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Mamdani shocks the establishment as Cuomo concedes
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist who ran an energetic campaign centered on the cost of living, had an early lead after the polls closed and pulled ahead in the race. Shockingly, former Governor Andrew Cuomo opted to concede just under two hours later. That leaves Mamdani to advance to the November election for mayor of New York City against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams.
As of press time on Wednesday morning, Mamdani garnered 43.51% of the vote, a total of 432,305 votes in the first round. Cuomo had a total of 36.42% of the votes equalling 361,840 votes, according to the New York City Board of Elections (BOE).
“Tonight we made history. In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘It always seems impossible until it is done,’ ” said Mamdani in his acceptance speech at his watch party, held at the Greats of Craft bar located on 43rd Avenue & 11th Street in Long Island City, Queens. “In our New York, the power belongs to the people.”
Despite the sweltering heat, Mamdani’s watch party was well attended with enthusiastic supporters and electeds such as Councilmember Chi Ossé, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams,
Congressmember Nydia Velázquez, former Congressmember Jamaal Bowman, Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson, and New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Mamdani’s parents, Mia and Mahmoud, as well as wife, Rama, were also in attendance.
“Zohran has been 1,000% focused for eight months now on everything he could do to win the nomination. He’s been focused on 9
p.m. tonight. Nothing further,” said one of Mamdani’s campaign leads, Andrew Epstein. “And that’s how we’ve run this campaign. It’s why we’ve gone from 1% in the polls, where 80% of New Yorkers had no idea who he is, to being on the cusp of toppling this political dynasty. It’s because of that relentless focus. He has been focused on winning today. He has
on page 36
Borough president winners in BX and BK races
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
According to the latest unofficial results from the New York City Board of Elections (BOE), incumbents Antonio Reynoso and Vanessa Gibson dominated their re-election campaigns in their primaries for Brooklyn and Bronx Borough president (BP) on Tuesday.
Brooklyn
MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS INFORMATION
Reynoso, a Brooklyn native, is the son of Dominican immigrants. At his 2025 State of the Borough address at Boys and Girls High School in Bed-Stuy in April, he promised to invest in a Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Advanced Certificate Program for pregnant mothers and birthing parents experiencing mental distress, advocate for more affordable housing throughout the borough, protect the last active port in Red Hook’s harbor and waterfront, and invest in the Interborough Express to better connect transit deserts in Brooklyn and Queens, among other issues. He’s also been determined to move away from “fear-based politics” and the influence of President Donald Trump on how the city is governed.
Reynoso benefited naturally was the incumbent and was ahead in fundrais -
ing for his re-election campaign. After the polls closed on Tuesday, June 24, he ended the night with 77.07% or 241,149 votes. Once it became clear that Reynoso would sweep the first round of rank choice voting, he simply tweeted, “Thank you Brooklyn.”
Reynoso was later spotted at mayoral candidate and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s watch party, celebrating with Mamdani supporters as Mamdani won
the Democratic primary for mayor. Reynoso’s opponent, Khari Edwards, a head of corporate and social responsibility at AYR Wellness Inc. a multi-state cannabis dispensary company, was the first vice president of color for external affairs at Brookdale Hospital in Brownsville. This is the second time he’s run against Reynoso for BP and lost. Edwards had garnered 22.46% of the votes.
See WINNERS on page 35
See MAMDANI
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani clinches the Democratic Primary nomination on Jun 24, 2025. (Ariama C. Long photo)
Incumbent Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso at Zohran Mamdani watch party in Long Island City on June 24. (Ariama C. Long photo)
(Unofficial) NYC City Council winners in primarily Black and Brown districts
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Out of 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs, quite a few Black City Council members were in competitive races in this year’s June primary elections. Upping the spice factor for 2025 City Council elections is the element of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), where instead of choosing only one favorite candidate, voters rank up to five candidates in each race.
In terms of timeline, the first round RCV results from Election Day and early votes were released on Election Night at the close of the polls. Next week, on July 1, the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) will begin counting mail-in and affidavit ballots, with further releases every Tuesday until there are no more rounds. All races should be certified by July 15.
Here’s a quick rundown of the first round RCV winners in competitive Black and Brown City Council district races among the boroughs and the incumbents still in office.
District 8: East Harlem, Manhattan & South Bronx
This packed race has several candidates: Raymond Santana Jr.; City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala’s chief of staff, Elsie Encarnacion; lawyer Wilfredo López; Bronx Community Board Chair Clarisa Alayeto; and Community Board 11 member Nicholas Reyes.
So far, Encarnacion has pulled out ahead with 28.73% of the votes and Lopez is trailing in second place with 18.34% of the votes.
District 28: Richmond Hill & Jamaica, Queens
This race was incredibly competitive as candidates competed to replace City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. The candidates were Adams’s chief of staff Tyrell D. Hankerson, Romeo Hitlall, Latoya LeGrand, Japneet Singh, and former Councilmember Ruben Wills.
So far, Hankerson is leading the pack with 34.81% of the votes, while Singh is close behind with 24.75% of the votes.
District 41: Brownsville, Brooklyn
Incumbent Darlene Mealy is holding onto a lead of 43.24%, while candidate Lawman Lynch is coming in second with 15.61% of the votes. Other candidates, like Jammel A. Thompson (13.47%) and Bianca Cunningham (12.63%), are just behind Lynch in votes.
Incumbent Councilmember
Several incumbents won their reelection campaigns right off
to
the bat, according
the latest BOE unofficial results.
Incumbent Councilmember Shaun Abreu swept the first round with 62.74% of the votes in the District 7 (Upper West Side and Washington Heights, Manhattan) race. His main challenger, Edafe Okporo, trailed behind with 24.96% of the votes. In District 12 (Co-op City, Bronx), incumbent Council-
member Kevin C. Riley, got a majority in the first round with 75.51% of the votes against opponent Andy King.
Crystal Hudson, in District 35 (Crown Heights & Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn), defeated several candidates with 84.67% of the votes. Incum-
bent Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse, in District 46 (Canarsie, Mill Basin, and Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn), got 82.94% of the votes in her race. Incumbent Councilmember Kamillah M. Hanks, in District 49 (North Shore, Staten Island), got 58.46% of the votes in her race.
A sStock photo of Black person holding “vote” badge. (Photo by Edmond Dantès via Pexels.com)
Two people died within two hours on Rikers Island
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News staff
Two people died on Rikers Island in the same afternoon following medical emergencies last Friday, June 20. They mark the sixth and seventh people to die in or immediately after New York Department of Corrections (DOC) custody this year.
Jail staff noticed Benjamin Kelly in medical distress during a routine walkthrough around 3 p.m. The 37-year-old Black New Yorker was pronounced dead half an hour later. Meanwhile, James Maldonado’s medical emergency occurred during transport to Rikers Island around 4:30 p.m. shortly after his arraignment. He was pronounced dead at 4:49 p.m. after staff attempted to aid him at the sally port of a Rikers Island jail.
New Yorker Benjamin Kelly experienced medical distress while housed at Rikers’ Eric M. Taylor Center (EMTC) jail, while James Maldonado sustained a medical emergency during bus transport to the island, according to the DOC. Both men were pronounced dead within a two-hour span.
“The life of every single person in our care is valued and Friday was profoundly tragic for the department as two individuals lost their lives,” said DOC Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie in a statement. “Our deepest sympathies are with their loved ones. These incidents will be investigated thoroughly.”
The Legal Aid Society, which represented Maldonado, says his lawyers remain in the dark about details surrounding his death. The 56-year-old was entering custody for the first time after a hospital discharge, according to the DOC.
“Currently, we have received little information from DOC regarding the circumstances surrounding Mr. Maldonado’s death, which occurred shortly after his arraignment,” a Legal Aid spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Often, DOC fails to provide even the most basic details to counsel, the client’s family, or the public. This ongoing lack of transparency is unacceptable.
“We call for an immediate and independent investigation by the New York City Department of Investigation to ensure that both DOC and the New York City Police Department — where Mr. Maldonado spent the majority of his detention — are held accountable and provide answers to his loved ones and the public.”
Transportation from court appearances remains a key issue addressed by the city’s beleaguered attempts to replace Rikers Island with four borough-based jails located nearby (and overwhelmingly connected to) the city’s municipal courthouses by late summer 2027.
Earlier this month, councilmembers Carlina Rivera, Gale Brewer, Yusef Salaam, Shaun Abreu, Carmen De La Rosa and Diana Ayala signed a letter to Mayor Eric Adams calling for the Manhattan jail to be completed as soon as possible on the current plot next to the New York County Criminal Court in Chinatown.
“As it stands, the modern jail set to replace the Tombs will not open until 2032, five years after the legal deadline to close Rikers,” wrote the council members. “Any change would further delay and imperil the closure of Rikers, an outcome that is inconsistent with the law and our moral obligation as a city. The plan to close Rikers was passed into law because housing people who are awaiting
trial on an island isolated from the courts and their communities, and amid dangerous conditions, is as wrong as it is inefficient.
“Implementing the plan to close Rikers, including making the necessary investments in prevention and diversion, will improve the safety and well-being of New York City residents and visitors.”
This letter follows reporting by the Amsterdam News of Chinatown advocates proposing the relocation of the Manhattan jail to a defunct federal facility a few blocks south in favor of an affordable housing structure on
the current demolished lot.
While the city figures out how to meet the legally-required closure of Rikers Island, a federal receiver will be appointed later in the year to oversee city jails to ensure they comply with constitutional standards enforced by a class action lawsuit nearly a decade ago. On the state level, a criminal justice reform “omnibus” was passed and includes legislation bolstering the State Commission of Correction (SCOC), an independent watchdog agency with oversight powers over local jails across New York like those on Rikers Island.
Heatwave hits NYC on June primary Election Day 2025
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Additional reporting from Tandy Lau,
Amsterdam News staff
Polls opened on Tuesday, June 24, for the 2025 citywide June primary elections as a heatwave hit the city this Election Day. Temperatures reached about 100 degrees outside, matching the heat of a tightly-contested primary.
For early voting, organizers on the ground observed that voters were definitely engaged with their local elections this year and showed up to the polls.
“It’s my perspective that early voting has increased over last year, specifically because of all the attention with the mayoral candidates and all the races that are happening,” said Joan Alexander Bakiriddin, newly appointed president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Brooklyn Branch. “Because of the urgency of now, because of what’s happening at the federal level, folks are
more in tune, paying attention — they want to make sure that their vote is already counted.”
Bakiriddin said that in addition to educating voters about candidates and ranked choice voting (RCV), it was also important to remind people about the general election in November. “We’re also telling people that if you’re not a Republican or a Democrat, then you won’t be voting now. We’ll see you in November or October for early voting,” she said.
The extreme heat of summer came as a bit of a change-up after weeks of cooler rain and storms in the city this spring. A few speculators worried that the weather would deter voters from showing up at the polls on Election Day.
“The heat was very severe, and I ran around to various poll sites, dropping off cold water to our poll workers,” said Anthony Beckford, Democratic district leader and male state committee member in the 43rd Assembly District in Brooklyn. See HEATWAVE on page 25
Rikers Island (Tandy Lau photo)
Voting sign at polling place in Brooklyn. (Ariama C. Long photo)
Dr. Brandon K. Allen: Giving back to Harlem, one community initiative at a time
By JANAE ANTRUM Special to the AmNews
Dr. Brandon Karl Allen, a passionate advocate for Harlem, refers to the community as the “Black Mecca” because of its Afrocentric heritage and its resilience. He sees Harlem as a symbol of struggle and success, which encourages individuals to persevere. “Harlem will teach you how to love yourself in a cold, cruel, and dark world,” Allen said in emphasizing the neighborhood’s role in fostering self-love and community connection.
Originally from Barnwell, S.C., Allen’s love for New York City began in his youth, when his aunt moved to Long Island. He daydreamed about coming to visit her and his cousins in New York. His dream became reality when he moved to New York in 2008 to pursue graduate studies at Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary, graduating in 2011. Allen recalled, “Growing up, I enjoyed watching ‘Showtime at the Apollo’ and always said I wanted to live in NYC. My dream came true [in] moving here for my master’s program.”
Allen began his pastoral journey in Buffalo, N.Y., where he spent six years and earned his doctorate from New York Theological Seminary. He then moved to Bayshore, N,Y., to serve as pastor of Bethel AME Bay Shore Church for six years. His reverence for the church was instilled in him by his mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother,
Black New Yorker
who emphasized the importance of social work, family, and community. “Those three women taught me that all of God’s people mean something to God,” Allen said.
In 2020, Allen returned to New York City and, in June 2023, became pastor of St. Stephen Community Church in Harlem. “I fought tooth and nail to get back to NYC
because it’s just something about Harlem,” he said.
In his first year at St. Stephen, Allen partnered with Dr. Lena Green from the HOPE Center Harlem, a mental health clinic sponsored by First Corinthian Baptist Church, to offer free mental health services. Through that program, intern therapists from insti-
tutions like NYU and Columbia University provide counseling twice a week during the school year, helping to address mental health needs in the community. Allen hopes to expand these services in the future to support those in need even better.
St. Stephen Community Church has also hosted a baby café that provides essential supplies to new and expecting parents. The church has also established a partnership with the EGN International Karate & Fitness Center, offering karate classes for children on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since Allen’s time at the church, they have distributed backpacks filled with school supplies. In 2023, they gave away 80 backpacks; in 2024, more than 100; this year, they expect to surpass those numbers.
Looking forward, Allen aims to introduce a food pantry at the church and grow a larger congregation, while also adopting a school to enhance support for the Harlem community. “As much as we need the community, I know wholeheartedly that the community needs the church,” he said.
Delivered
Allen’s commitment to Harlem is evident not just in his words but also in his actions. He invites the Harlem community to visit St. Stephen Community Church (2145 Frederick Douglass Avenue) for services every Sunday at 10 a.m. He hopes to continue to make a significant impact in Harlem: “I want Harlem to know that St. Stephen is a place you can grow and you can be who you are.” That’s New York City’s agencies delivering for you. Every day. Everywhere. Discover opportunities at deliveringforyou.nyc
By NYC all-time high jobs record surpassed 11 times since 2022 Historic “City of Yes” initiative invests $5 billion in 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years
$755 million investment expands universal after-school program to a total of 184,000 students
Dr. Brandon K. Allen (Contributed photo)
Gay by the grace of God: A Black pastor’s journey
By JIMMIE BRIGGS Special to the AmNews
Last May, two successive gatherings occurred in the neighboring African nations of Uganda and Kenya less than 24 hours apart. Despite being geographically distinct, their respective attendees held disturbingly coordinated agendas: to promote policy, legislation, and cultural practices intended to curb the visibility and rights of LGBTQIA+ Africans.
In Uganda, the first Pan African Family Values Conference was held from May 9–11, while the subsequent one in Kenya, the second Pan African Family Values Conference, took place from May 12–17. Delegates came from throughout the African continent and the global West, including donors, faith-based leaders, nonprofit representatives and government officials from Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, and the Gambia, among scores of others.
These two events represent a growing and existential threat to Africans who selfidentify as queer on a continent where 31 of 54 nations legalize varying forms of op pressive restrictions on being openly so. At the forefront of the movement of Af rican and Black American faith leaders to counter the efforts of these so-called “family values” activists and the large ly U.S.-based actors supporting them is an openly gay minister named Bishop Joseph Tolton. Reared by a single mother in Harlem, he aims to do nothing less than revitalize a new Pan Africanism — the anti-colonial philosophy that espous es the full socio-political and cultural empowerment of all African-descended peoples — as presented by leaders such as W.E.B. DuBois, Kwame Nkrumah, and Jomo Kenyatta in the early to mid-20th century. They aim to build an intergener ational movement standing against a rise in global authoritarianism and anti-gen der rights in both the United States and the African diaspora.
“When I was five years old, I would come home from church and put the bible on my windowsill,” recalled Tolton. “We lived on 118th Street between Eighth Avenue and St. Nicholas. My room faced an alleyway between two buildings and the neighbors would call my mother and grandmother, asking, ‘Do you hear him preaching?’ Whenever we played ‘church’ as kids, I would always play the pastor, and it was very visceral. I felt extremely connected to both the substance and the performative aspects of it, even as other children my age didn’t feel the same connection.”
Growing up in the Black church
Tolton’s mother, an educator and activist, saw him as a direct product of the still-nascent, but wavering, Civil Rights Movement of the late 1960s, enrolling him in Head Start and Montessori School. When he was in third grade, she advocated for his transfer to PS 6, a prestigious school in Manhattan, which marked a pivotal change in his educational journey and set him on a path to success. Reared in a strong religious community curated by his mother and grandmother, and raised as an only child,
he grappled as an adolescent with reconciling his faith with his sexual identity.
“To feel this anointing and call to preach at 8, 9, 10 years old, but also to know that ‘wait a minute, something else is going on’ — what’s going on inside of me [was] on a collision course with what I’m being set up for because I know what the bible says. In college at Vassar is where it started to change.”
Graduating with a degree in religion, Tolton spent the next five years in therapy, hanging out with friends as well as searching for a church that he hoped would affirm his whole self.
“I came out to my best friend in the church who was getting married and he wanted me to be his best man,” recalled Tolton. “In part, I came out to him ’cause I didn’t want to stand next to him [at his wedding] without telling him the truth. I had no interest in him [sexually], and he was truly a brother to me. I came out to him and his fiancée. Then, they turned me in to the pastor, saying I couldn’t be a part of the wedding. That was also a major turning point for me, where I knew I am unsafe here [in that church].”
Eventually, Tolton found a New Yorkbased church started by the late Carl Bean. A Baltimore native and founder of the Unity Fellowship of Christ Church, Bean was a pioneering minister not only known for a successful hit song celebrating being gay, “I was born this way,” but also an outspoken activist who challenged the Black community to embrace and care for those felled
by AIDS at the height of its spread. He sent an associate to Brooklyn to start planting an incarnation of the church in Brooklyn, and it was discovering it that “broke open” for Tolton what could be accomplished as a gay Black man in the church.
“When I told my mom I was leaving [our] church and going to this church in Brooklyn, it got tense at home,” said Tolton. “She was devastated, not just because her son was gay but because this was going to upend her ‘project.’ My grandmother stood with me the whole time. [She] was Baptist.
My mom was Pentecostal. Eventually, [my mother] came around to being accepting of who I am as a person, as an intellectual, as an activist. She still doesn’t reconcile the theology, but she certainly embraces the anointing and the call of God in my life.”
An MBA from Columbia Business School led to Tolton spending nearly two decades working in marketing for clients including Mercedes-Benz, while evolving his theological practice and community organizing skills. Eventually, he planted a handful of churches in East Africa and established the LGBTQIA+ inclusive, “straight-friendly” Rehoboth Temple Christ Conscious Church in 2006.
Increasing support in the Black community
The views of Black Americans have become much more nuanced and diverse in the past decade, although that was not always the case, especially at the height See story on next page
Bishop Joseph Tolton. (Damaso Reyes photo)
Bishop Tolton preaching as a child (Contributed photo)
of the AIDS epidemic, which ravaged the community throughout the ’80s and early ’90s. According to the Pew Research Center, support for same-sex marriage among Black Americans grew twofold between 2007 (26%) and 2017 (51%).
Blacks who identify as Christian oppose marriage equality at a higher rate than the general public, but support among them has nevertheless grown as well. Support for trans Americans is much softer. Two-thirds of Blacks believe gender identity is that assigned at birth and cannot be changed, again much higher than that of the American public at large. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of Black Americans (2/3) believe that more should be done for young, Black LGBTQIA+ people.
