BY SIR RONALD SANDERS
Haiti continues to occupy the concerns of nations around the world, especially its closest neighbouring states.
Those in charge of the Haitian Government have called for “effective support” from international partners “in the form of the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force of sufficient strength to stop, throughout the country,
continued on page 5
BY CHAD WILLIAMS THE CONVERSATION
The opening days of Black History Month 2023 have coincided with controversy about the teaching and broader meaning of African American studies.
On Feb. 1, 2023, the College Board released a revised curriculum for its
newly developed Advanced Placement African American studies course.
Critics have accused the College Board of caving to political pressure stemming from conservative backlash and the decision of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to ban the course from public high schools in Florida because of what he characterized as its radical content and inclusion of
continued on page 6
Anguilla
845 Third Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10022
Tel: 212-745-0200
Antigua & Barbuda
305 East 47th Street, Suite 6A
New York, N.Y. 10020
Tel: 212-541-4117
The Bahamas
231 East 46th Street New York, N.Y. 10017
Tel: 212-421-6420
Barbados
820 Second Avenue, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017
Tel: 212-551-4325
Belize
675 Third Avenue, Suite 1911 New York, N.Y. 10017
Tel: 212-593-0999
Dominica
685 Third Avenue, 11th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017
Tel: 212-949-0853
Dominican Republic
1500 Broadway, Suite 410 New York, N.Y. 10036
Tel: 212-599-8478
Grenada
685 Third Avenue, Suite 1101 New York, N.Y. 10017
Tel: 212-599-0301
Guyana
308 West 38th Street New York, N.Y. 10018
Tel: 212-947-5119
Haiti 555 5th Ave 3rd Floor New York, NY 10017
Tel: 212-697-9767
Jamaica
767 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor New York, N.Y. 10017
Tel: 212-935-9000
Martinique 444 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor New York, N.Y. 10022
Tel: 212-838-6887
Montserrat 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022
Tel: 212-745-0200
Panama 1212 Avenue of the Americas, 20th Floor New York, N.Y. 10036
Tel: 212-840-2450
St. Kitts & Nevis 414 East 75th Street, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10021
Tel: 212-535-5521
Washington D.C.: Dr. Jarbas Barbosa was sworn in on January 31 as the new Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), pledging to work in partnership with member states to end the pandemic and ensure that the region’s health systems recover stronger than before. He will take office on 1 February 2023.
“Countries in the Americas face a complex epidemiological landscape, with the stubborn persistence of communicable diseases, the risk of outbreaks and epidemics, the rise of non-communicable diseases, the damage caused by traffic accidents and violence, and the impacts of climate change,” Dr. Barbosa said.
“We need strong, resilient health systems that can perform all the Essential Public Health Functions adequately.”
Dr. Barbosa, formerly Assistant Director at PAHO, was sworn in at a ceremony held at the Organization of American States (OAS). PAHO is the specialized international health agency for the interAmerican system and Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Barbosa, a national of Brazil, succeeds Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, of Dominica.
To address the “significant inequalities between and within countries” and to ensure post-pandemic recovery and preparedness, Dr. Barbosa’s tenure will focus on five strategic pillars:
•End the pandemic with the tools countries have at hand, including surveillance and vaccines
•Apply the lessons learned from the pandemic to prepare for future health emergencies
•Guarantee rapid and equitable access to health innovations for all countries in the region
•Build resilient national health systems based on Primary Health Care
•Strengthen PAHO’s capacity to help member states.
“I will work tirelessly,” Barbosa said, “to ensure that PAHO maintains all of its many achievements to date, renewing itself every step of the way, always building networks and working as a bridge for understanding, solidarity and innovation.”
dream that solidarity among the countries of the Americas is a powerful force that can improve the lives of our peoples.”
“We stand here today, 120 years later, encouraged by these very dreams, which remain very much alive and continue to inspire us.”
Quotes:
Carissa F. Etienne, outgoing Director of PAHO
“As I hand over this office and hand the steering wheel over to my esteemed friend and colleague, Jarbas, I am confident that the future of the organization will be in good hands as you will bring to your new role exceptional technical expertise, astute policy making skills, together with pragmatism and wisdom from your many years of experience gained in your home country of Brazil as well as internationally.”
Nisia Trindade Lima, Minister of Health of Brazil
[Dr. Barbosa] is a thinker as well as a builder, somebody who transforms ideas into lasting intuitional practices. Throughout his extensive career, he has worn many hats at different levels within the single health system. As a public health expert, he always fought to defend the principles of a Brazilian health reform and work towards an inclusive and solidary society that places health as a universal right.”
Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services of the United States
“Created by necessity, hardened by crisis, and maintained by brotherhood, for more than 100 years, PAHO has been tested and has risen to meet every challenge in its path.”
“Dr Barbosa, you have the great task of leading this organization at a particularly challenging time. We must put into practice all that we have learned from COVID-19, while also recognizing the next health emergency could be lurking in the shadows ready to emerge at any time.”
Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the OAS
“You are assuming the leadership of PAHO at a critical juncture for the hemisphere, the moment in which the lessons learned from COVID-19 in the region, and in the world, must be applied so that in the future we can face similar situations in the best possible way.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director of the World Health Organization (WHO)
“You begin your work as regional director at a difficult time – with rising inflation and debt, squeezed budgets, and divisive politics and war. But also, you begin at an important time, as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we seek to jump start progress towards the triple billion targets and the sustainable development goals.”
Carlyle de Macedo, Director Emeritus of PAHO
“Dr Jarbas Barbosa has all the qualities to be an excellent director and fulfill his mission with great efficacy. His technical capacity demonstrated, through his diverse and successful professional experience, all the qualitieis and attributes of a leader.”
Sir George Alleyne, Director Emeritus of PAHO
Tel: 212-697-9360
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of universal health to both the public and heads of state like never before, Barbosa said.
Tel: 212-687-4981
“It is urgent that we make use of this attention to strengthen health systems, address persistent issues and shortcomings, and ensure the right to health of all peoples in our Region,” he added.
“One hundred and twenty years ago, our countries proposed an alliance to improve the health of our peoples and face outbreaks and epidemics together,” Dr. Barbosa said.
“The dream of pan-Americanism. The
Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment of Antigua and Barbuda
“Today, Dr. Jarbas, you commence the task of continuing the good work of the long line of leaders who have assisted the countries of the Americas over the last 120 years. You now have the opportunity to carve your own path and destiny as you steer us in a post pandemic era with its many ongoing challenges. I have no doubt that your experience, technical knowledge and passion for what public health can offer will allow you to attain your goal to build a better, more equitable world with universal health.”
“To be Director of the Pan American Health Organization is an almost sacred trust, but I am absolutely sure that you will discharge that trust with honor to yourself and with benefit to the health of the peoples of the Americas.”
Mirta Roses, Director Emeritus of PAHO
“Since the beginning of his career, [Dr. Jarbas Barbosa] has demonstrated an open and reflective attitude, willing to listen, to conciliate and to implement decisions. He has the capacity and experience in political and institutional management, and extensive knowledge of PAHO an WHO, international cooperation and partners and allies, as well as the countries of the region, communities and civil society organizations.”l
New Yorkers know that rats love trash bags full of food waste. And they know that I hate rats. This week, our Administration declared that Restaurant Week for rats in this City is finally over.
