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The housing barrier: Gun violence survivors struggle to find accessible housing
What we know about what’s holding up the NYS budget so far
SHANNON CHAFFERS
Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member
Every time Marcos Blake wants to enter or leave his apartment in Flatbush, Brooklyn, he has to call a friend or family member for assistance. Since he was shot in the back in 2019, an incident that left him paralyzed from the waist down, Blake has used a wheelchair to get around, but the three steps and two curbs that mark the entrance to his building have become barriers between him and the independence he once had.
“I miss appointments. I miss Ubers. I come home and no one’s there to help me,” Blake said.
Blake’s experiences are not unique. Many gun violence survivors with spinal cord injuries live in inaccessible housing.
Not having an accessible living environment, which typically includes a zerostep entrance, accessible bathrooms, wide doorways, and lowered counters and sinks, presents gun violence survivors with a host of challenges. In addition to daily inconveniences and reduced independence, this lack of accessibility can have significant health-related consequences.
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Doctors, community advocates, and survivors all spoke about survivors suffering from medical complications, experiencing social isolation, and being placed in nursing homes, due to the scarcity and cost of accessible housing in the United States.
The state budget is about three weeks late, the deadline being on April 1. Governor Kathy Hochul, who has been at odds with the State Legislature on a number of budget proposals, talked about her spending plan on Monday.
“They have found consistently for the last couple of years that there’s no place in the United States where someone who relies solely on SSI can afford a market-rent apartment,” said Michelle Uzeta, deputy director of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. “People with disabilities, who disproportionately rely on Social Security, are literally priced out from the housing market.”
In addition, New York City’s most recent housing survey found that 38% of households that include someone living with a disability are severely rent-burdened, meaning they spend at least half their income on housing.
The scarcity of apartment units designed for people with disabilities compounds the problem of cost. Even though 26% of the U.S. population lives with a disability, including 12% who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs, less than 5% of homes are accessible for people with disabilities, and 1% for people who use wheelchairs.
April 21, 2025 — Rochester, NY — Governor Hochul rallied in Rochester alongside community leaders and elected officials as she continues to demand a state budget deal that makes New York safer and more affordable. The rally comes after a week in which the Governor met with district attorneys, domestic violence survivors, small business owners, law enforcement professionals and union leaders to highlight her commonsense public safety proposals. (Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul photo)
that the prosecution and the police have amassed. And yes, in 2019 the whole system was skewed to help just the prosecutors. It was unfair against the defendant,” said Hochul, briefly addressing the issue, “but now reforms are put in place and now it’s swung the other way.”
“Often, if you find something you can afford, it’s not accessible, and if you can find something that is accessible, that was built with enhanced accessibility, it’s not affordable,” said Micaela Connery, co-founder and CEO of The Kelsey, a nonprofit that develops affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities.
subsidy access; baby bucks, or guaranteed income for mothers in need; reforming temporary disability insurance payouts, and expanding mental health courts.
“We’ve had patients where they get sent home, they don’t have [access to] a bed, they just are on the couch, they can’t move themselves, their parents go to work on night shift, so they stay all night on the couch in the same exact position, and the next morning, they have a huge bedsore, and they have to go to the hospital,” said Miguel Escalon, a physiatrist at Mt. Sinai who helps people rehabilitate from spinal cord injuries.
“Your family is my fight,” said Hochul at a rally in Rochester on Apr 21. “I didn’t know I’d have to roll up the sleeves so soon and really launch into a fight [but] this is for all of you and I will not sign a state budget — I’ve said this from the very beginning — that does not fight these federal changes and put New Yorkers first.”
Black Americans, who are disproportionately concentrated in disinvested neighborhoods with high rates of violence, are more likely to suffer spinal cord injuries as a result of gun violence. Escalon highlighted this reality in an article titled “Health Care Disparities Add Insult to Spinal Cord Injury.”
State Assemblymember Nikki Lucas noted that plenty of politicians try to the state budget as leverage to push policy. She said that her constituents weren’t excited about some of the proposals, such as the mask ban, the changes to involuntary commitment laws, the ban on cell phones in schools, and the discovery laws.
