of poetry, of imagery, of song. Never underestimate the power of art as the language of the people.” Gorman is one of only four poets, including Robert Frost and Maya Angelou, to recite a poem at a U.S. presidential inauguration.

Tina Charles

Three-time Team USA Olympic Gold Medalist Tina Charles currently plays center for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). The 6’4” basketball legend is originally from Jamaica, Queens and traces her roots to the West Indies.

In 2010 Charles was drafted first overall by the Connecticut Sun. Charles established the Hopey's Heart Foundation in 2013 to distribute Automated External Defibrillators (AED) to schools. Charles has also funded a school in Mali. In 2018, Charles was awarded the Mannie Jackson-Basketball's Human Spirit Award for her work on education and heart health. Ms. Charles is also a filmmaker, and in 2019 she made her directorial debut, Charlie’s Records, a documentary about her father and his famous Caribbean record store and recording studio on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn.

The Positive Community March Issue 2022

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Constance Baker Motley

Ida B. Wells

Ella Baker

Fabiana Pierre-Louis www.thepositivecommunity.com

As the United States looks to seat its first woman African American Supreme Court Justice, we should honor a woman who inspired many of the Black women in Law. Constance Baker Motley was a frontline litigator for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and was involved with many of the most important civil rights cases of the 20th Century, including Brown v. Board.

She led litigation that integrated the Universities of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi and argued ten cases before the Supreme Court, winning nine. Motley, whose boss was Thurgood Marshall, assisted in nearly 60 cases that were brought before the high court. Even when she faced indignities in court, including judges turning their backs when she spoke, Motley kept her cool. In her autobiography, she said, “I was the kind of person who would not be put down, I rejected any notion that my race or sex would bar my success in life.” Motley entered New York politics in 1965 and became the first African American woman in the state Senate, and the first woman elected Manhattan Borough president. President Johnson appointed her to the Southern District of New York in 1966.

African American journalist, abolitionist, and feminist, Ida B. Wells was born enslaved in 1862. Wells is best known for her anti-lynching crusade in United States in the 1890s. In addition to working as a journalist, Wells published two newspapers, The Memphis Free Speech and Headlight. She also taught in a segregated Memphis school. After the Black owners of a grocery store were lynched in 1892, Wells began investigating and writing about lynchings.

After one of her editorials enraged some in the white community, a mob stormed her office, destroying her equipment. A contributing founder of the National Association of Colored Women and the NAACP, Wells was also an activist for women’s suffrage, founding the Alpha Suffrage Club in Chicago. In 2020, Wells was awarded a Pulitzer Prize "for her outstanding and courageous reporting on the horrific and vicious violence against African Americans during the era of lynching."

Recognized by many as the mother of the civil rights movement, Ella Baker played a critical role in crafting and implementing many of the strategies that led to the successes of the SCLC and SNCC in the 1950s and 60s. After the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. King and others sought to create a civil rights organization. Baker, who had been an NAACP organizer, spearheaded the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference). Without the aid of the internet and social media, she utilized her skills, experience, and contacts to plan events and identify and establish protests and campaigns, selecting and training various individuals to lead them. After seeing the Woolworth’s lunch-counter protests in Greensboro, North Carolina, she wrote a letter on SCLC letterhead calling student leaders all over the South to join and begin working together. Over a weekend of meetings, SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) was born. SNCC organized Freedom Rides to desegregate buses, held voting rights protests and registration drives, and drew national attention during the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964 when three SNCC workers were killed by white supremacists. Not one to seek the spotlight, the unsung hero said in a documentary about her amazing life and accomplishments in the struggle for equality, “I found a greater sense of importance by being a part of those who were growing.”

Fabiana Pierre-Louis, New Jersey’s newest Supreme Court Judge, was sworn into office in 2020, the youngest and the state’s first Black woman Supreme Court jurist. The 39-yearold Pierre-Louis, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and as a defense lawyer with a private law firm. The Rutgers Law Alumna was attorney-in-charge of the Trenton and Camden offices as well as in the general crimes and organized crime and gang units in the Newark office. Rhasheda Douglas, assistant dean of the Minority Student Program at the Rutgers Law Camden, knows Pierre-Louis and said, “In a nutshell, Fabiana’s story demonstrates why it’s critically important for law schools to remain committed to ensuring students from modest backgrounds have access to legal education.”

March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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Soon to be confirmed . . .

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Biden’s Nominee for Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

By Leslie Nash

E

ven in preschool Ketanji Brown Jackson loved the law. Growing up, she watched in admiration as her law-student father read cases and prepared for the Socratic questioning he would face. Both of her parents attended HBCUs and worked in the Miami–Dade School District. Her father, Johnny Brown, Esq., as chief attorney for the school board; and her mother, Ellery, as principal at New World School of the Arts.

A debate team star at Palmetto Junior High, she was selected as a school “mayor.” It was in high school that she set her sights on a legal career. President of her class at Miami Palmetto Senior High School, and voted “most likely to succeed,” it seemed she had already planned her path to greatness.

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

Unfortunately, sometimes great dreamers meet dream killers. Jackson’s high school guidance counselor warned her not to set her goals too high because she couldn’t make it far in the justice system. Jackson shut down all negative criticisms graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University and cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was supervising editor for the Harvard Law Review.

After Harvard, she clerked with three different jurists including Justice Breyer—in whose seat she will sit if confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. At the law firm of Goodwin Procter, Jackson represented clients in criminal and civil appellate matters. She argued big cases such as McGuire vs. Reilly in front of the Supreme Court, representing Massachusetts reproductive rights groups seeking to uphold the prohibition of allowing anti-abortion protestors to harass people in need of reproductive healthcare.

In 2003, Jackson returned to public service as an Assistant Special Counsel for the U.S. Sentencing Commission, an independent federal agency created

by Congress to address the injustice in federal courts.

She continued her work in public service as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the District of Columbia, where she represented low-income criminal appellants before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Nominated by President Obama to serve on the District Court for the District of Columbia, Jackson was confirmed with bipartisan support. After President Biden’s nomination in 2021 to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Judge Jackson received dozens of letters in support of her nomination, which helped pave the way for her nomination as a Supreme Court Justice.

Though it may seem Jackson has led a charmed life, it wasn’t always the case. Hard work, dedication, and focus on her goals were uppermost in her plan. In an interview with The Washington Post, she said she felt the “slings and arrows” of bias, yet decided not to care about “slights and misperceptions and underestimations that came my way.

What I do remember is often thinking, ‘Hmm, well, I’ll show them.’” Indeed. www.thepositivecommunity.com

Be a

Vaccine Hero.

Get Vaccinated!

Vaccinated!

Heroes are protectors.

Vaccination is the best way to protect against COVID-19 and save lives.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccine, visit nyc.gov/covidvaccine or call 212-COVID19.