In 2019, Tolton founded and became president of Interconnected Justice, an initiative to unite global racial justice movements, specifically Black Lives Matter and Pan-Africanism, to confront white supremacy, patriarchy, and anti-rights efforts, regarding gender and sexual identity. As part of Interconnected Justice, he is building the “Affirming Elders Council” to create greater thought proximity and support for Black spiritual leaders, young and old, on the African continent and in the United States. To date, he has co-founded three churches in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, as well as established working partnerships with more than 22 multi-national counterparts.
“There is a profound need, and opportunity, for a renewed Pan African mobilization to address people of African descent globally,” said Chicago-based,Dr. Iva E. Carruthers, a globally recognized advocate, founder and executive director of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, and member of Tolton’s Affirming Elders Council. “It’s important to connect U.S. policies — especially the ‘Project 2025’ blueprint being enacted, with their international impact, particularly in Africa. African Americans have a responsibility to make a difference. There are persistent challenges of homophobia and transphobia within the Black community, but we need to move beyond a monolithic view of Black faith and elevate human rights conversations grounded in theological reflection.”
Carruthers acknowledged the reality that younger generations may be more open to certain conversations about gender and sexuality, and said there’s a gap in historical knowledge and legacy leadership that has to be addressed. “The Elder Council, as envisioned by Bishop Tolton, can play a crucial role in bridging this gap and sharing wisdom across generations, especially considering the accelerated pace at which generations are now defined, due to technological advancements.”
The fight for Africa
The investment of financial resources and messaging tools used in anti-LGBTQIA+ efforts in Africa by U.S.-based evangelicals is well-documented and growing. As
the LGBTQIA+ community garnered increased social acceptance and legal protections in the late 1990s and early aughts in the 21st century, a number of right-leaning faith-based leaders and entities shifted more focus to Africa. It’s estimated that U.S. evangelical groups spent tens of millions of dollars (at least $54 million between 2007–2020) in Africa to influence laws, policies, and public opinion against sexual and reproductive rights, with a significant portion directed toward Uganda, which is considered to have the harshest penalties for homosexual identity on the African continent.
Global gatherings such as those that occurred in Uganda and Kenya in May reinforce cultural mindsets that queer people are a threat to “traditional” values and threaten the existence of nuclear families. Conservative Christian groups actively lobby African governments to push for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, as well as spread hate-fueled misinformation linking gay Africans to deviant behaviors and threats to children. Paradoxically, many of the current anti-gay legislation in Africa extends to pre-decolonization, when countries such as Britain, France, and Belgium exer-
cised proxy rule over millions of Africans throughout geographies.
“Religious leaders, especially here in Kenya, often have their words equated with divine authority,” said Dr. Dorcas Chebet Juma, an ordained minister in the Reformed Church of East Africa and a senior lecturer at Pwani University who met Tolton around 2013 or 2014 while department chair at the Presbyterian University of East Africa. “It is critical to have the right religious leaders promoting inclusivity and respect for all individuals. In Africa, they have the authority to empower or marginalize communities, which imposes challenges on both sides.”
Having completed her PhD at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Chebet Juma was drawn to working with Tolton through workshops and program development for faith leaders in Africa and the United States, to address an epidemic of sexual violence and promote intersectional justice for all.
“We read scripture from a liberating perspective, focusing on gender-based violence in biblical texts,” she said. “Human sexuality is a power issue, and powerlessness allows marginalization and silencing of vulnerable groups. Increasingly, we’re seeing more LGBTQI+ people speak out about their identities, but safety is always an issue.”
Despite the tremendous success Tolton has had to this point in building a movement at the intersection of Black Lives Matter, a revitalized 21st-century Pan Africanism, and LGBTQIA+ rights with his Black American and African partners, he understands the Herculean task ahead in light of the re-energized anti-rights movement with the ascendance of autocraticleaning heads of state around the world, including the United States.
“This work between Africans and Black Americans comes full circle for me,” Tolton said. “After working with LGBTQIA+ leaders in East Africa for about 10 or 11 years, it became very clear to me that there was an opportunity for a project that I think is even deeper and richer: the reconciliation of people of African descent across the continent with those of us in the diaspora.
“Our primary focus is building a constructive movement that harvests Black internationalism in the interest of rebuking the global white Christian agenda. They are destabilizing African democracies by creating moral panic around matters of human sexuality by driving these anti-gay bills, leading to campaigns where countries want to de-democratize their constitutions and enshrine the possibilities of bigotry … it makes Africa’s resources pliable, and we know that’s really what they want.”
Tolton pointed out an economic aspect to this issue: “When you can exhaust the people by channeling their efforts and energy toward anti-gay campaigns, which are ultimately anti-Black and anti-human campaigns, it makes Africa’s [natural resources] like gold, copper, and cobalt much more exploitable.”
Bishop Joseph Tolton. (Damaso Reyes photo)
Bishop Tolton preaching in New York. (Contributed photo)
Canvassers gear up at the polls
BY ESMERALDA MORAN
Special to the AmNews
On the hottest day in New York City since 2012, New York residents made their way to the polls this Election Day.
Despite the weather rising to 100 degrees, voters and canvassers alike braved the heat for their cause. As voters went to their polling centers, canvassers stood at the corner of the streets with fliers in hand, encouraging voters before they went inside to vote for their preferred candidate.
Canvassers for Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani and Bronx Borough President Rafael Salamanca Jr. stood under the shade at a polling site in the South Bronx, fliers in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.
“Looking at all of our numbers, voting is up across all five boroughs. So it’s really
been excellent seeing people get out, especially in the heat,” said Matt, regional field director with Salamanca Jr’s campaign.
This election marks the second time that ranked-choice voting is used in local elections in the city. Ranked voting was implemented in 2021, when current Mayor Eric Adams was up for election, but was approved in 2019 by voters.
The ranking system allows voters to choose up to five candidates for their pick of the Democratic candidate on the ballot. The candidate who gets 50% of first-choice votes wins and will be the candidate for the Democratic party in the election in November.
“It feels a lot more like a democracy,” said Oliver, another canvasser for Salamanca Jr.
Despite the voting system having been implemented, many voters are still unaware of how to rank candidates.
“I have explained how to fill it out before [voters] go in,” said Simon, a canvasser for Zohran Mamdani.
As voters made their way to the polls, the demographic was clear.
“There were a couple elderly people who were definitely very clearly Cuomo. So, yeah, this, this divide is really very evident also today,” said Simon.
The Bronx was one of the two boroughs to rank former Governor Andrew Cuomo as their top candidate, with Cuomo securing 53% of the borough’s vote. The polling site was the only location Simon had gone to that was not already in support of Mamdani.
“No, this is the only one where I was here already on Sunday, but over there, yeah, but it’s definitely different. Otherwise, I was in Prospect Park, which is heavily Zoran. There was probably like 95% for Zohran of the people I met there, so that
divide is also kind of clear, but I do feel like it’s kind of interesting.”
With the mayoral race taking the spotlight, smaller races are pushed to the side, leaving canvassers to fill in the blanks and inform voters on their way in.
“We can tell them about our candidate while they learn about the mayoral candidates,” said Matt.
“Overall I feel it has been pretty receptive, like open to conversation, which is pretty good. Normally, we don’t really get that in really anywhere, but it’s nice to see that. Especially here in the Bronx,” said Oliver.
The canvassers take a break to hand fliers out to a woman passing by, urging her to go inside to vote. The morning rush has slowed though the heat continues to rise. They move closer to the shade and cool down before continuing to canvas, ready to urge the next passerby to the polls.
A polling site in Brooklyn on primary election day 2025. (Damaso Reyes photo)
Divine Nine News
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. hosted an economic justice town hall
By DR. STACIE NC GRANT
International President and CEO
of
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
In commemoration of Juneteenth, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated hosted a virtual Economic Justice Town Hall on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, honoring the trailblazing vision of our Five Founders and the enduring legacy of Dr. Opal Lee — known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” who is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta. The Town Hall highlighted the Sorority’s commitment to economic empowerment and featured a robust discussion on community-driven resources and opportunities made possible through Zeta’s longstanding partnerships.
Our Economic Justice Town Hall was both a tribute to Dr. Opal Lee’s historic contributions and a call to action. Juneteenth is more than a holiday. It’s a reminder of the work still needed to dismantle systemic barriers to equity. Economic justice is essential to achieving the American Dream, and it will take all of us working together to eliminate disparities in areas like employment, housing, healthcare access, and financial literacy.
Throughout the event, Zeta leaders celebrated a range of strategic alliances that strengthen the Sorority’s ability to deliver internal and community-based economic resources through Women Who Win, the Sorority’s Signature Initiative established in 2022. This initiative supports
•
Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson, Morehouse College alumnus and senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, presents Morehouse College President Dr. David A. Thomas with framed photo commemorating historic ties between Abyssinian and Morehouse, featuring images of church and Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. with former president Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays. Thomas, who will retire on June 30, 2025, spoke at Abyssinian’s HBCU/Divine Nine worship service, reflecting on how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) inspire faith, education, and innovation for future generations. (The Abyssinian Baptist Church photos)
• The BOSS Network
• National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB)
• World of Money
The Sorority’s partnership with WBENC, a first of its kind within National PanHellenic Council organizations, advances opportunities for women entrepreneurs through business certification, mentorship, and scalable development programs.
Zeta also showcased another first, with their collaboration with NAREB, aimed at equipping aspiring homeowners with tools and knowledge to navigate and access the real estate market. Leaders from The BOSS Network, Dfree Movement and World of Money emphasized the importance of financial education and how partnerships like these are critical to advancing economic equity in Black and Brown communities.
To view the Economic Justice Town Hall, visit Zeta Phi Beta Sorority’s official YouTube channel at www.youtube. com/@officialzeta1920.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was founded on January 16, 1920, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization’s principles, Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood, and Finer Womanhood, guide its members in uplifting communities and creating positive change. With a legacy of excellence, Zeta Phi Beta continues to impact lives through its diverse philanthropic efforts and dedication to empowering women worldwide. For more info, visit zphib1920.org.
To share your Divine Nine News, please contact us at d9@amsterdamnews.com and at amsterdamnews.com/d9news
small business owners in creating generational wealth through entrepreneurship. Honored partners included:
• Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
Dfree Movement
Dr. Stacie NC Grant, the 26th International President and CEO of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., with Women Who Win co-directors Diana Hilaire and Maryam Lynch-Tate.
Pictured here is Dr. Stacie NC Grant, the 26th International President and CEO of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
The Extraordinary POWER OF S.H.E. Conversations: Economic Justice Virtual Town Hall in recognition of Juneteenth focusing on Social, Health & Economic Justice. (Photos courtesy of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.)
Women Who Win is a signature initiative that was established by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.
Union Matters
NYC municipal retirees celebrate end of push toward Medicare Advantage
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
Retired public service workers took part in a celebratory press conference at City Hall Park on Monday, June 23. During an event organized by Council Member Christopher Marte, elderly and disabled former New York City employees chanted and waved banners while standing out in the mid-morning’s 90-plus degree heat. They braved the day’s extreme weather so they could applaud Mayor Eric Adams’ June 20 announcement that the city will no longer try to require them to use Medicare Advantage for their healthcare.
“We have heard concerns from retirees about these potential changes at numerous older adult town halls and public events,” Mayor Adams confessed in a statement released just days before he begins his reelection campaign, “and our administration remains focused on ensuring that New York City remains an affordable place to live. Thankfully, we have found other ways to address health care costs while providing quality health care coverage for our city’s workers, and we have decided not to move forward with the Medicare Advan-
tage plan at this time.”
Though retiree health care benefits have been legally safeguarded since 1967, in March 2023, New York City began trying to transition its retirees from traditional Medicare and supplemental plans to a Medicare Advantage plan.
The city was set to sign a five-yearplus contract to have its roughly 250,000 retirees begin using the Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO plan. The city claimed Aetna’s plan could help reduce its payout costs and save about $600 million.
But retirees resisted the city’s efforts. Groups like the Cross-union Retirees Organizing Committee (CROC) argued that Medicare Advantage offers clients fewer options to select their preferred healthcare providers.
Marianne Pizzitola, a retired FDNY EMS member who is president of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, told the City Hall rally that retirees are grateful Mayor Adams has finally said his administration will not pursue the Aetna plan: “How do you think that would have turned out when it came to deciding whether a procedure was medically necessary?” she asked the crowd. “So, thanks to Mayor Adams and the stance he took last
Friday, the retirees now have been handed a victory. It could not have happened if the 250,000 retirees themselves had not made their
ry permanent. Council Member Marte has sponsored a bill that would permanently protect the healthcare choices of current and future retirees against automatic enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans. Retirees in attendance blamed City Council Speaker Adrian Adams for not pushing that legislation forward.
“There are over 250,000 retirees, plus their loved ones, plus their extended families that rely on this crucial health care plan,” CM Marte told the crowd. “This was literally life and death for many people, and throughout this struggle, which took a really, really, long time, for no reason at all, it brought mental stress on many of our most vulnerable. It brought financial frustration to many people living in our city and around this country, and more importantly, it brought uncertainty to people’s future, not just retirees, but also current city employees.
voices crystal clear.”
But Pizzitola added that there remains a need to pass legislation that would make this victo-
“This is something that the city council should do,” Marte said: “City Council have legislated on this for decades, and Intro 1096, is just the next step forward to make sure that we finally put this to an end and codify the protection that these folks deserve and these folks need.”
Council Member Justin Brannan, a candidate for NYC’s Comptroller position, spoke at the press conference.
Retired New York City employees stood with Council Member Christopher Marte, chanting, waving banners, and celebrating the end of having to fight to keep their health care plans. (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)
Former Council Member Charles Barron returned to City Hall to take part in the municipal workers’ celebration of the end of the push toward Medicare Advantage.
Home sweet yours
Middle East mess gets messier
If an unprovoked barrage of bombs on three nuclear sites in Iran wasn’t enough, Trump then berates the country’s response, calling it “very weak.”
Moreover, on Truth Social he wrote that “Iran has officially responded to our obliteration of their nuclear facilities...which we expected, and have very effectively countered.”
He boasted that of the 14 missiles launched by Iran on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in retaliation, 13 were knocked down and one set free “because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction.” None of this has been independently confirmed.
The attack on Iran was done without approval from Congress, which has to be consulted in an act of war. But as we know so well, Trump needs no consent from elected officials, particularly when he can sign off his speech thanking God, and this has caused further ripples from Democrats and Republicans. Trump, a selfproclaimed non-denominational Christian, cited God several times in his brief speech on Saturday following what he deemed a “spectacular military success.” He said, “God, I just want to say, we love you God, and we love our great military.”
The political and military complexity in the Middle East has obviously been given a dramatic and unpredictable turn, one that will no doubt embolden Israel as it sends a destructive message to Iran and its proxies.
For a leader who repeatedly stresses not to engage in warfare, this is another Trump contradiction and it could be one that brings us ever closer to the brink of a wider and more devastating conflict. The Middle East is burdened with a multitude of irresolvable problems and now that the U.S. has stepped into the mess, things are sure to get messier, and bloodier.
In the fight for my patient’s lives
By DR. CAMILLE CLARE
Medicaid is a vital source of care for millions of people across the country, including children, those with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities, and those who are pregnant or postpartum. But Congress is threatening the stability of this crucial program through its proposed widespread budget cuts.
The House of Representatives passed a bill slashing $880 billion from Medicaid. There is no telling the extent of the damage this would do to the health care system, and to patients and communities here in New York. OB-GYNs like me know that cuts to Medicaid, the critical health care safety net, would be catastrophic for our state. We are deeply afraid of the dangerous consequences these cuts would have on our patients’ lives.
Many of our patients currently rely on Medicaid coverage for their health needs. In fact, Medicaid covers services for pregnant and birthing persons for nearly 50% of all childbirths in the state. It also provides coverage for important preventive services such as screening for cervical and breast cancer, sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, colorectal cancer, and well-person visits, among others.
For Black populations, like my patients and my family members, this is incredibly important. Health and health care disparities are pervasive within Black communities. For example, Black women are more likely to die of many types of cancer, including breast cancer and cervical cancer — diseases for which we have proven screening and prevention tools.
ting Medicaid would reverse some hard-won progress and put more parents and infants at risk.
Cyril
The disparities in health outcomes throughout pregnancy and childbirth are especially stark. The United States still has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income country, and nearly 80% of those deaths are considered preventable. Most of those who die from pregnancy-related causes tragically are Black pregnant and birthing individuals, who die at a rate three times higher than white individuals. Instead of seeing our patients in the emergency room during a crisis, we want to care for them early and consistently — before complications arise, hopefully saving those lives and ensuring that Black birthing people can safely give birth and go home with their babies. Cut-
In New York State, we have advocated for Medicaid expansion for 12 months postpartum for all individuals. This is incredibly important in New York State, where we have a high population of immigrants. Having Medicaid coverage, particularly during pregnancy, ensures that patients can get prenatal care, care during childbirth, and postpartum care at the most critical time in their lives.
As an OB-GYN who has been in practice in East Harlem, Central Brooklyn, and most recently in the Bronx, this is a huge concern for my patients. In the borough of Brooklyn alone, the risk of maternal mortality is nearly eight times higher than the average for Black patients. If they are not covered throughout their preg-
nancies, and for the following year when mortality risk is at its highest, many of my patients will be in danger of preventable health complications and deaths.
As Congress moves forward with these ill-advised budget cuts, New Yorkers must unite in opposition. I urge residents to contact our congressional delegation to express unwavering support for Medicaid. Protecting Medicaid is not just about preserving a program, it’s about safeguarding the health and well-being of our neighbors, sustaining our healthcare infrastructure, and ensuring a healthier future for all.
Dr. Camille Clare is a board-certified OB-GYN practicing in the Bronx, New York. She is President Elect of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief
Damaso Reyes: Executive & Investigative Editor
Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor
Josh Barker: Digital Editor
Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising
Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): Chairman of the Board, CEO and Publisher Emeritus
A B-2 Spirit soars after a refueling mission over the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, May 30, 2006. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III)
Camille Clare
Muslims, Jews, and a nondenominational Christian
By HERB BOYD
You can count me among the Americans worried and alarmed by all the military bluster coming from our socalled leader. To some extent, we got a warning that the strike on Iran was imminent during the martial event on June 14; the marching soldiers and rumbling tanks were an autocratic show of force. Trump’s parade of power, his pernicious showcase, was a harbinger of deadly bombs and missiles.
We can now regretfully set aside all the diplomatic chatter about the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, with no real knowledge of Iran’s capability and, even now, whether the “bunker buster bombs” were effective. The Middle East remains a riddle, a polit-
ical Rubik’s cube of how to deal with countries so entangled, so violently at odds that treaties and resolutions fall far short of peace and harmony.
Even more troubling is the extent to which the crisis in the Middle East has global ramifications — that the bombs dropped on Iran may precipitate a larger conflagration of turmoil, triggering the volatile entry of other nations interested in mayhem and mischief.
So much is still a mystery. We may never know the real truth of Iran’s nuclear condition. Are we headed for another botched misinformation campaign about weapons of mass destruction that imperiled Iraq? Ever since the tragedy of 1953, when a democratically elected leader was toppled by the U.S.’s CIA, Iran has been in the
crosshairs of the American government, to say nothing of the Iran-Contra affair finagled by members of the Reagan administration.
