Challenger Community News May 22, 2019

T H E D E A D L I N E TO R E G I S T E R TO V O T E I N T H E J U N E 2 5 T H P R I M A RY I S F R I D AY, M AY 3 1 .

May 22, 2019 | FREE |

“WE’RE DEVELOPERS TOO!”

COPPER TOWN NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS FIGHT BACK: TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST CITY AND DEVELOPERS

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BRITTNEE PERRY

FIRST WOMAN, FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN HEAD COACH TO LEAD BOBCATS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM

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Photo By A. Dorcely

LOCAL

Beauty Plus Brains: WNY Sisters Graduate Cum Laude From Howard U Page 4

NATIONAL

Thanks to Black Billionaire 2019 Morehouse College Grads Are Debt Free! Page 5

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO HONOR A VETERAN Page 7

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BUFFALO, N.Y. PERMIT NO. 164

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

INSIDE ROCHESTER

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Racist Incidents Continue at Pittsford school

Desmond Green Wins By Unanimous Decision at UFC Fight Night Bout

Rochester’s own Desmond Green defeated Canadian lightweight Charles Jourdain by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN Fight Night Saturday at Blue Cross Arena at the Community War Memorial. The Rush-Henrietta grad said he was blown away by the crowd’s support and the standing ovation he received. Prior to Saturday’s fight Desmond had a 22-8 record in 30 career bouts as a professional comprised of 15 decisions, six knockouts and one submission. He made his debut appearance with the UFC in 2017.

The Pittsford Central School District may soon be faced with a lawsuit. A biracial student is alleging she has been the subject of racial taunts.

In the past month, the school district has faced a growing chorus of complaints that it is not responding aggressively to racism within the schools.

The biracial student has filed a notice that she and her family intend to sue the district because of the alleged racial slurs she and others have confronted. The student is not identified in the legal papers.

The journey begins with a single step.

GATEWAYS MUSIC FESTIVAL TO BEGIN CHARGING ADMISSION FOR SOME EVENTS Rochester, NY – For the first time in its 25-year history, starting with this year’s festival, Gateways Music Festival in association with Eastman School of Music will begin charging admission to several of its events.

The 2019 Festival will be held August 6 through 11. Four of the 2019 Festival’s 17 public events will be ticketed or require an admission fee.

They are: 1.What Happened, Miss Simone? at The Little Theatre: $4-$9 2.Gateways Brass Collective at the Memorial Art Gallery’s “First Friday” series: $5 3.Gateways After Hours event at Anthology: $10 4.Gateways Orchestra Concert in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre: $15 Gateways officials stress that no one will be turned away because they are unable to pay.

Since the Festival’s founding in 1993 as a celebration of classical music and musicians of African descent, all events have been free in keeping with one of Gateways’ fundamental goals: to open the doors of classical music to as many people as possible, especially those frequently underrepresented in classical music.

A nonprofit organization that relies heavily on volunteers, Gateways has depended on individual and foundation contributions, government grants and in-kind services to meet expenses such as venue rental and meals, lodging, transportation and honorariums for the participating musicians.

“The decision to charge admission for some of Gateways’ performances was weighed very carefully by the Board of Directors,” said James Norman, Chairman of Gateways’ Board of Directors. “In fact, this has been an often-discussed topic for many years. But with the growth of the Festival’s programs, along with the commensurate increase in expenses, it was inevitable that Gateways would need to join the ranks of other festivals of our caliber and begin charging a modest fee for admission to some of our performances.”

In addition, there will be 13 free public Gateways Music Festival events, including a talk/musician panel discussion and documentary film screening; two solo piano recitals and one multi-pianists recital, all at Eastman’s Hatch Recital Hall; an organ recital at Third Presbyterian Church; a Festival Preview at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre; a chamber music program at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church; a silent film with chamber orchestra at Eastman’s Kilbourn Hall; a chamber music recital at Rochester City Hall; and a documentary film, the inaugural Paul J. Burgett Memorial Lecture and chamber music program at the Hochstein School of Music & Dance.

“It is our hope that the income generated through ticket sales will help defray a small portion of the costs associated with producing what has become one of the country's most important classical music festivals,” said Lee Koonce, Gateways’ President & Artistic Director.

Koonce emphasized that Gateways “remains committed to ensuring that our performances are accessible to everyone - regardless of their ability to pay.”

Besides setting low ticket prices, Gateways officials said the organization will be making efforts to ensure that those who are unable to pay have access to ticketed events through a system of reduced or free tickets for students, senior citizens and families and through coordination with community service organizations.

A complete listing of Festival events, repertoire, and artists will be made public at a future date and will include information about purchasing tickets. For more information, visit the Gateways web site at www.gatewaysmusicfestival.org.

SEE YOU AT THE EVENTS!

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

AREA BRIEFS

“We’re Developers Too!”

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THEY KEEP IT ROLLIN’! The East Side Bike Club will kick off its summer season this Saturday, May 25th at MLK Park at the MLK Head, 9:30 a.m. For more information email esbcbuffalo@gmail.com The club meets every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. throughout the season. See you there!

“State of Our Black Family Conference” The Umoja Inc. Organization will present its Annual “State of Our Black Family Conference,” June 1 at the Rafi Green CAO Masten Resource Center, 1423 Fillmore Ave., Corner of Glenwood Ave. from 12noon – 5 p.m.

Among the invited speakers are: Queens: Karima Amin, Eva Doyle, Patricia Ellicott, Sophia Blyden, and Mae Bynum.

Kings: Charles Fisher, James Giles, Baba Eng, L. Nathan Hare, Clifford Bell, Daveed Muhammad, Charles Walker, James Pitts, John Elmore and Sabu Adeyola.

Guests will address a crossection of topics that effect the Black community and beyond on the local and national front and offer solutions.

“Africa Was The First Family, So Put Us First,” is The theme.

The Moderator will be Lion Blyden, President of UNIAACL#433.

A full Lunch Buffet will be served. Brother Bill Peoples is Umoja President.

The event is free and open to the public. For more info call Brother Peoples at 716 533-6283.

MLK Petition Drive: Herbert Reports 9,000 Signatures Samuel A. Herbert has reported that as of May 14, 2019 the petition drive to replace the MLK sculpture in Martin Luther King Jr. Park has reached 9,000 signatures towards the goal of 10,000 to complete the first phase of the drive.

Columnist to Speak in North Carolina Columnist Eva M. Doyle has been invited to speak in New Bern, North Carolina at the History Center there on the topic of the History of Juneteenth and how it impacts our communities today. There will be a mixed generational audience. This program is part of the African American Lecture series at the History Center. New Bern is located approximately six hours from Charlotte, North Carolina. The lecture will take place on June 20th.

Free rabies Shots

Erie County’s Department of Health expects hundreds of pet owners at its free rabies vaccination clinic on Wednesday, May 29 from 4-7 p.m. at the Broadway Market. Pet owners should transport their animals to the event with a non-retractable leash or secure carrier, and bring the pet’s vaccination record if possible. For more information visit www.erie.gov/health.

Are you registered to VOTE?

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Copper Town Neighborhood Residents Take Legal Action Against City and Developers

hree residents of the Copper Town neighborhood have filed an Article 78 petition against the City of Buffalo Planning Board to undo the city’s March 25 approval of a development plan that includes a drive-through Tim Hortons at the corner of Michigan and William.

"We are fighting for the residents of a vibrant neighborhood who deserve a walkable, beautiful, safe community that honors the history of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor,” said Gail RESIDENTS TAKE ACTION: Pictured above, Gail Wells (left) and Johnson. Not pictured is Marcia Baker. The three have filed V. Wells, who, along with Ge- Geneva an Artiacle 78 against the City and developers. Challenger Photo neva Johnson and Marcia Baker, filed the petition.

Throughout the process since July 2018, residents raised concerns that were never properly addressed, according to Ms. Wells and her fellow petitioners. The city is required by law to evaluate such serious issues about safety, traffic intensity, noise, nuisance, litter, deliveries, and distracted driving.

“The taxpaying residents of Copper Town support economic development but we expect the law to be followed,” Ms. Wells said. “The neighborhood’s 100 homeowners have invested significant personal resources in the development of our community.

We’re developers too.”

An Article 78 proceeding provides a way to challenge the rulings of administrative agencies, public bodies or officers. In this case, the body is the City of Buffalo Planning Board.

It is important to note that the corner of William and Michigan was not zoned for a drive through in the zoning law commonly called “The Green Code.”

When Ellicott Development submitted its plans, they received a notice of denial from the City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services in June 26, 2018 because the Code did not permit a drive through. On September 18, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) had turned down the developer’s request for a change called a “variance” to allow a drive-through, but later, the City was forced to reverse its ZBA decision after Ellicott Development filed an Article 78.

When concerned residents and citizen supporters of Copper Town attended a community meeting in December and learned of the November 2018 reversal, Councilman Pridgen was quoted saying as he left the evening meeting that “anyone can file an Article 78.”

Wells, Baker, and Johnson did so.

“It would have been very easy for the Law Department to point out the flaws in Ellicott's petition. But instead they provided illogical arguments defending Ellicott,” said Ms. Wells. “They never really put forth a defense for the decision the Zoning Board made…”

Here is a timeline: •June 2013 Paladino’s Ellicott Development, through its LLC 9187 Group, buys the lots 474 & 492 Michigan and 173 Elm from BEAR DEN PROPERTIES LLC for $350,000.

•June 2018 Ellicott Development submits its 474 Michigan proposal to Permit and Inspection Services. City Department of Permit and Inspection Services sends “Notice of Denial” because area is not zoned for the requested development, particularly the drive through.

•July 18, 2018 ZBA 474 Michigan Avenue -Construct Mixed-Use Building; Drive-Through Not Permitted (9454898). N-2C Zone. Section 6.1.1.B. Closed Public Hearing474 Michigan Avenue -Construct Mixed-Use Building; Drive-Through Not Permitted (9454898). N-2C Zone. Section 6.1.1.B. Tabled •July 19, 2018 Community meeting called by Crystal Peoples-Stokes office to discuss the proposed drive through Tim Hortons. Community opposition to the drive through is expressed.

•September 19, 2018 ZBA, Old Business 474 Michigan Avenue -Construct Mixed-Use Building; Drive-Through Not Permitted. N-2C Zone. Section 6.1.1.B. Deny Variance •October 22, 2018 Ellicott Development files an Article 78 to reverse the ZBA denial.

“They (The City's Law Department) never really put forth a defense for the decision the Zoning Board made…”

Continued Page 5

The Stono Slave Rebellion Was Nearly Erased From US History Books In the early hours of Sunday, Sept. 9, 1739, 20 enslaved Black men gathered near a bridge over the Stono River, southwest of Charles Town (now Charleston), S.C., where they were part of a work gang building a public road. Most of them, including their leader, Jemmy, appear to have been among the 8,000 Kikongo speakers from the Angola region of central Africa brought on slave ships over the previous five years, mainly to work in the rice fields. By the late 1730s, South Carolina, once the most backward colony in the British Empire, had become a dynamic, expanding and profitable plantation society.