CREATE YOUR SPRING AND SUMMER ESCAPES IN NEW JERSEY Spring brings amazing things, so head out and celebrate every moment. Blissful parks, forests, gardens and beaches. Family-favorite attractions. Distinctive dining, art, history and culture. Inspiring journeys, like our Black Heritage and Scenic Byways Trip Itineraries.

Naturally, the Garden State flaunts lots to love this season—and now’s the perfect time to book your summer getaway, too!

Access your free official travel guide and explore at VisitNJ.org ©CRDA

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March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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Photos courtesy of Abenah Bayoh

Living Life Out Loud Business Mogul Adenah Bayoh Builds Her American Dream

By Glenda Cadogan

T

he opening of Adenah Bayoh’s first IHOP franchise restaurant in Irvington, New Jersey, was a grand affair filled with excitement for family, friends, and the community. The 27-year-old owner, however, an immigrant from Liberia who had escaped the civil war there at the age of 13, said emotional turmoil engulfed her. “People were

celebrating and I was thinking about the journey,” she explained. “The truth is, by the time the restaurant opened I was bankrupt. I really didn’t have a proverbial penny to my name. I stood there, looked at the restaurant and all I felt was pain.”

It took a few years and three IHOPs later before Bayoh, 43, could recalibrate the pain of those trials into the pleasures of triumphant joy. “I remember the day some years later when I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and realized that despite all the hardships it was still standing,” she said, adding, “And so was I. I broke into tears.” Now that flagship IHOP located at 1212 Springfield Avenue in Irvington Township exists as a testament to Bayoh’s strength. “I use it as a reminder that no one broke me. I am still standing and will continue to do so and make an impact.”

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

Indeed, Bayoh’s impact in Northern New Jersey and beyond is a gigantic one. Founder and CEO of Adenah Bayoh and Companies, she owns multiple IHOP restaurants in Newark and Paterson. With her partner, Zadie Smith, a delightful farm-to-table restaurant called Cornbread has locations in Maplewood and Newark.

A Brooklyn Cornbread will open March 29, 2022. Her latest enterprise, Urban Vegan, located near her Newark Cornbread location features fast, casual vegan dishes sourced locally and at affordable prices. And there’s more. The mother of two manages a $250 million www.thepositivecommunity.com

real estate portfolio in urban redevelopment projects, which includes multi-family, residential, and commercial properties.

As an entrepreneur, multi-restaurant franchisee and developer, real estate magnate, immigrant, and war survivor, Bayoh has a lot of stories to tell. Her favorite is the heroism and passion of her late grandmother.

Only about 8 years old at the time, Bayoh related with sober clarity what happened the day armed rebels came to Foya, the tiny village where her family lived. “They got hold of my aunt and stripped her naked. Everybody froze except my grandmother, who stepped into action.

In our tradition it’s like a curse to look at naked older women. So, my grandmother started stripping off her own clothes. One of the rebels abruptly ordered the others—who by this time were about to rape my aunt— to stop. My grandmother then took her lapa (wrapped traditional skirt), covered my aunt and walked her away.” The incident remains imprinted onto Bayoh’s consciousness as the ultimate act of bravery. “I always say to myself that if my grandmother could have the courage to save someone else by standing up to men with guns, then I can do it, too.”

In her journey through the challenging and complex world of commerce, Bayoh may not have encountered men with guns, but she certainly had her fair share of boardroom battles with their attitudes and prejudices. “I have been in rooms where it was clear to me that others felt I did not belong. But to quote the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: ‘Women belong in any room where decisions are being made,’” she said.

It was a cold day in May when Bayoh landed at JFK International Airport in New York, the lure of the Statue of Liberty beckoning to the “tired, poor huddled masses.” At the age of 13 she was in the care of the airline having traveled with her younger brother as unaccompanied minors. Waiting at the terminal were her parents, already resident in America. Their excitement of coming to America was high, yet what Bayoh remembers most about her feelings could be summed up in a few words —potato salad and McDonalds. “For some reason, I used to daydream about eating potato salad,” she recalled with a question in her voice.

A far cry from her village in Africa where running water did not exist and rebels ruled the land— wonderful; America. The bold prints of the sign just before the Van Wyck Expressway read “Welcome To New York!” and the tall buildings were intimidating.

But none of it could match the fire that burned in the heart of the Liberian teenager. No wonder. She is the granddaughter of Jenneh Viskinda; a woman who not only stopped a rebel attack but had a farm, land, and real estate. Grandma Jenneh’s words of wisdom play like a stuck record in Bayoh’s ears every time her back is against the wall. “She would always tell me, ‘The darkness can never trump the light.’”

With plans to open four more restaurants in New Jersey and New York, Bayoh’s light eluminates a path for other young girls to follow. Every successful endeavor comes with a bigger, brighter LOL moment: Adenah is Living Out Loud!

Adenah with her business partner in Cornbread restaurants, Zanie Smith in front of the Maplewood location.

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March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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Mayor Baraka Recognizes Choose Healthy Life Newark Faith Community is Recognized for Being Major Contributor to Vaccinating Newark Residents

L-R: Mayor Ras Baraka, Rev. Dr. David Jefferson Esq., Debra Fraser-Howze and Rev. Calvin Butts Photo by Raymond Hagans

N

ewark Mayor Ras Baraka and Healthy Life Founder Debra Fraser-Howze acknowledged the major contribution of the Black clergy to vaccinate Newark residents against COVID-19. The mayor thanked Choose Healthy Life’s lead church Metropolitan Baptist Church, and its Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. David Jefferson Sr. Esq., along with all the pastors from Choose Healthy Life churches across the city.

Choose Healthy Life launched in Newark last February with trained health navigators based in 10 churches across

the city. These houses of worship, in collaboration with local healthcare providers, have hosted over 300 events, delivering testing and/or vaccinations to over 15,000 Newark residents in hard-to-reach communities.

“The work of the Black clergy in our city has been a significant contributor to the success of our COVID-19 testing and vaccination program,” said Mayor Baraka.

“Rather than asking our residents to come to a vaccination or testing site – our clergy brought testing and vaccination to the people.”

DiVincenzo Hosts Campaign Kick-off Fundraiser L-R: Governor Phil Murphy, NJ State and Essex County Democratic Chairman LeRoy Jones, Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver and Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.

A

Who's Who in Essex County Democratic leadership showed up at the beautiful Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange, NJ, on March 1st. The Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo’s campaign kick-off event at his first fundraiser in four 28

The Positive Community March Issue 2022

years. DiVincenzo seeks an unprecedented sixth term as Essex County Executive. Guests included Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss, East Orange Mayor Ted Green, Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren, and Montclair Mayor Sean M. Spiller. www.thepositivecommunity.com

A Dream Deferred Not Forgotten Don Peebles Aims to Change the Skyline, the Rules, and the System

By R.L. Witter

H

e always knew he would make an impact. Don Peebles didn’t know how, when, or where, but he was sure of it. Born in DC, he and his mother moved to Detroit when he was three years old. It was a move that would shape his young life in more ways than one. “You had local bastions of Black lawyers and doctors. My uncle was an OBGYN; that’s how my mother got there; her sister and my uncle moved there for his residency,” he explained. Peebles’ best friend was Kerry Gordy, son of Motown Founder and legendary music mogul Berry Gordy. “I felt there was no limit to what I could do. I found myself very optimistic about my future.”