The rumor of war is invariably followed by a rumor of a ceasefire, which is now making the rounds. Even if an agreement is made between Israel and Iran, what role will the U.S play in the settlement? There also remains the level of control Iran holds over their surrogates in Yemen, Lebanon, and even the wounded combatants in Syria.
Oh, and we shouldn’t forget the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine or Hamas in Gaza.
I think you get how muddled and desperate the situation is in the land of Jews, Arabs, and now the intrusion of a nondenominational Christian.
What global movements can learn from the 2018 March for Our Lives
By VICTORY ANASE MOMOH
It started with a gunshot, then another, and another. In 1993, Bernadette Leite’s 17-year-old son Khalil was killed in a random act of violence. In the wake of that tragedy, Leite was propelled into something greater than grief. What began as a personal healing journey grew into a mission to support young survivors of violence. Her story is not isolated; it echoes the pain of millions who have lost loved ones to senseless gun violence.
As we reflect on the deadly shootings of recent memory (Uvalde, Buffalo, Las Vegas, El Paso), each anniversary becomes not only a moment of mourning but a renewed rallying cry. Among the most prominent responses to this crisis was the March for Our Lives (MFOL), born from the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. On that day, 17 lives were lost. In the days that followed, survivors turned their grief into fuel for activism. They refused to be silent. They rejected the normalization of school shootings. Within weeks, they mobilized more than a million people to protest across the country, demanding an end to gun violence through urgent reforms.
What made MFOL different from the many protests that came before? The United States has seen decades of mass shootings, including Columbine, Aurora, Sandy Hook, and the Pulse Nightclub. Yet, it was Parkland that catalyzed a new wave of youthled resistance. Timing played a key
role. In a digital era where traditional media gatekeepers hold less power, Parkland survivors took control of their narrative, leveraging platforms like Twitter and Instagram to confront lawmakers directly and amplify their message globally.
MFOL had the perfect storm: the raw energy of youth, digital tools, survivor testimonies, and national attention.
Students like Emma González and David Hogg became household names — not because they were celebrities, but because they were credible witnesses to a national failure. González’s silence during her speech at the national march became an unforgettable symbol of loss. Hogg transitioned from a grieving teen to a political organizer, co-founding MFOL and later becoming the youngest vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. His journey underscores a crucial evolution for activist movements: from protest to policymaking.
Still, the road from outrage to action was never straightforward. While MFOL generated immense public support, legislative change — especially at the federal level — remained frustratingly slow. The movement’s core demands, including universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons, were met with political resistance, particularly from powerful groups like the National Rifle Association.
This dynamic raises a compelling question: If movements like the anti-abortion campaign in America succeeded in reshaping the legal landscape, culminating in the 2022 reversal
of Roe v. Wade, why has gun control, despite broad public backing, not seen the same outcome?
The pro-life movement’s success can be traced to its relentless, decadeslong strategy: mobilizing at the local and state levels, influencing judicial appointments, and maintaining a disciplined political message. MFOL, in contrast, while morally urgent and media-savvy, has struggled to sustain momentum in a fractured political climate. Its victories, although meaningful, have been modest.
After the Parkland shooting, Florida passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, raising the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21 and enabling law enforcement to confiscate weapons from individuals deemed dangerous. Federally, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 was a milestone. It expanded background checks for buyers under 21, funded mental health programs, and closed the “boyfriend loophole.” These steps, however, fell short of the comprehensive reforms that MFOL envisioned.
This tension between public will and political inertia offers vital lessons for global movements. Protest is not just about numbers — it’s about strategy. MFOL succeeded in humanizing the crisis. Survivors’ stories became the heart of the movement, forcing the public to confront the real toll of violence. Bernadette Leite’s story, and those of parents like Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter Jaime in Parkland, remind us that every policy delay
Is it time for that check-up?
CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.
I recently had my annual mammogram and I must ask, “Is it time for you to have a checkup?” Whenever I go for my annual mammogram I text my friends to make sure they are staying on track with their annual physicals and health check-ups. Usually my friends fall into two categories: those who are up-to-date and on schedule with all of their various tests, and those who “have been meaning to get to it” since the last time I asked them the question.
I send the text not to be intrusive, but as a reminder for my busy friends who I want to see healthy and active for many more decades to come. Some folks have hereditary diseases and cancers, which either makes some people incredibly proactive about their health, or for others, they become ostriches who are so afraid of potential bad news that they don’t see doctors at all. I say this not as a judgement call, but as a reminder that ignoring a doctor does not make potentially concerning news vanish. Far too many people, Black people specifically, use doctors to cure as opposed to prevent. Indeed, Black people have had fraught experiences with the medical field and distrust can be warranted. However, it is incredibly important for us to get ahead of potentially troublesome news… even within an imperfect system.
For me, my paternal grandmother died from breast cancer. I am at relatively low risk, but I do have dense tissue throughout my body. The
first time I had a mammogram that needed a follow-up sonogram, I was scared, anxious, and so tempted to just pretend I didn’t hear the directives. However, I shared my follow-up schedule with friends and found out that, a) many also had dense tissue and a follow-up sonogram wasn’t that out of the ordinary, b) some friends had received the same instructions for a sonogram and had been putting it off, and c) some had one mammogram one time and never made it an annual occurrence. Talking about my experience and my emotions helped demystify the process; it also helped others realize they need to make their health more of a priority. If we have the ability to see a doctor for routine maintenance, just like a car you want to keep running smoothly, you need to make annual visits for your physical, mammogram, dental, eye appointments, you name it. And if you’re above a certain age you should have that 10-year colonoscopy check-up under your belt as well.
Life is stressful and our bodies are carrying a lot right now. Be sure to give yourself the gift of a check-up, your friends and family will thank you.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of book “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream” and is co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
Caribbean Update
Smaller nations upset about treatment by larger neighbors
By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews
Not for the first time, leaders of the smaller Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have complained about being treated as stepchildren in the wider Caribbean Community (Caricom) family of nations.
The issue of the alleged lack of regard for the smaller island nations came up during a recent summit of the nine-nation grouping, where it was raised by some leaders and delegates, more so by none other than Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent, who is the current chair of the OECS.
Some prime ministers are so angry and disheartened by what they regard as a continuing, if not worsening, pattern of offhand treatment by larger nations, that the heads of government are now openly wondering if it is not time to break away from the 15-nation grouping, amend the family arrangements, or negotiate bilateral agreements with individual nations.
Gonsalves, 78, who is facing general elections this year as he seeks a sixth consecutive term, used his elder statesman platform to complain about the tone deafness of the larger or so-called more developed nations in the bloc: Guyana, Belize, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad, and Barbados.
For example, Gonsalves singled out oil- and gas-rich Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) as a guilty
neighbor, saying that authorities there seem to have little regard for the needs of his federation of multiple islands known as the Grenadines.
“Our country pays T&T annually, in excess of US$65 million,” he said. “We pay in hard foreign currency for visible exports from Trinidad, mainly petroleum products and manufactured goods, but our sister Caricom country cannot find less than a miserly $4 million U.S. in foreign exchange to pay for our agricultural produce.” He warned that “the OECS countries may well, most reluctantly by force of circumstances, have to put on the table the continued relevance of our participation in the Caricom single market and economy, while, of course, remaining in Caricom until the inequities are satisfied.”
The block and its associate members, mostly British colonies like Anguilla, are scheduled to meet at the main heads of government summit in western Jamaica in early July. Gonsalves said the woes of the OECS might well make the agenda.
He also suggested that T&T appears to want to drive merchants in the OECS out of the flour market and take it over completely. When the OECS complained, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Barbados resisted, but good sense only prevailed because Guyana, Haiti, Belize, and Suriname intervened. “We in Vincent and the Grenadines will draw a line in the sand on this. Next time, will the anchor hold?” Gonsalves asked
Gonsalves said there is a strong need for special treatment of and consideration for the economic limitations of the smaller nations. He argued that Caricom is yet to “carve out for the OECS, within its treaty arrangements, special treatment beyond general provisions for disadvantaged regions.”
Gonsalves also suggested that the OECS had signed on to single trading market arrangements in 2003 “with our eyes wide open,” but these arrangements have not always worked in the subgrouping’s favor. He wondered whether the time might have come to consider exiting Caricom.
Hours earlier, St. Lucian Opposition Leader Allen Michael Chastanet expressed similar sentiments to those of Gonsalves and others contending that the relationship between the two groups is clearly not working.
“Sometimes we have to ask ourselves that question, because, certainly when I was prime minister (2016–2021), I felt that we were being ignored,” Chastenet said. “I felt we were being disrespected. I felt so many times [that] we went to a meeting at Caricom and listened to the larger countries debate among themselves as if we were not even there, and reached no conclusion. Yet, we are members of Caricom [and] that is not working, and all the leaders sitting around this table all know that our relationship with Caricom is not working. Imagine if we had the tenacity to pull out of Caricom and renegotiate bilateral agreements with Jamaica, bilaterals with Trinidad, bilaterals with Guyana, and bilaterals with Barbados. Would we be better off?”
Is Trump’s immigration policy quietly killing U.S. tourism?
I recently returned from Barbados, landing at Miami International Airport during what should have been a peak evening hour, but something was missing: people. The usually buzzing airport felt eerily quiet. Even the visitors’ immigration line — once a choke point of international arrivals — was noticeably sparse.
The scene coincides with a new travel ban rolled out under President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration enforcement push. The policy, which took effect this week, bars entry to citizens from more than a dozen predominantly African, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean nations, including Haiti, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia, while also placing heightened restrictions on others, such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Sierra Leone.
Although this version of the ban is more legally refined than its chaotic 2017 predecessor, its real-world effects are unmis-
takable. Travelers from affected countries, even those holding valid visas, are experiencing increased scrutiny, long delays, and — in some cases — denied entry. One Guatemalan couple, for instance, was subjected to three separate interviews at Miami Airport before finally being allowed to visit their son — after 22 years apart.
Even global celebrities aren’t immune.
Khaby Lame, the world’s most-followed African-born TikTok star, was recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and forced to leave the U.S. for allegedly overstaying his visa. With more than 162 million followers and partnerships with brands like Boss, Binance, and UNICEF, Lame’s story has drawn international headlines, and unearthed fresh concerns about how the U.S. treats foreign visitors.
The White House defends the policy as a national security measure, officially calling it a Presidential Action to “[r]estrict the entry of foreign nationals to protect the United States from foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats.”
Critics, however, say the ban fosters division under the guise of safety. “This policy is not about national security,”
says Abby Maxman of Oxfam America. “It’s about sowing division and vilifying communities.”
Meanwhile, the economic cost is mounting.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the U.S. is projected to lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending this year, making it the only one of 184 countries expected to see a decline in inbound tourism in 2025.
Let that sink in: While other nations are rolling out welcome mats post-pandemic, the U.S. seems to be hanging out a “closed” sign.
• UK travel to the U.S. is down 15%.
• Germany, down 28%.
• South Korea, down 15%.
• Even Canada — the closest ally and tourism partner of the U.S. — is seeing early summer bookings fall by more than 20%.
And these aren’t just numbers. They represent empty hotels, canceled tours, quiet restaurants, and lost jobs. In 2019, international visitors brought in $217 billion and supported nearly 18 million American jobs. That legacy is now at risk — not because the world no longer wants to visit, but be-
cause the U.S. is making it harder and less appealing to do so.
The Khaby Lame incident only amplifies the message. If the U.S. can’t make room for a comedian beloved around the world, what message does that send to students, entrepreneurs, or families planning a visit?
This is more than a visa issue — it’s a perception crisis, and in global tourism, perception is currency.
Yes, domestic travel has helped the industry rebound post-COVID, but long-term growth lies in international arrivals; the very group now being discouraged, scrutinized, or shut out.
Now, as Trump-era immigration policies slam the door on entire nations and subject legitimate visitors to suspicion and harassment, no marketing campaign can mask the fallout. If America keeps signaling “you’re not welcome,” it’s only a matter of time before the world stops showing up — and the U.S. tourism industry collapses under the weight of its own exclusion.
Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focused on positive news about Black immigrant communities from the Caribbean and Latin America.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent in 2023. (Casa Rosada/ Argentina Presidency of the Nation/ commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ralph_ Gonsalves_2023.jpg)
International News
Dominican, Haitian Americans to convene for Decolonizing ‘Hispaniola’ Conference
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
A Brooklyn-based group of Dominican and Haitian Americans wants to change the traditional narrative of hostility between their two communities.
Members of In Cultured Company (inculturedco.org) are using events, art, and educational programming to create opportunities for community members to connect and build solidarity.
“So, the mission I guess you could say of In Cultured Company is to train a new generation of Dominicans and Haitians with the knowledge and skills to advocate for justice and peace and to heal our communities from generational trauma instilled by essentially state-sponsored violence in the D.R. against Haitians,” Christian Arias, an In Cultured Company spokesperson, told the AmNews Arias added that the group wants to help create an interconnected
island that is “healed and liberated from colonial narratives and historical manipulation.”
Haiti and the Dominican Republic have a centuries-long, infamous animosity. Though both nations share the island of Hispaniola, they have deep historical and philosophical differences.
After liberating itself from French colonial enslavement in 1804, the free Black Republic of Haiti looked to capture the Dominican Republic. Haiti did end up occupying the D.R. for around two decades, from 1822 to 1844. But once the D.R. gained its independence, fears about the return of Haitian rule played a large role in pitting the two communities against each other. The D.R. has remained proud of its Spanish colonial roots and rejected most of Haiti’s fealty to African and non-European traditions.
In recent years, human rights groups like the International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights have condemned the D.R. for
its violent detentions and race-based expulsions of Haitian-Dominicans from their homes in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has, since 2013, even gone so far as to deny nationality to Haitian-Dominicans born in the D.R., despite them never having lived in Haiti.
Healing circles
In 2018, the social justice advocate France François created In Cultured Company to bring small groups of Haitians and Dominicans together so they could deal with their differences and recognize the cultures they share. François is no longer with the organization, but the main group of around 10 people continues to offer workshops, webinars, healing circles, and other activities that encourage Dominicans and Haitians to unite. Though based in Brooklyn, the organization does not have an established physical location. For years now, its central objective has been the sponsoring of its annual Decolonizing ‘Hispaniola’ Conference.
“The Decolonizing ‘Hispaniola’ Conference is essentially a series of workshops where we go over the very beginning of the history that the island of Ayiti [Haiti] and the Dominican Republic have, including our Indigenous people’s history, up until essentially the present. It takes two days because it’s quite time-consuming and it’s just filled with a bunch of research, like, for example, specific laws implemented by the Dominican state and specific historical incidents like massacres and genocide.”
Arias explained that the workshops, webinars, and healing circles conducted by In Cultured Company members are meant to help participants heal from the historical trauma they share, reflect on what would be best for the community going forward, and look at how individuals can tackle any situations they may encounter.
This year’s Decolonizing ‘Hispaniola’ Conference will take place on July 12 and 13, and takes place at Ilé Oyin, a community art space owned by the Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diaspora Institute, located at 208 East 126th Street in East Harlem. Tickets for the conference have to be reserved because organizers want to set aside 30 tickets for people of Haitian descent, 30 tickets for Dominicans, and five tickets for non-Haitian/Dominicans. Those interested in purchasing tickets can find the event listed on Eventbrite. The workshop is designed for adults but is also inclusive of high school students who want to learn about this history. “At the conclusion of this workshop,” Arias added in a written note to the AmNews, “we anticipate that participants will leave with increased self-confidence, enhanced leadership skills, and a clearer understanding of their personal and community responsibilities. We also aim to establish a network of workshop graduates who can become active in the community and can support and inspire each other in their ongoing personal and activist journeys.”
In Cultured Company fosters community connection and solidarity through events, art, and educational programming. (In Cultured Company photo)
Juneteenth flag flies high at Harlem statehouse for fourth year
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff
The sun came out just in time for the fourth annual Juneteenth flagraising ceremony outside Harlem’s Adam Clayton Powell State Office before showers resumed on a rainy, gloomy summer week. Divine intervention or providence?
“The bottom line is, this is a great day understanding that they have predicted rain on Thursday in which would have been a bad situation overall to do what was done here today,” State Senator Robert Jackson told the AmNews . “I’m just happy that it went well.”
His colleague, State Senator Cordell Cleare, hosted the event to honor the date of Black liberation and emancipation marking 160
years since Union Major Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Tx. to inform enslaved people of their freedom. Juneteenth became a state holiday in 2020 and federal holiday in 2021.
“We were actually fighting to make this a holiday,” said Cleare. “And unfortunately it took the tragic event of George Floyd’s death for the state to turn around and say we’ll make Juneteenth a holiday. To me, that was a great, great milestone. Once it became a holiday, now we have to make sure that people observe it.
“People of all colors and all faiths, this is an American holiday and this is a day when America began to redeem itself. So we should all be proud and we should all celebrate.”
Mayoral candidates
Adrienne Adams, Zellnor
Myrie, and Michael Blake spent their last Thursday before the election attending. Other electeds who appeared include assemblymembers Jordan Wright and Michaelle Solages, as well as State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.
Students from nearby schools performed during the ceremony and local electeds Cleare, Jackson and Assemblymember Al Taylor handed out certificates of appreciation to the youngsters for their participation in Juneteenth programming.
But on the federal level, the national holiday faces attacks by the Trump administration both over recent social media posts and general pressure against DEI initiatives. But Cleare says the regressive efforts cannot put the genie back in the bottle.
“Once you know something, no one can take that away,” said Cleare. “Those young people know what today is. The community knows what today is. So whether somebody sitting up somewhere says ‘we are not going to do this anymore,’ you can’t take it out of my mind and you can’t take it out of my heart. I can come and do this anytime I want.”
Cleare recently introduced a bill to declare the Juneteenth flag designed by activist Ben Haith as “the official state flag for raising awareness of the history of slavery, the struggles African Americans have faced, and the ongoing fight for equity today.” An American flag and a Pan African flag were also lifted in the ceremony.
State Senator Cordell Cleare speaks during the Juneteenth flag raising ceremony.
(Tandy Lau photo)
Arts & Entertainment
92NY hosts discussion of new Toni Morrison biography
By NADINE MATTHEWS Special to the AmNews
Dana Williams recently revealed to a New York audience that it was Toni Morrison herself who chose the title for her Williams’s new book about the renowned author. The occasion was a panel at 92NY, where Williams discussed “Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer’s Legendary Editorship,” her biography about legendary author and American icon Toni Morrison’s tenure as an editor at publishing house Random House. Also on the panel, presented in Buttenweiser Hall by the Unterberg Poetry Center, was moderator Lisa Lucas, a pioneering publishing executive in her own right, and panelist Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, an acclaimed poet and novelist.
Greatness often takes time. Williams said she first met with Morrison, who died in 2019, in 2005 after she had already begun her research for the book. She explained that her research took on more than an academic angle, due to the mutual friend both she and Morrison had in Eleanor Traylor, a legendary literary scholar and Howard University professor. All three had worked at Howard. Said Williams, “I saw a side of [Morrison] that was unvarnished, because Eleanor’s position, overwhelmingly, was ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.’ There were levels of comfort, so I also began to know [Morrison] as a very human person.”