The reason so little accessible housing exists in the U.S. stems in part from the fact that a large percentage of housing in the country was built before the passage of the Fair Housing Act Amendments of 1988, which introduced key accessibility standards to housing for the first time.
Consequently, the New York City budget is also late. But, the City Council did put out a response to the mayor’s preliminary Fiscal 2026 budget report on April 1. There’s still discussion over funding for the city’s migrant shelters and immigration services, which haven’t really shown up in the state budget yet. They’re also worried that the “unpredictability and antagonism of the Trump administration, cast a pale over the city’s financial security.”
Among a laundry list of items in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, Hochul is pushing for middle-class tax cuts, expanding the Child Tax Credit over two years, providing inflation refund checks of up to $500, free school breakfast and lunch for students, full repeal of the State and Local Tax deduction, $370 million for public safety and law enforcement initiatives, and $77 million for cops in New York City subways.
“Your rate per million person chance of getting a spinal cord injury from violence, like a stab wound or a gunshot, if you are white is 0.17, versus [1.93] if you’re Black,” he said. “That’s [more than] 10 times as high.”
Others, he said, resorted to risky methods to get out of their apartments.
“[Some] patients literally pull themselves up the railing of their stairs while they’re in their wheelchair. You have to be insanely strong to do that. I have other patients [who] have told me on the way down, they literally just chuck their wheelchair downstairs, and they kind of slowly on their butt scoot down the stairs,” he said.
Housing and accessibility shortage
“We have to stand firm, especially in our communities that have been targeted and overpoliced. We need to decide what’s a good idea and what has consequences that may infringe on people’s rights,” said Lucas.
Since the passage of these amendments, new multifamily housing must meet certain accessibility requirements, such as accessible entrances, and common spaces, kitchens, and bathrooms that are accessible for wheelchair users. However, the regulations do not apply to single-family homes, nor did the act require existing apartments and homes to be retrofitted.
“As we’re witnessing the Trump administration continuously attacking our communities,” said New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) President and CEO Murad Awawdeh on April 21 at a rally at City Hall.
More controversially, Hochul’s plans call for changes to the involuntary commitment laws, which would impact street homeless individuals with mental illness; amendments to Kendra’s Law, which deals with individuals with serious mental illness mandated to outpatient treatment; and reforms to the state’s discovery law, which puts pressure on prosecutors to hand over evidence to defendants and their lawyer indiscriminately in court cases.
On the whole, research has shown that inaccessible housing for people with disabilities can increase the risk of injuries and mortality rates, and limit social participation, such as employment and recreational activities.
On a chilly evening in January, Blake navigated his wheelchair through his neighborhood on his way back to his apartment, where he lives with his mom and two brothers. As he arrived on his block, he pointed out a new apartment building across the street that had a ramp entrance, unlike his own building — But the cheapest units there go for over $2,700 a month, far outside his price range.
Other electeds and organizers, like State Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman and Senator Jessica Ramos, are worried about the funding for childcare. They’ve supported the Empire State Campaign for Child Care (ESCCC), which is group of parents and child care providers demanding that the state fund the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), a permanent child care workforce pay equity fund, and statewide universal childcare.
“So [although] there are requirements — and they’re very minimal requirements — that new construction has certain accessibility features, the reality is the housing stock that exists that’s inaccessible is going to remain inaccessible,” Uzeta said.
“It is beyond time that we demand the city stand up and fight for every single person who calls this city home.”
The underfunding of enforcement agencies has also meant the accessibility requirements created by the fair housing laws are weakly enforced.
There are around 18,000 new spinal cord injuries in America every year, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. Of those, around 15%, or 2,700, are caused by violence, primarily gunshot wounds.
“You’ve heard the phrase discovery laws right? It’s just about the evidence of a crime
“This is more than a procedural delay, it is an affront to the very spirit of co-governance, where each branch of government must do its part to serve the people, not concentrate power,” wrote Zinerman.
Ramos, who is a mayoral candidate this year, added that she has a few more budget proposals like getting rid of the state’s minimum wage requirements for child care
It’s a familiar story. With a yearly income of around $11,000 from Social Security’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Blake’s chances of finding an accessible apartment he can afford on the open market are slim, especially in the midst of the current housing affordability crisis. A data project from the Technical Assistance Collaborative called “Priced Out” attests to this reality.