For too long, New Yorkers have had to bring their compost to neighborhood drop off sites, or deal with one-off collection programs that weren’t designed to reach everyone. This meant mountains of trash bags on our sidewalks, attracting rats day and night.
New Yorkers have been saying loudly that they want a compost program across the City – they want the rat food out of the black bags and out of the landfills once and for all. For over twenty years, New York City has been trying to achieve citywide curbside composting that actually WORKS for everyone.
We are finally getting it done. By the fall of next year, New Yorkers in all five boroughs will be able to put their yard waste and food scraps out on the curb year-round, in the simplest, easiest, most efficient curbside composting program ever.
No more carrying your banana peels to neighborhood drop off sites or bagging up fall leaves to be thrown in the garbage. New Yorkers across all five boroughs will be able to compost kitchen scraps and yard waste every week on their recycling day. What could be more convenient for us, or more upsetting for the rats?
Starting March 27 of this year, composting service will restart in Queens
after a brief winter pause. It will never take a seasonal break again. On October 2, we will roll out a composting in all of Brooklyn, followed by service in Staten Island and the Bronx in March 2024. And on October 7, 2024, we will expand composting to all of Manhattan, creating the largest citywide composting program in the country.
This is a new, free, universal service for New Yorkers, and we’re making it as easy and straightforward as possible. You can use our Brown Bin or your own bin – no more complicated rules. And you can compost everything from vegetable scraps to coffee grounds and chicken bones. We like to say, "If you cook it or you grow it, you can throw it."
Our pilot program in Queens kept nearly 13 million pounds of kitchen and yard waste out of our landfills in just three months. That’s more than the weight of 300 city busses! Imagine the impact when we expand that to 8.5 million New Yorkers across all five boroughs.
This is about more than making life easier for families and homeowners –and worse for rats. It’s about improving our environment and quality of life across the board. New York City pro-
duces over a million tons of food waste every single year. Right now, we know that 1/3 of all material in our refuse stream is compostable material, which goes to landfill and decomposes over YEARS, releasing harmful methane gas.
Instead, we’re going to capture and use that waste ourselves to make usable soil, biosolids, and renewable energy. Under this new program, some of the material will be composted at our facility on Staten Island and other places around the country; other material will be turned into usable natural gas and biosolids by the Department of Environmental Protection right in Brooklyn.
And all of that compost can be used by New Yorkers to grow healthy food. The soil will return to our parks, planters, and personal gardens. People will be able to pick this up for free. And those who love gardening or growing urban farms can grow fresh, healthy food right here in New York City.
I want to thank everyone who has made this possible, including the Queens residents who led the way, separating their compost and making the pilot program a success.
We are making composting easy in every corner and in every neighborhood in New York City.
This is huge win for cleanliness, a huge win for sustainability, and the environment we all share as New Yorkers. The only ones that lose are those rats.l
Mayor Eric Adams has served the people of New York City as an NYPD officer, State Senator, Brooklyn Borough President, and now as the 110th Mayor of the City of New York.
CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett, has extended “heartfelt congratulations” to the government and people of Grenada on the occasion of the country’s 49th Independence anniversary.
In her congratulatory message to Grenada’s Prime Minister, the Hon Dickon Mitchell, the Secretary-General said there is much for Grenada to be proud of as a nation.
“The Community joins the Government and People of Grenada in celebrating forty-nine years of independence and extends best wishes for continued progress towards a sustainable and pros-
perous future,” the Secretary-General said.
Here is Dr. Barnett’s message below:
“Honorable Prime Minister, On behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), I wish to extend heartfelt congratulations to the Government and People of Grenada on the occasion of the Country’s 49th Anniversary of Independence, celebrated under the theme, “The Journey to 50. Reflecting on the Past Planning the Future”.
The emphasis on a collective reflection and on innovation is a strong indication of the pathway along which the Government intends to lead Grenadians
towards a better and brighter future. Honorable Prime Minister, Grenada has significantly contributed to the regional integration process and, in particular, through the advancement of the critical areas of Science and Technology, for which you have the lead responsibility in the Quasi-Cabinet of the Heads of Government.
There is much for Grenada to be proud of as a nation. The Community joins the Government and People of Grenada in celebrating forty-nine years of independence and extends best wishes for continued progress towards a sustainable and prosperous future.”l
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 18,216 H-2B visas made available for returning workers for the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2023 with start dates on or before March 31, 2023, under the recently announced H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule. We continue to accept petitions for H-2B nonimmigrant workers for the additional 20,000 visas allotted for nationals of Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
We recently began accepting H-2B petitions under the Dec. 15 temporary final rule increasing the cap by up to 64,716 additional H-2B nonimmigrant visas for fiscal year FY 2023. Of the 64,716 additional visas, 44,716 were available only for returning workers. The remaining 20,000 visas are set aside for nationals of Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras who are exempt from the returning worker requirement.
Petitioners whose workers were not accepted for the 18,216 returning-worker allotment are encouraged to file under
the Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras allotment while visas remain available. As of January 26, 2023, USCIS has received petitions requesting 4,260 workers under the 20,000 visas set aside for nationals of Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
We will continue to accept H-2B petitions for workers filing under the Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras allotment, as well as those who are exempt from the congressionally mandated cap. This includes petitions for:
•Current H-2B workers in the United States petitioning to extend their stay and, if applicable, change the terms of their employment or change their employers;
•Fish roe processors, fish roe technicians, and/or supervisors of fish roe processing; and
•Workers performing labor or services in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and/or Guam (until Dec. 31, 2029).l
The CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (CUNY SLU) is offering full scholarships for social justice activists and scholars interested in earning an MA in Labor Studies or a BA in Labor Studies. The 2023 Diversity Scholarships promote the leadership of women and people of color in the labor movement and Labor Studies.
The CUNY SLU MA or BA in Labor Studies programs offer world-class faculty, dynamic courses, and a diverse and activist student body. Schedules are designed to work for working adults or full-time students. A variety of scholarships are available.
For more information visit qrco.de/diversityinlabor or call 646-3138514.l
Haiti at the TIpping Point/ continued from page 1
the humanitarian crisis that has been caused by, among other things, the breakdown in security resulting from the criminal actions of armed gangs and their sponsors”.
But others in the Haitian community insist that the Haitian authorities share the blame for the country’s rapid deterioration. They are not convinced that, even if it were possible, an intervening military force is the answer to Haiti’s deep seated and long-lasting woes.
Everyone is united in the view that more than 200 gangs now effectively control 60 per cent of the Capital, Portau-Prince and about 80 per cent of the entire country, and that action is required to end their reign of terror. However, how to end the rule of the gangs remains an issue within Haiti and among its very large diaspora community. Some favour armed intervention by external forces but without any clear definition of the terms under which this would be accomplished. Others resist the notion of any intervention by external forces.