So renowned was Morrison for her literary dexterity at delving into the complex lives and psyches of working-class Black Americans that she was awarded both a Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize. As much as that image of her was aggressively promoted by the media, her lengthy tenure as an incisive, groundbreaking editor at Random House remains shrouded even in publishing circles. Publishers Weekly lauded “Toni at Random” as “A triumphant account of an underexplored aspect of Morrison’s influence on American literature.”
In the same way Morrison tried to bring the complexity of Black people to public consciousness, Williams attempts to give a nuanced portrait of Morrison as a woman adept not only at writing about Black American people and experiences, but also as a visionary, advocate, and strategist at guiding the work of other writers. Williams explained the thinking behind Morrison’s advocacy for author Gayl Jones, for example, who famously refused to do press for her books: “While Morrison is doing press for her own books, she’s promoting Gayl Jones, in part because she doesn’t want to be the only Black woman writer who’s getting any kind of attention. She was also very sophisticated in it because she didn’t want the two of them to be reviewed together just because they were both Black writers.”
Williams also said Morrison stumbled into her career as an editor after editing a book called “College Reading Skills” while still employed at Howard University. “She understood how to make a book work, and would complain about books that didn’t work, so I think that kind of inspiration for editing is important.”
Morrison leveraged that experience into editing at small presses, including an imprint for Random House. Her skills and personality soon brought her to the attention of leadership, and she headed to New York in 1967 to begin working at Random House proper. Williams noted that Morrison felt “alone” at Random House as the only Black woman editor, and Fanonne Jeffers pointed out that this position probably informed how Morrison went about her work. “I can only guess this might have contributed to the way that she moved in publishing. There’s always community. That’s what the
book says to me. Instead of looking at her as this one singular person, she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. She has sorority sisters, and you know all of that.”
Morrison made herself available and relatable to not just the writers she worked with but the staff at Random House. Lucas, Williams, and Fanonne Jeffers all referenced her reputation for cooking for people she liked. Morrison’s Random House office was a veritable way station. Explained Williams, “Her office often was this magnet where people were constantly in and out. People I talked to were amazed that she was able to get any work done, because it was almost the station where everybody stopped in here or there.”
Williams also pointed to Morrison’s work on Angela Davis’s autobiography as both a pivotal moment in Morrison’s career as an editor and one that demonstrated Morrison’s tenacity, talent for relationship-building, and foresight. “The game changes with Angela Davis when
she’s able to score that. She’s working trying to convince Angela Davis’s team that she can do this. It comes together nicely, because they’re able to build trust, and that’s why, again, what trust looks like and feels like, and being able to anticipate what the public is going to want is really important.”
Fanonne Jeffers emphasized the irony of Morrison’s public image in the mainstream. For Black audiences, Morrison embodied the innate equality of Black people. For the mainstream, she seemed to represent something slightly different. Fanonne Jeffers remarked about Williams’s book, “For me, the biggest thing is realizing how Black she was; extremely Black, and the way that people have tried to deracinate Toni Morrison to make her into this special Negro that’s different from the rest of the Black people.” Fanonne Jeffers concluded later that “Black people need to understand — she was ours first.”
Toni Morrison during an interview by Farah Jasmine Griffin, which was introduced by Chirlane McCray, First Lady of New York City on April 27, 2015 at the 92nd Street Y. (Screenshot image courtesy of 92NY)
Alexander Gumby: A gay Harlem revolutionary
By MICHAEL HENRY ADAMS Special to the AmNews
In our community, a central message of Pride is that Black history is American history, and Black LGBTQ+ history is African American history, too.
A son of the South, whose father was an evangelist, Levi Sandy (L.S.) Alexander Gumby (1885–1961) was born in Maryland. Once celebrated as much for his intellectual activities as for his amorous exploits, he earned the appellations “the Count,” “Mr. Scrapbook,” and “the Great God Gumby.” Known now as a major exponent of the “Negro Renaissance,” Gumby is among the most forgotten Blacks ever to have lived in Harlem. Mostly, this obscurity is because he was gay.
No matter who you are, today’s attack on DEI is an attack on daring to be different from what’s thought of as the norm: white and heterosexual. In the past, not conforming to this societal expectation risked danger, difficulties, and stigma.Without ever declaring it publicly, in Gumby’s day, Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Huey Newton, James Baldwin, and many others might have lived their truth and been LGBTQ+ folks, but only on the “DL.” “No one who was queer then was out,” said photographer Marvin Smith, who met Gumby.
Celebrities like Little Naz X, Billy Porter, and Queen Latifah have shown that however difficult it is, it’s certainly easier to be queer and well known nowadays, but what was it like to be same-gender-loving, to be different, in a time when if you were queer, you had to deny it?
Attending Dover State College in Delaware to please his grandmother, Gumby discovered early in life that he was not cut out to be a lawyer. At the same time, he learned he was what was sometimes described at the start of the last century as “intellectual.” Then, as now, if one deviated from heterosexuality and lived in a smaller town, moving to a big city, where it was easier to find others who were also like you, was a good idea.
Gumby came to New York around 1904. A devotee of theater, music, and art, no less than for the “Sportin’ Life” character in the musical “Porgy and Bess,” it was the allure of “the fast life of the bohemian,” said his friend Richard Bruce Nugent, that drew him here. Spending nearly the next 50 years in Harlem and Morningside Heights, like many before and after, be it as a bus boy, a waiter, a postal worker, or a servant, Gumby did whatever was required to become a “New Yorker” original. Why does he matter? Over the course of his life, besides always being on the lookout for people to hook up with, Gumby gained renown for compiling more than 300 scrapbooks. Organized by category, each is stuffed with clippings and other ephemera documenting African-American attainment and history. “The Gumby collection is an invaluable resource. Any scholar writing about Black Americans in the 20th century must consult it!” said David Levering Lewis, who first used the scrapbooks while researching his book “When Harlem Was in Vogue.”
The first repository of Gumby’s collection was on the second-level parlor floor of a Victorian rowhouse-turned-rooming house at 2144 Fifth Avenue. Reconfigured into a loft, the space was divided into living quarters, a workspace for producing his albums, and the front “salon” with a fireplace and a ribbon of west-facing windows overlooking the street. Here, displaying the volumes he made along with artwork, rare books, and other “Negrophilia,” he established the Gumby Book Studio that, between 1925 and 1931, became a famous rendezvous in artistic circles.
What made it so special was that it was a safe place and bastion of diversity. Today, anyone probably has an LGBTQ+ friend or co-worker, and at least one who is Black or white as well. Back then, for most people, even in progressive New York, this was not so. Throughout the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, be they college kids or kings, everyone wanted to venture to Harlem for illegal alcohol, reefer, jazz music, and sex. For a season, innumerable whites came uptown to go “slumming,” as local clergymen complained, “to give their morals a vacation.” But however long they
Alexander Gumby, Harlem’s bibliophile-archivist-historian extraordinaire, at his Columbia University desk in 1950. That was when he gave his scrapbooks devoted to Black life and lore to their library and hired to oversee their organization. (Photo courtesy of L.S. Alexander Gumby Collection of Negroiana, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University)
From the Sept. 17, 1930 issue of the AmNews.
From the Nov. 25, 1931 issue of the AmNews.
spent gawking voyeuristically, few ever came to know or befriend Blacks here. Nor were they likely to discuss African masks, Florence Mills’s singing, or the merits of Schopenhauer’s philosophy.
At the Gumby Book Studio, guests did all those things and far more.
Gumby liked to boast of his studio soirées — that they were “the first unpremeditated interracial movement in Harlem.”
Author Maxwell Bodenheim confirmed the spirit of equality and inclusion he experienced from his first Gumby Studio visit: “When you mix Black and white, the result is gray — the color of unassuming meditation.” Between intense games of “Truth or Dare,” presided over by journalist H.L. Mencken or impresario Carl Van Vechten; at lunches for Countee Cullen, teas for Harlem’s demure Debutantes Club or art exhibits for Richmond Barthe, the city’s most discerning artists and intellectuals mixed and mingled at Gumby’s studio with ease. Then, a few years after 1929’s stock market crash, everything came falling down, almost without a trace at first.
Propping up the Gumby Book Studio was the bibliophile butterfly’s sometime boyfriend, a stockbroker named Charles W. Newman. Once Newman lost a fortune and his studio closed, Gumby was promptly hospitalized, suffering from exhaustion and tuberculosis. With his many friends hosting at least two “go fund me” benefits, the Amsterdam News gave a running account of his progress as Gumby lay abed for the next four years.
Finally released, he received another shock. A friend with whom he entrusted his scrapbooks had stored them in a cellar that flooded. Another, whom he had given rare books and papers to keep safe for him, sold some as the Great Depression worsened.
In an odd way, it was racism that enabled Gumby to reproduce his lost scrapbooks and form a new library. “[B]ook dealers, [dismissing as insignificant ] all such Negro items, threw [them] aside when they bought out private collections …,” he wrote. “There was simply no market.”
Living in an SRO apartment, working as a waiter in the Columbia University faculty dining room, even with quite meager wages, Gumby was able to capitalize on such boorish attitudes.
Moreover, well into his 60s, despite his age and lowly status, as he confessed while corresponding with Nugent, he was able to have trysts with Columbia students, mostly out of doors, in parks. Via his work, Gumby became acquainted with a Columbia professor who induced him to give his scrapbooks to the university, to be preserved in Butler Library’s rare book room. Employed for nearly a year to organize them, Gumby added new volumes to his original gift every year until his death from tuberculosis in 1961.
Of late, even in the Black community, there’s been a widespread homophobic backlash that scorns queers of every variety. It’s the very tiniest group, the one that does the most to express their identity — trans people, who have been targeted most. “That’s sooo gay,” kids will say as a taunt; meanwhile, Candice Owens expresses disgust that queer people are so omnipresent, rubbing the public’s nose in “their mess.” Even some queers, “normal gay” people, with kids and country houses, insist, “There are only two genders!” And “the backlash against us only began when we started to focus on trans rights.”
In Gumby’s era, someone might have explained the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder as corresponding to coming out and becoming more visible, which only happened as we came to feel that it might affirm our identities without risking violence
From the Dec. 8, 1934 issue of the AmNews.
or death. Its growing demonization has, of necessity, increased advocacy. Castigating or vilifying those we consider more outré outcasts will not help. Trying to pass will not keep us safe when neither wealth, nobility, high military honors, nor conversion to Christianity saved Jews from Hitler’s death camps. Nor has wealth, education, and high social status fully insulated Blacks from racism and rancor.
A decade after Alexander Gumby died, in 1970, Huey P. Newton wrote, addressing the Black Panthers, what Gumby already knew about common cause and allyship : “Whatever your personal opinions and your insecurities about homosexuality and the various liberation movements among homosexuals and women (and I speak of the homosexuals and women as oppressed groups), we should try to unite with them in a revolutionary fashion … We must gain security in ourselves and therefore have respect and feelings for all oppressed people. We must not use the racist attitude that the white racists use against our people … I’m now injecting some of my prejudice by saying that ‘even a homosexual can be a revolutionary.’ Quite the contrary, maybe a homosexual could be the most revolutionary.”
In a quiet way, at least in booklined rooms, defying the limitations an unjust society imposed on him at birth, Gumby was a fierce gay revolutionary.
From the Nov. 26, 1930 issue of the AmNews.
From the Dec. 4, 1929 issue of the AmNews.
Queer happened here: 100 years of NYC’s landmark LGBTQ+ places
By ROBERT GERHARDT Special to the AmNews
Queer history can be found throughout New York City, although much has gone unmarked, obscured, or forgotten over the decades. The Stonewall Inn may be the most famous because of the Stonewall Riots in 1969 that started the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, but it was not the first space for the queer community, and it was not the only one.
Author Marc Zinaman explores this hidden history in “Queer Happened Here: 100 Years of NYC’s Landmark LGBTQ+ Places,” published by Prestel. The book chronicles the evolution of queer culture in Manhattan between 1920 and 2020 through photographs, flyers, posters, club membership cards, and magazine spreads combined with first-person stories and research that shed light on the role that third spaces have played in queer life over the past century.
The book began as the @Queer_ Happened_Here social media account. The idea for that came when Zinaman watched a pair of documentaries about Studio 54.
“Studio 54 has been endlessly covered, of course, but what
caught my attention were the fleeting mentions of other fantastical-sounding nightspots I’d either never heard of or knew very little about — places like GG’s Barnum Room or Crisco Disco. I was intrigued,” Zinaman said.
“What were these spaces? Why didn’t I know more about them?
That made me want to dig deeper, and looking into these spaces early on really struck me — what
do you mean there was a club 50 years ago with a giant Crisco can DJ booth that LGBTQ+ people just danced around, and why haven’t I ever heard of it before?”
As he dug into the history of these spaces, he started the social media account to share what he found, tell their history, and connect to people who had photos, memories, and stories from them.
New York’s LGBTQ+ nightlife
they’ve been its backbone. Their influence has shaped the vibrancy and innovation of these spaces from the very beginning,” Zinaman said. “The book opens with the Harlem Renaissance, a period when queer Black life thrived in Harlem’s nightclubs and speakeasies. The first chapter highlights venues like Harry Hansberry’s Clam House, where blues singer Gladys Bentley performed in her signature tuxedo, and Jimmie Daniels’s Nightclub, a rare Blackowned space that offered a lavish refuge for queer performers and patrons. These venues were more than entertainment spots — they were crucial for creating visibility, forging community, and pushing back against the boundaries of race, gender, and sexuality.”
has also influenced broader cultural movements outside beyond the city’s limits, including fashion, performance art, music, and activism. Together, these influences all played a part in shaping American culture as they were absorbed by America at large.
“People of color have always been at the heart of New York’s LGBTQ+ nightlife and cultural history — and, more often than not,
Asian American and Pacific Islanders also had a role to play in the LGBTQ+ community. Lucky Cheng’s was one of those places. Opened in 1993 in the East Village, it was a “California Asian”style restaurant, where the performers were also servers. It was an early refuge for the queer Asian community.
Daisy Ang, one of the original employees of Lucky Cheng’s, grew up in Malaysia but moved to New York when he was 21. In Malaysia, he could not be open with his sexuality, so he came to America where he could be open and proud.
Continued on next page
Julie Tolentino and Jet Clark outside Clit Club, 1995. (© Efrain Gonzalez)
Funmakers’ Ball participants Eddie Mcclennon, Bobbie Laney, and Toni Evans, 1954. (© JohnsonPublishing Company Archive, courtesy J. PaulGetty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.)
“Backstage Buddies,” Female Mimics magazine Volume 1, Number 9, 1967. (© Digital Transgender Archive, Female Mimics magazine)
“I was hanging out in a gay bar uptown — a place called Star Sapphire,” Ang said in a phone conversation. “I was performing over there, and then the owner from Lucky Cheng’s came there looking for Asian drag queens. I worked in an office doing graphic design work Monday to Friday, and then I worked weekends at Lucky Cheng’s because they had just opened. It was very new for me because I used to only hang out on the weekends, but now I use a hangout to make money. It’s like my channel. I wanted to show my drag in public. If you work in a restaurant, that means people come to see you.”
Efrain Gonalez, one of the photographers whose work appears in the book, was born in the Bronx and raised on Long Island. Feeling lost, he dropped out of college and moved into the city, where he began driving a cab and discovered everything that was going on in Greenwich Village and the meatpacking district, and began to discover himself in the process. Armed with his camera, he began photographing at night around
the neighborhoods.
“I was trying to capture the scenes of people. I would try to capture the better side of New York, the queer side of New York, the underground part of New York [that] I know … is never going to be on the
page
but I would see a certain beauty in the people, the way they live their lives, their identities.” Gonzalez said by phone. “That’s what I try to capture on film. After years of working with these people, they’d
trust me, so they’d let me come in with cameras and photograph [them]. I would go to gay clubs and just photograph for all the fun we had in the bars.”
Today, LGBTQ+ stories and histories are facing censorship all
around the country. Book bans are removing queer literature, discussions of LGBTQ+ topics are being silenced, and there are attempts to roll back civil rights. Even the Stonewall Inn’s plaque, placed there by the National Park Service, had its references to trans and queer people removed. However, these stories will never be fully erased.
“In many ways, this book is a small form of resistance to that erasure,” Zinaman said. “It asserts that our presence, influence, and community have always existed — that these stories matter, deserve to be remembered and celebrated, and are integral to the broader American narrative. By documenting and honoring these spaces and communities, the book does aim to push back against efforts to diminish LGBTQ+ visibility and existence, and serve as a reminder that queer histories have always been a significant part of our culture.”
“Queer Happened Here: 100 Years of NYC’s Landmark LGBTQ+ Places” is published by Prestel Publishing, and can be purchased at Amazon, Bookshop.org, and other retailers.
front
of the New York Times,
Performers in front of Lucky Cheng’s, circa 1990s–’00s. Daisy Ang (second from right in bikini with book). (© Daisy Ang Collection)
Bob the Drag Queen performing at Barracuda, 2014. (© Bob Pontarelli)
RuPaul, Billy Beyond, Larry Tee, Hapi Phace, and Hattie Hathaway (front) at the Pyramid, circa 1980s. (© Ande Whyland)
Travel & Resort
A midsummer midtown staycation in New York City
By TRACY E. HOPKINS Special to the AmNews
New York City comes alive in the summer, with plenty of opportunities to fill your social calendar with arts and culture events — many of them free. So instead of skipping town the next summer holiday weekend, stick around, and discover why so many tourists flock to the city that never sleeps.
According to data from NYC Tourism + Convention, in 2024, nearly 65 million visitors came to New York City — the second-highest figure in city history and a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year.
This year, the city is on pace to surpass pre-pandemic levels. So whether you’re a jaded local or a bright-eyed visitor, here are some calendar highlights and hotel stays where you can enjoy a midsummer staycation or a getaway in midtown Manhattan.
July 6, 2025 while she’s on vacation. Other stellar shows to catch are the rousing Alicia Keys musical Hell’s Kitchen; Boop! The Musical starring Tony-nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers; and the acclaimed Phylicia Rashad-directed family drama, Purpose (until Aug. 31), featuring Tony-winner Kara Young.
Where to stay: Conveniently located on the edge of the theater district and Times Square, Kimpton Theta New York - Times Square (790 8th Avenue, the corner of 49th Street) is set in an iconic building and reimagined as a modern hotel with thoughtfully designed public spaces that inspire mixing and mingling. Curated touches include Kimpton’s gratis evening wine social hour, complimentary morning coffee and tea in the lobby, loaner Kimpton PUBLIC bikes, and no-fee pet services. Bar Sprezzatura, the hotel rooftop bar and restaurant, offers a chill and cheerful vibe. The 16th-
Catch free events and Broadway shows in and around Times Square
Throughout the summer, there’s a free concert series on Fridays at 6 p.m.
The neon lights are always bright on Broadway and there’s a lot of Black excellence shining on “the great white way,” including Audra McDonald, the most Tony Awardwinning performer of all time. McDonald dazzles as Mama Rose in director George C. Wolfe’s Broadway revival of Gypsy, however, Montego Glover will take over the role Monday, June 30 through Sunday,
lawn for Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America, featuring an eclectic lineup of free live performances in collaboration with New York City cultural institutions. Upcoming highlights include the New York Guitar Festival, with Louis Cato, leader of The Late Show Band (July 4, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.); Carnegie Hall presents three-time Grammy winning jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant (July 25, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.); and a fully staged performance of beloved Bizet classic Carmen by New York City Opera (September 4, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.). The park also hosts free Paramount+ Movie Nights on Mondays (lawn opens at 5 p.m. and movies start at 8 p.m.), with fan favorites like Ghost (July 21), Pulp Fiction (July 28) and The Godfather (Aug. 11). Visit bryantpark. org for more info.
department stores in the world. Explore the hotspot West Side neighborhood, Hudson Yards, which boasts 14 acres of public plazas, gardens and groves and 100 diverse shops and eateries.