Peebles was molded and inspired by the people around him and the lessons he learned from them. “One of the biggest things I was mindful of early was making

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an impact. I was eight years old when Dr. King was assassinated. I remember when he was assassinated all of the riots and protests that took place afterward and then Robert Kennedy,” he recalled.

A quick learner, he picked up on some hard truths early in life. “Our system, when it comes to Black Americans, is innately unfair. It is systemically discriminatory and is just as bad—in fact probably worse than when my father was coming along. It makes our futures so uncertain. It mass incarcerates our kids and the moment we look at some other alternative to that, the media and political establishments say, ‘Hey, we’re letting all of these criminals out of jail…’” He began to understand the game and that most Black people were losing. “What gets me up everyday is asking, ‘Is this the best we can do as a country?’ and ‘Why does it have to be so hard?’ I see March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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other people; I have other friends and they’re playing an insider’s game. Black people in America are playing an outsider’s game.”

As he began his career in real estate development, Peebles found—no, created success. Soon he found himself in the company of Black American icons and leaders. He listened to their opinions and advice then made decisions and moves by following his own instincts.

Several years ago, he found himself talking with Rev. Al Sharpton at a function at the Grand Havana Room. As they gazed through the window at the lights and the New York skyline, Rev. Sharpton said, “You see all of those buildings there? Not one of them was built by a Black person. You need to come here and do some business.”

One year later, The Peebles Corporation redeveloped the Tribeca landmark at 108 Leonard Street and more success followed.

A Fair Chance

When New York State issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the property at 35th and 36th streets, 11th Avenue and Hudson Boulevard West—across the street from the Jacob Javits Center, one block from the High Line,

Hudson Yards and the No. 7 subway line, Peebles and his team were ready. Their proposal laid out plans for a skyscraper called Affirmation Tower with hotels, an iceskating rink, commercial office space, an observation deck, a cultural center, and more. They offered a building design that honors Black culture with a look reminiscent of an afro pick and would bring jobs and opportunity to the Black community. But, for whatever reason, the RFP was canceled.

“The State and City of New York gave away dozens of acres for Hudson Yards’ development. They gave an installment sale, payment plan, built a subway station for them, gave them infrastructure and here we have one tiny little piece of property across from the Javits Center and you would think it’s sitting on a goldmine or an oilwell. They don’t want to even give us a fair chance for that and I find that indicative of what the problem is,” said Peebles. “They want to keep us comfortable with disproportionate poverty… We want our share of the American Dream; and that’s what Affirmation Tower says.

We’re paying a lot of money —$300 million— providing $1 billion dollars in contracts for minority and womencont’d on next page

Artists’s rendering of the Affirmation Tower proposed by The Pebbles Corporation to be built in New York City

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Don Peebles cont’d from previous page

owned businesses (MWBEs), thousands and thousands of jobs. We’re using business in our capitalistic democracy to bring about some social change.”

Dreaming Big

All Photos: The Peebles Corporation

With Don Peebles and his team at the helm, Affirmation Tower has the bona fides to bring ownership and pride to the Black community in New York and around the world.

“It’s the tallest building in the western hemisphere by roofline, and for that to be done by a Black development team; constructed by a construction company founded by a freed slave and now run by his great, greatgranddaughter—Cheryl McKissack Daniel, president and CEO of McKissack & McKissack— for the New York NAACP to be headquartered there; and to have a cultural center, it says something to our young people across the board and it says something to white Americans too — don’t look at us as not being capable. Don’t down our capacity to be great.”

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It’s About All of Us

The Affirmation Tower is definitely Don Peebles’ passion project, but not for the reasons one might imagine. At this point in his life, Peebles has created a company and relationships that have built wealth for him and his family. He’s met and socialized with business and political luminaries, and built a life that allowed his son and daughter to pursue their dreams and passions unabated while learning the family business and the life lessons they’ll need to carry on their father’s work. “This is not about me,” Peebles said firmly. “It looks like we played the game so well they had to cancel the game. They said go out and build community support; I did. What this says is if you’re Black, don’t try to get into this game and do it too well, because maybe there’s not a place for you.

If New York City is known for anything it’s the skyline.

And right now, it says no Blacks allowed. So, being able to look out there and see the tallest building being built is like Obama being president. It’s a big impact.”

Peebles wants people to understand the importance of this project. “This is about us unlocking the doors of economic opportunity. We’ve had people open the doors of opportunity for us; they’ve done it already. So, the doors are being locked and there are bolts on the doors and this time around it’s not water hoses; it’s people smiling at us, saying nice things to us, saying they care…

They want to help us get more comfortable where we are but they still are holding those doors closed. The way they get opened is we have to open them.” He continued, “We have to be the ones who knock down these doors.

Otherwise, they’re going to be deadbolted and set even firmer for our kids and our grandkids. Affirmation Tower is about knocking down these doors and we’re going to have to crush through, keep going at it to open them up. There’s so much money involved, so much power involved.”

As our time drew to a close, I asked Peebles one more question: Is this building what you want to be your legacy, the signature accomplishment of your real estate development career? Without hesitation he responded, “Affirmation Tower represents opportunity, hope, and real change. It would be the last development project I build. I will move on to doing something else, probably politics.” He smiled, then said with a chuckle, “I’d challenge the system there because I think that needs to be challenged, too.”

The Positive Community reached out to the New York Governor’s office and local politicians for comment regarding the cancellation of the RFP, but did not receive a response at press time.

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OFF-BROADWAY’S LONGEST RUNNING AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICAL RETURNS

10TH SMASH YEAR

SISTAS is the hit musical telling the story of Black women through popular music from Billie to Beyoncé

Original Off-Broadway cast

An uplifting story with popular songs and powerhouse vocalists based on interviews with 100s of African American women.

| 212-239-6200 | Actors Temple Theatre

SistasTheMusical.com 32

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www.thepositivecommunity.com

george clinton & parliament funkadelic @ 80 with special guests questlove, vernon reid & nona hendryx

mar 18 PRESENTS

• Brenda K Starr • George Lamond • Lisette Melendez • Black Sheep • Robin S • Cece Peniston • and many more!

Sat, Mar 19 @ 8PM Your favorite 90’s dance music stars are here to tear it up! Come dance the night away to dance freestyle, house, dancehall, Latin, and pop.

diana krall Sun, Apr 3 @ 7:30PM Multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz pianist and world-renowned singer Diana Krall returns to NJPAC.