Among the latter is The National Human Rights Defense (RNDDH) group, which states that the “request for military intervention was produced by the de facto government (of Prime Minister, Ariel Henry) without any form of legitimacy (and) with its own objectives which seem to be to keep the PHTK (Henry’s political party) in power until the completion of the elections which they will organize with, in addition, the ability to manipulate the biometric data of citizens, that is, the electoral data”.
Prime Minister Henry has managed to garner support for a “National Consensus for an inclusive transition and transparent election”. On December 21, Henry’s government and some representatives of the private sector, other political parties and civil society organizations signed a document, committing to this transition. But participation was not fully inclusionary and key stakeholders were either omitted or omitted themselves. Therefore, while Haiti’s international partners acknowledge the benefit of the commitment and the formation of a High Council for the Transition (HCT), they are concerned that the body is not inclusionary enough to represent a national consensus. Further, the past record in Haiti of abandoning agreed positions, resulting in even wider discord, does not encourage confidence that a limited HCT will survive or that its decisions will be respected.
In a letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on October 8, 2022, the UN SecretaryGeneral, António Guterres, recognizing that the 5 permanent members would not agree to UN military intervention in Haiti, proposed two approaches. First, “A group of Member States, acting bilaterally at the invitation of the Government of Haiti, could establish a special force to support the Haitian National Police in tackling gangs, including through joint strike, isolation and containment operations across the country”; and second, “The Security Council could welcome such a special force, the viability of
which would be strengthened by the existence of broad political and social support for its deployment and a meaningful agreement between the Government and the opposition on a political way forward for Haiti”.
Neither of these proposals were pursued. No country, including the U.S. is anxious to commit forces to Haiti, outside of an agreed multi-national expedition. Further, there is still not in Haiti the kind of “broad political and social support” for the deployment of an external force. And despite the accord of December 21, 2022, and the creation of a limited HTC, there is, as yet, no “meaningful agreement between the government and the opposition on a political way forward”.
This situation in Haiti is made even more complex by the overarching power of the criminal gangs. One academic, César Niño, an associate professor and researcher at Universidad de la Salle in Colombia, writes that “the criminal gangs managed to make alliances with the police and security, thus enabling kidnapping, human trafficking, the flow of weapons, and other crimes while minimizing the consequences”. The Haitian Human Rights Group (RNDDH) goes even further, pointing to “ongoing and repeated connections between state authorities and armed gangs”.
Added to this are the following undisputed facts. The country has no legislature and no body, overseeing the government; the Supreme Court is dysfunctional (its members must be approved by the parliament which does not exist) and it has lost a third of its members.
Amid all this, the people of the country are suffering. Research shows that five million people currently experience food insecurity across the country; reported kidnappings soared to more than 1,200 last year, more than double the number in 2021, according to the U.N.; and there were 2,200 homicides in 2022, a dramatic increase over 2021.
The issue that confronts the international community in its desire to be helpful to Haiti is both the lack of meaningful, inclusionary dialogue and a genuine national consensus on the way forward
within Haiti, as well as no clear terms under which external forces would be invited into Haiti and by whom; how would such a force be organized and financed; under whose authority would it function and with what mandate and immunity.
In the meantime, it should be acknowledged that the US and Canada are deploying logistical assistance to the Haitian National Police. In the circumstances, it is better than doing nothing.
However, no one should lose sight of the fact that, apart from dictatorships in Haiti, two countries bear the greatest responsibility for that country’s condition – France and the U.S. Outside of an agreed multinational military intervention, they should use their considerable influence within Haiti to encourage national consensus on their path forward, including how to deal with the criminal power of the gangs.
CARICOM Heads of Government meet in their regular session in The Bahamas from February 15 to 17. Undoubtedly, Haiti will be on their agenda. They will have to consider the ways in which they can act to be helpful to the people of Haiti within the limits of their capacity.l
Sir Ronald Sanders is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States and the Organization of American States.
topics such as critical race theory, reparations and the Black Lives Matter movement.
On Feb. 11, 1951, an article by the 82year-old Black scholar-activist W.E.B. Du Bois titled “Negro History Week” appeared in the short-lived New York newspaper The Daily Compass.
As one of the founders of the NAACP in 1909 and the editor of its powerful magazine The Crisis, Du Bois is considered by historians and intellectuals from many academic disciplines as America’s preeminent thinker on race. His thoughts and opinions still carry weight throughout the world.
Du Bois’ words in that 1951 article are especially prescient today, offering a reminder about the importance of Black History Month and what is at stake in current conversations about African American studies.
Du Bois began his Daily Compass commentary by praising Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, who established Negro History Week in 1926. The week would eventually become Black History Month.
Du Bois described the annual commemoration as Woodson’s “crowning achievement.”
Woodson was the second African American to earn a doctorate in history from Harvard University. Du Bois was the first.
Du Bois and Woodson did not always
see eye to eye. However, as I explore in my new book, “The Wounded World: W.E.B. Du Bois and the First World War,” the two pioneering scholars always respected each other.
Reckoning with history and reclaiming the past
Du Bois’ connection to and appreciation of Negro History Week grew during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. During this time, whether in public speeches or published articles, he never missed an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of Negro History Week.
In the Feb. 11, 1951, article, Du Bois reflected that his own contributions to Negro History Week “lay in my long effort as a historian and sociologist to make America and Negroes themselves aware of the significant facts of Negro history.”
Summarizing his work from his first book, “The Suppression of the African Slave-Trade,” published in 1896, through his magnum opus “Black Reconstruction in America,” published in 1935, Du Bois told readers of the Daily Compass piece
that much of his career was spent trying “to correct the distortion of history in regard to Negro enfranchisement.”
By doing so, the nation would hopefully become, Du Bois wrote further, “conscious that this part of our citizenry were normal human beings who had served the nation credibly and were still being deprived of their credit by ignorant and prejudiced historians.”
In addition to championing Negro History Week, Du Bois applauded other Black scholars, like E. Franklin Frazier, Charles Johnson and Shirley Graham, who were “steadily attacking” the omissions and distortions of Black people in school textbooks.
Du Bois went on to chronicle the achievements of African Americans in science, religion, art, literature and the military, making clear that Black people had a history to be proud of.
Du Bois, however, questioned what deeper meaning these achievements held to the issues facing Black people in the present.
“What now does Negro History Week stand for?” he asked in the 1951 article.
“Shall American Negroes continue to learn to be ‘proud’ of themselves, or is there a higher broader aim for their research and study?”
“In other words,” he asserted, “as it becomes more universally known what Negroes contributed to America in the past, more must logically be said and taught concerning the future.”
The time had come, Du Bois believed, for African Americans to stop striving to be merely “the equal of white Americans.”
Black people needed to cease emulating the worst traits of America – flamboyance, individualism, greed and financial success at any cost – and support labor unions, Pan-Africanism and anticolonial struggle.
He especially encouraged the systematic study of the imperial and economic roots of racism: “Here is a field for Negro History Week.”
Black history and Black struggle Looking ahead, Du Bois declared that if Negro History Week remained “true to the ideals of Carter Woodson” and followed “the logical development of the Negro Race in America,” it would not confine itself to the study of the past nor “boasting and vainglory over what we have accomplished.”