It was also the first Blackmajority colony in North America, more closely resembling the Caribbean than New England, the middle colonies or even the smallerscale slave society of Virginia. By 1739, Blacks outnumbered Whites 2-to-1 in South Carolina. In pursuit of their own happiness—the significant profits to be made—a small group of White planters drove their Black labor force to endure long hours of backbreaking labor in the rice fields. The arduous work of clearing woods and swamps to build roads was grueling, but, significantly, that morning in 1739 the road gang appears to have been poorly guarded. There was no White overseer present, since slaves were sometimes allowed Continued Page 4

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

WNY Sisters and Josiah Henson Common Council Candidates in Three Races to Descendants Cum Laude Graduates Debate at Burchfield Penney from Howard University

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estern New York sisters Asiyah and Aziza Frank, fourth-great-granddaughters of famed underground railroad freedom seeker Josiah Henson, are now Howard University Alumni and a celebration of Black excellence.

Asiyah, a 2017 Howard University Administration of Justice cum laude graduate, recently received her Masters degree from Marymount University in Forensic & Legal Psychology. Asiyah participated in a "Police: Finding Common Ground" Town Hall/Panel with the Honorable Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney General and studied abroad in Israel. In Asia Minor her research abroad focused around 5 themes; the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the perspectives of all sides; organizations working for peace; interaction with children Sisters Aziza (left) and Asiyah Frank (right) who have been affected by the conflict, including Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Druze, and Bedouin; Israeli counter-terrorism policies; and issues of human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories.

Aziza, a 2019 graduate cum laude graduate from Howard University received her Bachelors degree in Chemistry. Aziza is a MARC Scholar [next generation of biomedical science leaders] who studied abroad in South Africa conducting research on the Ebola virus. She was the only undergrad and youngest person working with a team of researchers on Howard campus to develop a cure for the Ebola virus; a $1.9 million collaborative research project/grant from the National Institutes of Health that's one of several continuing global outreach initiatives across the Howard University community.

Asiyah and Aziza are the granddaughters of Phyllis Griggs of Buffalo, New York and daughters of University of Buffalo graduate Ayana Griggs who received her Masters degree in Accounting from Neumann University and Saladin Allah, a Niagara Falls Human Rights Commissioner, Early Childhood Educator and Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Experience Center Specialist in Niagara Falls, New York.

Homeownership is important.

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Candidates for three key Buffalo Common Council seats will debate the issues in separate forums on Thursday, May 30, in the Burchfield Penney Arts Center on the SUNY Buffalo State Campus.

Fillmore District candidates will debate at 7 p.m.; Masten District candidates will face off at 8:10 p.m.; and University District candidates will debate at 9:20 p.m.

Questions will be posed by a panel from the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists and will focus on everything from economic development to community engagement. Written questions also will be solicited from the Burchfield Penney audience, and will be posed by the BABJ's professional journalists.

The debates, in advance of the June 25 primary elections, are sponsored by the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists in conjunction with the Burchfield Penney and the SUNY Buffalo State Communications Department.

BLACK HISTORY

"It's never too late to honor a veteran."

Continued from page 3

to work for themselves on Sundays. Perhaps a trusted slave—maybe even Jemmy himself—had been left in charge. It is Jemmy who is named in the colony’s official report as the Angolan “captain” of what became known as the Stono Rebellion, the bloodiest slave revolt in colonial North America.

The Stono Rebellion proved to be the most serious and deadly slave revolt in colonial North America. It is significant that most official histories of South Carolina largely erased the Stono Rebellion from the written record.

Despite this official silence, however, Black South Carolinians kept alive a memory of the Stono Rebellion and celebrated the revolt as a symbol of resistance to slavery for more than two centuries.

In photo L-R : Paul Woods, WWII Coordinator; Irwin Bates; Donald Paulk, Vic-Commander; Pastor Richie; Past Commander Gant; Michael Davis, Chaplin; Agnes Young, Finance Officer;Perry Civils, Sgt-at-arms; Paulette Woods, Commander; Past Commander Henry Curtis.

Jesse Clipper Post #430 Celebrates 100 Year Anniversary

This is the 100 year anniversary of the Jesse Clipper American Legion Post #430. On September 21 a parade and great Anniversary Awards Dinner will be held.

The post will also participate in the following upcoming events: •Memorial Day at Forest Lawn Monday May 27 at 9 a.m. along with all other county American Legion Posts and Women Auxiliary Units.

•The Erie County American Legion Convention- June 1st - Jesse Clipper Membership Award.

•Flag Day June 14th marching with 500 children down Main Street to Forest Lawn 10 a.m.

•African American Monument Committee- unveiling- Waterfront Downtown Buffalo- June 14th •Juneteeth Parade- Jesse Clipper Post#430 Banner, trucks and marchers June 18th

Deadline For Queen City Pop Up Proposals June 3 Proposals are being accepted from local small businesses to participate in the 2019 Spring Edition of the Queen City Pop Up. The Pop Up is aimed at bringing more small business retail to downtown Main Street. The RFP is available at BUDC’s office, 95 Perry Street, Suite 404, Buffalo, NY 14203; or by contacting Brandye Merriweather V.P. BUDC at 856-6525 ext.

131. Proposals must be submitted by June 3.

Colston Mobil Auto Repair WILLIAM COLSTON

ASE Certified Technician

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Phone: 716.896.3910 • 720 E. Ferry St.

Diagnostic Testing, NYS Inspection, Towing Service T ire Repair, Break Repair, Air Conditioning Service

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

Billionaire Shocked Morehouse Graduating Class When He Offered to Pay Off Their Student Loans

M

orehouse College seniors got a surprise last Sunday when billionaire investor Robert F. Smith announced during his commencement speech that he would pay off the student loan debt for the historically Black college's graduating class.

" On behalf of the eight generations of my family who have been in this country, we're going to put a little fuel in your bus," he told the newly minted graduates in Atlanta before saying his family was creating a grant to eliminate their student loans.

The announcement was met with a standing ovation and chants of "MVP!" "Now, I know my class will make sure they pay this forward," he continued. "I want my class to look at these (alumni) -- these beautiful Morehouse brothers -Robert F. Smith:The richest Black man in America. and let's make sure every class has the same opportunity going forward because we are enough to take care of our own community.

We are enough to ensure we have all the opportunities of the American dream."

The 56-year-old Smith was a chemical engineer for Goodyear and Kraft before attending business school. He worked for Goldman Sachs, specializing in technology investments, before starting Vista Equity in 2000. Forbes estimates Mr. Smith's fortune at about $5 billion, built mainly through Vista Equity partners, a private equity firm that focuses on buying and selling software firms.

"I will never forget that my path was paved by my parents, grandparents and generations of African-Americans whose names I will never know," Smith said. "Their struggles, their courage, and their progress allowed me to strive and achieve. My story would only be possible in America, and it is incumbent on all of us to pay this inheritance forward."

Vista Equity invests solely in software, data, and technology companies and boasts capital commitments of $46 billion, the company's website says.

"This is a liberation gift, meaning this frees these young men from having to make their career decisions based on their debt," David A. Thomas, president of Morehouse said. (-CNN & NYT)

'We Are Developers Too" continued from page 3 •Nov 15, 2018 Ellicott Development appears before Judge Diane Devlin to state that the City did not make the right decision regarding the request for a variance. The Developer’s lawyer asked that the Court direct the City to grant the variance. The City’s lawyer agreed with Ellicott Development instead of defending the City’s zoning board decision. With that, the ZBA denial was reversed.

•Dec 12, 2018 A community meeting was requested by Tom Fox of Ellicott Development.

Quoting Mr. Fox in his message to community members: “As I’m sure you have learned, the ruling made by the Zoning Board of Appeals in September denying our use variance request for the installation of a drive-thru at the corner of Michigan and William was recently reversed as the denial was determined improper through an Article 78 proceeding. Given this turn of events, we will be resubmitting our proposed project for review by the City Planning Board in January.”

•Dec 19, 2018 Community meeting held and community reaffirmed its commitment to development, but not to producing bad development, which is how the drive through is viewed. At this meeting, Councilman Pridgen stated that “anyone can file an Article 78” in answer to the disappointment at the overturning of the ZBA variance denial.

•Jan 14, 2019 Public Hearing Planning Board 474 Michigan Avenue -New Construction of a Two-Story Mixed Use Building Tabled •March 25, 2019 474 Michigan Avenue -New Construction of a Two-Story Mixed Use Building Approved Site Plan With Conditions •April 24, 2019 Plaintiffs Gail Wells, Geneva Johnson, and Marcia Baker file an Article 78 against the City Planning Board

The court hearing has yet to be determined as the original hearing date of May 23 resulted in a delay request by the City.

-By Staff Writer

NATIONAL + WORLD

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Baltimore Mayor Resigns After weeks of mounting pressure Mayor Catherine Pugh of Baltimore recently resigned amid a widening scandal involving hundreds of thousands of dollar worth of children's books that she wrote and that the University of Maryland Medical System paid for while she was serving on its board of directors.

Exhibit Now Open:

Telling the Story:

Enslavement of African People in the United States Buffalo & Erie County Public

LIBRARY www.BuffaloLib.org

Downtown Central Library 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY (716) 858-8900

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

Installation Services Set for Rev. Corey B. Gibson, M.Div. Celebration Services for the installation of the new pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Pastor Corey B. Gibson, M.Div., will be held May 22 thru 26.

Rev. Gibson, a native of Buffalo, is the son of Charles and Mattie Gibson. He is a graduate of Bishop Timon – St. Jude High School and relocated to Virginia where he went to college.

He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia and a Masters of Divinity Degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union and Rev. Gibson is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

Rev. Gibson was licensed to preach the Gospel in January 2013 at the Calvary Baptist Church, and ordained in 2017 at the First Baptist Church of Vienna, Virginia where he served as the Youth and Young Adult Pastor and Director of Ministries.

Celebration Services for Pastor Corey B. Gibson, M.Div.will take place on: •Wednesday May 22 at 7p.m. at the Calvary Baptist Church

located at 1184 Genesee St with guest Dr. Rodney D. Waller of the First African Baptist Church, Richmond,VA. •Friday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m. with an installation Banquet at the Admiral Room at the Marin, 237 Main Street, Buffalo with guest from Richmond, VA . Dr. Michael L.W. Moore of the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church • Saturday, May 25 at 10 a.m. a Welcome Breakfast for First Lady Dr. Ida Gibson at the Acqua located at 2192 Niagara .