@NJPAC • 1.888.MY.NJPAC • njpac.org Groups of 9 or more call 973.353.7561 One Center Street, Newark, NJ

www.thepositivecommunity.com Mar_Positive Community .indd 1

los ángeles azules Fri, Mar 25 @ 8:30PM Mexican band Los Ángeles Azules celebrate 40 years! Join us for all of your favorite cumbia songs… and a few surprises.

disney princess: the concert Apr 13 @ 7PM “Be our guest” as we celebrate all of your favorite Disney princesses in an unforgettable evening of song.

urban bush women Hair & Other Stories Fri, Apr 1 @ 7:30PM; Sat, Apr 2 @ 2PM Dance performance Hair & Other Stories reflects on race, identity and beauty through the lens of Black women’s hair.

alvin ailey american dance theater Fri, May 6 @ 8PM; Sat May 7 @ 8PM Sun May 8 @ 3PM This elegant, electrifying company celebrates its return to NJPAC with new works and the beloved Revelations.

The American Song series at NJPAC is presented, in part, through the generous support of the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the David S. Steiner and Sylvia Steiner Charitable Trust, the Joan and Allen Bildner Family Fund, and the Smart Family Foundation/David S. Stone, Esq., Stone & Magnanini.

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2/22/22 11:42 AM

Scout’s Honor: Morristown High student writes children’s book about Alzheimer’s

BY OLIVIA YEPEZ, COURTESY OF THE MORRISTOWN GREEN CONTRIBUTOR

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he phrase “Girl Scouts” usually evokes a young girl in a green vest with a plethora of patches. You might imagine her outside a grocery store or on your doorstep, pitching a sale of Thin Mints, Trefoils or Samoas. Morristown High School junior Valencia Julien has been selling cookies and gaining patches since the 3rd grade. Now she has her sights set on the Gold Award, the highest honor for Girl Scouts. She hopes to attain it by writing, publishing and distributing her own children’s book, Giselle Learns About Alzheimer’s.

“When I was in 3rd grade, my grandfather developed symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and I was fairly confused as to why he would no longer be able to pick me up from school or be able to take me to certain practices,” Julien said. “I realized I wanted to make a tool that would help students …understand what the disease of Alzheimer’s is.”

Annually, fewer than 6 percent of Girl Scouts get the Gold Award, according to Edwin Barreto, interim chief financial officer of the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey (GSNNJ). Only 106 girls from the counties of Morris, Bergen, Passaic, Sussex and northern Warren earned it last year.

“Valencia’s work on her Girl Scout Gold Award to date is impressive and inspiring,” Barreto said, noting that the Girl Scouts always encourage award candidates to tackle issues of community problems that they passionate about.

Julien started the project in early 2020, just before the pandemic sent students home to their 34

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computer screens.

Going for Gold has not been easy. In fact, “everything was just fairly hard.”

Quarantines sapped her motivation. And she encountered obstacles familiar to many writers: Deciding on a storyline; and how she wanted characters to look and act; and finding an illustrator she liked, within her budget, and willing to take the assignment. “It took me even longer to find a publicist for the book that was affordable,” Julien said. She wanted physical copies, not just an online edition. But it proved tricky finding a company that would publish a book she plans to give away. Eventually, Julien partnered with Dazzle Printing for hard copies, and with Lulu.com for online publishing.

Completing the book started the Gold Award process. Now she must do community outreach. Julien gave her first reading of Giselle Learns About Alzheimer’s to a group of 3rd-5th graders online. Commanding their attention via computer was difficult. She intends to reach her target audience with more in-person readings, now that the coronavirus is easing. “It’s been a struggle to even get a virtual meeting set up with schools or rec centers in the community,” Julien acknowledged. Yet she is optimistic about achieving the Gold Award soon. “It’s kind of like a full-circle dream come true… It feels like I’ll accept the award on behalf of my grandfather, which feels nice.” www.thepositivecommunity.com

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THE GREAT AMERICAN EMANCIPATION DAY AWARDS BANQUET TM

"OUR YEAR OF POSITIVE CHANGE" SAVING OUR OWN COMMUNITY February 19, 2022 2pm-6pm Robert Treat Hotel, Newark, NJ

ADRIAN COUNCIL PUBLISHER’S DESK

“. . . It’s such a change/For us to live so independently/ Freedom, you see, has got our hearts singing so joyfully/Just look about/You owe it to yourself to check it out/Can’t you feel a brand new day?/Can’t you feel a brand new day?”

“A Brand New Day,” Diana Ross w/Michael Jackson Music by Quincy Jones from the movie soundtrack: The Wiz

The Wrap-Up To God Be the Glory! Power to the People! Let Freedom Ring!

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his sums up the reaction of those who had experienced The Positive Community’s 3rd Annual Great American Emancipation Day Awards Gala on February 19, at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, NJ. Just ask anyone who attended the event. It was a wonderful, soulful affair— a blessed occasion! This year’s theme: Saving Our Own Community.

We are forever grateful for our community of readers and an amazing network of clergy leaders, congregations, and friends; leaders in business, healthcare, and education; in the arts, in government, and community service. Thank you for being there for the people. At The Positive Community, we win when you win; and together, we are a winning team!

We appreciate our dear sponsors, the forward-thinking small businesses, corporations, and institutions that care. But most of all, it was our community that came together on this day to remember our freedom journey, reflect upon our victories, and celebrate our collective talents and gifts.

Folks travelled to Newark from Washington, DC;

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Baltimore; Delaware; Philadelphia; South Jersey; and from throughout the greater NYC/NJ/Conn. region to endorse and promote the community-building ideals of freedom and progress—positive change! A spirit of self-acceptance, self-reliance, self-respect, and love filled the room. Yes, a good time was had by all! Shout out to Host, Rev. Jaques DeGraff, Producer Kim J. Ford, and the The Positive Communiuty production team.

On that day we honored wonderful, extraordinary people and institutions—our best and brightest. It was a pageantry of grace and dignity. The truth, beauty, and goodness of a loving and gifted race was affirmed!

Review the images on the following pages of this special section, visit online thepositivecommunity.com for videos and more. Download your copy of the “Cultural Narrative” poster that was presented to each honoree. Tune in to our commercial-free music streaming service, TPC Radio. Stand by for upcoming events and activities and future marketing opportunities. We at Positive Community Media remain ever steadfast in our commitment to only represent and promote our very best—America’s best!

Save-the-Date: January 1, 2023, the 160th anniversary year of the Great Emancipation—A Jubilee Celebration!

The next stop in “Our Year of Positive Change,” Juneteenth/Black Music Month, 2022! . . . Because a positive community is everybody’s business.

It really pays to care!

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T The Positive Community's Great Roll Call to Freedom

he Positive Community is grateful for the love, energy, and commitment shown by the following individuals, organizations, and corporations. Your support for the Great American Emancipation Day Awards means the world to us. We send to you a deep, heartfelt Thank You.

Abyssinian Baptist Church, Harlem— Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III

New Hope Baptist Church, Metuchen, NJ—Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Owens

Elizabeth City Councilman William Gallman

African American Chamber of Commerce—John Harmon, President

Office of Black Ministry, Archdiocese of NY—Bro. Tyrone Davis

Elizabeth City Councilman Manny Grova, Jr.

Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker

Ruth Fellowship Ministries— Rev. Tracey L. Brown

Robert Taylor, Esq., East Orange, NJ

Baptist Minister’s Conference of Greater NY and Vicinity— Rev. Geraldine L. Harris, President

St. John Baptist Church, Scotch Plains, NJ—Rev. Shawn T. Wallace

Amaker & Porterfield Transportation, Plainfield, NJ NAACP, Montclair, NJ— Roger Terry, Sr.

Cathedral International, Perth Amboy, NJ—Bishop Donald Hilliard

Union Baptist Temple, Bridgeton, NJ— Rev. Dr. Albert L. Morgan

Charity Baptist Church of Christ, Bronx, NY—Rev. Reginald Williams

World Gospel Music Association— Rev. Dr. Albert Lewis

NAACP, New York State— Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, President

Church of the Covenant, NYC— Rev. Dr. Cornell Edmunds

Nesbitt Funeral Home, Elizabeth, NJ

NAACP, Newark NJ— Ms. Deborah Smith-Gregory

Ebenezer Baptist Church, Orange, NJ—Rev. H. William Rutherford, III Evergreen Baptist Church, Palmyra, NJ—Rev. Dr. Guy CampbellFellowship Missionary BC, Newark, NJ— Rev. Dr. Elton T. Byrd

Neighborhood Technical Ctr., Brooklyn, NY—Rev. Dr. Valerie Durrah Lt. Governor State of NJ Sheila Y. Oliver Barnabas Health/ Newark Beth Israel Hospital

NAACP, Elizabeth, NJ— Shawn McClain

NAACP, New Jersey State— Richard T. Smith Perry Funeral Home, Newark, NJ Lincoln Park Cultural District Anthony Smith Newark Alliance - Evan S. Weiss

First Baptist Church of Teaneck, NJ— Rev. Dr. Marilyn Monroe Harris

Global Black Women Chamber of Commerce—Ambassador Susan Johnson Cook

First Baptist Church of South Orange, NJ —Rev. Terry L. Richardson, MDiv

City of Newark

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo

Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement

Special Thanks to Caterer Two Fish Five Loaves

Urban League Union County— Crystal Orr, Interim President & CEO

Robert Treat Hotel, Newark, NJ

Laymen’s Movement of the General Baptist Convention of NJ—Vincent Bryant, President Macedonia Baptist Church, Lakewood, NJ—Dr. Edward D. Harper Metropolitan Baptist Church, Newark, NJ—Rev. Dr. David Jefferson, Sr.

Hal Jackson’s Talented Teens International—Debi Jackson One Hundred Black Women

Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY— Bishop Johnny Ray Youngblood

Willie Blalock—Industrial Bank

Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, Newark—Rev. Dr. Ralph M. Branch, Jr.

Hon. Mildred C. Crump—Retired Newark City Council President

Pillar College

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Newark—Rev. Rakeem Thomas

C. Lawrence Crump—Newark City Council, Member-at-Large

Mount Teman AME, Elizabeth, NJ— Rev. George E. Britt

New Jersey Democratic Committee— Hon. Leroy Jones, State Chairman

National Convention of Gospel Choirs & Choruses - Rev. Albert Morgan

Cotton Funeral Service, Orange, NJ

New Garden State Jurisdiction, COGIC NJ— Bishop William T. Cahoon

Urban League Union County—Donna Alexander Lowe, Retired President 2021

New England Missionary Baptist Convention

Elizabeth City Council President, Pat Perkins-Auguste

NJPAC - John Schreiber

TPC Photographers: Vincent Bryant, Ryan Council, Raymond Hagans, Bruce Moore, Wali Amin Muhammad, Seitu Oronde and Karen Waters.

Positive Community Staff: Leslie Nash, Angela Ridenour, Adrian Council Jr., Marc Williams, Satori MPR, Cheryl Saunders, Austin Fenner, Glenda Cadogan, Fern Gillespie, Maishman Media, LLC, Penguin Design Group, Raymond Hagans, & Wayne Smith.

Associate Editor, R.L. Witter, Editor-inChief, Jean Nash Wells & Publisher, Adrian A. Council, Sr. Special Thanks to Pauline Barfield, Barfield Media Video Production by PositiveBlackDad Inc.

KIM NESBITT GOOD "The Emancipation Awards is a beautiful and meaningful event that represents us as a people. I loved being amongst those who came to celebrate this special day together. To see the joy on my ambassadors' and all the people's faces was inspirational and wonderful. I am truly honored to be a part of The Positive Community."

—Kim Nesbitt Good L-R: Louise Scott-Rountree, Kim Nesbitt Good, and NJ Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver

PATROIT AWARD

K

Kim Nesbitt Good surrounded by friends and supporters

im Nesbitt Good is the proprietor of the Nesbitt Funeral Home in Elizabeth with her husband of 35 years, Ted. Her insistence on the highest standards in her profession is matched by her efforts on behalf of the African American community in and around Union County. She has been honored by scores of local, state, federal and national organizations, highlighted by receiving the Presidential Pin from President Barack Obama in recognition of her extraordinary service to others. Ms. Nesbitt Good is the co-founder of “Friends,” an organization of Black Women committed to uplifting the Black Community, and the founder of Friends of the New Jersey Legacy Foundation, whose mission is to acknowledge the legacy of African Americans in New Jersey. She is the proud mother of 2, Lawrence and Leah.

Honoree Kim Nesbitt Good shares the spotlight with members of the Friends of NJ Legacy Foundation, tireless volunteers committed to making and celebrating Juneteenth a state and national holiday. All "Juneteenth Ambassadors" wore a red, white, and blue commemorative ribbon.

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www.thepositivecommunity.com

Friends of the NJ Legacy Foundation

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT MRS. KIM NESBITT GOOD / 908-352-7078 REV. GEORGE E. BRITT / 908-351-2625 YOLANDA EADY / 908-220-6113 WILL THOMAS / 917-686-8694 * B R I N G

Y O U R

F O O D

F O R

T H E

C O O K O U T *

BISHOP JOHNNY RAY YOUNGBLOOD "I hope our ancestors envisioned a day like 2/19/2022.

A day of honoring a man like Bishop Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood who unapologetically tells our story, served with nothing but the truth, hold the chaser. It was an honor to lift my voice to give honor to these amazing men and women of our community. We gave them their crowns in front of a crowd …. Glory… We must fight on… Glory!!"

— Deacon Deborah Lewis CFO/COO Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church

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TORCHBEARER AWARD

ishop Johnny Ray Youngblood, pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, has fostered the growth of the congregations and the inception of community programs. He is recognized on the national political front because of his work with East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC), an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation.