“It will not mistake wealth as the measure of America, nor big-business and noise as World Domination,” Du Bois wrote in his article.
Instead, Du Bois believed Negro
continued on page 7
WASHINGTON: Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement ahead of the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade:
“This is a moment of discontent. For the first time in 50 years, we are remembering Roe v. Wade after the Supreme Court reversed it — the first time in history that the Supreme Court revoked a fundamental right and turned its back on its own precedent protecting a fundamental right. The unsound Dobbs decision leaves far too many women and girls and transgender and nonbinary people searching for ways to get the abortion access and reproductive health care they deserve. Today, we recommit ourselves to the fight to ensure that every person can make decisions about their bodies. We know that it is people of color, lowincome people, and transgender and nonbinary people who already face so many discriminatory barriers to accessing
health care and who are most harmed by this devastating decision. Other rights could be next.
“Today, we remember and celebrate the activists, advocates, and health care providers who trusted us to control our own bodies and who fought tirelessly for decades for the right and access to abortion. We celebrate and support the activists, advocates, and health care providers who are still fighting for the fundamental right to an abortion and for the right for all of us, particularly people of color, and particularly women of color and uninsured women, to get the reproductive health care they deserve.
“The civil rights community is unwavering in the face of the unacceptable. We will continue to work in coalition with leaders in the reproductive rights and justice movements, fighting for abortion access and protections at the local and national levels. We are committed to defending and expanding access to the ballot, understanding that it is voters in
states who can wield the power to win protections that the Supreme Court has taken from us and to demand the care every person has an inalienable right to receive. We will continue to support the confirmation of diverse judges who are committed to our civil and human rights. And we will continue to demand that Congress pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, reinstate the expanded child tax credit, and expand Medicaid so that abortion access is available, poverty is reduced, and health care is accessible for all. We have spent decades fighting for racial and gender justice and health equity, and we will not stop now.”
Black History Month/ continued from page 6
History Week would “concentrate on study of the present,” “not be afraid of radical literature” and, above all else, advocate for peace and voice “eternal opposition against war between the white and colored peoples of the earth.”
Were he alive today, Du Bois would certainly have much to say about current debates around the teaching of African American history and the larger significance of African American studies. Du Bois died on Aug. 27, 1963, in Accra, Ghana.
But he left behind his clairvoyant words that remind us of the connections between African American studies and movements for Black liberation, along with how the teaching of African American history has always challenged racist and exclusionary narratives of the nation’s past.
Du Bois also reminds us that Black History Month is rooted in a legacy of activism and resistance, one that continues in the present.l
Chad Williams is a Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Brandeis University
NEW YORK: New York City
Mayor Eric Adams on February 1 signed two pieces of legislation — the first to support high school students with disabilities as they transition to higher education and a second to reduce unnecessary waste of single-use plastic when ordering take-out or food delivery, helping secure a more sustainable future. On the heels of Mayor Adams’ announcement to expand preschool special-education seats across the five boroughs for young New Yorkers with disabilities, Intro 660-A builds on the city’s commitment to serving students with disabilities at all ages by focusing on students in high school. Intro 559-A — also known as the “Skip the Stuff” bill — will prohibit restaurants and food delivery platforms from providing eating utensils, extra eating containers, condiment packets, and napkins to customers for take-out and delivery orders unless the customer specifically
requests them, reducing unnecessary single-use plastic use.
“I’m proud to sign these two pieces of legislation today. For too long, our students with disabilities have struggled in a system that hasn’t been able to fully meet them where they are,” said Mayor Adams. “Being able to succeed while attending a higher education institution involves more than just being able to attend classes and studying — it means having the available support and accommodation to succeed. Intro 660-A will help provide that support, making it easi-
er for students with disabilities to enter higher learning institutions. This second piece of legislation will help us secure a sustainable future by reducing plastic that ends up in our landfills. Intro 559-A allows New Yorkers to ‘Skip the Stuff’ when ordering take-out or delivery, preventing unused plastic from ending up in our landfills, and making our city greener for generations to come.”
“The transition from high school to higher education can be daunting,” said City Hall Chief Counsel Brendan McGuire. “This law seeks to improve
New Yorkers’ access to higher education disability resources, and reflects this administration’s continuing commitment to supporting New Yorkers with disabilities.”
"Today's bill signing moves us another step away from single-use plastics," said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. "New York City is the takeout capital of the world, and the removal of unnecessary waste from our takeout orders is a necessary step towards a cleaner, greener city."
“Ensuring that students with disabilities are afforded the option of services necessary to give them the opportunity to receive a higher education and develop into their full potential is why Intro 660A is so important to have,” said Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Christina Curry.” “I want to thank Mayor Adams for continuing to support and believe in the future of our young New Yorkers. We are extremely happy to be a part of this process.”
“Nearly every New Yorker has it: the dreaded drawer full of old takeout forks, spoons that accompanied forgotten soups, and chopsticks of days gone by. And you know what’s worse than having that plastic take up space in your home? Having it sit for centuries in a landfill — a silent memorial that will outlive the restaurants it came from by hundreds of years,” said New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “The ‘Skip the Stuff’ bill is a small change that will reduce our plastic waste. I want to thank the City Council for passing it and Mayor Adams for signing it into law.”
“Small businesses are ready to shift the status quo and 'Skip the Stuff'. This is common sense public policy that helps both their bottom line and the environment in the fight against climate change,” said New York City Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. "Education comes first, and this legislation provides a robust on-ramp to get businesses ready to cut down on plastic and waste, and help keep our city cleaner for the next generation.”
Intro 660-A — sponsored by New York City Councilmember Eric Dinowitz— establishes a program to help high school students with disabilities who are moving to institutions of higher education obtain accommodations and help them access related supports. This legislation will ensure that New York City’s high school students living with disabilities are supported during their move to higher education, and have the resources they need for a smooth transition.
Intro 559-A —sponsored by New York City Councilmember Marjorie Velazquez — prohibits food service establishments,
continued from page 8
couriers who deliver food, and food delivery platforms from providing eating utensils, extra eating containers, condiment packets, and napkins to customers for take-out and delivery orders unless the customer specifically requests them. At a time when New York City continues to fight the impacts of climate change, this legislation will reduce the amount of waste in the city’s waste stream and limit the use of single-use plastics.
"The council is laser-focused on enacting smart and practical legislation that furthers our city’s commitments to equity, sustainability, and support for all New Yorkers,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Now that the ‘Skip the Stuff’ bill has been signed into law, small businesses will be able to cut costs and reduce waste. Our legislation to support students with disabilities secure accommodations will help them thrive in their pursuit of higher education and beyond. I thank Councilmembers Marjorie Velazquez and Eric Dinowitz for their leadership on these important bills, our council colleagues for their support, and Mayor Adams for officially signing them into law.”
“As a public school special education teacher for over a decade, I am so thrilled that this administration is sending a clear signal that students with disabilities are a priority,” said New York City
The coronavirus has leapt over influenza and pneumonia to become the most common infectious disease that kills U.S. children, according to a report in JAMA Pediatrics.
Councilmember Eric Dinowitz. “Based on my experience in the classroom, this bill will ease the transition from high school to college, ensuring future success. I want to thank Mayor Adams for taking the opportunity to spotlight this important legislation.”