“Especially when you’re talking about the construction of new housing, and housing that’s publicly funded, a lot of it is being done without complying with accessibility requirements,” Uzeta said.
In the meantime, the city’s immigration advocates are calling for at least $169 million in funding for immigration legal services, $10 million for the city’s Community Interpreter Bank and worker-owned language service cooperatives, $24 million for adult literacy, $4 million for Access Health NYC, universal childcare, legislation to support street vendors, expanding housing vouchers to all residents regardless of immigration status, and a ban on collaboration between city agencies and federal immigration enforcement.
Housing discrimination can also be a barrier for apartment seekers with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has found that discrimination
The city and state executive budget negotiations are ongoing. Though, at least one poll speculates that the deal will be finished and inked by April 30 or the beginning of May at the latest.
Dominique Garrett lived in city shelter for seven months to obtain a housing voucher to cover rent for an accessible apartment.
(Photo courtesy of Dominique Garrett)
based on disability makes up the largest portion of discrimination complaints filed. In addition, many people with disabilities use housing vouchers, which can lead to source of income discrimination.
Leslie Meadows, head of outreach at Unlock NYC, a platform that tracks housing discrimination in the city, said they hear from many New Yorkers who have been “ghosted” by landlords once they learn someone has a voucher.
“A lot of the time, voucher holders will say they have a voucher and they try to explain what voucher they have and what the payment standards are … that’s as far as they get, because once they explain their voucher, usually [the landlord] will not reply to them at all,” Meadows said.
Housing lotteries offer a glimmer of hope
Given the dearth of accessible housing on the open market, many gun violence survivors pursue housing through their state or city’s affordable housing lottery. New York City’s lottery, overseen by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and Housing Development Corporation (HDC), offers units that cost no more than one-third of the recipients’ income.
Units become available through the lottery when private developers agree to build a certain amount of affordable units in exchange for financing assistance, such as tax breaks or low-interest loans from HPD. In most cases, 7% of the affordable units in developments financed through HPD are set aside for people with mobility disabilities (5%) and 2% for those with hearing or vision disabilities). Because demand for units is very high, people with disabilities can try for years without finding success.
According to HPD, around 7% of the more than 1 million completed profiles on Housing Connect (the platform used to apply for the lottery) identified as having a mobility, hearing, or vision disability, which is around 70,000 people. Last year, HPD mar-
keted just 400 set-aside units for people with mobility disabilities and 180 for people with vision or hearing disabilities. People with disabilities can also apply for non-set-aside units. All newly built units that receive city financing must adhere to the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act, while developments with 41 or more units must have universal design features. With many low-income New Yorkers struggling to meet high housing costs, though, demand is also high for these units.
In 2024, HPD said they marketed about 11,400 non-set-aside units. An investigation by The City found that applicants with lower incomes faced more competition.
these reasons, Hector Robles didn’t have high expectations when he began submitting applications for apartments in 2019. For years, he had lived in inaccessible apartments in the Bronx after a shooting in 1991 left him paralyzed. Like Blake, Robles relied on friends and family members to help him in and out of his building.
“You have to depend on them, and that was not a good feeling, knowing that other people decided when you came outside,” Robles recalled.
About a year after he started applying, though, he found success. He won a studio apartment in a modern high-rise building in midtown Manhattan. The building has
a no-step entrance and an elevator, giving Robles the independence he has long craved. The unit’s rent is $650 per month; as a Section 8 voucher recipient, Robles pays $252 of that himself.
“This right here changed my life,” Robles said.
Robles is one of the lucky few. Blake, who first started applying for lotteries in 2020, has yet to get an accessible apartment. The closest he came to a breakthrough was when he was invited to view a unit he had applied for, but when he got there, he discovered that the entrance was not accessible.
Garrison Redd, a gun violence survivor who leads a gun violence survivor support group at Mt. Sinai, said Blake’s lack of success is much more common among the people he works with.
“Most people just give up on the process, to be honest,” Redd said.