Street, our special guest The Honorable Shirley Troutman, Associate Justice •Sunday, May 26 at 10 a.m. at the Calvary Baptist Church, 1184 Genesee St., guest from Paterson, NJ Rev. Kenneth Clayton of the St. Luke Baptist Church Also on Sunday, May 26 at 4p.m. the installation service ceremony will be held at the Calvary Baptist Church with our guest from Vienna, VA, Dr. Vernon C. Walton of the First Baptist Church of Vienna.

For more information call Calvary Baptist Church at 716 895 3642, www.calvarybaptistbuffalo.org

Men’s Day Kick Off Luncheon Delaine Waring AME Church will host its Men’s Day Season Kick Off Luncheon on Saturday, June 1 at the church, located at 680 Swan Street. Worship begins promptly at 11:30 a.m. with a reception to follow. The guest preacher is Rev. Gregory P. Nelson, M.Div., Pastor of Hickman Temple AME Church, Philadelphia, PA. There will be a free will offering. For information we are on Facebook, delainewaringamechurch.org or contact us at 842-6747 or email delainewaringame@gmail.com The Reverend Regina E. Gray, Esquire, is Pastor of Delaine Waring AME Church.

Elder Law Day 2019 For Seniors, Caregivers The Erie County Department of Senior Services and the Center for Elder Law and Justice have announced that Elder Law Day 2019 will be held on June 6 from 8 a.m.– 1:30 p.m. at the Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave, Buffalo (next to the Galleria Mall).

Guests can register online at erie.gov/ ELD or by calling 858-6864 (Registration closes June 2nd).

For more information: On the Center for Elder Law and Justice, visit https://elderjusticeny.org/

FAITH & FAMILY

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

It’s Never Too Late to Honor a Veteran T

By Barney Blair Perry Sr.

he Percy Perry Legacy is good for anyone who faces overwhelming struggles in life.

Percy Perry was a World War II Veteran, who served in the United States Army from 1941 to 1946.

Perry was part of the Colored Battalion, a group of 600 to 700 men of whom most volunteered to join the United States Army to fight the evil threats of World War II. The Colored Battalion was part of many battles and carried out expeditionary attacks to test the strength of the enemy.

To reduce racial strife, the soldiers of the Colored Battalion agreed to not wear any medals, strips or patches.

They did not need any rank, they were all men of color, soldiers of the United State Army, fighting for Democracy and Freedom, for the United States of America.

Hey knew who they were, they knew each other, they knew what they had to do.

The Nazi tyranny or Japanese imperialism they believed, would have been a far worse problem than any problems at home in the U.S.A. “Victory through War” was the only answer.

In 1946 WWII ended, Percy Perry returned to Buffalo from war in Europe. He was one of the few survivors of the Colored Battalion. Percy had been wounded several times in combat. I remember hearing DAD talk about two of his war buddies, one was called Tappin from Chicago and the other was called the Preacher.

Percy stayed in and out of the Veterans Hospital for shell shock, post WWII Trauma-Stress for years. Several years after WWII, I was 4 to 6 years old and I remember my Mother taking me to see Dad at the Veterans Hospital.

The horrors of World War II haunted Percy Perry.

Hard labor was his only way out. From the battlefields of Europe, to the strenuous work in the grain elevators, to rehabilitating dilapidated properties, to working other jobs at night. Percy Perry spent the rest of his life trying to escape the trauma of World War II. He always said: “Don’t let nothin’…take you to the deep end.”

(Rev. Barney “Blair” Perry of Buffalo is an award winning nominee and Million Broadcast Award winner and composer of “Walking In Rhythm.” He resides in Buffalo. He is the son of Mr. Percy Perry).

NEW BISHOP The Public Consecration of The Right Reverand Frederick A. Gelsey of One In Christ Church, will be held On Saturday, May 25 at 940 Broadway.

The Celebration will begin at 12 noon in the sanctuary of The One In Christ Fellowship of Churches, Buffalo, New York.

Bishops, Ordained Clergy, and Ordained Diaconates are to be vested in full Convocation Dress at 11 a.m.

Your prayers and best wishes for the new Bishop are requested.

DID YOU KNOW...?

On May 24, 1993, Eritrea achieved independence from Ethiopia after a 30-year civil war.

IT'S A FAMILY REUNION AT MIRACLE MISSIONS Overseer Dr. James A. Lewis, III & Lady Zandra A. Lewis With Miracle Missions Full Gospel Church 406 Sycamore Street Cordially invites you to join us for our Family & Friends Day Celebration. Special invitation extended to the J.W. Loguen Choir Sunday, May 26 11 a.m., 406 Sycamore Street, Buffalo, and Sunday 5 p.m at 1301 Genesee Street. Come and experience a spirit filled worship with fellowship and fun! To confirm attendance and/or additional information call (716) 830-4916

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Fatherhood Does Not End With Divorce!

Local actor, writer, director, and entrepreneur Peter Johnson has published a book about helping children survive divorce and separation, titled The Cow on Two Farms, A Children’s Guide of How to Cope with Divorce and Separation.

On Sunday, June 2 a book launch will be held from 3 – 4:30 p.m. at the Merriweather Library and will include an Author Q&A and panel discussion with children services experts.

The Cow on Two Farms can be purchased online at LuLu.com and Amazon.com.

Please email jparker@jparkerpr.com to arrange a book signing.

HONOR FOR FRUITBELT ADVOCATE IRENE GAULT; Ntare Ali and Dr. Erika D. Gault hosted a dedication ceremony for Hazel Irene Gault last Saturday (May 18) at Rose and High streets. Better known as Irene Gault, she was an advocate for the betterment of the Fruitbelt. Mrs. Gault was the first president of the Federation of Blockclubs, as well as the Rose Street Blockclub. She proposed a boycott that eventually led the building of the Robert McLellen Pedestrian Overpass.

Irene Gault made her transition on January 3, 2015. She was the wife of McDaniel Gault and the mother of Ntare Ali Gault, Haile Gault, Willie Lofton, Henry Lofton (deceased) and Sayeeda Dixon., as well as the grandmother of Henry Lofton, Jr., Nikki Journey, Sarah Rathmann, Mandela Lofton, and Hazel Irene Elise Gault. Challenger Photo

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

"It's never too late to honor a veteran."

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HEALTH MATTERS

The African American Benefits of Carrot, Apple Juice Veterans Monument Parade is Coming!

T

By Jewelean Magee

he African American Veterans Monument Parade is in the planning stages for this national event of all times and the theme is about all the Black soldiers who have fought in all twelve wars that the United states has been in and still fighting.

The parade will feature highlights of famous African American groups in the military such as the Buffalo Soldiers, The Harlem Hell fighters of WW1, The Tuskegee Airmen,The “6888”Central Postal Battalion. Mrs. Indiana Hunt-Martin and Katherine Robinson served in the only all African American female unit that kept the mail flowing to nearly seven million soldiers in the European Theatre of Operations. Both are still living in Buffalo. Both ladies were inducted into the New York State Hall of Fame for veterans by Senator Tim M. Kennedy in 2013. Also the “761st” tank battalion also known as the “Black Panthers” where Mr. Russell Guthrie served with the all black tank battalion, and the list goes on.

Amvets Post 24 Commander Debbera Ransom said that she felt compelled to put on this parade of heroes and sheroes to show the community strength, pride, and courage of the ones whose shoulders we (as a nation) stand on.

ProJect Access To A-Free-Ka Presents:

“Project March Forward” A community-wide 7 Month Assignment studying the final text of the Great Ancestor; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Books Are Available At: Juneteenth Headquarters 1517 Genesee Between 10AM—2 PM

Power 96.5 FM WUFO Studios 143 Broadway Between 9AM—5PM

Zawadi Books 1382 Jefferson Ave Wed, Fri & Sat Between 12PM—4PM 716-903-6740

"When the African American Veterans Monument Committee met on January 30,2019, that was the first meeting I attended to pitch the idea of the parade to kick off the unveiling of the monuments because there was no mention of a parade to begin with. I went back to the post members and asked them how they thought about a parade to kick off the unveiling of the first national African American Monuments and they said yes. When the second committee meeting of the Monuments met on February 13,2019 I attended the meeting and presented the idea of having a parade for the celebration and the Monuments Committee voted by saying it was a good idea, and the parade was voted in,” said Commander Ransom.

Since that second meeting the mentioning of the parade has created an excitement already in the air with anticipation of this event. “We (post members) will give the community something to look forward to in recognizing the honor, courage and pay homage to those who are no longer with us which will reflect on floats with songs, and praise.

The parade will also recognize African American Veteran Owned Businesses. We will be asking the community to participate in the parade by bringing mementos, phots and memorabilia of their loved ones, friends, and family," stated Commander Ransom.

Carrot Juice-Carrot juice is a delicious and very valuable alkalinizing juice. It is a good source of vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K, as well as calcium, magnesium, Iron, phosphorus, sulphur, silicon and chlorine. It is recommended for pregnant women, nursing mothers and small infants. It aids in liver and intestinal diseases, ulcer and cancer treatments and helps to normalize the whole body.

Apple Juice-Apple juice is a natural blood purifier and is helpful for skin and liver disorders. It can be a great aid in losing weight as it aids in digestion and acts as a laxative. Best when eaten in season. One to three day apple juice fasts are good for cleansing.

Action Rituals To Enhance Your Life Journey

1.) Take a 20-30 minute walk in every day, and while youwalk, smile. It is the ultimate antidepressant.

2.) Sit in silence for at least 10-20 minutes each day.

3.) Get more sleep.

4.) When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, My purpose is to________today.’

5.) Live with the 3 E’s -- Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

6.) Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did last year.

7.) Always pray and make time to exercise.

8.) Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of six.

9.) Dream more while you are awake.

10.) Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.

11.) Drink green tea and plenty of distilled or natural spring water. Eat blueberries, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12.) Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13.) Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14.) Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control.

Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.

Learn Your Numbers During Stroke Awareness Month

As a culture and community, Black Americans have the highest incidence of high blood pressure, with 1 out of 2 adults having some form of hypertension. May is stroke awareness month, and it is essential to understand the mechanics of blood pressure and what the numbers represent.

The higher number is the systolic number, and it represents the active portion of blood pressure, when the heart is pumping. This number should be around 120 or lower. The lower number represents the diastolic number, or the passive or resting portion of blood pressure. This number should be around 80 or lower.

One of the most common ways to identify a stroke is using the acronym FAST as recommended by the National Stroke Association: F – Face; If you think someone may be having a stroke, look at their face to see if one side is drooping.

A – Arm: Ask the person to raise their arms. Check to see if one arm drifts downward.

S – Speech: Check to see if the person’s speech is slurred, hard to understand or strange.

T – Time to Call 911: If you observe any of the above signs, call for help immediately.

Here are a few healthy lifestyle tips that can help lessen the potential of becoming a stroke victim: 1.Healthy eating habits – Adding healthier foods to your diet can help with the prevention of a stroke and countless other ailments.