He spearheaded the Nehemiah Housing Project, which constructs owner-occupied single-family homes in three of the most devastated communities in Brooklyn. He serves as a national spokesman for the group and in 1990 was recognized and written up in the Congressional Record for his trailblazing work with the project. Bishop Youngblood is the subject of the book, Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church, written by Samuel G. Freedman.

In December of 1995, Bishop Youngblood was featured in The New Yorker magazine as one of the “ten most influential” New Yorkers.

L-R: Bishop Youngblood, Rev. Linda Jefferson and Rev. David Jefferson Esq., Metropolitan Baptist Church, Newark NJ

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L-R: Bishop Youngblood, Jacques DeGraff and Kasiem Aboti Walters

L-R: Rev. Joel Youngblood (Son) and Bishop Youngblood

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DR. BENJAMIN CHAVIS In his remarks at the event, Dr. Chavis announced that The Positive Community will become the newest member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a distinguished group of Black media owners and publishers that serve our communities throughout the United States.

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TORCHBEARER AWARD

t the age of thirteen, Benjamin Franklin Chavis, Jr, tried to take out books from the segregated local library. That was just the start of his storied career in civil rights activism. Chavis served as a youth coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and on the advance team for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Falsely convicted, Chavis spent nearly a decade in prison before being exonerated. Undeterred, he continued fighting the good fight, becoming the youngest executive director and CEO of the NAACP. Later Chavis served as executive director of the “Million Man March.”

Chavis has been President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association since 2014, which focuses on supporting and advocating for publishers of the nation’s more than 200 Black newspapers.

L-R: Daily Challenge Publisher Thomas Watkins and Dr. Chavis

L-R: Adrian Council Sr., Dr. Ben Chavis, Jean Nash Wells, William Ewing, Esq. www.thepositivecommunity.com

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MAYOR RAS J. BARAKA "I grew up in a family that believes that the arts can be a powerful, liberating and transformational force in the struggle for racial, social and economic justice."

—Ras J. Baraka

SERVANT LEADERSHIP AWARD

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L-R: Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, and Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner

ewark Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s progressive approach to governing has won him accolades from grassroots organizations to the White House. He was the Nation’s “Most Valuable Mayor” in 2015 and on the front page of New York Times for “defying expectations” during his first year and a half in office. Mayor Baraka’s leadership has married a profound vision with unshakable passion for the city where he has lived and worked for more than four decades. The city has nearly $2B in development underway and his impact has been felt on everything from a social impact venture to accelerate technology to the return of local control of schools after more than two decades and his executive order detailing the city’s sanctuary city status.

L-R: Adrian Council Sr., Jean Nash Wells, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, NJPAC CEO and Pres. John Schreiber and Jacques DeGraff

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NAHSE “[Shirley Chisholm] once gave a speech and said ‘...you don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.’ She said it decades ago, but it’s so appropriate today."

—NJ Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver

LEADERSHIP AWARD

L-R NAHSE Presidents Franck Nelson (New Jersey) and Zsalyne "Jay" Fergus (New York)

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he National Association of Health Ser vices Executives (NAHSE) is a nonprofit association of Black health care executives founded in 1968. Its purpose is promoting the advancement and development of Black health care leaders and elevating the quality of health care services rendered to minority and underserved communities. NAHSE New Jersey, formed in March 2017, is the 29th chapter of NAHSE and its president is Franck D. Nelson. The New York chapter president is Zsalyne Fergus.

L-R Franck Nelson, Nakita Cooper, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Lauriel Porter, Molina Jean-Louis, and Cliff Manning

L-R: NAHSE NY President Zsalyne "Jay" Fergus and Dr. Kahlil Carmichael

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L-R: Amerigroup's Daniel Rosas, Newark Happening Ricardo Salazar and Franck Nelson

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DEBI JACKSON "The 3rd Annual Emancipation Day Awards held in the elegant Robert Treat Ballroom was a rousing success with love overflowing from all corners of the room.

It was an emancipation of the soul, spirit and mind.

Especially since everyone had been on lock down for almost a year. Thank you Adrian Council, Jean Wells and the entire Positive Community Media staff for filling our lives with food, poetry, song and fellowship."

—Debi Jackson

COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD

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L-R: Dave Shepard, Dr. Bob Lee, and Debi Jackson

ew York City born, raised and educated, Debi Bolling Jackson was known for over 30 years as Debi B, co-host of the WBLS Sunday Classics beside her legendary husband, radio and television personality, Hal Jackson. The Hal Jackson’s Talented Teens International® (HJTTI) scholarship competition was Hal’s heart and showcased young women giving them exposure to the music, film and entertainment industries. Some of the women who came through HJTTI include Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jada Pinkett Smith, Taraji P. Henson and Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook. Ms. Jackson is CEO and President of the Youth Development Foundation, Inc. (YDF) which is the parent nonprofit organization of HJTTI. For 52 years YDF/HJTTI has awarded over $2,500,000 in scholarships and prizes to young women from around the world. YDF/ HJTTI has partnered with Black Women for Black Girls and continues Hal’s legacy by awarding a minimum of five scholarships annually.

WBLS's Dr. Bob Lee introduces Debi Jackson www.thepositivecommunity.com

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L-R: Jean Nash Wells and John Harmon AACCNJ president

NJPAC CEO and President John Schreiber

Rev. Lewis Collier and Melba Moore

L-R: Cecil Cates, Leah Dade and Hon. Mamie Bridgeforth

L-R: Mr. and Mrs Foster, Rev. Shawn Wallace and guestSeated L-R: Lillian Bullock, Gloria Penn, Ronald Suggs, Janet Jasper from St. John's Baptist Church, Scotch Plains, NJ

L-R: Edward and Arlene Gibbs

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L-R: Alita Price, Lloyd and Suzanne Holmes

L-R Kenya Travitt, Athony Smith and Christopher Watson, City of Newark

Event producer Kim J. Ford and TPC Production Manager Marc Williams

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L-R: Kevin Hyatt, Wayne Smith and Kevin Celisca www.thepositivecommunity.com

L-R: Sam Arnold, Perry Funeral Home and John Harmon

L-R: ASW Cleopatra Tucker and NJ Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver

L-R: Hon. Mildred Crump and son, Lawrence Crump

EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION

L-R: Rev. Dr. Allen K. Hand Sr. with wife Loretta Hand and Bishop Johnny Youngblood

L-R: Malcolm A. Punter Jr., Aarian Punter and Dr. Malcolm Punter, HCCI president

L-R: Jeffrey Dunn, Adrian Council Sr., Danny Dunn, William Ewing Esq. and seated entrepreneur Edward Funches

Alexis Morrast and her father Lorenzo Morrast www.thepositivecommunity.com

Kaylyn Kendall-Dines

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Willie Blalock, Industrial Bank

L-R Chef Kevin Smallwood of Two Fish Five Loaves and Artie Smallwood March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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L-R: James Austin Jr., Karen Waters, Melba Moore, Alexis Morrast and Rev. Dr. Albert Morgan