Lucy Joffe, HPD’s deputy commissioner for policy and strategy, said the agency has considered increasing the percentage of set-aside units to respond to the high demand for housing from people with disabilities, but because the percentage currently matches the percentage of people in Housing Connect who report disabilities, the agency has decided to forgo such a decision for now.
The reality, Joffe said, is that the demand is high for all New Yorkers, and the amount of housing HPD produces through its programs (about 5,000 to 10,000 units per year historically) does not match this demand at the moment.
“The really challenging thing in New York City is that the demand is very high across the board, so every group we talk to [shares] the same concerns: that their rent burden is really high and that they are struggling to find housing in the neighborhoods that are best for them,” she said.
To address this challenge, HPD is pursuing a variety of strategies to increase overall home construction. For example, the recently passed City of Yes initiative is expected to create 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years, and Mayor Eric Adams has set a “moonshot goal” of adding 500,000 new homes in the city by 2032.
The Section 8 voucher program is another important but limited pillar of the city’s affordable housing landscape. Funded by the federal government, these vouchers cover 70% of a household’s rent. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which administers the city’s largest Section 8 program, prioritizes people with disabilities on its waitlist — but getting on this waitlist is a feat in and of itself. When NYCHA accepted applicants to the waitlist for the first time in 15 years last summer, more than 600,000 households applied, 200,000 of whom were placed on the waitlist.
Getting approved for Section 8 is not a guarantee of housing, either. Recipients have 180 days to find an apartment. Robles said he had to apply for multiple extensions beyond that before finding a
For
Gun violence survivor Hector Robles found an accessible apartment through the New York City housing lottery. (Photo courtesy of Hector Robles)
Housing barrier
Continued from page 3
unit with his voucher.
Applying for an accessible apartment in a NYCHA development is another option, because rents in these buildings are also capped at about 30% of a person’s income. Once again, though, the chances of success are slim. In addition to the waitlist for standard units, which had more than 240,000 applicants in 2024, NYCHA maintains a separate waitlist for fully accessible units (5,809 of the 177,569 apartments in its portfolio). For those who are approved for accessible units, the average waiting period was 641 days, or about 21 months, in 2024. Between 2022 and 2024, only 169 applicants with disabilities moved into one of these units from outside of NYCHA.
This lack of capacity is in part the result of the underfunding of public housing programs in the U.S., which has hampered NYCHA’s ability to renovate developments, and limits the number of Section 8 vouchers it can distribute.
The shelter strategy
Given that the city’s traditional affordable housing programs have proven inadequate to meet the needs of residents with disabilities, some gun violence survivors resort to going through the city’s shelter system. By living in one of the city’s homeless shelters, residents can become eligible for programs that provide housing assistance, such as CityFHEPS or the Special One Time Assistance program (SOTA), that can help with their rent.
When Dominique Garrett, 25, was shot and paralyzed by her boyfriend at the time in Florida, her mom left her job in New York City to support her for a year while she recovered, but when she had to return to New York to work, she knew she and Garrett would have to move out of her inaccessible basement apartment. They decided to move into a shelter to secure a voucher and find an accessible apartment they could afford.
“We kind of had a gameplan of going into the shelter — how long we anticipated it was going to be,” Garrett said.
With the help of a friend who worked at an apartment company, the family found an apartment in Queens that met most of Garrett’s accessibility needs. In total, they spent seven months living in two different shelters, and qualified for the SOTA voucher, which covered their $1,500 per month rent for one year, until this January.
Although living in a shelter was not an ideal situation, Garrett said her experience was smoother than that of others. The assistance of her mom’s friend meant they didn’t have to go through an extensive search process.
“I’ve met other people [who] have been living in the shelter … for a couple years before they even heard anything back [from apartments],” she said.
In fiscal year 2023, the average length of stay in city shelters was 412 days for single
adults, 437 days for families with children, and 750 days for adult families. Living in a shelter for months or years with no guarantee of success is a tradeoff some gun violence survivors are wary of making, especially given restrictions like curfews and concerns about lack of privacy.
“My options … [are] to just stay home [and] deal with the inaccessibility, or go to a shelter for a year or six months, and deal with whatever headaches come with that, to possibly get rent-stabilized or low-income housing,” Blake said.
So far, he’s chosen to stay at home.