“With Intro 559, “Skip the Stuff,” now signed into law, we have the opportunity to put money back into the pockets of our small businesses while also minimizing the city’s carbon footprint, making New York a more sustainable city,” said New York City Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez, chair, Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection. “If we continue using single-use plastics and other non-recyclables, future generations will feel the repercussions.l
Overall, it’s the eighth most common cause of death in kids. Because child death is rare, the rate was just one death per 100,000 children from August 2021 to July 2022.
“Just because the numbers are so much lower in children does not mean that they’re not impactful,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases, told Deidre McPhillips at CNN.
However, experts who spoke with the U.K.’s Science Media Centre criticized some of the study’s methods, and noted it doesn’t include data from the latest waves of infectious disease that hit in autumn. “These methodological choices result in an overestimation of rates, and make the claim that COVID is the leading cause of infectious disease deaths in children a misleading one in my view,”
said Dr. Michael Absoud of King’s College London.
COVID-19 “caused ‘substantially’ more deaths than any vaccine-preventable disease historically,” notes McPhillips.
As of mid-January, approximately 43% of U.S. children had received at least their first dose of the COVID vaccine; fewer than one in ten have received the updated booster, McPhillips reports.
continued on page 16
The rise in popularity of online education programs means that it is easier than ever to find the right one for you. Deciding on the best paralegal online program requires research and time. By weeding out the level mills and sub-standard institutions, you can earn a quality certificate at an affordable price. When researching online paralegal programs, you will want to consider several factors: cost and institution reputation are the most important. With this in mind, one program rises above the rest.
The Chamber Coalition, which comprises the New American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), the African American International Chamber of Commerce (AAICC), and the Hispanic American International Chamber of Commerce (HAICC), offers the best online Paralegal Studies program. The competitive tuition rate, coupled with the impeccable reputation of the Coalition, makes this an obvious choice for anyone serious about their education. This is a program of the highest standard.
Additional certificates include LexisNexis and CLIO. We also use CALI which is what is used in law schools.
To be admitted to the Chamber's Paralegal Certificate program, you must be at least eighteen years old, have strong computer skills, and have a high school diploma. If these qualifications fit you, you can continue the admission process. Applications are accepted online anytime during the year. A mandatory orientation describes your upcoming classes, guidelines, and expectations.
The tuition for this respected program is very competitive with other online paralegal degrees. It costs less than $1000 for the entire program. The average student can finish the degree in anywhere from six to twelve months. Books
are extra and will run around a few hundred dollars for everything. If you want the best paralegal online program at the best price, the Chamber Coalition Paralegal Certificate Program is the answer. The program is excellent for aspiring and current paralegals, individuals who plan to attend law school, community advocates, persons who want to understand the law and their rights, and prospective political candidates.
Yes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 10% job growth between now and 2029. The median salary nationwide in 2019 was $51,740, and the average mean wage was $61,810. It truly is a prestigious and significant profession. Simply put, paralegals help people. They help their employers be more efficient in their jobs, increase a firm's revenue and productivity, and help the clients.
A career as a paralegal can be rewarding professionally and personally and offers a unique opportunity to help others; options vary, depending on the paralegal's practice area. l
Ready to take the leap, the next step? Visit www.freeparalegal.org
Interested?
The springtime is known to be one of the best times to put your home up for sale. However, if you're not necessarily planning on engaging a real estate agent, it's important to be prepared for all of the hard work involved in putting your home up for sale. Whether you're new to the market or you've never sold a home on your own before, here are some questions to ask yourself so you're prepared for selling in the coming season.
Do You Know the Market?
The neighborhood you live in and the buying market you're dealing with are important factors in how your home is going to sell, so you'll need to know a little about both when determining your ideal price. By looking through the listings in the area and seeing what homes like yours have sold for, you may be able to give yourself a range for the offers you can expect.
How Will You Sell It?
One of the added benefits of social media is that you can use sites like Facebook and Twitter to announce your home sale and even highlight its best features. While
this may make selling seem much easier, you'll still need to make sure you have good photography that captures your home and a website where homebuyers can learn more details. Be aware that while these items may seem easy enough, it can take a lot of time to manage these details on your own.
Are You Prepared to Negotiate?
It's a good feeling to get an offer on your home, but in all likelihood it will be less than what you're expecting and this means engaging in the art of negotiation. According to the National Association of Realtors, those who sell their home gener
lize an agent, so it's important to be comfortable negotiating before you dive in. If you're confident in your acumen, you may want to go it alone, but if you have doubts, it can be a better financial decision to engage the help of an agent.
Before you decide to sell your home on your own, it's worth appraising your skills to determine if it will be worth the time and effort you'll have to put in. If you've come to the conclusion that you'd like to utilize an agent after all, you may want to contact one of our real estate professionals for more information. Our real estate team is happy to assist. Call Equity Smart Realty Inc at 888-670-6791. We would be happy to share our guidance.l
BY MARIBEL HASTINGS AND DAVID TORRES, AMERICA’S VOICE
For years the issue of immigration reform has become nothing more than lip service in State of the Union speeches. Tuesday night President Joe Biden, in his second address about the status of the country, asked Republicans to make the issue a bipartisan one, like it used to be.
Foreshadowing that this will be an impossible task, he added: “If we don’t pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border and a pathway to citizenship for ‘Dreamers,’ those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.” Still, the reference to the immigration issue was extremely brief and rather vacuous.
Democrats continue to say that this reform is urgent, fair, and necessary; and Republicans continue to say that there will be no reform without border control. At the end of the day, nothing passes.
But within this concept of “nothing passes” exist the lives of millions of peo-
ple who, with the power of their work, are the motor of hundreds of communities around the country, keeping schools, businesses, and hospitals running, on top of guaranteeing the generational relief this aging nation of immigrants needs.
Certainly, we must not ignore the reasons for this deadlock, nor that Republicans have been the main obstacle to advancing reform. But that does not justify the inaction or lack of will to invest political capital in some progress.
Tuesday night, as in previous occasions, the speech was not lacking in symbolism like Mitzi Colín López, the DACA beneficiary and activist from West Chester, Pennsylvania, invited by First Lady Jill Biden. It’s about U.S. citizens seeing the faces of those who would benefit from the elusive legalization. In prior opportunities Republicans have also made use of symbolism, but of the anti-immigrant variety, like inviting those who have lost a loved one at the hands of an undocumented immigrant, as if violence was
exclusive to people without documents.
Basically, at this point symbolism should have already turned into concrete actions on the matter of immigration. We’ve seen this movie before, especially those who are directly impacted and need a response that allows them to benefit from the plenitude of this country that they have chosen to call home for themselves and their families.
Unfortunately, the reality is not very encouraging. Republicans control the House of Representatives and their agenda is focused on propagating conspiracy theories, promoted by white nationalists that say we are being “invaded” and that the border with Mexico is “out of control,” or that liberals want to “replace” Anglo-Saxon people with minorities in order to hoard political power.