L-R: Rev. Shawn Wallace, Bishop Johnny Youngblood and Rev. Kahlil Carmichael

Baptist Minister's Conference of Greater New York and Viciniity

Jacques DeGraff

L-R: Dr. Cornell Edmunds, Esq. and Bishop Johnny Youngblood

L-R: Horace and Carole Wright Cathedral International, Perth Amboy NJ

"In Classic Black" Leadership team of Union Baptist Temple, Bridgeton, NJ

L-R: Rev. George E. Britt, Merlyn Britt and Catherine Willis

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L-R: Franck Nelson, First Lady NaDeen with husband Rev. Dr. Terry Richardson of First Baptist Church, South Orange, NJ

Standing: Rev. Dr. Albert Morgan, Seated L-R Doris Bryant and Tesha Sims

EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION

Yahaya Kamate Drummers

Alexis Morrast

Kasiem Aboti Walters

The Positive Community Family www.thepositivecommunity.com

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NOTABLE QUOTES

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thoroughly enjoyed the event. It was a blessing to share in the celebration of the achievement of pioneers and in the display of talent by the next generation.

he Emancipation Awards luncheon was very rewarding and informative. A great experience meeting and fellowshipping with others of the same village. We commend Bro. Adrian Council for bringing us together and keeping the issues on the forefront.

Rev. Evans Spagner Fountain Baptist Church, Summit, NJ

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oretta Scott King said, ‘The Greatness of community is most accurately measured by the compassionate action of its members.’ The award recipients for this year’s Great Emancipation Day Award Ceremony are individuals who faithfully and gallantly work on behalf of the people in the community. It is always a joy to be able to support the great work that The Positive Community does in sharing our cultural narrative, educating the masses, highlighting, and honoring those from the community that are catalysts for positive change in the community.”

Rev. Shawn T. Wallace Sr. Pastor, St. John’s Baptist Church, Scotch Plains, NJ

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t was no small task in the middle of a COVID season, a harsh winter day, and during Black History Month, when Black people could be spending their Saturday afternoon any way they wished, that Positive Community Magazine’s executives—Adrian and Jean—filled a room of self-empowerment believers. Their message to us at the gala was simple: we must each be a part of the change we seek.

What an event! It was wonderful to see the integration of young Black talent and classic video performances by artists such as Whitney Houston and Duke Ellington.

James and I were proud to attend in support of our friend and honoree Debi Jackson, but mostly, in support of TPC’s charge to all of us—let’s not get weary people, keep fighting until our victory is won.

Congratulations on an outstanding gala!”

Rev. Dr. Valerie Oliver Durrah Neighborhood Technical Assistant Clinic, Brooklyn, NY

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he Emancipation awards was a super positive experience. Great people, great food, great fellowship, great networking opportunity!

Will Turner United Baptist Temple, Bridgeton, NJ

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Rev. Dr. Albert Morgan President of the New England Missionary Baptist Convention

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he most outstanding observance in recent years.

It was no hollow event. The Emancipation Day Awards pictured and portrayed the richness of Black American culture. For too long has our triumphant history lagged in the minds of the people.

I pray that TPC continues this fine tradition of community uplift.

Rev. Dr. John Scott Pastor, St. Johns Baptist Church, Harlem NY and Past Moderator United Missionary Baptist Association

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n behalf of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Bergen-Passaic Chapter, I send our gratitude and congratulations on the third annual Great Emancipation Day Awards.

This most memorable and inspiring event beautifully celebrates those who have made significant contributions to their communities. We are proud to amplify the impact of these trailblazers.

We salute you, Adrian Council, Jean Wells, and the Positive Community family for your vision of making a difference across the globe.

Gwenette ReesePresident NCBW Bergen/Passaic Chapter

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he Emancipation celebration was overwhelmingly special this year. The Positive Community enjoyed a full room of supporters that complimented the day. Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI) is honored to be a member of the Positive Community family and supporter of the movement for positive change spearheaded by Mr. Adrian Council and his team.

Malcolm A. Punter, Ed.D President & CEO HCCI, Inc.

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NOTABLE QUOTES

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oth fulfilling and promising for more reasons than one.

Bishop Johnny Ray Youngblood very presentation, rendition and truly every person honored, made it a fabulous Great American Emancipation Day Award Gala! It was a cold and windy evening but the spectacular warmth, excitement, and congeniality of everyone in the ballroom of The Robert Treat Hotel made it an unforgettable momentous affair! We at Cathedral International know the essence of an extraordinary atmosphere and event. It was our honor to have celebrated yours with you and especially the unveiling of “Positive Community Media.”

Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr. Senior Pastor Cathedral International

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t was Aristotle who once stated that "Excellence is not an act, but a habit", and indeed the family of The Positive Community make it a Habit of presenting Excellence.

A wonderful gala with wonderful people.

Rev. Joel Youngblood

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his is my first time attending the Great Emancipation program. Very informative and well organized. I am delighted that we at the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Greater New York and Vicinity (BMCGNY&V) was able to support this endeavor!

Strength for the Journey!

Rev. Geraldine L. Harris Pastor Greater File BC, Harlem President BMCGNY&V

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t was great to see our people being honored for their contribution to our culture, especially my Bishop Johnny Youngblood. To see us come together and give them their accolades while they are here to receive it was a feeling of respect.The display of who we are through song, dance, instrument and poetry, was an expression of love. The Positive Community did a good job of showing who we are in different walks of life.

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he Positive Community Great Emancipation Day Awards Dinner was the epitome of its namesake.

It was our community coming together to break bread and to celebrate the very best of us. It was pride, it was fellowship, it was hope, it was encouragement and, most importantly, it was love. I was honored to have the opportunity to celebrate and support my Bishop and stand with Mount Pisgah as a microcosm of all that he has poured into our community.

Nicole Jones

Mt Pisgah Baptist Church Prayer Intercessor

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e got together to Lift Our Voices and Sing the praises of the Giants within our community while they could hear us. We have to thank Positive Community for helping us to acknowledge our beloved leaders who have made it their life’s mission to focus on “Saving Our Own Community.”

Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees.

Special congratulations to my beloved Bishop Johnny Ray Youngblood a giant among men who works tirelessly as a Pastor and a Black Man to Save Our Community one WORD, one person, one family, one home at a time and he is changing the world in the process. How do we describe a room full of black key leaders and followers, sharing stories, accomplishments and talents in a beautiful symphony of fellowship, love, praise and laughter? … The word is Emancipated!!

Namaste, Deacon Deborah Lewis CFO/COO Mt Pisgah Baptist Church

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his year's Emancipation Day Awards Banquet showcased a few of the individuals primarily responsible for the significant uplift in various communities, as well as their own.

Father Robert Doyle Mt Pisgah Baptist Church Board of Elders, Chairman

C

Marcia Brown, Esq.

Founder of The Upper Room Prayer and Worship Service, Vice Chancellor Rutgers-Newark (ret.)

Thank you all.