For gun violence survivors with injuries that result in quadriplegia (paralysis in all four limbs), living in a shelter can also present insurmountable accessibility challenges.
“If you are a little more able, as far as you have more use of some of your extremities, like your upper body, then navigating a shelter is one thing, but if you have a higher-lev-
el injury like a quadriplegic, and if you’re on a vent, then that’s not possible at all. Those individuals typically stay in a nursing home for a long period of time,” Redd said.
Ultimately, accessible housing provides gun violence survivors the independence to move freely and adjust to life after their injuries.
“[For] people who deal [with a] spinal cord injury… the act of losing yourself and wanting to quit is very magnified,” Blake said. Having accessible housing is a key step to regaining or maintaining hope.
“Change those four walls around you, and have those walls be accessible, and make it be your choice [when] to leave and come, and you will have the room to grow and build a better future and a better life with a spinal cord injury,” Blake said.
The next article in this series will explore the challenges of home modifications, one alternative to finding a fully accessible apartment.
Shannon Chaffers is a Report for America corps member and writes about gun violence for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
Kai Diata: The future of poetry
Black New Yorker
By SAGE SWABY
Special
to the AmNews
At eight years old, Kai Diata wrote their first poem. Now, at 19, they are New York City’s Youth Poet Laureate.
Growing up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, Diata and their mother were members of the New Black Arts Movement. The organization, a space focused on Black liberation, inspired Diata, who wrote their first poem after listening to a meeting. From there, Diata’s journey of writing political poetry began.
With a visual artist mother, Diata was constantly surrounded by artists in their youth. Their mother engaged in participatory art, creating a piece and allowing people to add to it. “Growing up, she was creating a lot, and we would go to a lot of spaces,” Diata says. One of these spaces was The Laundromat Project, an arts organization advancing artists and neighbors as change agents in their respective communities. Exposure to a variety of artists across mediums inspired Diata. “I had a lot of people nearby who [did] music. For a few years, I would do poetry, and I had a mini band, and we would do it together. That could not have happened without community,” says Diata. Community organization, STooPS hosts an annual event connecting Bed-Stuy’s community with art accessibility and honoring local artists. At eight, Diata participated, sharing their poetry. As a
first foray into performing their work, participating confirmed to Diata their need to perform.
Diata’s education began at a homeschool co-op from age five through elementary school. With a Black historyfocused curriculum, they learned about figures such as Langston Hughes and Assata Shakur. “I feel like that opened up the world of Black poetry as a whole,” Diata says. “It was like, ‘Ah, this is what that looks like.’”
Poetry and performance was paused however, when Diata began middle school at Mark Twain Intermediate School, instead turning their focus to academia. They returned to poetry after seeing Mahogany L. Browne’s performance at the Lincoln Center in 2023. “I remember one specific night where I went to see Mahogany L. Browne at the Lincoln Center, and that blew my mind. That changed my entire perspective,” says Diata. “I just saw her on stage and the way she commanded space, even when she wasn’t telling a poem, when she wasn’t performing a poem, I [said], ‘I want to do that.’”
Brown’s performance pushed Diata to start thinking about what performing meant to them. “There was an urban word slam. I was among the 20 finalists for it, and I didn’t win. But it was incredible just having the experience. That’s when I really realized how much performance is an aspect.” They dedicated themselves to writing more and working towards becoming the poet of their dreams.
A few months after seeing Browne perform, Diata received the opportunity to ask her a question at a panel. “I [asked], ‘As a young poet in Brooklyn, in New York, where should I go? What should I do? How do I expand?’ she said, Urban Word,” says Diata. “For me, that locked it in. I [said], okay, this is what I need to do. So I found the Youth Poet Laureate program.”
Diata applied to the Youth Poet Laureate program in 2023, earning the spot of first runner-up in the competition.
“ I [said], ‘This is amazing. This is cool. I’m a poet, and I want to win.’ So I did it one more year.” In November 2024, Diata earned their official title as 2024 - 2025 New York City Youth Poet Laureate.
This role launched everything for Diata. They continue to build a network of poets and are able to attend events to share their work as well as continue Urban Word’s mission of creating change through civic engagement.