Summer event highlights include free fitness events and outdoor screenings of major sporting events, like Wimbledon and the US Open.
The centerpiece of Hudson Yards is the iconic Vessel and New Yorkers can climb inside the honeycomb-like structure with breathtaking views free of charge, every Thursday, with proof of ID at entry. General admission is $10 (go to vesselnyc. com for more info). While in the area, take a stroll on the 1.45 milelong High Line, a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side – enter at 30th
Street and 11th Avenue, 30th Street at Hudson Yards or 34th Street and 12th Avenue and walk towards Gansevoort and Washington Streets.
Once you’re downtown, make a beeline to the Whitney Museum of American Art, at the southern entrance of the High Line, to see Amy Sherald’s first New York museum survey, American Sublime (on view until Aug. 10). Complimentary visits are available on Friday nights from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on free second Sundays each month — reserve tickets at https://whitney.org/visit/freedays-and-nights.
Where to stay: Nestled between the bustling Herald Square and the ever-trendy NoMad neighborhood, Martinique New York on Broadway, Curio Collection by Hilton (49 W 32nd Street) is just steps from Broadway’s hottest shows, Madison Square Garden and the Empire State Building. With its distinctive Art Deco charm and a storied 125year history that oozes cool, the hotel boasts 504 gorgeously styled guest rooms and suites, a state-ofthe-art fitness center and several dining options.
Nosh on gourmet comfort food at the hotel’s B&L Diner, led by Chef Franklin Becker. The restaurant balances a clean ingredient ethos with an unwavering commitment to flavor. Other culinary outlets include Nōksu, a Michelinstarred 15-seat tasting counter inside the Herald Square subway station, and the dessert shop, Sweet Graffiti.
floor enclave was inspired by the relaxed elegance of the Italian Riviera, and it brings the pizzazz of Positano to midtown with a welcoming atmosphere and a hopping happy hour (5 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily), featuring $4 Italian beers, $8 glasses of wine, and $10 spritzes, negronis, and martinis — paired with small plates like caprese crostini, deviled eggs and spicy tuna cannoli starting at just $3.
Watch movies and performances in Bryant Park
Pack some sweet and savory snacks and snag a spot on the
Where to stay: Located across from Bryant Park, the boutique Park Terrace Hotel (18 W. 40th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues) is close to several New York cultural touchstones like Luxe Fifth Avenue shopping, the New York Public Library and Grand Central Terminal. Dining options include the private members club Branch and La Pecora Bianca for house-made pastas and other classic Italian fare.
Shop ‘til you drop in Herald Square and see and be seen in Hudson Yards
Indulge some retail therapy at Macy’s in Herald Square, a city landmark and one of the largest
New York City (Image by Felix Dilly from Pixabay)
Martinique New York on Broadway (Photo courtesy of Martinique New York on Broadway, Curio Collection by Hilton)
Kimpton Theta New York - Times Square & Bar Sprezzatura (Rachel Ayotte photo)
Colman Domingo, Patricia McGregor create dignified, loving tribute with ‘Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole’
By LINDA ARMSTRONG
Special to the AmNews
So many of the great Black entertainers of the past had insurmountable obstacles to overcome before opening doors for us all. Nat “King” Cole is definitely one of those people who dealt with racism and cancellation, but he also showed the world that Black people are intelligent, talented, charming, elegant, and sophisticated.
With “Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole,” playing at the New York Theatre Workshop, Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor give us Cole at the last taping of his fabulous “Nat ‘King’ Cole Show.” We learn that Madison Avenue would not continue to sponsor the first Black television host. We see, behind the scenes of the show, what Cole had to endure and how he struggled to figure out how to end his last live taping on December 17, 1957.
From the time that Dule Hill steps out on stage as the entertainment icon, you know you are in for a treat. Hill carries himself
with such quiet dignity. He has a magnificent voice that does justice to the many beloved songs that Cole was known for. As the character struggles with how to handle his last show, he interacts with his best friend, Sammy Davis Jr., who wants him to go out letting the rich white sponsors know “you may have cancelled me, but 10 more will come back in my place.”
The audience gets a taste of the delightful times that Cole would have on his show with guests like Eartha Kitt who stop by and sing with their good friend. We also get the treat of Natalie Cole singing with her father. Another time, Cole, nervous in his dressing room, gets a visit from the spirit of his mother, Perlina, who comes with words of wisdom. There is a magnificent tap number where Cole and Davis dance with great energy, style, and panache.
Daniel J. Watts is funny, delightful, and supportive as Sammy Davis Jr. He appears to be having a great deal of fun playing this unconventional singing/tap dancing/acting entertainment icon.
Experiencing this performance first-hand is truly what I recommend. You will be engrossed and empathetic to the indignities this incredible man had to suffer. The cast in this production is marvelous. In addition to Hill and Watts, the ensemble cast members seamlessly play multiple roles memorably. Krystal Joy
Brown is sexy and funny as Eartha Kitt and endearing as Natalie Cole. Kenita Miller is touching as Perlina and others. Walter Russell III has a stunning vocal instrument and a delightful stage presence as he plays Billy Preston and others. Kathy Fitzgerald is engaging as Candy and others — Cole’s makeup person, who has to apply
powder to lighten up this beautiful Black man. Christopher Ryan Grant seems conflicted as he plays the show’s producer and others. Ruby Lewis is quite versatile as she plays Betty Hutton, Peggy Lee, and others. Elliott Mattox delivers his role as stage manager and others with heart.
This production has a stellar creative team that includes music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by John McDaniel; choreography by Edgar Godineaux; breathtaking tap choreography by Jared Grimes; and poignant direction by Patricia McGregor. The tech team does a fantastic job, with scenic design by Clint Ramos; costume design by Katie O’Neill; lighting design by Stacey Derosier; video design by David Bengali; and fascinating hair, wigs, and makeup design by Nikiya Mathis.
You have to get to the New York Theatre Workshop (79 E 4th Street) to experience this remarkable production. For more info, visit www.nytw.org. The show only runs through June 29.
Daniel J. Watts and Dule Hill in scene from “Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole at New York Theatre Workshop. (Marc J. Franklin photo)
Wadada Leo Smith, Maggie’s Garden, BoBCAT, Banana Puddin’
Jazz, that creative source of music inspired by life’s totality of experiences by the ancestors both in Africa and America, is constantly being reconfigured into a kaleidoscope of colors and sounds. The trumpeter, composer, and visual artist Wadada Leo Smith has created a vivid perspective on the oneness of music and art with his current exhibit
“The Language of Ankhrasmation” at the American Academy of Arts and Letters (Audubon Terrace, on Broadway between 155th and 156th Streets), now through July 3.
Smith’s concept of Ankhrasmation was 50 years in the making: He wrote that first score in Chicago in 1965. The term Ankhrasmation represents a diasporic concept with meaningful layers. The beginning, “Ankh,” is derived from the Egyptian hieroglyph, symbolizing life. The word “Ras” is Ethiopian and means head or head creator. The word “Ma” is the basic sound of all the planet.
“Ankhrasmation is the life force of mother and father, who generate everything on the planet, and I thought I would name my language after this general process.
I was looking for something but didn’t know what it would be until I found it,” explained Smith in an interview with Geeta Dayal. “... the sound-rhythm beyond is what I’m after through this precious and glorious art of the Black man.”
Smith’s colors boldly speak out (similar to his trumpet solos), adding a bright exuberance to the written scores. The colors, like his music, encompass a historical, cultural, social, and mythical elements of Ankhrasmation. Some of his images, particularly the booklets that reflect some of his works from 2023–24, are multi-dimensional, with art structures and shapes, sound music, and the concept of literature with poetry.
This is an inspiring exhibit that has been running for a few months and spilled into Black Music Month. Smith’s Ankhrasmation explicitly expands the concept of Black music in all directions.
For times, visit artsandletters. org or call 212-368-5900.
Music is not only good for the soul but also great for plant life.
On June 28, Maggies Garden Day Concert will present the Rudel Drears Quintet at 564 West 149th Street from 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
Drears’s quintet of longtime collaborators will include pianist and playwright Marjorie Eliot, Drears on piano and vocals, tenor saxophonist Sedric Shukroon, trumpeter Nick Mauro, bassists Yuma Takagi and Don Pate, drummer Clay Herndon, percussionist Will Glass, and vocalist Trane N’Chel.
The all-day affair includes live music, a yard sale, activities for children, and a cookout. The event is presented by Parlor Entertainment and Rudel Drears. Like clockwork every Sunday for over three decades, Drears and Eliot have presented the best live jazz in the community (the longest-running jazz series in New York City), bringing together local and established artists who have toured the world. This event is free and open to the public. For more info, visit instagram. com/maggies_garden_149/ or nyrp.org.
The Borough of Brooklyn Center of Arts & Technology (BoBCAT) will reach out on June 28 with a special presentation, Jammin’ for Jobs Jazz Concert, at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (58 7th Avenue). The band will feature a quintet of established artists led by drummer Ricky “Dirty Red” Gordon, trumpeter James Zollar, tenor saxophone Isaiah Richardson, Jr., pianist David Fludd, and bassist Lonnie Plaxico.
All funds will benefit BoBCAT. Their vision is to provide Brook -
lyn-based, underserved individuals aged 19 and above with the education to sustain a well-prepared workforce, with the goal of eradicating chronic unemployment in the borough.
Tickets are $85 per person and include live music, two alcoholic drink tickets, and light food options. For tickets, visit bobcatbrooklyn.org.
Rome Neal, a native New Yorker, has been a creative force in the hustle-bustle town for more than two decades. In Black theater, he has won AUDELCO Awards for directing and lighting design, and he resurrected the spontaneous spirit of Thelonious Monk in his one-man show “Monk,” which he co-directed with Laurence Holder, with music composed by bassist Bill Lee. His creativity as a director gives him the opportunity to have an ongoing collaborative relationship with novelist, essayist, and musician Ishmael Reed. Neal has directed or performed in some of the playwright’s most acclaimed theatrical productions.
When not involved in theater, he is immersed in the jazz scene, where he established himself as an impresario, presenting both new and established artists to audiences via his long-running Banana Puddin’ Jazz series. On June 30, Neal will celebrate his 22nd anniversary of this popular live jam. The festivities will take place at Theater for the New City (155 1st Avenue & 10th Street), on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where Neal has resided with his family for many years.
Special guest musicians will include a host of Neal’s long-time inventive collaborators, and
that be possible when everywhere in America, jazz is nothing but a stepchild?
The annual Grammy Awards are the most celebratory night of the year for the music industry, but shhhh! Where is jazz? Are there any large-scale performances like hip hop or R&B? No — it’s very rare to even see jazz musicians in attendance. More than likely, the awardees are often presented off-stage during the afternoon. How many jazz artists appear as guests on late-night talk shows to discuss perhaps a book, or even an upcoming album/CD?
some noted new inductees: Eric Lewis aka ELEW, Akua Dixon, Andre Chez Lewis, Ty Stephens, Richard Cummins, Patience Higgins, Gene Ghee, Dick Griffin, Donald Nix, Bernard Linnette, Nick and Leonieke Scheuble, Antoinette Montague, and Angelo and Areo Lewis featuring poet/ playwright Liza Jessie Peterson.
“The idea of a showcase/jam session that became Banana Puddin’ Jazz was inspired by the great Barry Harris,” Neal said in a phone interview. “Every week, he held these incredible music classes in Manhattan where, at any given time, there were at least 50 musicians (singers, trumpeters, sax, drums, piano), all seeking Barry’s musical knowledge. I realized there were all these musicians, but the venues for their performances were limited, and I decided to create a place for them on the Lower East Side at the Nuyorican Café, which was my creative home. Spending a lot of time in Harlem at the Lenox Lounge and St. Nick’s Pub, I wanted to bring some of that Harlem energy downtown.”
Neal said the banana pudding was something he just decided to make one night. “People love it so much [that] I just kept making it to this very day, so yes, there will be free banana puddin’ at the celebration.”
Tickets are $20 and will not be sold at the door. For tickets, call 212-254-1109 or visit the website theaterforthenewcity.net.
The celebration begins at 7 p.m.
Just a few thoughts during Black Music Month. These two phrases baffle me: “Jazz is America’s original art form” or “Jazz is an American treasure.” How can
What about the Oscars for best film score? Not. Why is jazz referred to “as America’s original music”? Shouldn’t that term apply to gospel, R&B, hip hop, blues, bebop, doowop, soul, neosoul, avant-garde, Black rock, afro-futurism? Isn’t all Black music America’s original artform?
Black music is a family of mentioned genres with roots in Africa. Black American music is an evolution of the Black family’s American experiences, from that day they stepped off those horrendous, inhuman ships to this very moment. It’s a succession more significant than just so-called genres. It’s sounds: the cadence of a southern Baptist preacher, the cotton fields call and response, Negro Spirituals, hand-clapping, foot stomping, grunts, moans, shouts, hollers, bent notes, and hums. It’s the Black experience that changed the sound of America and the world, and will continue for generations to come.
Let’s not get lost in the delusion of so-called genres; it’s all Black music, but for marketing purposes, every artist is categorized. A creative artist will never place themselves in a specific box. They are brilliant, unique artists who are ready and adept in playing anything as long as it’s good music!
In the words of the immortal NYC radio personality (on the city’s only-owned Black radio station, WBLS), Frankie “the Chief Rocker” Crocker: “Guaranteed to put more dips in your hips / more gut in your strut / more glide in your stride / if you don’t dig it, you got a hole in your soul!” He played everything, and ended his show every evening with “Moody’s Mood for Love.” Go on, Frankie, do it.
Wadada Leo Smith (Jimmy Katz photo)
Wadada Leo Smith, “Jupiter in Black Space,” 2020, from “The Three Jupiters,” 2020–23. (© Wadada Leo Smith)
Education
Immersive Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Center in NYC’s Upper West Side
By JANAE ANTRUM Special to the AmNews
Gail Foster, Ed.D., founded Morningside Immersion Playcare in 2015 after a career dedicated to education and the Black community. In the 1990s, she established the Toussaint Institute Fund to help place “troubled” young Black boys in either Black-owned private schools or specific white private institutions. She organized fairs for Black parents, providing guidance on navigating private school admissions and saving for college.
Foster’s vision for her school came from her desire for her daughter to learn French at a young age. Moving from New York City to rural upstate New York, she embraced a screen-free, nature-oriented, and wholesome. During this time, she connected with Flying Deer Nature Center and served as a consultant for rural schools in New York.
For middle school, Foster pursued diversity for her daughter, enrolling her in a Black school, then later taking her daughter to Belgium to immerse her in French. Although she found high school too late for her daughter to absorb the language quickly, Foster was inspired by the experience to advocate for early language immersion in education. An encounter with a Chinese American woman on a flight back to the U.S. further inspired her, as the woman emphasized the importance of Mandarin over French.
Foster attempted to integrate Mandarin into existing schools with previous connections to principals but eventually decided to create a new program. She aimed for a diverse and inclusive environment. Foster developed a business plan for the New York Public Library’s Business Plan contest. However, she didn’t win, but she used her connections to launch her plan into action with her school, starting from her Harlem apartment. She began with just one child and promoted her school in local parks, hiring interns from Teachers College at Columbia University to assist with Mandarin and Spanish immersion.
Foster’s dedication paid off when she secured a contract with the Department of Education, enabling her to relocate the school to the Upper West Side and increase tuition to its now $47,000. The idea for establishing a forest school originated when parents struggled to
find schools that matched the playcare’s unique approach. Thus, she developed a K-2 program that emphasizes outdoor learning, featuring daily outdoor classes alongside individualized indoor academic instruction.
Inspired and co-designed by Flying Deer Nature Center, The Forest School curriculum dedicates 70% of each week to outdoor activities. Children engage in activities such as hiking, shelter building, practicing yoga, reading in the grass, and other outdoor problem-solving exercises. Indoor learning accounts for 30% of the week, focusing on academic activities tailored to the children’s strengths.
“I wasn’t doing this because I wanted to make money; I was doing this because I happened to need employment, and I wanted to make a difference in the world,” said Foster.
Currently, the Forest School has openings for two more students and hopes to expand into a full-time elementary school. Reflecting on her journey, Foster expresses a sense of accomplishment for her contributions to early childhood education.
Forest Students Artwork on Display
Welcome sign at Morningside Immersion Playcare (Janae Antrum photos)
Progress Playbook holds 2025 Renaissance Summit
By RASHIDAH BERNAY FOWLER Special to the AmNews
For the second consecutive year, BRIC media became home to Progress Playbook’s Renaissance Summit, bringing together creators and innovators in the spirit of community-building and entrepreneurship. Geared toward anyone seeking an entrepreneurial journey, Progress Playbook provides multiple pathways to achieve success through mentorship, resources, and connecting people and communities.
This year, the one-day event expected an increase in attendees, 30% of whom were estimated to be from NYCHA housing. Progress Playbook works alongside the RIIS Program, which provides programming in NYCHA neighborhoods. Lloyd Cambridge, CEO and founder of Progress Playbook, said it is important to include this usually disregarded population in the discussion of and position to grow economically.
As a native of Brownsville, Brooklyn, where the majority of his family resided in NYCHA housing, Cambridge said, “It was important for me to empower, to equip folks in those neighborhoods. We have a lot of success stories from people who were born and raised in NYCHA that now have successful businesses as a way to have economic mobility.”
Community and connection were recurring themes as host Kamla Karina Millwood, founder of Palatial Publishing, encouraged guests to connect with at least 20 people throughout the event, saying, “Back in the day, it was cute to be nice and shy; not anymore.”
In addition to two panel discussions covering community- building and ownership, the Renaissance Summit gave recognition to the hard work of its 2024/2025 cohort participants with award plaques, and provided a platform for four of the 14 participants from the Blueprint Project: Activate Spring 2025 cohort to pitch their businesses to the entire summit.
As part of her pitch, returning Renaissance 2024 participant Andrea DavisWoods of Juiced It!, a cold-pressed natural juice business, sought a mentor to help in achieving her additional goals. She found it in Millwood, who publicly offered to fulfill that need.
Zaki Smith, founder of Young Barbers Initiative, boasted of training 120 high school students in the art of barbering from 2024 to 2025. He is currently looking to expand his services to multiple schools in the Department of Education (DOE) to provide hands-on vocational skills, life skills, and immediate entrepreneurial potential for students. He heard about Progress Playbook through a friend and, at the time, was leading a campaign for the Clean Slate Act, legislation that seals criminal records to allow formerly incarcerated New Yorkers the chance for a fresh start.
Formerly incarcerated himself, Smith re-
alized that every time he went back into the prison system, he ended up working in the barbershop. One day he asked himself, “Why am I here again? I actually have a skill here.” Smith gets emotional when he reminisces about his lived experiences that prompted the creation and development of his barbering program.
As a DOE educator, he prefers to work with young people and partially considers his program a preventive measure in making sure they stay on the right path. “My goal is that even if a young person walks out of high school and doesn’t become a barber, they have that in the back of their mind: ‘Hey, I actually know how to cut hair. I have that skill.’”