Make a conscious decision to eat more fruits and vegetables.

2.Physical activity – Exercising at least 3 times a week . Take brisk walks or take an exercise class! Any movement is good!

3.Monitor your levels – Keep an eye on your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These numbers have a direct connection to the possibility of having a stroke. Regular doctor visits help you stay on top of your numbers!

4.Reduce your stress levels – High stress situations can have an impact on your blood pressure, so try to avoid stressful situations as much as possible.

To learn more about strokes contact the American Stroke Association.

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

Muhammad School of Music 20th Anniversary Reunion Festival Muhammad School of Music’s (MSOM) will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a weekend festival – the MSOM 20th Anniversary Reunion Festival June 7 to June 9. The festival weekend will consist of: •MSOM Reunion Party with the Henri Star Orchestra (MSOM’s Eclectic Rock Orchestra) Friday, June 7 at 7 pm Venue: The Main Street Gallery, 515 Main Street, in Downtown Buffalo.

Admission is Free for former, current, and prospective MSOM students and their families; additional guests are welcome – Donations Accepted (Must RSVP).

•An Honors’ Recital featuring the 2019 Class of MSOM and a special Senior Recital by this year’s graduate and National Ambassador for Brown Girls Do Ballet, Inc. Amirah Hashimah Muhammad Saturday, June 8 at 7 pm Venue: Main Street Gallery.

•A 20th Anniversary Reunion Orchestra Gala Concert. The Orchestra will be led by Guest Conductor Jaman Dunn, Assistant Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and will feature Maestro Henri Star performing the . Beethoven Violin Concerto. Stated Maestro Muhammad: “We are…thrilled to have as guest conductor Jaman Dunn, who is an up and coming black conductor with the Grammy Award winning Buffalo Philharmonic. Admission to the Gala Concert is $20 (advance tickets); $25 the day of the concert.Sunday, June 9 at 3 pm Venue: Aloma D. Johnson Charter School For more info, tickets, to make a donation in person, online, or by phone contact at Muhammad School of Music, P.O. Box 936, Buffalo, New York 14205; (716)570-5064 email: Henristar@aol.com website: www.henristar.com. For guests traveling in from out of town please ask about our special hotel accommodations.

Muhammad School of Music, founded in 1999 in Buffalo, New York serves hundreds of students from Buffalo, the larger Western New York region, and Southern Ontario , in addition to students who travel into Buffalo from all over the country. Maestro Henri Star Muhammad is a Concert Violinist, Electric Guitarist, Pianist, Vocalist, Conductor, Composer, Studio Recording Artist, Author, Scholar, and nationally renowned Violin Instructor.

Roswell Park and Hispanos Unidos De Buffalo (HUB) Join Forces to Help Job Seekers

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by David Clarence Scott/ MS, Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

f you’re looking for a job, plan to attend an upcoming bilingual (Spanish and English) resume-writing class offered by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center at Hispanos Unidos De Buffalo / Hispanics United of Buffalo (HUB). Free and open to the public, classes will take place on the third Wednesday of every month at HUB, 149 Swan Street in Buffalo.

The first program will be held Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. The class will help you create a professional resume that highlights your skills and experience, targeted for the position(s) you are applying for. You’ll also have access to one-on-one assistance for updating your resume, plus networking opportunities with Roswell Park hiring managers who can give you tips on how to improve your chances of getting an interview and landing a job in your chosen career field.

The program builds on a longtime partnership between Roswell Park’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion and the Buffalo Employment and Training Center (BETC), which have offered monthly resume-writing classes for BETC participants since 2013. Last year Roswell Park hired 33 people through the program.

If you have questions about the program or would like to reserve a place in one of the classes, please call Roswell Park’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion at 716-845-4567 or email diversity@roswellpark.org. For more information about Roswell Park’s Career Development Program and the community outreach programs offered by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, please visit www.roswellpark.org/diversity.

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Meet Dawn

Owner, Kiptom Dance Center

The Allstate MWEE program was the best decision that I made for my business. The program helped me understand our core values, which in turn will help us to grow and prosper. The business networking and strong relationships I’ve built with my fellow classmates is priceless. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is ready to grow and gain a better understanding of their business.

-Dawn TarboxSzerbiak, 2018 Graduate

Entertainment

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

On Stage This Weekend May 24-26

“Three Sistah's” : Moving Musical Closes Out Robeson Theatre Season in High Style

by Ashli Doeman

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hree Sistah’s, a wonderfully therapeutic and moving Musical directed by Buffalo resident Renita Shadwick, is now on stage at the Paul Robeson Theatre in its final week of the season. The production beautifully sums up the amazing art of creation done year round on the Robeson stage.

Shadwick does an excellent job of showcasing that even the best kept secrets within a family will eventually become known.

The power of gospel song fully engages the audience as the actors allow you to be immersed in the Bradshaw family drama and Photo from Three Sistah's by Jerome Shadwick roller coaster ride of emotions from sorrow to intense laughter that highlight the issues between siblings.

The stories that unfold are filled with service for this country, struggle and peace that are all currently relatable. As they reunite over the span of three years (this being the third) these sisters share secrets, memories and grief from burying their mother, father, and now their youngest brother who died in the Vietnam War. Historical references are intertwined throughout as this musical that is set during a period of the 1960’s at a time when African Americans were fighting for their rights that led to Black Panther and Civil Rights Movements and when Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, and JFK were all assassinated and all during a time of war.

During the first act in this unforgettable musical the sisters sing “the storm is passing over” a song that symbolizes the ladies letting go of their grief and clearing out emotional space for their healing.

This coincides with them packing up the house that is clutter with portraits, figurines, and letters as they recollect past encounters of their lost family members.

The talents of the three women cast is another nod to this great production and eye that the director has for excellence. Denise Mullen (Olive) is the eldest of the three sisters that bears the responsibility of coming back home to take care of her family, while Taneisha Facey (Marsha), the middle sibling, has settled into a marriage that is unsatisfying who masks her frustrations through alcohol. Danielle Green (Irene) plays the youngest sister, an activist for African American equal rights during the Civil Rights Movement, who unlike her sisters, doesn’t shy away from her own opinions and beliefs.

A bar that resonates from one of the many memorable songs performed “My sister, beloved, my friend/ I’ll bring you a love with no beginning, no end,” describes the care and emotions that the sisters have for each other and the peace and forgiveness in their hearts to let go of their hurt and pain for themselves, each other, and their past loved ones as the second act comes to an end. A comforting and hopeful message delivered to the audience that grief is an emotional phase that will subside because in the end love conquer all pain.

The skillful instrumentation wrapped around each gospel song is led by musical director Frazier Thomas Smith, bass player David Wells and drummer Abdul Rahman.

Every year the Paul Robeson Theatre hosts a Mother’s day special event for the Buffalo community with their closing season production and on May 12 the theatre held a delicious dinner followed by an unforgettable performance to a full house filled with outbursts of emotions and positive reactions from the audience.

Three Sistah's is one for the entire family. Don’t miss the closing weekend for this musical! The remaining performance dates are May 24th -26th. Tickets and times are available at the Paul Robeson Theater box Office, 350 Mason Ave or can be ordered online at www.aaccbuffalo.org

Kenny Garrett at the Tralf This Weekend A Torchbearer for [the post-Coltrane] Style

Grammy Award–winning saxophonist, arranger, composer, and bandleader Kenny Garrett, will perform at The Tralf Music Hall on Saturday, May 25 at 7 p.m. The show will be. Hosted by Eulis Cathey of Sirius X Radio. Tickets are available at the Tralf Box Office (852-2860) Tralf.com or Tiketmaster.com For more than thirty years, Garrett has garnered critical recognition for his versatility in jazz, blues, and R&B contexts.

The Detroit native began his career performing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Mel Lewis Orchestra. In the early 1980s, Garrett began working with Miles Davis, becoming a member of Davis’s working group—a collaboration that lasted for five years.

With more than twenty recordings as a leader as well as appearing on more than 230 as a sideman, Garrett has performed and recorded with a multitude of musical icons, including Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Q-Tip. Garrett maintains a prolific touring and recording schedule with his own band as well as the world’s most acclaimed jazz legends In 2011, Garrett presented the commencement address at Berklee College of Music and was awarded an honorary doctorate of music by that prestigious institution.

Wrote the New York Times: “...He has become a torchbearer for [the post-Coltrane] style and an encouraging bandleader besides.”

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

ON STAGE

Terrance Tee-Nyce Warren Performing with RBRM Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Rickey Bell and Michael Bivins for the Ronnie Devo Tour 2019 Tuesday May 28 7p.m. at Shea’s PAC 646 Main Street Tickets at Shea’s Box Office *GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC will perform on Tuesday June 11 at 6 p.m. at Artpark Amphitheater, 450 S. Fourth St., Lewiston. Also appearing will be Galactic, Fishbone and Miss Velvet & The Blue Wolf. Tickets are $19-$24 general lawn, $38$45 general admission at Artpark box office, tickets.com, artpark.net, 888-223-600. *UJIMA COMPANY PRESENTS PASSING STRANGE, May 3- May 26 @ the Theatre, 429 Plymouth Avenue, Thurs., Fri., Sat. @ 7pm. ; Sun 4pm.

Lorna C. Hill Director, Michelle Thomas Music Director; Tickets & Reservations ujimacoinc. org. or 716-281-0092; $30 general, $25 Seniors, $15 students. *PAUL ROBESON THEATRE at the African American Cultural Center, 350 Masten Ave. presents "Three Sistah's” Renita Shadwick directs. Season Finale dates Friday May 24 8:30pm Saturday May 25 8pm and Sunday May 26 with audience talkback after the production on Sundays. For more information call 884-2013.

Tickets can be reserved at the box office 884-0279 or picked up in person at 350 Masten Ave. Need a Coupon ? Visit us online at AACCBUFFALO.

In Atlanta Memorial Day Weekend? Check Out These Festivals!

•Atlanta CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL May 24-25, Central Park400 Merritts Ave. NE Info: www.atlantacarnival.org •ATLANTA JAZZ FEST May 25-26 Piedmont Park, 400 Park Drive NE. One of the country’s largest free jazz festivals,Info: atlantafestivals.com •DECATUR ARTS FEST May 25-26 Downtown Decatur, 101 E Court Square Info: decaturartsfestival.com

IGNITE BUFFALO WINNER TO PREMIERE DYNAMIC FILM ABOUT MOTHERHOOD After the success of the recent “Warriors” exhibit at Buffalo’s CEPA Gallery, Get Fokus’d Productions is excited to announce “The Art of Motherhood,” a dynamic film and photography exhibit that explores the daily challengers and beauty of motherhood through the lens of a group of diverse mothers featured in the film.

“I wanted to create a film that looked at motherhood in a unique way” said director Aitina Fareed-Cooke. “There are mothers with unique situations and circum- Image by Aitina Fareed-Cooke stances and their stories need to be told.”