Currently in a gap year, Diata will attend Howard University next fall. A poet who was runner up with them the first year they applied to be the youth laureate attends Howard as well. “I’m hoping that I go over there and we really start a new poetry scene or get into it and help build it.” Diata is excited to further participate in the DMV’s poetry community, specifically their slam scene. “Bal -
From Parks to Banks: Community Destinations Uplift Harlem’s Residents
Sponsored
content
By Central Park Conservancy and JPMorganChase
After years of community conversation and complex construction, the Central Park Conservancy has opened the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer to the public. While the most visible change is the new building, with its state-of-theart ice rink, Olympic-size pool, and new public green, the Center’s impact reaches far beyond these amenities.
Unlike the former Lasker Rink and Pool, which were operated by private concessionaires, the Davis Center is managed by the non-profit Conservancy, with NYC Parks operating the Gottesman Pool during the summer. This shift signals a broader change in focus toward community ownership and stewardship.
For visitors, this means new year-round access to the facility and a wealth of programming in Central Park’s north end—most of it free or low-cost, thanks to support from sponsors like JPMorganChase. This spring alone, the Davis Center’s Harlem Oval is hosting daily programs, including yoga and dance classes, meditation sessions, and fitness classes for older adults.
Darline Lalanne, the Conservancy’s director of public programs and general manager of the Davis Center, emphasizes that this programming reflects the surrounding community’s input.
“Everything the Conservancy does is done with the people, for the people, by the people,” Lalanne said. “All of our programming reflects [the] consistent and valuable input we have received from the community.”
To ensure that the Davis Center’s offerings remain focused on its mission to provide a place of respite from City life for all to enjoy, the Conservancy has partnered with local organizations like Multitasking Yogi and Go Hard Dance, which will facilitate some of the spring offerings while furthering their own community-centered missions and extending the Davis Center’s reach into Harlem.
For Colin Lieu, founder of Multitasking Yogi, the Davis Center is more than just a place to exercise. “Spaces like the Davis Center are the
heartbeat of any community,” he said. “Having a reliable and state-of-the-art space for recreation and rest means that Harlemites of all ages can enjoy a space to connect with others.”
In Harlem, the idea that community centers can nurture residents’ overall well-being is not just a hypothetical—it’s already happening. In addition to funding the Davis Center’s community programs, JPMorganChase opened its first-in-thenation Community Center Branch in Central Harlem in 2019, aiming to build trust, share financial health education, support local businesses, and expand access to wealth-building resources. The branch focuses on community connections: the space was built by local contractors, features portraits of neighborhood leaders by a Harlem artist, offers a free meeting space for residents and non-profits, and prioritizes opportunities for small businesses to host pop-up shops right on West 125th Street.
After five years, the impact is evident: checking accounts at the Harlem Community Center Branch increased by 2,256 percent from 2019 to 2023; personal savings balances grew by 73 percent; student checking accounts rose by 398 percent from 2021 to 2023; and 125 small business owners have graduated from Chase’s Coaching for Impact Program at the branch.
These results highlight what is possible when a thoughtfully designed, community-centered space creates real, measurable change in the community’s overall well-being. Community centers like Chase’s branch on West 125th Street and the Davis Center—built in partnership with, by, and for the people they serve—are vital resources for neighbors to connect and invest in their health, financial stability, and wellness.
And as JPMorganChase has shown over the last five-plus years and through its support in the Davis Center, the work is never over. As Lalanne puts it, “We’re in partnership with the community. It’s not just about opening up the Davis Center. It’s about ongoing legacy, and a lasting commitment to hearing the community’s needs and expanding our programming to meet those needs.”
Kai Diata, New York City’s Youth Poet Laureate (Nicholas Nichols photo)
Protests and passions ran high at the Black Agenda Mayoral Forum
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
The Brooklyn Democratic Party, in partnership with several local political clubs, held a mayoral forum at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn last week. Leading candidates in the race discussed pressing issues affecting Black communities in the city, as the night’s event erupted in impassioned protests more than once.