In fact, one of their principal objectives is to impeach the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Cuban-American Alejandro Mayorkas. And although survey after survey, such as the most recent NBC poll, show that most U.S. citizens support
continued on page 13
Symbolism and Promises/ continued from page 12
legalization of undocumented people who live among us and are an intrinsic and vital part of our economy, Republicans only want to rile up their MAGA base with dangerous invasion and replacement theories. That is, they want to impeach Mayorkas not because of the border problems—which have always existed—but because the leader is an immigrant, and the idea of a Latin American immigrant heading up one of the most important official institutions in the entire Cabinet simply does not fit inside the heads of the most extreme Republicans.
To that we have to add the fact that everyone is already in campaign mode, with eyes to the general elections in 2024, and there are issues that politicians deem “uncomfortable.” Immigration is no exception.
Biden is between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, most of the matters he is trying to resolve through administrative and executive actions are tied up in the courts, as is the case with Title 42. Meanwhile, the policies he has implemented have not gone over well among many pro-immigrant sectors, who consider them to be an extension of the nefarious policies of his anti-immigrant predecessor, Donald Trump. The recent-
ly-announced humanitarian parole program for citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, and Nicaragua, which is supposed to control the flow of migrants seeking asylum, has reduced unauthorized crossings by 97% (according to the President). Yet, twenty states governed by Republicans want to block it in the courts.
This shows, once again, that Republicans will not cease their efforts to throw out any program or policy that benefits immigrants, despite the fact that it might work. Or, perhaps, the reason they oppose it is precisely because it works. It seems like division is their objective, not simply opposition.
Biden is not a neophyte on immigration issues, after spending nearly four decades in Congress and eight years as Vice
President to Barack Obama, who promoted a reform that never became reality. And although he was pressured to create DACA, to this day only 600,000 people have benefited. With so many years having passed, with a new reality and different challenges for the Dreamers, the current situation seems like weak tea.
Symbolism and immigration promises must turn into action. Biden is asking for collaboration and bipartisanship from an extremist Republican Party that wants to bury him. It’s better to invest political capital in what can be achieved at the legislative level, such as the legalization of Dreamers, or the executive level like TPS for Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Actions that pave the way for that elusive reform.l
Six years ago, Trump passed Executive Order 13769, barring travelers and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. New Yorkers did not hesitate to respond to one of the cruelest, most blatant acts of xenophobia we’ve seen in modern American history; immigrant advocates, allies and partners jumped into action at JFK Airport — whether it was to provide free legal counsel or make their voices heard outside — and that spirit continues today as ordinary New Yorkers step in to support asylum seekers to navigate and integrate into New York.
To this day, those who were impacted by the Muslim Ban continue to reel from it. There are tens of thousands of people who haven't been able to reunite with their families. We renew our calls for Congress and President Biden to fight for ALL of us, to reunite all families who continue to be separated by the African and Muslim Bans, to enshrine permanent protections for immigrants, and to end other dangerous Trump-era policies like Title 42. The legacy of the Muslim Ban and its reckless endangerment of people’s lives must not be forgotten!l
New York, NY: The Consulate General of Saint Lucia in New York today released its program of Independence 44 activities. Organized in conjunction with the Brooklyn-based Saint House Foundation and several community organizations, these activities will run throughout the month of February.
This year’s festivities begin with the Independence Gospel Fest on Saturday, February 4. This annual event, which this year features performances by Emrand Henry, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Band, the National Youth Choir, and a host of other Saint Lucian gospel artists and groups, will be held at Waymark Ministries, 185 Remsen Avenue, Brooklyn, starting at 6:00 PM.
The calendar of activities includes ta fashion show featuring Saint Lucia designer Chrystal Jonas-Clarke, a flagraising ceremony, Independence gala, a church service, the annual Independence Marketplace, the Young Saint Lucian Professionals Mixer, and the Saint Lucia
Cultural Explosion.
“Independence Dialogue Tuesdays”
As part of its activities commemorating the 44th Anniversary of Saint Lucia’s Independence, the Consulate General of Saint Lucia in New York will be hosting a series of weekly conversations, entitled “Independence Dialogue Tuesdays: A Time for Reflection on National Gains, Present Challenges, and a Way Forward.” They will be held every Tuesday during
the month of February via the Zoom platform.
The goal of the dialogues is to engage with fellow Saint Lucians both at home and throughout the Diaspora.
The first installment of the series is scheduled for February 7, from 7:30 PM and will focus on "Saint Lucia’s PostIndependence Socio-Economic Transformation.” Saint Lucian Professor Dr. Tennyson Joseph of the University of the West Indies will be the featured
speaker.
Since August 2007, Dr. Joseph is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill. Between 2000 and 2003, he served as the administrative attaché to former Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Hon. Dr. Kenny Anthony. He was also an Opposition Senator in the Parliament of Saint Lucia for a brief period in 2007. In addition to his teaching position, Dr. Joseph is frequently engaged as a public policy consultant and political pundit.
The Consulate General of Saint Lucia in New York encourages all Saint Lucians and friends of Saint Lucia in the tri-state area to participate in the planned activities.
For more details regarding Independence 44 activities, contact the Consulate General of Saint Lucia in New York at 212.697.9360, or sluconsulateny@govt.lc.
Listen to an interview with Consul General Hon Jermiah Hyacinth at www.cawnyc.coml
Kitchen Corner
Fire up succulent blackened salmon with an exciting blend of Cajun-style spices!
Recipe by Jeff Calkins, AllRecipes.com
Ingredients
2 tablespoons ground paprika
1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
4 salmon fillets, skin and bones removed
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Directions
Step 3
Heat 2 tablespoons melted butter in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Add salmon and cook until blackened, 2 to 5 minutes. Lift fillets, add remaining melted butter to the skillet, and flip fillets into the butter. Cook until the other side is blackened and fish flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 5 minutes.l
Nutrition Facts
• Highlights include Bronx-born Samara Joy, who took home GRAMMY awards for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album, and the New York Youth Symphony, who made history as the first youth orchestra to ever win a GRAMMY, in the category of Best Orchestral Performance.
• NYC was well represented throughout
the night, as Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B and Billy Crystal all took the stage as presenters, while Mary J. Blige performed her nominated song “Good Morning, Gorgeous” and Jay-Z joined an ensemble group to perform the nominated song “God Did.” During the GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony, Brooklyn’s Arooj Aftab performed, as well as the night’s big winner, Samara Joy.l
Step 1
Mix paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt, white and black pepper, thyme, basil, and oregano together in a small bowl.
Step 2
Brush salmon fillets on both sides with 1/4 cup butter, and sprinkle evenly with the spice mixture.
Per serving: 511 calories; total fat 38g; saturated fat 17g; cholesterol 166mg; sodium 1248mg; total carbohydrate 5g; dietary fiber 2g; total sugars 1g; protein 37g; vitamin c 4mg; calcium 38mg; iron 2mg; potassium 802mg
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Washington, DC, (PAHO): The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued an alert, urging countries of the Americas to update their response plans to prevent the re-establishment of endemic transmission of measles virus. This follows a reduction in childhood vaccination coverage, increasing the possibility for outbreaks of this disease.