Aitina’s Get Fokus’d Productions was the People’s Choice Award winner at the 2018 Ignite Buffalo Finals that infused 100k into her business.

The Art of Motherhood will premiere on Thursday May 23 at 5pm (doors open at 4pm) at Darwin Martin House Complex 143 Jewett Pkwy. Screening is free and open to the public however space is limited. Get tickets on Eventbrite. All donations received will support the young mothers of HomeSpace Corporation. Learn more at www.getfokusedproductions.com and www.ignitebuffalo.org

GOODNE$$ Presents “A Loss 4 WORDZ”

“A Loss 4 Words,” an adults only Therapeutic Poetry Healing where poets unite and recite, will poetically navigate through the grieving process with lyrical prose, dance and storytelling; vocally using poetry as a form of therapy.

The event will take place at the Rafi Greene CAO Center, 1423 Fillmore Avenue. Vonetta T. Rhodes-Osi will be the cohost the Saturday, June 18 session from 6-9 p.m.

Admission is free.

Dedicated In Loving Memory of the brother of Goodne$$, the late Antoine D. Green and other family members & friends.

There will be no entrance fee.

A small spread/light refreshments will be offered. “Get ‘Em”

ART ON VIEW Check Out My Melody Works by Edreys Wajed ARGUS Gallery 1896 Niagara Street Opening Reception: Friday May 24, 6-9pm On View May 24 - June 21 Exhibition Hours: Saturdays 1-4pm and by appointment.

Contact: 716-432-0420 info at www.eleventwentyprojects.org Contemporary Portraiture Burchfield Penney Arts Center 1300 Elmwood Ave. On View Until June 2nd Hours: Tue. Wed. Fri. Sat. 10am-5pm/Thurs. 11am-8pm and Sunday 10am-4pm Info at www.burchfieldpenney.org

Carlos Llobet : Montealegre The Old New Normal El Museo 91 Allen Street On View until May 25 Exhibition Hours: Wed. – Fri. 12-6pm /Sat. 1-5pm Info 716 464 -4692 or www.elmuseobuffalo.org Humble and Human (an Exhibition in Honor of Ralf C. Wilson Jr.) Albright Knox Art Gallery 1285 Elmwood Ave. On View Until May 26 Exhibition Hours: Tues. Sunday 10am -5pm Admission $16 for non-members info go to

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GENERATIONS

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

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Two East High School Class Reunions Set Class of 1979 will Celebrate in June Class of 1974 Celebrates in July

Lamark Shaw, director of career services, and Tyrel Bales-Brown

Graduating Students Recognized at Multicultural Celebration Daemen College recognized Class of 2019 graduating students from diverse backgrounds at the college’s third annual ALHANA (African, Latino, Hispanic, Asian, Native American) Graduation Celebration held on May 1.

College faculty and staff came together to honor the Daemen students and their many achievements at the campus celebration. Each student received a graduation stole to be worn at commencement scheduled for May 18.

“The ALHANA Graduation is a special way to acknowledge the value, uniqueness, and achievements of graduating multicultural students, who are an important part of our campus community,” said Alvin Roberts, director of diversity and multicultural affairs. “We are proud to bring our diverse student body together to commemorate their hard work and determination to earn their college degree.”

The ALHANA Graduation Celebration featured a keynote address presented by Alphonso Walker, Jr. ‘14, an actor on stage, television, and film. He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in theatre arts from Daemen.

Remarks were also given by Dr. Greg Nayor, vice president for student affairs and strategic initiatives, and Lamark Shaw, director of career services.

Co-sponsors of the event were the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program, Office of Academic Advisement, and the Office of Admissions.

Skate Against Hate!

Women Against Violence Everywhere (WAVE) will host its 2nd Annual FREE Outdoor “Skate Don’t Hate” Skate Against Violence, Saturday, June 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in MLK Park.

The event is a collaborative event involving members of local youth groups, anti-violence groups, schools, community leaders, and others who are concerned about the violence in the City of Buffalo. A few partners include Power 96. 5 Radio, Councilman Ulysees O. Wingo, 716 Rollerz and WAVE. •VENDORS are WELCOME, $20 per table registration, and a vendor license for outdoor sales.

•Free Clothes giveaway, specifically more youth clothes, from sizes 1month and up!

We are looking for Performers who will incorporate messages of peace and love as well as individuals to share motivational messages, stories about how violence may have effected their family, and solutions.

To Sponsor this event you may contact Marilyn Young or cash ap $skatergirl716 #SkateDontHate #716Rollerz #WomenAgainstViolenceEverywhere #June1 #MLKpark

To Advertise, Email: advertising@thechallengernews.com

East High East High School School’s Class Class of 1974 and of ’79 Reunion Alumni Reunion East High School’s Class of 1979 will hold its 40th Reunion on Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 21,22,23. *Friday, June 21: The reunion weekend kicks off on Friday from 6-8 p.m. at East High School, 820 Northampton Street. * Saturday, June 22: The Grapevine Banquet Hall, 333 Dick Road, Depew 1-5 p.m. Semi-Formal Attire. *Sunday, June 23: Picnic from 1-8 p.m. in Martin Luther King Park on Fillmore Avenue.

For further details call 716- 253-5566.

The East High School Class of 74’ is having a Reunion over two dates.

A banquet will be held Friday July 19 from 6-10p.m. at The Grapevine Banquet 333 Dick Road in Depew NY. A cookout will take place Saturday July 20 from 12 noon to 6p.m. at Ellicott Creek Shelter #13. Tickets for Adults are $75 (non-refundable).

For more information contact Mary Mathis at 716 2007738 or Jackie Williams easthighpanthers74@gmail.com.

Mail payments to P.O. Box 1564 Central Park Station 170 Manhattan Ave. Make checks payable to James Hall.

"It's never too late to honor a veteran."

"For more than 200 years, African-Americans have participated in every conflict in United States history. They have not only fought bravely the common enemies of the United States but have also had to confront the individual and institutional racism of their countrymen."

16th STREET BAPTIST CHURCH: On September 15, 1963 a bomb blast at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama killed four African-American girls during church services. At least 14 others are injured in the explosion, including Sarah Collins, the 12-year-old sister of Addie Mae Collins, who lost an eye. Three former Ku Klux Klan members are eventually convicted of murder for the bombing.

Victims:Addie Mae Collins, 14; Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14.

Our Story Project Scholars of the Buffalo Public Schools Embark on Historic Civil Rights Excursion On Sunday, April 28th, 70 high school students from East, Middle Early College, and McKinley High Schools and their chaperones traveled to Alabama, where they engaged in a four day cultural exploration of historic sites, institutions, and landmarks, which serve as historical markers that led to and supported the United States Civil Rights movement.

The tour included travel to Montgomery, Birmingham, and Selma, where students engaged in tours of the historic 16th Street Baptist Church, a Civil Rights Movement epicenter and the site of the tragic church bombing that killed 4 little girls and where the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke and lead the movement. Our scholars also visited the Civil Rights and Rosa Parks Museums, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the Legacy Museum and Memorial. Scholars learned about the work of the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal rights organization, that teaches about African American history in the United States beginning with enslavement through Jim Crow Laws and Segregation, to current issues such as mass incarceration referred to as the school to prison pipeline.

At the Rosa Parks Museum, students stood at the bus stop where Rosa Parks boarded on that fateful morning of December 1, 1955 leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On April 30, 2, the scholars will traveled to Selma, where they toured the National Voting Rights Museum, the Slavery and Civil War Museum, and the historic Brown Chapel AME Church, which was the starting point for the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March. Students re-enact the historic walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge: the site of the tragic “Bloody Sunday” March. The cultural excursion wrapped up with a visit and tour of Alabama State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Please follow our hashtag for photos and trip updates at #OurStory2019.

The group returned to McKinley on May 2.Dr. Morell will document the trip via social media@brother_buffalo (twitter) #OurStory2019 and @whatsupdoc89 (twitter) #OurStory2019

Lafayette High School to Honor Veterans Lafayette High School’s Class of 2019 will honor Lafayette graduates who died during World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam conflict and the War in the Gulf, in a special pre-Memorial Day service.at the Sgt. John Boechat Memorial on Bidwell Parkway at Colonial Circle.on Friday, May 24 at 10:a.m.

In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in at Lafayette High School, 370 Lafayette Avenue.

VOICES

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

Memorial Day Has Roots In Black History

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By Gail V. Wells

ccording to Yale University historian, David Blight, former Black slaves honored dead Union soldiers in a ceremony that is seen as the precursor to the observation of the modern Memorial Day. When one says that Black History is American history, truer words were never spoken.

Although the exact origins of Memorial Day are disputed, the earliest recorded observation occurred on May 1st 1865 in Charleston, SC when 250-257 dead Union Soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp were honored. Lead by freedmen (former enslaved Africans), they dug up the bodies and worked for 2 weeks to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. The freedmen cleaned up and landscaped the burial ground, building an enclosure and an arch labeled, "Martyrs of the Race Course." Nearly ten thousand people, mostly freedmen, gathered to commemorate the war dead. Involved were about 3,000 Black school children newly enrolled in Freedmen's schools, mutual aid societies, Union troops, Black ministers, and White northern missionaries. Most brought flowers to be placed on the burial field The ceremony was covered by the New York Tribune and other national papers.

Years later, the celebration would come to be called the "First Decoration Day" in the North.

A subsequent memorial service was organized in 1866 in the village of Waterloo, NY by Henry Carter Welles and General John B. Murray to honor those who fought and died in the Civil War. The House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously passed Resolution 587 on May 17th and May 19th, 1966 respectively that reads in part as follows: “Resolved that the Congress of the United States, in recognition of the patriotic tradition set in motion one hundred years ago in the Village of Waterloo, NY, does hereby officially recognize Waterloo, New York as the birthplace of Memorial Day…” Despite these early memorials some claim that the modern Memorial Day originated with an order issued in 1868 by Major General A. Logan, a Union soldier, who declared May 30th as “Decoration Day”. Decoration Day was renamed Memorial Day which was established as a federal holiday in1971 by Congress. Yet David W. Blight described what occurred in 1865 this way: "This was the first Memorial Day. African Americans invented Memorial Day in Charleston, South Carolina. What you have there is Black Americans recently freed from slavery announcing to the world with their flowers, their feet, and their songs what the war had been about. What they basically were creating was the Independence Day of a Second American Revolution.”

Interestingly, “Decoration Day” was so closely linked with the Union cause that many Southern states refused to celebrate it. They acquiesced only after World War I, when the holiday was expanded beyond honoring fallen Civil War soldiers to recognizing Americans who died fighting in all wars. Some critics say the original focus — on, as Frederick Douglass put it, the moral clash between "slavery and freedom, barbarism and civilization" — had been lost.