Carolyn Spann Mt Pisgah Baptist Church Historian www.thepositivecommunity.com

ongratulations on hosting an awesome program celebrating Emancipation. Thank you for your amazing leadership!!!

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TORCHBEARER AWARD Suzan Johnson Cook

The Hon. Suzan Johnson Cook (Ambassador Sujay), was nominated by Secretary Hillary Clinton and appointed by President Barack Obama, as the third U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, the first woman, African American and faith leader to hold this post. With a $1M grant from the Lilly Endowment, she leads a Black Women in Ministry mentoring program and is the CEO of the Global Black Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

She was the first female Chaplain for the New York City Police Department for 21 years and was on the frontlines of Ground Zero, 9/11. A founding member of A Partnership of Faith, she served as a senior pastor for three New York City congregations and was the first female president of the historic Hampton University Ministers Conference, the largest conference of African American clergy in the world. Ambassador Sujay’s remarks about the Emancipation Award can been see on ThePositiveCommunity.com website.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Corporate Partners for Community Progress in support of

"Our Year of Positive Change"

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

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Our Country

Our Community

Our Culture Our Music

Our Future!

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The Prayer Circle: on the far right of this photo is Bro. Tyrone Davis, Office of Black Ministry Archdiocese of NY

Mayor Eric Adams Leads Candlelit Vigil

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ew York City Mayor Eric Adams led police officers and hundreds of residents at a candlelit prayer vigil outside the NYPD's 32nd Precinct stationhouse at 135th Street in Harlem on Saturday, January 22, 2022. Adams spoke to the crowd of mourners about the need to unite the city against violence. The vigil honored slain rookie officer Jason Rivera, who was killed the night before. His critically injured partner Wilbert Mora passed away days later.

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

www.thepositivecommunity.com

Samuel C. Arnold-Manager-Licence #3180 Elizabeth T. Perry-Tisdale-Asst. Manager-Licence # 5073 www.thepositivecommunity.com

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GUEST EDITORIAL

con't from page 10 Guest Editorial

cont’d

to free herself mentally little by little. Resistance to her physical condition overcame everything as her mental state morphed from that of an enslaved person to a person of free thought. We are born physically free but often succumb to the enslaving culture of self-doubt, jealousy, and oneupmanship. We all suffer from those less than moments.

We are, according to the Constitution of the United States, all created equal, but not only do we sometimes think of ourselves as unworthy or unequal, we view others as unworthy or unequal.

Our thoughts, deeds, and actions determine the futures of our families. According to James Baldwin, “History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.”

Let’s applaud Newark and other cities for understanding our public spaces need to better reflect the cause of liberty for all. Let us all be diligent in assuring whatever tools we have in our possession, love and freedom go hand in hand.

At the African American Chamber of Commerce gala Businessman Danny Dunn, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Edward Funches, the founder of InclusionMarketing. An organization of disabled ex-offenders who are now small business owners.

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

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March Issue 2022 The Positive Community

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GOOD NEWS FROM THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

thepositivecommunity.com

March 2022

Vol. 22 No. 2

Publisher

Adrian A. Council, Sr.

Editor-in-Chief Jean Nash Wells

Associate Editor R. L. Witter

Sales

Angela Ridenour Adrian Council, Jr. Marc Williams Satori MPR Cheryl Saunders Austin Fenner

Contributing Writers Glenda Cadogan Fern Gillespie

Contributing Photographers

Vincent Bryant Ryan Council Regina Flemming Bob Gore Raymond Hagans Bruce Moore Wali Amin Muhammad Seitu Oronde Karen Waters

Art Direction & Layout Penguin Design Group Maishman Media, LLC Raymond Hagans

Executive Assistant Leslie Nash

Community & Government Affairs Wayne Smith

The Positive Community Corp.

133 Glenridge Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042 973-233-9200 Fax: 973-233-9201 Email: info@thepositivecommunity.com Website: thepositivecommunity.com

The Last Word

BY R.L. WITTER

CELEBRATING WOMEN FOR ALL THEY DO

I

t’s March—Women’s History Month, when we laud and remember celebrated women who have left their mark on the world. We are reminded of the many firsts accomplished by women, many of them happening in very recent history.

Aretha Franklin was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; it happened 35 years ago in 1987. In 1988, Olympic Figure Skating Bronze Medalist Debi Thomas became the first Black athlete (male or female) to medal in the Winter Olympics. Sheila Oliver was elected to the office of NJ Lt. Governor in 2018; the first female Democrat African American Lt. Governor in U.S. history. And in 2021, Kamala Harris became the first woman to hold the office of Vice President of the United States of America.

While there are surely more firsts to come, it’s not only the firsts that count. There are women of distinction who have dedicated their lives to service while forging paths for other women to follow before branching off to explore and achieve on their own.

The book of Proverbs’ 31st chapter describes the traits of a good woman.

Many of the women we celebrate, especially those at the “Great American Emancipation Awards” embody the qualities described therein:

All contents © The Positve Community Corporation.

All Rights Reserved. This publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, stored in a computerized or other retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means whatsoever without the prior written permission of The Positive Community Corporation. Any opinions expressed herein are solely the opinions of the writer(s) and not necessarily those of The Positive CommunityTM its management or staff. The Positive CommunityTM reserves the right to retain all materials and does not assume reponsibility for unsolicited materials.

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The Positive Community March Issue 2022

• She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

—Proverbs 31:17 ESV • She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

—Proverbs 32:20 ESV

• She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

—Proverbs 31:26 ESV • Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

—Proverbs 31:30-31 ESV As you look upon the photos from the Gala, please note the happiness and beauty in the faces of the women. It’s no coincidence they are all smiling while celebrating and being celebrated. Please know and understand the challenges many of these women face and faced. Praise their triumphs as so many were won when women were simply not the norm in the workplace or the church pulpit.

It would be remiss not to mention that a good portion of these women forged these paths, knocked down these doors, and shattered ceilings to accomplish these feats while raising families and supporting husbands.

So, throughout the month of March, and any other day the feeling moves you, raise your glass, mug, or cup to the women making our communities and our world a better place through their kindness, ingenuity, generosity, and dedication.

And to all of my sisters reading this, raise one for yourself as well. www.thepositivecommunity.com

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Get expert prostate cancer screening and treatment, right here in Brooklyn.

Visit nyp.org/brooklyn/prostate or call (646) 960-8600

Stock photo. Posed for by models.

www.thepositivecommunity.com

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Whoever your heart beats for, Piller our hearts beat for you.

New Jersey’s top heart surgery program.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center has a passion for heart health. In fact, we’re home to the most comprehensive cardiothoracic surgery program in the state. We’ve performed more than 1,100 heart transplants in our nationally-ranked transplant program, and have New Jersey’s only pediatric cardiac surgery program Our cardiac specialists are recognized for their innovation and advancements in transcatheter aortic valve replacements, ventricular assist devices and aortic aneurysm repair. It’s all part of our dedication to every heart in our community. Learn more at rwjbh.org/heart