Smith’s participation in Progress Playbook’s programming has been integral to his success. He credits the program with providing access to resources, experts, and coaches; support in creating infrastructure and systems; and money management education.
The Blueprint Project: Clarify Winter 2025 Cohort was most impressive — the entire nine-person group consisted of only women with businesses that ranged from content creation to life coaching. Elizabeth Elohim’s company, Melabomb, which specializes in colored lashes, was birthed out of a unique genetic mutation that causes
some of her lashes to grow in gray. She said Progress Playbook “was a great motivator for me at a time that I was stuck, but still really passionate about my business. The program does what it says it does: Clarify and narrow in on what you want to do.”
The success of Progress Playbook hinges on contracts through government agencies, nonprofits, and the many relationships Cambridge has cultivated throughout his years in business solutions. Janice Fredericks of East Elmhurst, Queens, founder of the Retail Genius, said she became acquainted with Cambridge long before the creation of Progress Playbook through his work at NYC Business Solutions. Once he started Progress Playbook, she said, “he was still reaching out and consulting with me.”
Fredericks became the first Black woman to own a beauty supply store in New York City. After eight years of running her business, she closed its doors to support other Black and Brown people in opening beauty supply stores across the United States and in parts of the Caribbean. She felt the importance of being a pioneer and creating a safe space where Black women could come to shop and share their hair experiences.
She described the importance of Progress Playbook and the Renaissance Summit as a “movement”: “It’s a huge, impactful movement. We’re still on this journey as Black
entrepreneurs of trying to get ownership and trying to get ahead.” She praised Cambridge for being a game-changer by providing a platform for bold leaders and change-makers to emerge confidently and be supported by other Black entrepreneurs. “It’s absolutely wonderful,” she said. City Councilmember Rita Joseph of District 40 and Ranti Ogunleye, director at the NYC Office of Neighborhood Safety, were also in attendance. The latter assists in the funding of Progress Playbook by providing their largest contracts. Cambridge said of that partnership that “the beauty of working with that organization is that they want to work with Black and Brown organizations that are from the neighborhood, that understand the neighborhood, that understand the people, and that can support them to create these innovative solutions.”
Cambridge’s hope for the future is to assist in building for-profit businesses that can fund upcoming social endeavors so Progress Playbook and its participants are less reliant on government funding. Cambridge also looks forward to seeing participants in his programs and the communities they live in flourish in healthy and vibrant neighborhoods with the infrastructure and resources to support them. “I see Progress Playbook helping to create an ecosystem to achieve that vision.”
Anita Price, founder of Eleven3seven5 (left); Keishon Warren, co-founder of BKLYN Blend (left center); Owen Akhibi Herrera, founder of Peak & Pace (right center); and Janice Fredericks, founder of the Retail Genius (right). (Rashidah Bernay Fowler)
Dr. Sidney Hankerson honored with the 2024 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Service Award
By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA Special to the AmNews
Sidney Hankerson, MD, MBA, is director of Mental Health Equity in the Institute for Health Equity Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. On March 21, 2024, he was honored with the 2024 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Service Award. Dr. Hankerson was recognized for his commitment to innovative mental health services in under-resourced communities. The award was presented to Dr. Hankerson by Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., Executive Director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and 135th President of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. The honor was established by President George H.W. Bush. Dr. Hankerson was selected under then-President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Dr. Hankerson spoke with the Amsterdam News for a Q&A about the award, his work in under-resourced communities, and his research around depression and suicide. This conversation has been edited and con-
densed for clarity.
AmNews: Can you tell us about your background?
I grew up in Virginia, went to the University of Virginia, then went to Emory for Medical School, and stayed at Emory for residency, fell in love with Psychiatry, and while at Emory got a dual MD/MBA degree.
[I] initially wanted to go into hospital administration, but then, kind of, was struck by the inequities in care that patients at Grady Hospital receive which is the public hospital in Atlanta, compared to the private hospital at Emory so that led me to pursue research and I did health disparities research at Columbia and came to Mt. Sinai in 2022 in my current role.
AmNews: Can you talk about some of the research you’ve done?
My research focus is on depression. I became interested in studying depression in Black adults for several reasons. One, Black adults with depression are sicker for a longer period of time and have more severe symp-
DENTAL Insurance
toms as compared to white Americans. Two, Black Americans have much lower rates of treatment for depression compared to white adults and three, related to that ,Black adults with depression are more likely to be hospitalized compared to their white adult counterparts. So those are some of the barriers with depression that I sought to pursue. Then I said where are people in our community naturally congregating?
I started with the Black church. So we conducted the first ever church based screening study, and found very high rates of depression, and then I collaborated with Dr. Olajide Williams when we were both co-directors of Columbia’s Wellness Center at the time, and that led to the TRIUMPH study where we’re using community health workers to screen people for depression and get them connected to care.
Now we’re also trying to address the rise of Black youth suicide and we have grants
from foundations to implement evidencebased suicide programs for Black and Latino boys and YMCA basketball leagues and boys and girls clubs. So really, meeting kids where they are through sports.
AmNews: Can you please tell our readers about your Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award?
I was honored to receive the 2024 President’s Lifetime Achievement Award that was signed by President Biden. It was awarded in recognition of community service and so the cohort that I was inducted with included leaders like the executive director of the Executive Leadership Council, WWII Veterans, CEOs from nonprofits, lawyers, and other psychiatrists. It was really a function of my approach on addressing disparities — meeting people at trusted community
and
with their community centers.
Dr. Sidney Hankerson (left) is an accomplished doctor at Mt. Sinai. (Contributed photo)
School may be the only doctor some Black kids ever see
And if the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act is passed, cuts to Medicaid will result in slashed school-based health services.
By QUINTESSA WILLIAMS
Word In Black
For some kids, the school nurse is there to put a bandage on a skinned knee or check for a fever. But for a majority of Black students, too often, that nurse is the only health care provider they’ll see all year. If House Republicans get their way, though, even that might disappear.
Indeed, Medicaid is the largest federal funding source for schoolbased health services. And with GOP lawmakers inching closer to passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the health safety net it provides students could be ripped away.
The budget bill, a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda, slashes at least $715 billion from Medicaid. That means schoolbased health services funded through Medicaid, such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, mental health counseling, and behavioral health care, could be greatly reduced or eliminated entirely.
“It would be unacceptable and unethical to take that away from our kids,” Lauren Reliford, policy director at the Children’s Defense Fund,
told Word In Black, “Cuts like these will be particularly harmful for children who live at the intersection of race, ethnicity, citizenship status, gender identity, and disabilities.”
School is the only place some kids get care
According to the Economic Policy Institute, more than half of all Black children under age 19 rely on public health insurance like Medicaid. For some, this means coverage outside of school — doctor’s visits, prescriptions, and other care. But for many Black students in under-resourced schools, school is often the only place they can get health services at all.
Black students are more likely than their white peers to be enrolled in school-based Medicaid programs. In 2023, 51.2% of Black children received health care through these school-based health centers (SBHCs), compared to just 23.8% of white children.
SBHCs, which offer a range of services — including annual physicals, dental care, and mental health counseling — receive federal Medicaid reimbursement to defray their
operating costs. This is especially the case in low-income, majorityBlack districts where students often qualify for public health insurance.
The academic benefits
In a recent study published in the Research Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers noted that SBHCs “support children’s school function by addressing health concerns that might get in the way of students’ academ-
Mother and son holding hands walking on the sidewalk outside outside school building, on the first day of school. (PixelVista x gettyimages photo)
ic success without requiring them to leave campus and miss school.”
Researchers also found that SBHCs are linked to improved GPAs and higher graduation rates.
A 2023 study conducted by the Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health and partners found that students who got health care at school gained 5.4 to 7 additional school days of attendance per year. And in New York City, a study of school-based health centers found a positive correlation
between access to health centers and student performance in English Language Arts (ELA).
If these services disappear, experts warn that Black students — who already face higher rates of schoolbased trauma and fewer support systems — risk being pushed further behind.
Meanwhile, districts are already bracing for the impact if the One Big Beautiful Bill Act becomes law.
A March survey by the School Superintendents Association found that nearly 70% of district leaders anticipate having to cut schoolbased mental and behavioral health services if Medicaid is reduced or eliminated.
And for Black and Brown children, who are already often failed by the educational system, Reliford says taking away that care is not just negligent — it’s dangerous.
“Every child deserves access to health care for their body and mind,” she said. “This is an intolerable scenario that the nation’s lawmakers must do everything in their power to avoid. We must demand better for them — and from those in power.”
Annual 32BJ art show takes on the political theme: ‘Sewing Peace’
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
32BJ SEIU inaugurated its 19th annual art exhibition over the weekend. Art enthusiasts came out to the union’s 25 West 18th Street headquarters in Manhattan to take a look at the works produced by 190 current and retired 32BJ members.
Everyday workers –– people who are employed as security officers, commercial cleaners, residential building service workers, and airport workers –– got the chance to show the world they could recreate through art.
This year’s art exhibition displayed works created under the theme “Sewing Peace.” It’s a subject that was proposed by Lilia Esther Barahona Barrera, a 32BJ member who works as a seasonal maintenance worker at Citi Field.
Barahona Barrera said in a statement that she chose the Sewing Peace theme in response to today’s political realities: “I based this work on the state of the world we face today,” she said. “It is an invitation to reflect on global peace. Through it, I wish to leave a message of union, reconstruction, and harmony. I firmly believe that we, as individuals, as well as our governments, can weave peace and build bridges between borders.”
Guayaquil, Ecuador-born Naja Quintero graduated with a fine arts degree in her native country and today runs a childcare center in New Jersey. A 23-year member of 32BJ, Quintero loves to use recycled materials in her works and considers herself privileged to have been able to teach art to the children in her care. “Giving life to things that otherwise would have been thrown away, that’s what I love to do,” she said. “You take things that were thrown out and put them together according to your ideas, depending on the idea you have. You become a small architect. But you are an artist. That is the secret.
And then what was to be thrown away becomes something that could be a gift for somebody, and it costs zero, nothing.”
Quintero says the children in her care are fascinated by being able to create recycled art and have learned that not everything has to be used once and then thrown away.
Jacqueline Lamont, an art and sewing instructor at Pratt Institute, worked with health care worker retirees from 1199 SEIU, 32BJ’s sister union, to create the rag dolls that are on display at the show. For some of the retirees, this class was their first time working with textiles and sewing. “We cut out all the pieces for the clothes. We had to embroider the faces, stuff them, then sew the clothes together, put the hair on, and everything. Then in the art classes, they painted and put leather, because it spells out ‘peace’ and ‘love’ when they’re lined up.”
A retired graphic designer originally from Shanghai, Queens-based Jiqing Fu said she bases her art on her surroundings. One of the pieces she brought for display was an
oil painting that depicted her standing alongside her grandsons.
Meanwhile, the mostly self-taught realist artist, Julius A. Gastón Sr., had paintings titled “The Motorcycle Racer,” “The Teacups,” and “My Buddy Charlie” on display. “I challenge myself to do different things,” he told the AmNews, “to see if I can continue to do the hard lines, soft lines, and fade lines. And I always choose different topics.”
“If there’s one takeaway I have from this year’s show,” 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said in a statement, “it’s that art has never been more important – and from working artists in particular. Our members are harnessing their incredible talents to share their perspectives on all kinds of issues, from climate change and global conflict, to what’s going on in their own communities. Through their art, they are expressing so much of what is otherwise lost in daily life and discourse. Working artists are here, they have something to say, and I think people will do well to listen.”
Health care worker retirees from 1199 SEIU created the rag dolls that are on display at the show.
Group shot of 32BJ SEIU union members who have their art as part of the new “Sewing Peace” show. (32BJ SEIU photo)
Naja Quintero runs a childcare center in New Jersey. A 23-year member of 32BJ, Quintero loves to use recycled materials in her work and considers herself privileged to have been able to teach art to the children in her care.
(Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)
Jiqing Fu, a retired graphic designer, brought an oil painting that depicted her standing alongside her grandsons for display.
(Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)
Zohran Mamdani joins day one endorsers day before early voting ends
By ESMERALDA MORAN Special to the AmNews
As people crowded into Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights, eager for a glimpse of the mayoral candidate, one name rang clear: “Zohran.”
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani joined hundreds of volunteers to get out the vote at a rally in Jackson Heights, Queens, last Saturday. The rally came one day before the final date to vote early for the upcoming mayoral primary elections.
The rally was hosted by community groups CAAAV Voice, DRUM Beats, and New York Communities for Change (NYCC). Each group had endorsed Mamdani since he began his mayoral bid in October 2024.
“We came together, we interviewed a number of candidates, and together, our organization, our membership, came together and decided to endorse Zohran,” said DRUM Beats Political Director Jagpreet Singh.
Mamdani supporters gathered to listen to members of the organizations and community speak about their experiences and reasons behind their support for the candidate. Assemblymember Steven Raga of District 30 was among one of the many speakers at the rally.
“We have a few more days. Let it all out there, because we, at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, don’t want to regret a minute,” said Raga.
Community members voiced their concerns and expressed their support for Mamdani’s proposed policies, specifically emphasizing rent freeze, displacement, and the ongoing threat of deportation of immigrants as their rationale for supporting Mamdani.
“The only way we can protect New York City now is by voting for a mayor who will
a Chinatown resident with CAAAV Voice.
Mamdani’s speech focused on upholding the policies he has campaigned around and the importance of voting: “I stand here ready to freeze the rent for more than 2 million rent-stabilized tenants, to make the slowest buses in the country fast and free,
and to deliver universal childcare.”
After the rally, volunteers began to canvass around the neighborhood, garnering support for Mamdani as they urged members of the community to rank Mamdani first on the ballots.
“Many of our communities have been disenfranchised from the political process forever, but especially as of recent, there’s just been no reason to go out and vote, so we saw a need to really be able to bring our community back into the process to show that they have power and strength,” said Singh when asked what the greatest challenge canvassing has presented.
Fahd Ahmed, director of DRUM Beats, mirrored Singh’s concerns. “The response is not to then become more conservative, to win some of those people back over, [but] to actually provide a clear alternative that is centered on the material needs of working class people’s lives.”
With the election a day away, new polling showed Mamdani beating Andrew Cuomo, who held the lead for the Democratic vote in the primary race. The poll is a testament to the advocating and canvassing the volunteers have been doing, according to Singh.
“We just wanted to rally our volunteers, our members, our supporters, to show how far we’ve come in this campaign, all the way from where he was back in October to in some polls, even leading the race, and other polls being neck and neck,” said Singh.
pass a rent freeze and stand up to Trump and ICE,” said Polly Gong,
Attendees watch as Zohran Mamdani delivers speech during rally. (Esmeralda Moran photo)
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Notice is hereby given that a license, number NA-0370-24146467 for Liquor, Wine, Beer & Cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Liquor, Wine, Beer & Cider at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 3700 Jerome Ave, Bronx, NY 10467, Bronx County for on premises consumption. Made In The Bronx LLC, D/B/A Made In The Bronx
225 Willow LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on July 13, 2025. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 601 Wales Ave, Bronx, NY 10455 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Forty Whiskers LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/07/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 223 W38TH ST, BOX 493, New York, NY, 10018. Purpose: Any lawful act.
VESSEL GLOBAL CAPITAL
LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/3/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 31 Hudson Yards, Office 51, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.
GUNBAI LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/31/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 313 W 22nd St, Apt 1B, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Qualification of 154 PARTNERS INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/01/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/15/24. Princ. office of LLC: 34 E 51st St., NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to CT Corporation System, 28 Liberty St., NY, NY 10005. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Greater Harlem Chamber SPV1, LLC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/8/25 Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 200A W136th Street, New York, NY 10030. Purpose: Any lawful act.
West Atlantic Law Firm, PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/08/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 104 West 40th Street, Suite 400 , New York, NY, 10018 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Royvolution LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/17/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 34th Ave. #977, Anchorage, Ak 99503. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Stoller & Pileggi LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/05/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 407 E. 91st St., Apt. 5E, New York, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
AXOS BANK, Plaintiff -againstHUDSON 805 LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated November 26, 2024 and entered on February 3, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on July 23, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, known as Unit No. 805-06 in the Building known as the Printing House Condominium. Together with an undivided 0.0124% interest in the Common Elements.
District: 0403 Section: 014.00
Block: 02.00 and Lot: 044.002 Said premises known as 421 HUDSON STREET, UNIT 805/806, NEW YORK, NY 10014
Approximate amount of lien $7,584,837.12 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850233/2022.
JEFFREY MILLER, ESQ., Referee
Sheppard Mullin Benjamin O. Gilbert, 212-890682, bogilbert@sheppardmullin.com
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112
{* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, U.S. Bank Trust National Association, As Trustee For LB-Dwelling Series V Trust, Plaintiff, vs. Kimberly Ann Busi a/k/a Kimberly A. Busi a/k/a Kimberly Busi, ET AL., Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on February 18, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on July 30, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 1 Wall Street Court, Unit 605 a/k/a 82 Beaver Street, Unit 605, New York, NY 10005. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 28 and Lot 1043 together with an undivided 1.5944 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,129,124.74 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850472/2023. Tom Kleinberger, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 223745-1
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., Plaintiff -against- DENNY MARTIN M.D. P.C., et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 26, 2024 and entered on July 31, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on July 23, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, State of New York, known as Unit No. 2A in the condominium known as "The Ruppert Yorkville Towers Condominium" together with a 0.097375% undivided interest in the common elements. Block: 1537 Lot: 2089 Said premises known as 1641 3RD AVENUE, APT 2A, NEW YORK, NY 10128
Approximate amount of lien $1,654,551.66 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850143/2022. CLARK WHITSETT, ESQ., Referee Buonamici & LaRaus, LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 222 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY 10605
{* AMSTERDAM*}
Kimbro LLC filed w/ SSNY 6/22/04. Off. in NY Co. Process served to SSNY - desig. as agt. of LLC & mailed to Mike Katz, 630 Third Ave, 23rd Fl, NY, NY 10017. Any lawful purpose.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. MARTINA SMITH, Deft. - Index # 850486/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 2, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.00493200000% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $19,544.14 plus costs and interest as of March 13, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Doron Leiby, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
Notice of Qualification of PRIVATE EQUITY VII (E&F) GP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/15/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/06/25. Princ. office of LLC: 9 W. 57th St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Summit Rock Advisors, LP at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Investments.
Notice of Qualification of TWO SIGMA PULSAR PORTFOLIO, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/04/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/25/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 100 Ave. of the Americas, 16th Fl., NY, NY 10013. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of THE CURATED BREAST LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/19/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 515 Marin Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07302. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstJACQUELINE LEE ABRAMS, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated November 12, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on July 9, 2025 at 2:15p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, being an undivided ownership interest as tenantin-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.01972800000% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37.
Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019
Approximate amount of lien $36,377.42 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850307/2023. RONALD ZEZIMA, ESQ., Referee
DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
DLG# 39332 {* AMSTERDAM*}
WRM HOLDING LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/31/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 2O ATLAS COURT, EAST MEADOW, NY 11554. Purpose: Any lawful act.
FIVE
AMERICAS FL 3, NEW YORK, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.
IRON GOLF APP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/11/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 883 AVENUE OF THE
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. JANET LEFEBVRE, Deft. - Index # 850481/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated May 28, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0343469607644787% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 48TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 12 East 48th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $45,345.49 plus costs and interest until entry of Judgment on June 3, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges.