According to the 2000 National Moment of Remembrance Act, which was passed to emphasize the meaning of Memorial Day. All Americans should "voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps.”

Please join the Woman’s Auxiliary of the Jesse Clipper Post 430, the Copper Town Block Club and the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor on Monday May 27th in the Jesse Clipper Park (William and Michigan) in a Memorial Day Service honoring Jesse Clipper and the African American soldiers from WNY who fought and died in combat.

All are invited.

This year a special ceremony will be held for the family of University District Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt when his family receives a flag for his mother and medals that his father, Army Pvt. Norman Calieb Wyatt, never received. Mr. Wyatt's father was killed in the line of duty just months before he was born. Staff Sgt. Janet Smith was featured and acknowledged in the Buffalo News Monday in the "Saluting Our War Heroes" feature for her volunteer work with Veterans, and the help she gave the Wyatt family. Sgt. Smith, a 23 year veteran, has coordinated the Jessee Clipper Memorial Day ceremonies for the past five years.

“We wish to plead our own cause.

Too long have others spoken for us.”

- John Russwurm, Freedom’s Journal.

1827 America’s 1st Black Newspaper Printed In Canada

Challenger Community News P.O. BOX 474 Buffalo, NY 14209 advertising@thechallengernews.com

P: 716 881.1051 F: 716 881.1053

Erie County Has Millions of Dollars in Surplus, But Only Wants to Give Us Crumbs

By Duncan Kirkwood The Erie County Legislature is currently debating what to do with a surplus of nearly 9 million dollars of tax payer money. The County Executive Marc Poloncarz wants to give 5 Million to Albright Knox, 2.5 Million to the Botanical Gardens, $500,000 to help demolish a school in Lackawanna, $350,000 to the High Fidelity WRAP program to reduce foster care placements and $335,000 to the PIVOT program which helps companies train and employ welfare recipients.

This money is SURPLUS tax payer money, and the county should put this money where the greatest needs are in Erie County. There is no one who could argue that while we are in the middle of a gun violence epidemic and an opioid crisis that it is more important to be giving surplus tax payer money to the Botanical Gardens to build a new butterfly wing.

A majority of these surplus funds should be going towards anti-poverty initiatives and anti-violence initiatives and organizations. We have groups like MVP, Stop The Violence, SNUG and so many others that are working every day stop the killings in our community.

These resources should be going to funding initiatives that keep us safe, and healthy and that give people opportunities to succeed.

From my sources inside the legislature, I have been told that they are going to wait until after the primary to make the official decision on what to do with these millions of dollars of extra tax payer money. It would be a bad look for them to give the Albright Knox 5 million dollars instead of putting that money into communities that need support, need growth, need jobs and need opportunities. They are going to give $350,000 to try to Continued Page 14

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The HouHou Scheme Dear Editor: How is it that we are worried about the undocumented immigrants getting driver licenses with the "Green Light Bill" but aren't more outraged by the foreigners (HouHou scheme) making millions off of buying up dilapidated properties throughout the City of Buffalo and leaving them in poor or worse conditions. Those vacant houses lower surrounding property values, become breeding grounds for rats, and cost taxpayers dollars when they have to be demolished because they weren't properly managed.

-Veronica Golden.

Masten District Councilmember Candidate

Metro Riders Representation...

Recently, a Spectrum news report spotlighted a rally held on May 18, to encourage support of a State Assembly bill (A6168). Its intention is to have two voting members on the NFTA's Board of Commissioners to represent Transit riders.

A request for people to contact Assembly members and to ask for a favorable vote was made.

Spectrum stated the NFTA said there is currently one board representative for riders, but they wouldn't provide further details. The news reporter emphasized the individual "cannot vote on the Board's decisions."

The NFTA's website had photos and biographies of their commissioners when I checked on May 18. Some of the dates for the positions showed several expired terms as of 2014. But, since the newest chairperson's information showed 2016 as the starting time and not ending until 2021, the site seemed to contain the latest updating for public viewing.

In June 2013, Governor Cuomo appointed to the Board, as the riders' representative, an unsighted (blind) woman.The term was to be until June 2017. Though having zero voting rights, she was a member of several committees -- among them Surface Management and Audit & Governance. Hmm! Not to be harsh, but due to the vision impairment, understandably, the scope of her Transit rides experience and advocacy could not encompass that of riders-at-large. A second representative should have been appointed to the Board, even in 2013, to insure the broadest range of Transit customers perspectives.

Nothing could be found to reveal the current riders' representative's name and background. Also, who are the replacements for the commissioners with expired terms??

Refocusing on the rally -- State Senator Tim Kennedy and County Legislator April Baskin -- were at the event as strong supporters of the bill.

Also, in the realm of public transportation advocacy, Assembly Speaker Crystal Peoples-Stokes has been a strong backer of the necessity for public transportation to be improved in compliance with riders needs. (Example: to get to job opportunities outside the City limits.)

Infinite compliments to Senator Kennedy who recently became the SenateTransportation Chair. He secured $100 million ($20 million over 5 years) for Metro rail improvements.

Kat Massey

Side Note: Hopefully, the windfall funds will influence the NFTA'S halt in pursuing the sale of naming rights for stations, which would allow them to bear companies names. As an example, the Bison' s ballpark is now Sahlen Field. The income that would be received would be measly. In one case, about $100,000 divided by a number of years. The original rider-centric names (ex. University Station) should remain.

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

Brittnee Perry Set to Take on Season as First Black and First Female Head Coach for Bobcats

T

here are certain inexplicable intangibles that student-athletes possess that make them resilient, buoyant, and a magnet for historic victories.

Brittnee Perry, a former student-athlete, has proven to be no exception. Perry’s magnet for historic victories has put her in elite company as the Inaugural Women’s Basketball Head Coach for the Bryant and Stratton Bobcats. At just 25 years of age, she will begin her tenure as the Women’s Head Coach this fall 2019.

“I am very excited to say that I am the first Women’s Basketball Head Coach, and the first African American woman at that, for this school” said Coach Perry when asked how she felt in regard to her historic opportunity. “I just want to keep evolving as a person and continue to help evolve the sport. I want to keep pushing the culture forward in the evolution of Women’s Basketball.”

A product of Hutch Tech High School, Perry started her College playing career at Medaille College. She then went on to Buffalo State College to complete her playing career, totaling over 1,000 points and snatching over 500 rebounds in her 4 years of collegiate basketball.

She expects her coaching style and philosophy to mirror her experiences as a player and her exposure to high performing college coaches whom she’s had the pleasure of being coached by.

“I have great knowledge of the game. I’ll be able to share with players that, you know, listen, I’ve been here before and I know how to respond in certain situations. I’m very coachable and my hopes and expectations are that my players will be the same way.”

After her collegiate career, Perry set her sights on playing professionally. She traveled to Cologne, Germany where she participated in an exposure camp for aspiring professionals. It was her connections through her former head coach, Rachelle Matthys, who was also a top perform for the University at Buffalo Women’s Basketball team and former professional who currently works as an Assistant

By Gregory L. Gamble II

Bobcats New Head Coach Brittnee Perry photo: A.Dorcely

Women’s Basketball Coach at Canisius College, that she was able to participate in the exposure camp, where she did exceedingly well.

Upon arriving home, Coach Perry found out that she was pregnant with her daughter Justice. She had offers to play professionally, but they were not lucrative enough for her to support her family at the time. Coach Perry stayed home in the U.S. and stayed connected with the basketball community locally where she began helping out the Junior Varsity Girls basketball program at Cardinal O’Hara.

In 2017, Perry finished her Bachelor’s Degree at Buffalo State College in Health and Wellness. She then went on to volunteer her coaching services with the Buffalo State College Women’s Basketball team during the 2017-2018 season. Last season, Perry essentially was an unofficial Assistant Coach with the Bryant and Stratton Men’s Basketball team as she helped conduct practices and prepared for games. When she got wind of the opportunity with the Women’s program, she jumped right on it.

Coach Perry attributes her success to her mentors such as Cecelie Owens, a pillar in the basketball community and has no plans on being content in her new role. “I am excited! I want to make nationals just like the men’s team was able to do, if not further.”

Coach Perry is adamantly recruiting her inaugural class.

Recently, she held a successful talent showcase that included players and students who were high school seniors, junior college students and attendees from as far as Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and New Jersey. Over 30 attendees showed great interest in playing for Coach Perry. Coach Perry would also like to make note that there is room on her roster for student-athletes looking to participate in collegiate athletics this fall. “It’s never too late at Bryant and Stratton College. International students, high school graduates, junior college students, and students who just have eligibility left and want to complete their degree while competing.”

Show your support and stand behind Head Coach Brittnee Perry as the City of Buffalo does with all of it’s athletic standouts. You can access the Bobcats Schedule for this fall at http://buffalo.bscbobcats.com/ sports/wbkb/index

Are you registered to VOTE?

14

Rise Up Right Highlights In Sports

W

elcome to Rise Up Right, where we give you the best sports news and highlights, and updates taking full circle in the sports world. Thank you for your continued support....and with that being said Let's Rise Up....

Buffalo Bills News This past week was all about mixing the old with the new as One Bills Drive hosted their rookie minicamp. Chemistry is the name of the game as building this amongst teammates can be harder than playing jenga.

Ask the Pittsburgh Steelers about the importance of chemistry. Josh Allen and other Buffalo Bills veterans are very enthusiastic about the new talent arriving to the Bills organization. Leadership will definitely play an important role in how fast the rookies will excel in their specific roles. Which rookie will have the most impact in year one of their NFL career.

My answer is all of them as I hope that everybody excels in the position that they may hold once Week 1 begins.

Just a reminder we are only 15 weeks away from the NFL season opener. Speaking of openers, there are new reports that OJ Simpson's #32 will be worn by a Buffalo Bill this year.

What the who-what-where-why and how is going on?

Many sports fans would have thought that OJ Simpson's number would have been retired by the Bills organization especially after his great contributions to the franchise. Simpson is easily the best overall running Back the Bills organization has ever had. Oj Simpson ran for over 11,000 yards and had over 2,000 receiving yards and 75 touchdowns and has been a Hall

Of Famer s i n c e 1 9 8 5 .

That's almost as long as I have been living and now another B i l l s player will wear

his number.

Who will wear "The Juice" number? Do you think this is a good move by the Bills organization?

In other Bills news, Jerry Hughes has been signed to a 2 year deal with the Bills as Hughes has been the Bills best pass rusher for the last couple of seasons. This deal will pay Hughes up to 23 million dollars and 19.5 million of that will be guaranteed money. Is Hughes good for the money? How many sacks will Hughes have this upcoming season?

In Other Sports News The Golden State Warriors have swept the Portland Trail Brazers after winning Game 4 on Tuesday night 119-117 in OT. The Warriors will get well needed rest as Kevin Durant who didn’t play in the Western Conference Finals will be needed in these NBA Finals against the winner of the Toronto and Milwaukee series which the Bucks have a 2-1 series lead as of Tuesday morning.