“Vaccination and epidemiological surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases are essential health services and should not be interrupted,” highlights PAHO in the alert, published yesterday. According to the Organization’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on vaccines, the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in the region is at its highest point in the last 30 years.
PAHO estimates that in 2021 more than 1.7 million children in 28 countries and territories of the Americas did not receive an initial dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday.
In 2021, regional coverage for the first dose of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) was 85%. Only six coun-
Recommends that countries of the Americas update plans to quickly respond to outbreaks, intensify vaccination efforts and strengthen surveillance
tries reached the recommended level of 95% or more needed to sustain elimination of these diseases, and ten countries reported coverage of less than 80%.
Measles is a serious and highly conta-
gious virus, for which safe and effective vaccines are available. Between 2000 and 2018, the measles vaccine prevented an estimated 23.2 million deaths worldwide.
The Americas was declared measlesfree in 2016. However, as the virus continues to circulate in other parts of the world, countries of the region reported an increase in imported cases between 2017 and 2019, with the most significant outbreaks occurring in Brazil, where endemic circulation continues, and Venezuela.
Since then, confirmed cases declined and in 2022, thanks to the social distancing measures imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, only six countries in the region reported imported cases of measles: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Paraguay and the United States. PAHO recommends that parents, guardians, or caregivers ensure their children receive two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines to prevent outbreaks and to protect them against serious complications such as pneumonia, which can be fatal for infants and children. l
Death of Children / continued from page 9
A recent JAMA Network study of more than 10 million children, ages 5 through 11, who received mRNA COVID vaccines confirmed the shots are safe and effective, reports Kenneth Bender at Contagion Live. Data show the vaccines reduce risk for infection, illness, and long-term complications, and that they pose lower risk for heart inflammation than the coronavirus itself.
“Children are still at risk of serious and rarely fatal infections,” wrote Dr. Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in a JAMA Pediatrics editorial. “Given the amount of information currently available to parents, the decision to vaccinate their children should be an easy one.”l
— USC Annenberg/Center for Health Journalism
Poor sleep quality – including moving around too much or having sleep apnea – may increase the risk for a future heart problem, new research suggests.
That problem is called left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, a precursor to heart failure. But not getting enough sleep did not appear to increase that risk, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) – a type of heart failure that occurs when the left side of the heart muscle stiffens and can't properly pump blood to the rest of the body – makes up 60% of the 37 million cases of heart failure worldwide. "But there is no established method to prevent it," said lead study author Dr. Hidenori Koyama, a professor at Hyogo Medical University in Nishinomiya, Japan. "Our study tells us the potential importance of sleep quality for its prevention."
Prior research has shown sleep problems, including sleep apnea, are associated with an increased rate of heart failure.
But little research has examined their association with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.
Researchers analyzed sleep and heart health data for 452 adults, who were an average of 59 years old, over a nearly three-year period. They measured sleep apnea, sleep duration and how much a person moved while they slept – an indicator that sleep was restless.
People with moderate to severe sleep apnea, or who moved around a lot at night – but not those who didn't get enough sleep – were more likely to develop left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.
Among people with moderate to severe sleep apnea, about 28% later developed left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, compared with about 11% of those without sleep apnea. Among those who moved around a lot while they slept, 21% later developed the heart condition, compared with 8% of those who moved less.
A great deal is known about sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder, and how to treat it. Treatment options include continuous positive airway pressure machines, sleep positional therapy, oral devices worn during sleep, weight loss and surgery.
But less is known about how to address excessive movement during sleep. Koyama said many things might cause a person to move during sleep, including restless leg syndrome and a lack of deep sleep.
"There is a strong possibility that body movement during sleep represents a decline in sleep quality, such as a shortage of deep sleep time," Koyama said.
Some ways to improve sleep quality include getting sufficient exercise during the day and sleeping in a dark environment with no exposure to the blue light from smartphones and other electronic devices, he said.
Sleep quality is inadequately studied,
said Dr. Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson, who was not involved in the new study. He said poor sleep quality might be caused by stress, pain or other health problems but is an important factor to consider when studying the relationship between sleep and overall health.
Grandner co-wrote a recent presidential advisory from the American Heart Association that added sleep duration –from seven to nine hours a night for most adults – to its list of key measures for good cardiovascular health, known as Life's Essential 8. Doctors should routinely ask their patients not just how much they are sleeping, but how well they are sleeping, he said.
"We can't ignore the effects of poor sleep quality, which are separate from sleep duration and sleep disorders," Grandner said. "What this study shows is that we should start thinking about how to improve sleep across multiple dimensions. Not just getting people to get enough sleep, which is a struggle in itself, but how do we get people to get better sleep quality?"l
BY VIVIAN ZAYAS & YUICHI SHODA THE CONVERSATION
Valentine cards are filled with expressions of unequivocal adoration and appreciation. That’s fitting for the holiday set aside to express love and reaffirm commitment to one’s romantic partner.
But what if there’s more going on below the surface of these adoring declarations? How might thoughts and feelings that people are not even aware of shape their romantic relationships?
We are two psychology researchers interested in how the mind works, and how it affects a variety of experiences, including romantic relationships. In our studies, we’ve found that how people feel about their partners at a nonconscious level may be a bit more complicated than the typical message in a Valentine. Even for those who consciously express only love and fondness, thinking about a partner can elicit ambivalence – both positive and negative responses of which they’re not consciously aware.
Reactions you don’t know you have People need to quickly, effortlessly and continuously make sense of their world: Who is a friend and who is not? What is desirable versus harmful? Human beings are always evaluating people, places and things on basic dimensions of goodness and badness.
Psychology studies show that the mere thought of your partner – or the sight of their photograph or name – spontaneously activates nonconscious feelings you hold toward them. For most people in healthy relationships, thinking of their
partner elicits a “good” response.
Research into these kinds of nonconscious evaluations suggests they can be a better barometer of relationship quality than what people explicitly say about their partner. For example, people who have stronger positive nonconscious partner evaluations tend to feel greater emotional commitment, security and satisfaction in their relationship. They are also more likely to have a brighter outlook about the future of their relationship and more constructive behaviors in inter-
actions, and are less likely to break up. But poets and song writers have long lamented that those you love are also those who can hurt you most. Psychologists too have long recognized that lovers’ thoughts are complex. It seemed to us that when it comes to romantic partners, people may not have positive reactions only.
Accessing what’s beneath the surface So how did we tap into that ambivalence people may not even be aware of having?
In our work, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, we used an indirect method. It assesses how people feel about their partner not based on what they say, but by inferring their feelings based on how they do on a word classification task. Here’s how it works. Imagine that we were looking for evidence of how people felt about something that is clearly positive, like flowers. We would quickly flash the word flower on the screen, then replace it with a second word that is continued on page 20
Think You Love Your Valentine?/ continued from page 19 unambiguously good or bad in meaning, such as sunshine or garbage. Participants’ task is seemingly simple: ignore the first word and classify the second “target” word as good or bad.
Even though people are told to ignore flower, they can’t. Thinking of flowers brings to mind not just specific objective features – flowers have petals, a stem –but also feelings and attitudes about them – flowers are beautiful, good.