Thomas R. Kleinberger, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. RUSSELL R. WEBBER and BARBARA A. WEBBER, Trustee of the RUSSELL R WEBBER and BARBARA A. WEBBER TRUST dated April 9, 2010, Defts. - Index # 850498/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated May 21, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the NY County Courthouse located 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0741276267592057% and an undivided 0.1505136467542480% tenants in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase II of HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $80,859.31 plus costs and interest as of March 13, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Mark McKew, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
Notice of Qualification of BASKIR FIRST PROPERTIES
LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/06/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/04/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: All legal activities especially property investment.
ANGEL GLOW GROUP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/11/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 700 W 178TH ST APT22, NEW YORK, NY,10033. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NEW YORK COUNTY. USALLIANCE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION BY MERGER WITH NEW YORK METRO FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, Pltf. vs., UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW OF JAMES MCCASKILL A/K/A JAMES MC CASKILL, HIS NEXT OF KIN, DISTRIBUTEES, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, TRUSTEES, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CEDITORS, AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST, AND GENERALLY ALL PERSONS HAVING OR CLAIMING, UNDER, BY OR THROUGH SAID DEFENDANT WHO MAY BE DECEASED, BY PURCHASE, INHERITANCE, LIEN OR OTHERWISE, ANY RIGHT TITLE OR INTEREST IN AND TO THE PREMISES DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT HEREIN, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES AND PLACES OF RESIDENCE ARE UNKNOWN TO THE PLAINTIFF AND CANNOT AFTER DILIGENT INQUIRY BE ASCERTAINED, et al Deft. Index #850257/2022. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered August 12, 2024, I will sell at public auction on July 30, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 61 West 126 th Street, New York, NY 10027 a/k/a Block 1724, Lot 11. Approximate amount of judgment is $180,402.84 plus cost and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale and the right of the United States of America to redeem within 120 days from the date of sale as provided by law. CHRISTY M. DEMELFI, Referee., MARGOLIN, WEINREB & NIERER, LLP., Attys. for Pltf., 575 Underhill Blvd., Suite 224, Syosset, NY. #102268
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff -against- WEI TIENG HUR, if living and if dead, etc..., et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated February 20, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on July 16, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, known and designated as Unit No. 5A in the condominium known as "Observatory Place Condominiums" together with an undivided 2.41 percent interest in the common elements. Block: 1676 Lot: 1420
Said premises known as 2019 1ST AVENUE, UNIT 5A a/k/a 2019-2023 1ST AVENUE, UNIT 5A, NEW YORK, NY 10029
Approximate amount of lien $321,532.88 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney. Index Number 850269/2019. MARK MCKEW, ESQ., Referee David A. Gallo & Associates LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 47 Hillside Avenue, 2nd Floor, Manhasset, NY 11030 File# 7777.059 {* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE
WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF WELLS FARGO COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE TRUST 2016-C34, COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2016C34, BY AND THROUGH ITS SPECIAL SERVICER, LNR PARTNERS, LLC, Plaintiff v. 153 ELIZABETH STREET, LLC, 153 ELIZABETH HOTEL LLC, 30 KENMARE MASTER, LLC, EDMOND LI, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE CITY OF NEW YORK, and PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Defendants, Index No. 850275/2021. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision and Order on Motion dated August 8, 2024, which was duly entered in the above-entitled action and filed in the Office of the New York County Clerk on August 12, 2024 and December 26, 2024, as amended by the Decision & Order on Motion dated September 24, 2024, which was duly entered in the above-entitled action and filed in the Office of the New York County Clerk on September 26, 2024 (the “Judgment”), I the undersigned Referee in said Judgment named, will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at Room 130 of the Courthouse, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, the premises directed by said Judgment to be sold. The premises will be offered for sale, as one parcel, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. The premises therein described are located at 153 Elizabeth Street, New York, New York 10023, also known as Block 479, Lot 29 on the Tax Map for the County of New York, together with the buildings, improvements, fixtures, machinery, equipment, personalty and other rights or interests of any kind or nature located thereon, and more particularly described in the Judgment.
The premises will be sold subject to the provisions of the filed Judgment, Index No. 850275/2021, and the Terms of Sale , all of which are available from plaintiff’s counsel upon request.
The approximate amount of the Judgment, for the property referred to therein, is $35,312,720.52, plus interest and costs, as provided in the Judgment. The successful bidder will be required to deposit 10% of the bid by certified or official bank check, unendorsed, made payable to the Referee.
Scott H. Siller , Esq., Referee ( 516) 644-6769
Herrick, Feinstein LLP, Attorneys for Plaintiff, Two Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016, (212) 592-1461, Attention: Scott T. Tross, Esq.
RESILIENT SUSTAINABLE HABITABLE PROGRESSIVE ARCHITECTURE PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/31/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: Tower 45, 120 W 45TH St, STE 2801, New York, NY 10036 Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK
CHANG HWA COMMERCIAL BANK, LTD., in its capacity as the administrative agent for Hua Nan Commercial Bank, Ltd. and itself, the syndicated lenders (Plaintiff) AGAINST WATERSCAPE RESORT II, LLC , et al., (Defendants), Index No. 850050/2021
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision and Order on Motion dated February 14, 2025 and entered February 18, 2025 (the “Judgment”), and such Judgment entered by the New York County Clerk’s Office on May 20, 2025, I, Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., the undersigned Referee, duly appointed in this action for such purpose, will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Court, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, on July 9, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. , on that date, the premises directed to be sold by said Judgment, commonly known as Hotel Unit 1, Hotel Unit 2, and Commercial Unit 3 in the Condominium known as the “Cassa NY Condominium” located at 66-70 West 45th Street, New York, New York 10036 (Block 1260, Lots 1101, 1102 and 1103). The approximate amount due as per the Judgment is $98,961,016.28, plus interest, fees, and costs. The premises shall be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and the terms of sale.
Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee THOMPSON COBURN LLP Mark T. Power Brigitte R. Rose Attorneys for Plaintiff
488 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10022 Tel: (212) 478-7200
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. VANESSA TASHINGA NGARU, Deft. - Index # 850485/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 2, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.00493200000% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 57TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $23,610.46 plus costs and interest as of March 13, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Doron Leiby, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
GTM ADVISORS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/12/05. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 235 East 87th St, Apt 12L, New York, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Real Estate Request For Proposals
RFP2GD062025: Opportunity to lease portions of LIRR’s Lawrence Station Building located in Lawrence, New York.
RFP1GD062025: Opportunity to lease portions of LIRR’s Woodmere Station Building, located in Woodmere, New York.
For information on the above RFPs, please go to https://new.mta.info/agency/real-estate/
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST LAWRENCE LEE; ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered January 22, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse in Room 130, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on July 16, 2025 at 2:15 pm, premises known as 100 West Street 58th 3A aka 100 West Street 58th #3A, New York, NY 10019. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block: 1010 Lot: 1412. Approximate amount of judgment $209,178.35 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850431/2023. Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee Tromberg, Morris & Partners, PLLC 39 Broadway, Suite 1250 New York, NY 10006 25-001042 86117
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. JAMES R. HARVEY, ALVINA M. HARVEY and NYC TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU, Defts.Index # 850483/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated May 28, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 0.0424631946437561% tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as 48TH STREET VACATION SUITES located at 12 East 48th Street, New York, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $54,716.43 plus costs and interest as of March 13, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Thomas R. Kleinberger, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
JABGRS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/28/25 Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 382 CPW #17, NY, NY,10025. Purpose: Any lawful act.
HFBFD LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/28/2021 Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 156A East 83rd Street, New York, NY 10028 Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE, SUPREME COURT, NEW YORK COUNTY
NewBank v. 43 Mott Realty Owner LLC et al. , Index No. 850034/2022
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated January 31, 2025 (the “Judgment”), I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder in Room 130 of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, 60 Centre Street, New York, New York 10007 on July 30, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. the premises known as 43-45 Mott Street, New York, New York 10013, Borough of Manhattan, Block 164, Lots 28 and 29 (the “Premises”). The approximate amount of the Judgment is $554,281.17, plus interest, costs, attorneys’ fees, and disbursements. The Premises will be sold subject to the provisions of the Judgment and terms of sale. Said auction will be conducted “rain or shine.”
Christy Demelfi, Esq., Referee
Plaintiff’s attorneys: Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. 990 Stewart Avenue, 3rd Floor Garden City, New York 11530 516-741-6565 (tel.) 516-741-6706 (fax)
V76 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on May 21, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: C/O Dontzin Kolbe & Fleissig LLP, 31 East 62nd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10065. Purpose: Any lawful act.
ITSHAK HOLTZ FINE ART LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/3/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: Registered Agents Ince, 418 Broadway, STE R, Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Qualification of NUVEEN STRATEGIC RETAIL AGGREGATOR LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/18/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/11/25. Princ. office of LP: 730 Third Ave., NY, NY 10017. NYS fictitious name: NUVEEN STRATEGIC RETAIL AGGREGATOR L.P. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of qualification of EC A2 SLIHC Taxpayer LLC (“LLC”). Application for Authority filed with the Secy. of State of New York (“SSNY”) on March 13, 2025. Office location: New York County. Principal business location: 505 Eighth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, New York 10018. LLC formed in Delaware (“DE”) on February 28, 2025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: EC A2 SLIHC Taxpayer LLC, c/o Common Ground Management Corporation d/b/a Breaking Ground Management, 505 Eighth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, New York 10018. DE address of LLC: EC A2 SLIHC Taxpayer LLC, c/o The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Building, 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of NUVEEN STRATEGIC RETAIL INVESTORS LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/18/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/12/25. Princ. office of LP: 730 Third Ave., NY, NY 10017. NYS fictitious name: NUVEEN STRATEGIC RETAIL INVESTORS
L.P. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Wanyeki Technologies LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/25/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 222 E 34th Street APT 2325, New York, New York, 10016 Purpose: Any lawful act.
GROUNDED STARS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/19/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 535 Fifth Avenue, 4th Floor, #1021, New York, NY 10017 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Qualification of HANDSOME BROOK FARM, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/11/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/03/16. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 555 W. 57th St., Ste. 1103B, NY, NY 10019. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Piermont Bank , Plaintiff, vs . 315 Manhattan Properties LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on January 31, 2025 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on July 9, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 315 West 121st Street, New York, NY 10027. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 1948 and Lot 22. Approximate amount of judgment is $3,640,907.48 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850023/2024. Mark McKew, Esq., Referee Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP, 100 Motor Parkway, Suite 560, Hauppauge, New York 11788, Attorneys for Plaintiff
Notice of Qualification of 1580 NOSTRAND AVE OWNER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/08/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/12/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of REDUS EL, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/23/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/03/09. Princ. office of LLC: 401 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State-Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of Limited Partnership (“L.P”). Name: Kingsboro SHOP 1 L.P. Certificate of Limited Partnership filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (“SSNY”) on April 24, 2025. N.Y. office location: New York County. The SSNY has been designated as agent of the L.P. upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to Kingsboro SHOP 1 L.P., c/o Breaking Ground II Housing Development Fund Corporation, 505 Eighth Avenue, 5 th Floor, New York, New York 10018. The latest date upon which the L.P. shall dissolve is December 31, 2135 unless sooner dissolved by mutual consent of the partners or by operation of the law. Name/address of each general partner available from SSNY. Purpose: any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of SQUARE NINE CAPITAL, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/06/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/23/24. Princ. office of LLC: 292 Madison Ave., 22nd Fl., NY, NY 10017. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o The Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF MULLEN, ARMS & FITZPATRICK LLP.
Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/16/2025. Office Location: New York County.
SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLP served upon him/her is: 745 Fifth Avenue Suite 500 New York, NY 10151.
The principal business address of the LLP is 745 Fifth Avenue Suite 500 New York, NY 10151. Purpose: Practice of Law.
Notice of Qualification of TRYON PROPERTY OWNER, LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/29/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/27/18. Princ. office of LP: 440 S. Church St., Ste. 880, Charlotte, NC 28202. NYS fictitious name: TRYON PROPERTY OWNER, L.P. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
CRG CAPITAL GROUP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/08/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 134 West 29th Street, 4th Fl, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.
DRINK X FRESH LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/18/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 PARK AVE S#715255, NEW YORK, NY, 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
FIVE IRON GOLF MINNEAPOLIS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/03/2024. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 883 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS FL 3, NEW YORK, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE
In pursuance and by virtue of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly granted and entered in an action entitled NYCTL 2021-A Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 2021-A Trust v. Yi Dong, et al., bearing Index No. 157646/2022 on or about April 30, 2025, by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, I, the Referee, duly appointed in this action for such purpose, will expose for sale and sell at public auction to the highest bidder on July 23, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, Room 130, New York, New York 10007, the liened premises designated as Block 882, Lot 1214, in the City of New York, County of New York and Borough of Manhattan, State of New York and known as 88 Lexington Avenue (a/k/a 80/88 Lexington Avenue a/k/a 129/133 East 26 th Street), Unit No. 404, New York, New York 10016 , directed in and by said judgment to be sold. The sale will be conducted pursuant to the Court’s Auction Rules and any COVID Restrictions. The approximate amount of the judgment is $64,549.64 plus interest and other charges, and the property is being sold subject to the terms and conditions stated in the judgment, any prior encumbrances and the terms of sale which shall be available at the time of sale.
Dated: June 19, 2025 New York, New York Scott H. Siller, Esq. Referee 706 Equestrian Way Westbury, New York 11590 (516) 644-6769
David P. Stich, Esq. Attorney for Plaintiff 521 Fifth Avenue, 17th Floor New York, New York 10175 (646) 554-4421
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
7G 123 LAFAYETTE LLC, Plaintiff -against- 123 LAFAYETTE LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated March 5, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on July 30, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the easterly side of Lafayette Street, distant 95 feet 8-5/8 inches northerly from the corner formed by the intersection of the northerly side of Canal Street and the easterly side of Lafayette Street; being a plot 51 feet 6 inches by 62 feet 9 inches by 51 feet 9-3/4 inches by 62 feet 9 inches. Block: 208 Lot: 4
Said premises known as 123127 LAFAYETTE STREET, NEW YORK, NY
Approximate amount of lien $21,759,120.80 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850316/2024.
ALLISON FURMAN, ESQ., Referee
Warshaw Burstein, LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 575 Lexington Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS, as Trustee, on behalf of the Registered Holders of Citigroup Commercial Mortgage Trust 2016P5, Commercial Mortgage Pass Through Certificates, Series 2016-P5, acting by and through its special servicer, LNR Partners, LLC, Plaintiff -against- JW EAST BWY LLC, et al., Defendant(s), Index No. 655575/2023. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered June 3, 2025, under NYSCEF No. 158 (the “Judgment”), the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction to the highest bidder in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007, on July 16, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. (prevailing Eastern Time), the property in said Judgment directed to be sold, which property may be briefly described as the real property located in the Borough of Manhattan, within the City, State and County of New York, and designated as Block 279, Lots 1101, 1102, and 1103, together with the fixtures, personalty and other rights or interests of any kind or nature located thereon or related thereto, as more particularly described in the Judgment. Said premises are known as 11 EAST BROADWAY, The Royal Court Condominium, Unit Nos. 1A, 2A & 3A, NEW YORK, NY 10038
Approximate amount of Judgment is $23,303,940.33 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and the Terms of Sale, as referenced therein, which are available from Plaintiff’s counsel upon request.
DORON LEIBY, ESQ., Referee VENABLE LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 151 W. 42nd Street, 49th Floor, New York, NY 10036, (212) 3706257, Attention: Rishi Kapoor, Esq.
{* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, not in its individual capacity, but solely as owner trustee for CSMC 2018-RPL6 Trust , Plaintiff, vs . Jose N. Ramos , ET AL., Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision and Order on Motion duly entered on February 6, 2025 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on July 9, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 526 West 175th Street, New York, NY 10033. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 2131 and Lot 37. Approximate amount of judgment is $414,581.31 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850008/2024.
Mark McKew, Esq., Referee
Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 232895-1
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiffs -against- CIAO-DI RESTAURANT CORPORATION, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on March 31, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on July 30, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 552 and Lot 1322, 1323 and 1327 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map, and being further known on such tax rolls as 88 Washington Place a/k/a West Washington Place, Unit S6, Unit S7 and S11, New York, NY 10011. Said premises known as 88 WASHINGTON PLACE, UNIT S6, UNIT S7 AND UNIT S11, NEW YORK, NY 10011 Approximate amount of lien $14,968.16 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 154141/2023. SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee Phillips Lytle LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs 28 East Main Street, Suite 1400, Rochester, NY 14614 {* AMSTERDAM*}
Notice of Formation of NEKO HEALTH 3 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/28/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of WHITE PLAINS 701 WESTCHESTER LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/21/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1315 W. 54th St., 1st Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of ALAN MENKEN LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/16/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Fulton Vittoria LLP, One Rockefeller Plaza, Ste. 301, NY, NY 10020. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of NEKO HEALTH 2 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/28/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE 610 PARK AVENUE CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff -against16EF
APARTMENT, LLC and MARA ENTERPRISES, et al Defendant(s). Index Number 151261/2023.
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered herein and dated September 29, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction located in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY New York on July 30, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. E.T., premises situate, all that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, known as Unit No.
PH16E in the building designated as 610 Park Avenue Condominium. Together with an undivided 4.0581% interest in the common elements. Block: 1379 Lot: 1189
Said premises known as 610 PARK AVENUE, PH16E, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10065
Approximate amount of lien is $171,820.02 plus post-judgment interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the filed Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion and Terms of Sale.
CHRISTY M. DEMELFI, ESQ., Referee Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP
Attn: Benjamin O. Gilbert bogilbert@sheppardmullin.com
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112 (212) 896-0682 {* AMSTERDAM*}
Notice of Formation of WHITE PLAINS 711 WESTCHESTER
LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/21/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1315 W. 54th St., 1st Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of CSIP VII GENERAL PARTNER, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/10/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/11/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
1 • February 20, 2025 - February 26, 2025
Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #NA-0340-25103028 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a restaurant under the ABC Law at 994 Columbus Ave., New York, NY 10025 for on-premises consumption; Limone LLC
Notice of Qualification of NMG Term Loan PropCo LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/20/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/29/19. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
NOTICE is hereby given that a license, number NA-0370-24135212 for liquor, wine, beer & cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor, wine, beer & cider at retail in a bar/tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 4371 3rd Ave; Bronx, NY 10457 in Bronx County for on premises consumption. Zion Restaurant and Lounge Corp d/b/a Zion Restaurant and Lounge
Notice of Qualification of TWO SIGMA PULSAR ENHANCED FUND, LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/04/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/24/25. NYS fictitious name: TWO SIGMA PULSAR ENHANCED FUND, L.P. Dura tion of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership, 100 Ave. of the Americas, 16th Fl., NY, NY 10013. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of Limited Liability Company (“LLC”). Name: Kingsboro SHOP 1 GP LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (“SSNY”) on April 24, 2025. N.Y. office location: New York County. The SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to Kingsboro SHOP 1 GP LLC, c/o Breaking Ground II Housing Development Fund Corporation, 505 Eighth Avenue, 5 th Floor, New York, New York 10018.