The Buffalo Sabres have filled their Head Coach job vacancy by hiring Ralph Kruger this past week. Ralph Krueger is a Canadian-born German professional ice hockey coach and former hockey player. He played hockey from 1979 to 1991 as a right winger. He also was a

KIRKWOOD: ERIE COUNTY MILLIONS continued from page 13

reduce foster care placements, well we are gonna need a lot more than that. In Erie County Black people make up 15% of the population, but nearly 40% of children removed from the home are Black children. We need to get our priorities straight.

In any case, they are going to wait until after the election when the backlash won't really matter.

This is why local elections are so important, this is why I am running for Erie County Legislature. There are so many people in Erie County, especially on the East and West side that need help that these millions of dollars in extra tax payer money could have helped.

TO ADVERTISE: advertising@thechallengernews.com 716.881.1051

head coach for the Edmonton Oilers 2012-2013 but was let go by the Oilers.

For more sports news and updates.......follow as on Facebook @Andre Robinson & Rise Up Sports Podcast Group Instagram @therealtorch716 and check out Rise Up Unlimited Sports TV Show every Thursdays at 130pm and Saturdays at 730am on Channel 1302 for Spectrum Cable Subscribers...

LEGAL NOTICE COUNTY OF ERIE ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Public Safety Campus, 5th FL DNA Lab HVAC Piping I mprovements PROJECT NO. 2019-823-03 Sealed bids for: Mechanical Construction work for the above project will be received by the County’s Commissioner of Public Works in Suite 1400 of the Rath County Office Building, 95 Franklin St, Buffalo, New York 14202 until 10:30 AM local time on Friday, June 7, 2019 at which time they will be opened and read aloud. MBE/WBE, Apprenticeship program, and Local and Disadvantaged Workforce requirements may apply to this project. Additional information must be found at: www.erie.gov/dpw

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

NOTICE

The resolution, a copy of which is published herewith, has been adopted by the County Legislature on the 9th day of May, 2019 and the validity of the obligations authorized by such resolution may be hereafter contested only if such obligations were authorized for an object or purpose for which the County of Erie, New York, is not authorized to expend money or if the provisions of law which should have been complied with as of the date of publication of this Notice were not substantially complied with, and an action, suit or proceeding contesting such validity is commenced within twenty days after the publication of this Notice, or such obligations were authorized in violation of the provisions of the constitution.

ROBERT M. GRABER Clerk of the County Legislature RESOLUTION NO. 111-2019 BOND RESOLUTION DATED MAY 9, 2019 BOND RESOLUTION OF THE COUNTY OF ERIE, NEW YORK, AUTHORIZING VARIOUS CAPITAL PROJECTS INCLUDED IN THE 2019 CAPITAL BUDGET OF THE COUNTY, STATING THE TOTAL ESTIMATED MAXIMUM COST OF SUCH PROJECTS IS $44,116,529, APPROPRIATING SAID AMOUNT THEREFOR, INCLUDING THE EXPENDITURE OF $17,086,332 EXPECTED TO BE RECEIVED IN STATE OR FEDERAL AID, AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF $27,030,197 BONDS OF THE COUNTY TO FINANCE THE BALANCE OF SAID APPROPRIATION; AND FURTHER AUTHORIZING ANY AMOUNTS RECEIVED FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND/OR THE STATE OF NEW YORK TO BE EXPENDED TOWARDS THE COST OF CERTAIN OF SUCH CAPITAL PROJECTS AS INDICATED HEREIN, OR REDEMPTION OF ANY NOTES AND BONDS ISSUED THEREFOR OR TO BE BUDGETED AS AN OFFSET TO THE TAXES FOR PAYMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL OF AND INTEREST ON SAID NOTES AND BONDS. (Introduced) May 9, 2019 (Adopted) May 9, 2019 RESOLVED BY THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF THE COUNTY OF ERIE, NEW YORK (by the affirmative vote of not less than two thirds of the voting strength of said Legislature), AS FOLLOWS: Section 1.

The County of Erie, New York (herein called “County”), is hereby authorized to undertake the various capital projects as described in column A of the attached schedule, each as more fully described in column I of the attached schedule and the duly adopted 2019 Capital Budget for the County. To the extent that the details set forth in

this resolution are inconsistent with any details set forth in the 2019 Capital Budget of the County, such Budget shall be deemed and is hereby amended. For each of the specific objects or purposes, classes of objects or purposes and combinations of objects or purposes, as specified in column B of the attached schedule, the respective estimated maximum costs, including preliminary costs and costs incidental thereto and to the financing thereof, are set forth in column C of the attached schedule, and said respective amounts are hereby appropriated therefor pursuant to the duly adopted 2019 Capital Budget for the County. The plan of financing includes the expenditure of $17,086,332 in State and Federal aid expected to be received, the issuance of $27,030,197 aggregate principal amount of bonds of the County and any bond anticipation notes issued in anticipation of the sale of such bonds to finance the balance of said appropriations, and the levy and collection of taxes on all the taxable real property in the County to pay the principal of said bonds and notes and the interest thereon as the same shall become due and payable. Any amounts received by the County from the United States of America and/or the State of New York are hereby authorized to be expended towards the cost of the applicable specific objects or purposes, classes of objects or purposes or combinations of objects or purposes or the redemption of any notes and bonds issued therefor or to be budgeted as an offset to the taxes for the repayment of the principal of and interest on said notes and bonds.

Section 2.

Bonds of the County in the respective principal amounts set forth in column D of the attached schedule are hereby authorized to be issued pursuant to the provisions of the Local Finance Law, constituting Chapter 33-a of the Consolidated Laws of the State of New York (herein called the “Law”) to finance said appropriations.

Section 3.

The respective periods of probable usefulness for said specific objects or purposes, classes of objects or purposes and combinations of objects or purposes for which said $27,030,197 bonds herein authorized are to be issued, within the limitations of §11.00 a. of the Law, is set forth in column G of the attached schedule.

Section 4.

The County intends to finance, and the Comptroller of the County is hereby authorized to advance such amounts as are necessary to pay the costs of the respective specific objects or purposes, classes of objects or purposes and combinations of objects or purposes described in Section 1 hereof, prior to the issuance of the bonds or bond anticipation notes herein authorized, out of any available funds of the County on an interim basis, which respective amounts are reasonably expected to be reimbursed with the proceeds of debt to be incurred by the County pursuant to this Resolution, in the respective maximum amounts of bonds herein authorized. This Resolution is a declaration of

15 official intent adopted pursuant to the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.150-2.

Section 5.

Subject to the provisions of this Resolution and of the Law, and pursuant to the provisions of §21.00 relative to the issuance of bonds having substantially level or declining annual debt service, §30.00 relative to the authorization of the issuance of bond anticipation notes or the renewals thereof, and of §§50.00, 56.00 to 60.00 and 168.00 of said Law, the powers and duties of the County Legislature relative to authorizing the issuance of any notes in anticipation of the sale of the respective amounts of bonds herein authorized, or the renewals thereof, relative to providing for substantially level or declining annual debt service, relative to prescribing the terms, form and contents and as to the sale and issuance of the respective amounts of bonds herein authorized, and of any notes issued in anticipation of the sale of said bonds or the renewals of said notes, and relative to executing agreements for credit enhancement, are hereby delegated to the Comptroller of the County, as the chief fiscal officer of the County.

Section 6.

Each of the bonds authorized by this Resolution and any bond anticipation notes issued in anticipation of the sale thereof shall contain the recital of validity prescribed by §52.00 of said Local Finance Law and said bonds and any notes issued in anticipation of said bonds shall be general obligations of the County of Erie, payable as to both principal and interest by general tax upon all the taxable real property within the County. The faith and credit of the County are hereby irrevocably pledged to the punctual payment of the principal of and interest on said bonds and any notes issued in anticipation of the sale of said bonds or the renewals of said notes, and provision shall be made annually in the budgets of the County by appropriation for (a) the amortization and redemption of the notes and bonds to mature in such year and (b) the payment of interest to be due and payable in such year.

Section 7.

The validity of the bonds authorized by this Resolution and of any notes issued in anticipation of the sale of said bonds, may be contested only if: (a) such obligations are authorized for an object or purpose for which the County is not authorized to expend money, or (b) the provisions of law which should be complied with at the date of the publication of this Resolution are not substantially complied with, and an action, suit or proceeding contesting such validity, is commenced within twenty days after the date of such publication, or (c) such obligations are authorized in violation of the provisions of the Constitution.

Section 8.

This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon approval by the County Executive.

Challenger Community News â&#x20AC;˘ t hec hallengernews.com â&#x20AC;˘May 22,2019

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

LEGAL NOTICE US BANK V. HILL

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE COUNTY COURT ERIE COUNTY U.S. BANK TRUST, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR LSF10 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST, Plaintiff against KAREN J HILL A/K/A KAREN HILL, ET AL, et al Defendants Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Fein, Such & Crane, LLP, 28 East Main Street Suite 1800,Rochester, NY 14614 Attorney (s) for Plaintiff (s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered September 13, 2018, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at the Foreclosure Alcove 1st Floor, at 92 Franklin St., in the County of Erie, State of New York on June 4, 2019 at 9:00 AM. Premises known as 5 Wood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14211. Sec 101.73 Block 5 Lot 17.

All that tract or parcel of land, situate in the City of Buffalo, County of Erie and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $39,183.13 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 804915/2017.

Andrew Z. Lepore, Esq., Referee

VERJC277

CITY OF BUFFALO REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS AND PROPOSAL City of Buffalo and Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency- Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning HUD 5 YEAR Consolidated Plan The City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency is seeking qualification statements and proposals from interested firms to provide consultation, development and submission of its 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan. Consolidated plans must be in compliance with all associated federal laws and regulatory requirements. The city intends to submit the Consolidated Plan to HUD by July 22, 2020. Proposals must be submitted as a pdf attachment emailed to Ms. Hall, and must not exceed 20 pages and 10mb, as larger attachments will not make it past the city’s firewall. Ms. Hall must receive your proposal no later than 11:00 a.m.

EDT on Tuesday, July 2, 2019. The city encourages minority and women-owned business enterprises to submit proposals. No firm or person will be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin or any other protected class. RFQ/ RFP submission instructions may be found at: https://www.buffalony.gov/

LEGAL NOTICE RFP CAOWNY Procurement REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL For HUD HOME Program •Residential Construction Analyst •Legal Services •Realtor •EPA – Lead/Asbestos Testing Download RFPs from

www.caowny.org

The Buffalo Bills Are Hiring.