The forum featured eight candidates: City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, State Senator Zellnor Myrie, former State Assemblymember Michael Blake, State Sen. Jessica Ramos, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, City Comptroller Brad Lander, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Toward the beginning of the forum, Paperboy Prince –– a mayoral candidate this year who has run for various offices unsuccessfully since 2020 –– and a few of his supporters caused trouble when he forcibly took to the stage wearing clown makeup, a suit, and clown shoes. Prince chastised forum organizers for allegedly denying his participation in the event. He was eventually escorted out by community affairs officers.
Afterward, candidates spoke about their stances on a wide range of issues, such as deed theft, affordable housing, gentrification, Black maternal health, street homelessness and subway crime, public safety, the oversaturation of shelters in Black communities, and the future of Rikers Island.
“I come to you as the person from city council in this race looking to be the first woman Mayor of the City of New York,” said Speaker Adams. “You want a job done, you better put a woman in to get it done the right way.”
Adams picked up several key endorsements, including DC37 and State Attorney General Letitia James, last week. She spotlighted her Black maternal health steering committee, the city council’s City for All housing plan, and the ongoing lawsuit against Mayor Eric Adams’ effort to station U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Rikers Island for President Donald Trump, which has been illegal to do since 2014. She also said she’d fill at least 2,400 vacant NYPD officer slots and retain officers with better pay.
porting a rent freeze for rent stabilized tenants, and wants to appoint Rent Guideline Board (RGB) members who put tenants first instead.
“You cannot be silent when you are dealing with foolishness, and that’s what I will not be,” said Blake. He was serious about withholding taxes whenever Trump threatens cutting federal funding; taking ICE out of schools, Rikers, and places of worship; creating borough based jails and holding abusive corrections officers accountable; supporting a charter school cap and paying teachers more; providing culturally sensitive doulas and medical staff and adequate maternity leave to combat high Black maternal mortality rates, and implementing a local median income index to help gauge affordability for housing.
Ramos spoke about how hard her district in Queens was hit by COVID, boosting mental health services for street homeless individuals, supporting small landlords by enacting property tax and assessment reforms, and working toward a rent freeze.
Mamdani spoke about being a staunch supporter of a rent freeze for eligible rent stabilized homes, taxing the rich, creating municipal owned grocery stores, making city buses free, funding hospitals and mental health services for new mothers, creating a new Department of Community Safety, converting underutilized areas of subway stations into mental health and medical care hubs, reshaping the property tax laws, and pushing back against Con Ed costs for homeowners.
“I think New Yorkers are hungry for a politics that puts working people first,” said Mamdani.
Lander said he is for expanding child care and after school programs, pay parity for child care workers, ending street homelessness for people with severe mental illness by supporting a “housing first” approach, a cap on charter schools, equitably funding public schools, closing Rikers Island and building borough based jails.
Myrie represents the Senate district the college forum was located in and grew up nearby in Brooklyn.
“We gotta stop letting people come into our space, asking for our vote when they have not been here for our struggle. We got to start checking people at the door because when we were struggling, they were not here. They did not fight for
us. We were left to fight alone,” said Myrie, highlighting his struggle to save SUNY Downstate from closing down, combating deed theft, and gun violence among the youth as a senator. “Don’t come to us and talk to us about a Black agenda when you want to be mayor. Where were you before? We were struggling. We were pleading for the resources, but
you had nothing for us but sitting in our pews, dressed nicely, and then cutting our schools, closing our hospitals, and not investing in our community. Let me tell you where I have been, exactly where you see me now, standing up for our communities. I haven’t just been about the talk of the black agenda.”
He also clarified that he is not sup-
“That schmuck,” said Stringer, when asked about Trump.
Stringer said he’d use the rainy day fund to fight any cuts Trump may threaten the city with, and he supports making House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to Speaker. He also said that the
1. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a mayoral candidate. 2. State Senator Zellnor Myrie, a mayoral candidate. 3. Former State Assemblymember Michael Blake, a mayoral candidate. 4. City Comptroller Brad Lander, mayoral candidate 5. State Assemblymember Zohran Kwame Mamdan, a mayoral candidate.
6. State Senator Jessica Ramos, a mayoral candidate. 7. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, a mayoral candidate.