Notice of Formation of WHITE PLAINS 777 WESTCHESTER
LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/21/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1315 W. 54th St., 1st Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of AP CREDIT SOLUTIONS HOLDINGS (AIV) II, L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/08/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/26/24. Princ. office of LP: Attn: General Counsel, 9 W. 57th St., 43rd Fl., NY, NY 10019. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with The Secy. of State of the State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of LEAPS AND HURDLES, LLC Arts. of
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The Bronx Gibson, after a lengthy career in politics, became the first woman and Black person to hold her position in 2020. Her main opponent was City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca, who ran briefly for Bronx BP in 2020 but ended up dropping out of the race to secure reelection to his City Council seat. Gibson has been leading the charge on Black maternal health in the Bronx, a kindred spirit to BP Reynoso. She garnered 68.47% of the votes, or 65,467 votes, at the close of the polls. In a quick social media post, she said, “We did it Mom! Thank you, Bronx.”
Bronx. 75,712/year (36.4/
1. Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr. chairs land use hearing on May 7, 2019 (NYC Council photo)
2. Brooklyn Borough President candidate Khari Edwards. (Campaign photo)
3. Incumbent Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. (Campaign photo)
Mamdani
Continued from page 2
been focused on winning today. He has not had any conversations beyond that.”
Down to the last day, pollsters were trying to predict who would rank higher in the race. Many polls, like the Honan Strategy Group, consistently predicted that Cuomo would maintain a strong lead while Mamdani would come in second. But in the beginning of June, a handful of polls made a splash with headlines when they showed Mamdani pulling ahead of Cuomo in the race.
“We knew all along that New Yorkers were hungry for an alternative to Donald Trump and an alternative to Eric Adams and an alternative to Andrew Cuomo,” said Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the NY Working Families Party, at the watch party. “And Zorhan Mamdani is the candidate of the people. He built an amazing campaign. People knocked a million doors, talked to voters across the borough, in every borough, and everyone’s excited about this campaign. Everywhere I went, people were excited about this.”
According to the New York City Board of Elections (BOE), the unofficial early voting numbers indicated that the highest voter turnout was in Brooklyn and Manhattan this primary, followed by Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Election Night results include the votes from early voting, which were 384,338 total votes cast, and the votes from Election Day before polls closed at 9 p.m.
Ordinarily, the BOE cannot certify an election until all votes are counted. It still has
to process all the absentee, military, affidavit, and mail-in ballots that can’t legally be opened or counted until after July 1, as well as the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system rounds in other races where a single candidate didn’t get over 50% of the votes. RCV reports are supposed to come out every Tuesday until the BOE certifies the election results with an official winner when all ballots are counted, said the BOE. That means on Tuesday, July 8, there will be a second RCV report and so on.
In 2021, Adams, who was then Brooklyn
borough president, and former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn A. Garcia were leading the mayoral race one week after Election Day. But on June 29, the BOE discovered that there were discrepancies in the initial report and issued an apology statement before rescinding the results. After a recount, Adams was declared the winner.
Cuomo graciously accepted defeat in a concession speech on Tuesday night. He called Mamdani and congratulated him on running a good campaign.
“I called Assemblyman Mamdani to con-
gratulate him on tonight’s victory. I also thank my team, which did a great job during this campaign,” said Cuomo in a statement. “I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November.” Mamdani, as a contender, still has to worry about Adams, who is now running as an Independent candidate in the general election this November.
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrated victory at his watch party on Jun 24, 2025 in Long Island City, Queens. (Ariama C. Long photos)
With Finals MVP Jonquel Jones battling injury, the Liberty slip in the standings
By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
When the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty began this season 9-0, they had the look of a team that was bound to repeat. Maybe they still will. But with the team losing three of its last four games before last night’s (Wednesday) road contest against the Golden State Valkyries, they had fallen to 10-3, two games behind the 12-1 Minnesota Lynx and just one game better in the loss than the 11-4 Phoenix Mercury and 10-4 Atlanta Dream when Tuesday’s league schedule tipped off.
The Liberty’s slippage has been directly associated with missing star Jonquel Jones. Last year’s Finals MVP is expected to be sidelined for the next four to six weeks after suffering a right ankle sprain facing the Mercury last Thursday (June 19) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, an 89-81 Liberty loss. Going into the match-up against
the Mercury, the Liberty were 8-0 when the 2021 WNBA MVP and five-time All-WNBA selection started the game. Jones is averaging 12.1 points and a team-leading 9.6 rebounds.
“I think you see how valuable (Jones) is to us and how we wanna play, but injuries are a part of the game,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said before Sunday’s 89-79 loss to the Seattle Storm on the road.
“It’s unfortunate. (Jones is) going to work really hard, and hopefully, we can get her back earlier, but in the meantime, (reserves Nyara Sabally, Isabelle Harrison and Kennedy Burke) really just have to step up in her absence.”
Brondello added that no one on the roster can replace Jones’ skill set and that the team needs to combine to make up for what she brings to the team, doing so by committee. Brondello also said that despite Sunday’s defeat, she was pleased with the team’s effort
without three starters: Jones, forward Leonie Fiebich, who is representing Germany in the Women’s EuroBasket tournament, taking place through June 29, and guard Sabrina Ionescu, who missed the game and is listed as day-to-day with a neck injury.
Breanna Stewart, the 2023 WNBA MVP and the Liberty’s top scorer at 20.8 points per game, is looking at the positives and says the Liberty must adapt to their circumstances.
“This isn’t going to be the hardest thing that we face all season and we have to embrace the adversity a little bit,” she said after falling to the Mercury.
Jones likely will not be back until late July or early August, meaning by the time she hits the court again her teammates would have played around 15 games without her.
New York will complete their current four-game road trip with games against the Mercury in Phoenix on Friday and the Dream in Atlanta on Sunday.
USA women hoopers advance the global popularity of 3x3 tournaments
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
Ever since 3x3 basketball made its Olympic debut in 2021, excitement around this unique take on the game has steadily grown. This weekend, eight teams of four women each will be vying for prize money and a berth at a FIBA (International Basketball Federation) 3x3 tour event at this weekend’s 3x3 Basketball Association (3XBA) tournament in Spokane, Washington. Among the competitors will be 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Cierra Burdick, Columbia alumna Camille Zimmerman and recent Harvard graduate Harmoni Turner, who earned gold at the 2024 FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup. The participating players comprise over 20% of the women selected in April’s WNBA Draft.
“I played 3x3 when it was super unknown, and it was the most fun basketball I’ve ever played,” said Lakin Roland, general manager and head of operations for 3XBA, who played 5x5 at Dartmouth and internationally. “It’s such a refreshing opportunity to play a very similar game but with totally different strategy and tactics. The pace, the lack of a coach, the way that you win and lose is different.”
Olympic and World Cup style 3x3 is played in the half court. Coaches are not allowed on the court. Each basket, including free throws, inside the arc receives one point.
Outside the arc is two points. The first team to 21 points wins. If neither team has 21 points at the end of 10 minutes of play, the team with the higher score wins.
“I like the pace, I like the auton-
omy that we have on the court — being able to coach ourselves and critique things or continue to do what is working,” said Turner.
“The joy that you have is hard to explain until you experience playing it. You have so much fun playing 3x3 because you can’t do anything but get better the more games you play. I’m really stoked for this opportunity.”
celebrated their title as
FIBA’s 3x3 women’s series runs from May to September. The winning team of the 3XBA tournament will play at the upcoming event in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 3XBA staff picked the athletes and assigned the teams for this Spokane tournament. The players are taking part in a training camp before the competition. The two-day tournament
will be featured during a massive Hoopfest event, with outdoor courts being constructed around the streets of Spokane.
“All of our games are going to be on one court, which is called center court,” said Roland.
The tournament will stream through the All Women’s Sports Network on Pluto TV as well as air on the local NBC affiliate in Spokane.
New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, last season’s WNBA Finals MVP, is expected to be out four to six weeks with a sprained right ankle. (Brandon Todd/New York Liberty photo)
Last year’s 3XBA champions, Kennedy Brown, Syd Taylor (Tournament MVP), Kaela Davis, and Bre Richardson
women’s 3X3 basketball continues to grow. (Photos courtesy of 3XBA)
NYC Juniors volleyball program heads to Dallas for national competition
By LOIS ELFMAN
Special to the AmNews
There are 1,537 teams registered to take part in the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship (GJNC) this week in Dallas with an estimated 19,950 athletes aged 14–17. NYC Juniors, the largest volleyball club in New York, will be well represented with five teams. It is a cornerstone event in the development of elite youth athletes across the U.S. “The exciting part is that we’ve
B.A.C.E.
Continued from page 40
Blake joined B.A.C.E. at 12 years old. Now 45, he’s the program’s vice president and living proof of mentorship in action. His relationship with Coleman evolved from coach and player to partners bound by purpose.
“When I was a kid, I just wanted to play,” Blake said.
never had a second team from a specific age group competing,” said Doug Levine, founder of NYC Juniors. “We’ve qualified through our regional championships. [In the past] we’ve had one team qualify, but never ever two teams from the higher age groups … This is a banner year.”
Levine is referring to NYC Juniors’ 14 National and 14 Travel teams, which he said is the most exciting development. “...We’re closing the gap between our top team and our second team,” he said. “They’re getting an oppor-
“Now, seeing what Charlie does to advocate for the community — the calls, the sacrifice — I have even more love and respect for him.”
That advocacy became personal when Thursday night girls’ games faced cancellation in favor of pickleball. Blake stepped in, defending a space B.A.C.E. spent decades building.
Long before titles, there was a pivotal conversation. As a
tunity to see what it looks like on the national level because that is a whole different ballgame.”
Sara Atai, head coach of the 14 Travel team, said qualifying the Travel team for GJNC is a huge accomplishment. “We beat a lot of clubs’ top teams to make it,” she said. “We give a lot of opportunities to those who may not be able to afford club volleyball, through financial aid and fundraising. There are a lot of success stories.”
Over 100 college coaches from more than 50 colleges have reg -
young man preparing for fatherhood, Blake hesitated to tell Coleman. Instead of judgment, he got clarity: “Show up for your child and you’ll be OK,” Colemen counseled.
At one point, Coleman, balancing B.A.C.E., college coaching, and scouting for the Knicks and Nets, considered stepping away. Blake reignited his passion by forming a team of local kids under the B.A.C.E. name. Coleman supported from the
istered to attend the competition hoping to spot the next Kathryn Plummer, the threetime NCAA Champion at Stanford and 2024 Olympic silver medalist, who competed at GJNC as a teenager. Levine said two NYC Juniors athletes in the 16 and under team are being nationally watched.
In total, 11 NYC Juniors teams are competing nationally, an increase from nine in 2024.
The girls’ 18 age group national championship took place in April in Salt Lake City, and the
sidelines and found himself reinvested.
Now with the launch of the B.A.C.E. Academy post-grad team, Blake and Coleman coach side by side, joined by longtime college coaching veteran Ronald St. John, whom Coleman personally enlisted to help build and guide the next chapter of the B.A.C.E. program.
“B.A.C.E. has been an amazing program that has impacted the lives of young men and
10–13 national championship was held in Kansas City earlier this week. Making it is a confidence boost, Levine noted, but the competition is a dose of reality about what it takes to succeed on the national level.
“It illuminates the fact that we’re good, but there are much more competitive teams in the country, and that’s what we can aspire to try and get to,” said Levine. “The main goal is to illuminate the fact that the top level of volleyball, in order to get there, we have some work to do.”
women in Southeast Queens and beyond,” said St. John, former athletic director and head men’s basketball Coach at York College and now an assistant coach with the B.A.C.E post-grad team.
“As I approached retirement from York College after 38 years, I wanted to continue impacting the lives of young people, and I couldn’t think of a better organization that would give me that fulfillment than B.A.C.E.”
Duke product Cooper Flagg, the presumptive No. 1 pick last
assessment of players — with categories such as player efficiency rating, effective field goal percentage, usage rate and player impact estimates part of the basketball lexicon — intangibles such as will, desire, selflessness and leadership are seemingly increasingly minimized.
night by a majority of basketball analysts and evaluators, is forecasted to someday be an All-NBA player and possible league MVP. Yet, five years from now, similar to Gilgeous-Alexander’s story, a player that today few if any anticipated becoming a future superstar could emerge as one of the league’s best.
The NYC Juniors 15U National Team and 14U Travel Team are among the five squads representing the program at the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship this week in Dallas. (NYC Juniors photos)
than Ricardo Blake.
Saudi Arabia’s riches make the Canelo-Crawford fight a must do event
By DERREL JOHNSON
Special to the AmNews
Mexican boxing superstar and undisputed super middleweight (168 pounds) champion, Canelo Alvarez, who has also held a light heavyweight title, did not want to face Terence Crawford, a former undisputed champion in two different weight classes. Canelo is undisputed at 168 and has won a title at 175. Crawford currently holds the WBA title at 154 pounds but knows the money game of boxing and has long eyed a huge payday versus Alvarez, the sport’s most prominent fighter.
Despite Canelo’s apprehension, the extensive wealth of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority under the direction of its chairman, Turki Alalshikh, made Canelo an offer he could not refuse and the result is a scheduled match between him and Crawford on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which will be streamed live on Netflix. The fight card will be produced by the Saudi Arabian-based Riyadh Season as part of its boxing series. Riyadh Season has held the two Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury heavyweight title fights, the clash for the undisputed light heavyweight crown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, as well as a slew of other combat sports and sports entertainment events involving the WWE, UFC and PFL.
The Canelo-Crawford megafight high-
Boxing superstars
Canelo Alvarez (left) and Terence Crawford, separated by promoter Dana White at the Fanatics Fest held on Sunday in Manhattan at the Jacob Javits Center. (Derrel Johnson photo)
lights the growing influence of Alalshikh in the combat sports world, as he purchased the iconic Ring Magazine last year from boxing Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya, produced the May 2 Times Square card, and will bankroll the July 12 contests between Brooklyn’s Edgar Berlanga (23-1, 18 KOs), Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KOs), and Newark’s Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) defending his WBC lightweight belt against
William Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) at Louis Armstrong Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
But boxing is not the only sport in which Saudi Arabian entities have gained traction. LIV Golf, which is financed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, forced the PGA tour to explore a merger in June 2023 because high-profile competitors like Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka,
Dustin Johnson, and Phil Mickelson signed with the tour, founded in 2021. The Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) Finals, which features the world’s top women players of the WTA Tour, signed a three-year deal to play their season-ending championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 2024 to 2026. Coco Gauff, who won the French Open last month, was last year’s WTA Finals champion.
Local basketball star Olivia Miles makes her return to USA Basketball
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
It has been six years since Olivia Miles played for the U.S. in international competition. As a member of USA Basketball’s AmeriCup Team, she will again represent her country in Chile, a familiar spot for her. In 2019, New Jersey-born Miles competed in Chile as a member of the USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team.
“It’s an honor to play for your country,” said Miles, who made the team after an intense tryout. “You have to take every opportunity you can. If you do make the team or you don’t make the team, you learn either way. It’s a great gauge of where you’re at and what you can get better at.”
She returns to international play after an acclaimed college career at Notre Dame, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and amassed multiple basketball honors. With one year of eligibility remaining, she opted not to declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft and instead will play at TCU. She believes the USA Basketball experience will bring new elements to her game.
“You can’t get experience any other way than playing,” said Miles. “Also, learning how to lead better. I’ve been kind of coming into my own as I’ve gotten older learning how to lead a group of girls. We have a few younger girls on the team. I’m excited to mentor and guide them.”
Other members of the team include Madison Booker of University of Texas, Audi Crooks of University of Iowa, Flau’jae Johnson of LSU (also passed on the 2025 WNBA Draft) and Miles’ former Notre Dame teammate Hannah Hidalgo. Miles understands that her role on a USA Basketball team may
be different than her usual role.
“Being on the team means the world to me,” said Miles. “I could[n’t] care less if I step on the court for 30 minutes, two minutes or no minutes as long as I’m a part of something and I’m making an impact in some way.
“Let’s say you’re playing 30 minutes a game
in college but you come here and don’t get that many minutes; you get to see different sides of the sport, different experiences that other athletes have, and you can be more appreciative of the time that you do get on the court,” she added. “We all get a gold medal at the end of the day if we do win it.”
New Jersey native and current TCU star Olivia Miles makes a return to USA Basketball and is mentoring younger teammates. (USA Basketball photos)
Sports
Blueprint: Building identity, discipline, and hope through basketball
By TYRESE ALLEYNE-DAVIS
Special to the AmNews
In Jamaica, Queens, basketball isn’t just played — it’s inherited. It moves through families, echoes off schoolyard pavements, and fills the silence where opportunity is often absent. For many, the court is the only space where discipline, identity, and hope can be claimed on their own terms.
Since 1986, that space has had a name: B.A.C.E. — Be A Community Educator.
Founded by Charles “Charlie” Coleman, a military technician turned international player, scout, and coach, B.A.C.E. began as a bold idea: to offer youth a structured environment where basketball could be a vehicle for education, mentorship, and transformation.
Now in its 39th year and housed at Roy Wilkins Recreation Center, B.A.C.E. is a community pillar. Each weekend, 463 kids compete across middle school, high school, and college leagues. Its legacy is reflected in the players who have
passed through the program, including former NBA guard Lance Stephenson who once competed on B.A.C.E. courts and so did Kyle O’Quinn — a seasoned pro who played with the Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. Today, O’Quinn is the executive director of athlet-
ic advancement at his alma mater, Norfolk State University — a testament to B.A.C.E.’s lasting reach beyond the game.
But B.A.C.E. was never just about basketball. It’s about showing up, again and again, to teach consistency, accountability and
It’s where some learn to navigate poverty, fractured households and systemic neglect. And it’s where mentors who’ve lived those struggles lead by example. Few embody that mission more
Which team may have an unexpected future superstar in the 2025 NBA Draft class?
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
Ten teams passed on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2018 NBA Draft when he entered the league out of the University of Kentucky as the 11th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets, before immediately being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on draft night. After a solid rookie campaign in which he played in all 82 regular season games and averaged 10.8 points, Gilgeous-Alexander was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a trade that sent Paul George to LA. What the Clippers did not envision is that the now 26-yearold native of Toronto, Canada would become one of the premier players in the world, winning the NBA scoring title, regular season MVP award and
Finals MVP while leading the Thunder to the franchise’s first title on Sunday after defeating the Indiana Pacers 4-3. Gilgeous-Alexander joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971), Michael Jordan (‘91, ‘92,’96, ‘98) and Shaquille O’ Neal (2000) as the only players to ever to attain all three distinctions in the same season.
While the first round of this year’s NBA Draft took place last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Round 2 is tonight and Gilgeous-Alexander epitomizes the inexact science of scouting, evaluating, projecting and developing players. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, a three-time NBA MVP and 2023 NBA champion, along with two-time league MVP,
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who carried the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2021 title, are other profound examples of front office personnel and scouting departments misclassifying players. Antetokounmpo was chosen No. 15 in 2013 by the Bucks and in what may be the most egregious overlooking of a player’s potential in the history of the NBA, Jokic didn’t hear his name called in the 2014 draft until being selected by the Nuggets as the 41st pick in the second round. As analytics has become focal in the
See NBA DRAFT CLASS on page 38
emotional resilience.
Cooper Flagg (51), Khaman Maluach (14) and Ace Bailey (21), pictured at the NBA Draft Combine last month, were all selected in the first round of the league’s annual draft last night. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
B.A.C.E co-founder/president Charles Coleman and the program’s postgraduate basketball team. (B.A.C.E photos)
B.A.C.E co-founder/president Charles Coleman
See B.A.C.E. on page 38