Applications now being accepted for Usher/Ticket Taker, Wheelchair Ambassadors & Guest Information Ambassadors Apply at: http.//BuffaloBills.com/ stadium/employment

EMPLOYMENT

LEGAL NOTICE BID NFTA Procurement Invitation to Bid 4883 - Consultant for Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Project Planning 4855 - Liquid Deicer Truck for BNIA Download Bids from www.nfta.com LEGAL NOTICE BID Invitation to Bid The NFTA is soliciting bids for Project No. 22LS1711, LRRT DL&W Station Rail Systems and Site Work, Bid No. E-549R due on June 27, 2019 at 2pm. www.nftaengineering.com

ROOMS FOR RENT ROOMS FOR RENT: Delavan-Humboldt area, BaileyDelavan. $325-$480. Everything included. (716)818-3410.

HIGH SCHOOL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL The Fairport Central School District (www.fairport.org) seeks an energetic and motivational leader to join our team at the Minerva DeLand and Fairport High Schools.

Requires NYS SBL certification. Apply online by 5/29/19 www.applitrack.com/fairportcsd/onlineapp/

JOBS

Lead Programmer/Analyst Lead Programmer/Analyst to install, upgrade, maintain Web servers & deployment apps on mainly Linux OS at Info. Tech. Exch. Ctr. & SUNY campuses in NYS. Analyze/troubleshoot middleware-related web, network, security & Java technical issues. Assist w/ design, dev., implementation of large-scale complex apps. Req: BS in Comp. Info. Sys. or rel. 5 yrs. exp. in app. server admin. w/ currently supported web server & a Java app server product, to include: WebLogic or Tomcat patching/upgrading/configuration in Banner Student Info Sys & Blackboard Learn; programming and scripting exp. w/ Bash, Perl, PHP, or python.

Apply online at: http://jobs.buffalostate.edu/postings/4029.

Buffalo Employment and Training Center /

BETC 716-856-5627

www.workforcebuffalo.org

Buffalo State is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and committed to respect for diversity and individual differences.

Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

“Dance is for everybody…”

-Alvin Ailey

On Going Community Dance Classes MONDAYS Hustle for Health Urban Line Dancing Gloria Parks: 3242 Main St. 12 noon – 1p.m.; FREE ages 55+ 832 -1010.

Wednesday May 22 Miss Betty’s Dirt Cheap Yard Sale: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 974 Jefferson Ave. Clothing, furniture, kids toys & more! Rain or shine, 8878333 or 436-8065.

The Durham Central City Baby Café Info and support for pregnant and breastfeeding moms 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 200 Eagle St. (716) 4270566.

Thursday May 23 Miss Betty’s Dirt Cheap Yard Sale: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 974 Jefferson Ave. Clothing, furniture, kids toys & more! Rain or shine, 8878333 or 436-8065.

Urban Line Dancing w/Cherie: 7-8:30p.m. Pratt Center.

Yoga & Jembe Every Thursday at Juneteenth headquarters 1517 Genesee 5:30 p.m.

DJ Dave Urban Line Dancing, Martha Mitchell Center, 175 Oakmont, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Durham Central City Baby Café Info and support for pregnant and breastfeeding moms 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 200 Eagle St. (716)4270566.

TUESDAYS B.O.S.S. Detroit Stepping Pratt Community Center.

WEDNESDAYS: Hustle for Health Urban Line Dancing Gloria Parks: 3242 Main St. 11 a.m. - 12 noon. FREE for ages 55+ 832 -1010.

Friday May 24 Miss Betty’s Dirt Cheap Yard Sale: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 974 Jefferson Ave. Clothing, furniture, kids toys & more! Rain or shine, 8878333 or 436-8065.

Saturday May 25 Miss Betty’s Dirt Cheap Yard Sale: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 974 Jefferson Ave. Clothing, furniture, kids toys & more! Rain or shine, 8878333 or 436-8065.

Urban Line Dance Classes: St. Phillips, 15 Fernhill ; 6-8 p.m.; Cheri & Darel 2009702.

BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NO GENERAL MEETING; (716) 995-0622, (716) 400-2041

DJ Dave Urban Line Dancing, Baptist Manor, 276 Linwood. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Free Rabies Vaccination Clinic: 4-7 p.m. Broadway Market. For more info visit www.erie.gov/health

Line Dance Class w/ Joan Harris, Metropolitan Church, 657 Best St, noon 2 p.m.; $3.

Urban Line Dancing /Cherie: 6-:7:30 p.m. St. Philips Fernhill @ Grider THURSDAYS Line Dance Classes with Willa Jackson, 10:30 -11:30 a.m. Schiller Park Senior Center, 2057 Genesee st.

895-2727.

FRIDAYS Beginners/Intermediate Line Dance 6pm Bethel AME Church Hall 1525 Michigan @ E.Ferry Ernestine, Instructor Chicago Steppin’: 7-8:30 p.m. Pratt Center 422 Pratt St. SATURDAYS Mike's Smooth Urban Ballroom Dance: 11 to 1 PM, Delavan-Grider Center, 877 E. Delavan.380-5100 . $5 DJ Dave Urban Line Dancing, Baptist Manor, 276 Linwood.10a.m.-12 noon.

SEE YOU AT THE EVENTS!

Wednesday May 29

The Durham Central City Baby Café Info and support for pregnant and breastfeeding moms 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 200 Eagle St. (716) 4270566.

Thursday May 30 Board of Block Clubs Monthly Meeting: Belmont. Resource ctr.

1195 Main St. 6:45-8 p.m.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE BUFFALO BRANCH NAACP: CIVIC ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE Do you desire to see change?

Do you want to have influence?

Do you want to be a difference maker?

Register and Vote! It is more than your right it is your civic duty!

The registration deadline is May 31, 2019. The Primary Election is June 25, 2019

Bonsai Show The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens presents their annual Bonsai Show that June 1 and 2 from 10:00am4:30pm on the Buffalo Botanical Gardens’ campus. Attendees to the bonsai show will have the opportunity to talk with members of the Bonsai Society as they display amazing bonsai specimens from their personal collections. raffle tickets for a chance to win bonsai baskets and merchandise. Info www. buffalogardens.com

MAYOR BYRON W. BROWN INVITES YOU TO

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NORTHLAND CORRIDOR AND GROWING OPPORTUNITIES AT THE NORTHLAND WORKFORCE TRAINING CENTER

Common Council Candidates In Three Races To debate: Burchfield Penney Arts Center on buffalo State College Campus, Fillmore District candidates will debate at 7 p.m.; Masten District candidates at 8:10 p.m.; and University candidates at 9:20 p.m.

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2019

The Durham Central City Baby Café Info and support for pregnant and breastfeeding moms 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 200 Eagle St. (716)4270566.

683 Northland Avenue

NORTHLAND WORKFORCE TRAINING CENTER

Saturday June 1 Umoja Inc. “State of Our Black Family Conference”: CAO Masten Resource Center, 1423 Fillmore Ave., 12noon – 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more info call Brother Peoples at 716 5336283. See page 3.

Women Against Violence Everywhere (WAVE) 2nd Annual FREE Outdoor “Skate Don’t Hate”: S 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in MLK Park.

1st Annual Kidpreneur EXpo: Trinity UM Church,, 711 Niagara falls Blvd., $15. email roydmentoring@gmail.com Sunday June 2 Author’s Book Launch and Panel Discussion: The Cow on Two Farms, A Children’s Guide of How to Cope with Divorce and Separation by Peter Johnson, 3 – 4:30 p.m. Merriweather Library and

TUESDAY JUNE 4 Floetry In Motion Black Film Festival: “Poetic Justice” Merriweather Library, 1324 Jefferson, 5:30 p.m. 428-9892. Email: sblack3001@gmail.com Regular Monthly Business Meeting Charter School of Inquiry Board of Trustees Meeting: 4:45 pm at 404 Edison 833-3250

5:00pm-6:00pm LEARN ABOUT THE ON-GOING PROJECTS! Find out about all of the exciting projects, investments and opportunities in the Northland Beltline neighborhood, as well as how the new Workforce Training Center is creating high-quality employment opportunities, honoring Buffalo’s industrial heritage, and helping to revive the Northland residential neighborhood.

For more information: Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (716) 856-6525

MAYOR BYRON W. BROWN

6:00pm-7:30pm SPECIAL PRE-ENROLLMENT SESSIONS There are 3,000 jobs to fill in Western New York with starting salaries paying $30,000 or more per year in Manufacturing & Energy. Slots are filling up fast for Fall 2019. All you need is a valid ID to start. We have training, all we need is you.

Start building your career and future today We are currently enrolling for the Fall 2019 Semester. We offer education and training in the following areas: Electrical Construction & Maintenance Electrician, Machine Tool Technology, Welding Technology, Mechatronics For more information: NORTHLANDWTC.ORG or (716) 436-3229

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Challenger Community News • t hec hallengernews.com •May 22,2019

20

VOTING MATTERS! ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?

PRIMARY ELECTION DAY IS JUNE 25

YOU MUST BE REGISGTERED BY MAY 31 IN ORDER TO VOTE IN THE JUNE 25TH PRIMARY ELECTION. •All of the Seats on the Common Council are up for Election

WHERE TO REGISTER •YOU CAN REGISTER AT THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, 134 W. Eagle St., OR CALL (716)858-8891 or go to https://www.elections.erie.gov/ •OR AT THE FOLLOWING PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES ON JEFFERSON BETWEEN UTICA AND FERRY STREET WHERE YOU CAN PICK UP A VOTER REGISTRATION FORM OR FILL OUT AND LEAVE AT THE LOCATION! Golden Cup Coffee 1323 Jefferson Ave. (corner of Utica and Jefferson) Frank E. Merriweather Library 1324 Jefferson Ave. THE ROSE! The Rose Bar & Grill hosted its grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony May 2 at their 199 Scott Street location. There were remarks by Mayor Byron Brown who also presented owner Lisa Roosevelt with a proclamation declaring May 2 in the city as The Rose Bar & Grille Day. A representative from Senator Timothy Kennedy’s office was also present. The lovely up-scale eatery and bar is a dream come true for Mrs. Roosevelt, who expressed heartfelt thanks to her husband, Chris Roosevelt and host of dedicated staff and family members for their support. Cutting the ribbon is Chris Roosevelt, Mayor Brown and Mrs. Roosevelt. Saxophonist Will Holton performed following the ceremonies. CHALLENGER PHOTO

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Challenger Community News 1337 Jefferson Ave. Apollo Small Business Resource Center 1346 Jefferson Ave. Zawadi Books 1382 Jefferson Ave. Mr. Love & Sons Barbershop 1384 Jefferson Ave.

Ink Spot 1440 Jefferson Ave. Solo Eats 261 East Ferry Mandella Market & Gas 272 E. Ferry Doris Records 286 East Ferry YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE EVEN IF YOU ARE A FELON AND/OR HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD! SEE YOU AT THE POLLS!

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