As a result, after seeing a positive word like flower, most people are faster at classifying targets, such as sunshine, as “good,” and slower at classifying targets, such as garbage, as “bad.” In fact, research shows that the first word, flower, triggers a motor response towards the “good” response. So, if the target word is also “good,” like sunshine, seeing flower facilitates the correct classification. But, when the target word is “bad,” like garbage, there is what psychologists call response competition; since flower triggers a motor response towards “good,” people need to override it to correctly classify a “bad” target.
Of course it works in the other direction too. If, instead of flower, the first word has negative connotations, such as cockroach, people are faster at classifying garbage as “bad” and slower at classifying sunshine as “good.”
We used this type of indirect method to assess the feelings that spontaneously come to mind when people think about their partners. So, instead of flower, imagine that the first word flashed was your nickname for your sweetheart.
Not surprisingly, people tend to be faster at classifying positive target words after seeing their partner’s name. But something very interesting happened when the second word was negative –people were also faster at classifying negative targets after seeing the name of their partner.
This boost in response speed to the negative targets was almost as big as when thinking about a cockroach! It’s as though thinking of one’s partner sponta-
neously brought to mind a negative evaluation.
So while the mere thought of a romantic partner whom you love is enough to spark a nonconscious positive evaluation, we also found that it may simultaneously elicit a nonconscious negative evaluation. Perhaps when thinking about romantic partners, people can’t help but think about both the good and bad.
Research like our study is just beginning to reveal the complexity of these nonconscious feelings toward partners. Why might someone simultaneously hold such conflicting emotions?
Our findings fit with both theory and intuition. Even in the most satisfying and secure relationships, partners experience disagreements, frustrations and misun-
derstandings. And even the most supportive and responsive partners aren’t always available. Experiencing a negative emotion or interaction is not necessarily an issue. In fact, it seems to be a normal part of relationships.
Psychologists have long considered ambivalence to be pathological, characterized by anxiety and internal conflict, experienced only by a troubled few. Such consciously experienced ambivalence may well be problematic. But the sort of nonconscious ambivalence revealed by our research does not seem pathological. Rather, it appears typical and may occur even when you very much love your partner.
Research has found that positive nonconscious partner evaluations can predict relationship quality and stability. Now we need to figure out how negative nonconscious partner evaluations work.
So if you are feeling at some level a tinge of ambivalence towards your partner, know that you are far from alone. Perhaps on this Valentine’s Day, consider honoring your relationship by fully embracing the complexity of your feelings.l
BY HARRY JOHNSON ETURBONEWS.COM
Renowned as the biggest and best music event in the Caribbean for three decades, the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival returns from May 514, 2023 after a three-year hiatus.
The 2023 Festival will include headline performances from Sting featuring Shaggy, as well as many globally recognized performers. Tickets go on sale February 15, 2023.
Spanning classic jazz to world beats, the 2023 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival will again attract visitors from around the world as the lineup includes international, local and Caribbean music. Genres include Afro beats, jazz, gospel, Soca, reggae, Zouk, pop and an array of cultural beats and exciting rhythms. The iconic and historic Pigeon Island National Park is the waterside backdrop for the open-air performances.
“The 2023 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival promises to be the best yet, as we continue our tradition of hosting the Caribbean’s premier jazz and arts event. The Festival will showcase music, the
performing arts, fine arts, creole cuisine and the effervescence of Saint Lucia’s creative industries,” said Minister of Tourism, Hon. Dr. Ernest Hilaire.
The Lineup
As of January 25, 2023, the musical lineup is as follows, with more details to be announced:
• Friday, May 5 – Kick-Off: Caribbean genres with some of the biggest names from the region headlined by reggae superstar Shenseea and Kes the Band
• May 6-9 – Entertainment & Community Jazz: Explore authentic Saint Lucian cul-
ture and people through an eclectic mix of local events
• Wednesday, May 10 – Kingdom Gospel Night: A riveting, inspiring showcase of praise and worship with some of the best names in Gospel, to be announced at a later date
• Thursday, May 11 – Pure Jazz: Grammy winner, pianist, and composer Gustavo Casenave and special tribute to Saint Lucia’s Luther François, the godfather of Saint Lucia jazz
• Friday, May 12 – Caribbean Fusion: Featuring Buju Banton, Bunji Garlin, Fay Ann Lyons
• Saturday, May 13 – World Beats: Journey the globe with the best of Afro beats with Rema, Ayra Starr, CKay and Kizz Daniel
• Sunday, May 14 – The Ultimate Celebration and Culmination on Mother’s Day: The most distinctive and influential musician of the century, 17time Grammy Award winner Sting will headline the evening with Shaggy
The arts scene in Saint Lucia is also celebrated at the Festival. Beginning May 5, there will be community-based events across the island, emphasizing the jazz and arts scenes throughout key communities.
The Arts component of the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival will be held under the theme “Art and the City” from May 7-11. The Arts will include visual art, literary art, theater, fashion, an Icon Series, craft and souvenir markets, and a variety of events at the Derek Walcott Square, William Peter Boulevard, Constitution Park, Pointe Seraphine, and Serenity Park. From the visual arts to the theater, visitors will be immersed in the creativity and vibrancy of Saint Lucia.l
BY CHRIS TOBIAS
ccording to statistics, car accidents are among the leading cause of deaths among children in the USA. About 45% of deaths among children are because of car accidents. What can you do if there is a car accident involving your child? During this difficult time, you need a strong advocate on your side like the attorneys at the Personal Injury Law Firm of Figeroux & Associates.
How can we deal with the greater risks that children face when it comes to car accidents? Child victims in car accidents can be placed in two categories. There are those who are passengers and there are those who are pedestrians. It is important to realize that a lack of precautionary measures has been the main reason for child victims of car accidents in both scenarios. Children need keen supervision whenever they are walking along the road, crossing a road or in any other situation where they are interacting with traffic. Further, they need to be looked after when in transit aboard a vehicle and the necessary precautions
taken so as to ensure they remain safe under any circumstances.
For child pedestrians the following measures can help reduce the risk of accidents among children:
1.Close supervision of children at all times when near a road.
2.Training of children in road safety and
teaching them safe road use.
3.Educating drivers and other road users on “Child safe road use.”
Reducing the risk to child passengers can be done by taking the following steps:
1.Always ensure that the child is safely secured in the vehicle.
2.Discourage risky activities and play while on board a car.
3.Avoid any showmanship and road rage as you drive because this will set a poor example for the children in your vehicle.
4.Train the children on safety while on board a vehicle.
While these measures will not eliminate child victims of car accidents, they will greatly reduce the risk children face while traveling along the roads or when in a car.
A personal injury attorney specializes in helping victims obtain settlements by providing legal assistance and advice after a car crash.
The attorneys at the Personal Injury Law Firm of Figeroux & Associates possess a wide range of experience and the expertise needed to advocate for children who have been in car accidents. No settlement, no fee. The lawyer you hire does make a diffrence. Know and understand your rights! Ask the Lawyer, call 855768-8845 or schedule an appointment at www.askthelawyer.us l
The lawyer you hire, does make a difference!