8. Paperboy Prince, a mayoral candidate, staged a protest at the forum on Thursday, April 23.
José Tavarez President, Bank of America New York City
Massive “Hands Off Education” Rally Held At Foley Square
By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews
Hundreds of demonstrators rallied at Foley Square to defend education to push back against attacks from the Trump administration. As part of the National Day of Action for Higher Ed, which took place across the country, the message of “Hands off Higher Education” was made clear.
The march began from Washington Square Park, where teachers, students, workers, advocacy groups, and regular people convened with signs and made their way down to Foley in front of the New York State Supreme Court Building, packing the streets with chants and slogans condemning the moves by Trump, which have infuriated many.
“We’re going to build a future for higher education that’s free from coercion, free from censorship, transphobia, racism, “ Zachary Samalin, NYU professor, told the crowd. “We say no to abducting and deporting students and faculty for their pro-Palestinian speech advocacy…no to discriminatory anti-DEI policy, known to the ban on trans people, known to Trump’s xenophobic immigration crackdown.”
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Higher Education Labor Union co-sponsored the day of action. Protests were held across the country on over 150 campuses. The march and rally in Manhattan on Thursday, organized by NYU and CUNY, was to serve as the largest single event of the day. Several AAUP chapters at colleges in the city and the tristate area, as well as education unions and student groups, were also represented.
Speakers denounced the unlawful arrests and targeting of student protestors, cuts to funding for critical scientific and medical research, and critical humanities studies, discriminatory anti-DEI policies, and suppression of curriculum and free speech on campus.
Near the offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Federal Plaza, speakers called out the abductions of international university student demonstrators in the free Palestine protests, including Mahmoud Khalil from Columbia, Rumeysa Ozturk from Tufts, among others.
Columbia was the first main target of the administration last month, at the threat of losing federal funds. The university has complied with many of the demands from Trump, to which there has been swift backlash.
Shana Redmond is a professor at Columbia and is a part of the coalition of educators that have fought back through showing solidarity with students, organizing “protective networks,” which include walking with students to and from class if someone, such as an ICE officer, attempts to abduct them.
“We’re working to protect our syllabi, our curriculum, and our classrooms. We are working in solidarity with students, both the graduate union workers as well as the
undergraduates, who have every right to learn,” Redmond said.
“We have to do this work, and especially coming from a place like Columbia, which has made a series of horrible, cowardly decisions in the last year,” Redmond continued. “They do not represent us…we refuse to concede to the institution. We refuse to concede to Trump.”
Public Advocate Juumane Williams criticized Mayor Eric Adams and NY universities for caving to Trump’s threats.
“They don’t stop because you capitulate, they keep going. All the capitulation won’t save you,” Williams said. “In the Bronx, they are taking students, and our mayor is capitulating and allowing them to do it, and it is shameful. To see institutions of higher learning, who read history…stand back and try to capitulate is shameful.”
Amidst the crackdown from Trump on LGBTQ students, Williams emphasized the importance of unity.
“You don’t have to let go of your faith, but you have to move in love… what they try to do is pretend that your pain is linked to someone else’s gain,” Williams said.
Jonah Inserra, a member of the NYU Graduate Student Organizing Committee, called out NYU Langone Health after they had notably made decisions to comply with Trump’s executive orders denying trans identity or affirmative care. In February, the university hospital was sued for allegedly denying gender-affirming care to a youth under 19 who is trans, to comply with Trump’s order.
“The university administration under President Linda Mills, has opted to cower behind bureaucracy and platitudes while waiting for the other shoe to drop, knowing full well that when it does, it will drop, not on them, but on us,” Inserra said. He referred to Trump’s actions as a “blatantly illegal and fascistic assault on Higher Education and the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Representing the CUNY Internationalist Club was Chantal Rios, a Hunter College student organizer and member of the CUNY Internationalist Club who also delivered remarks during the rally.
“What we need to do as students is unite with labor and for labor to use its enormous potential power in the struggle to defend immigrants and to stop the raids, to stop the deportation, to stop the kidnappings of our students in this city,” Rios said.
CUNY schools have a long history of protests in education going back to the Civil Rights era. In February, a coalition of CUNY students, faculty, and staff successfully protested outside of John Jay College against a special recruitment session that was planned by the DHS’s Customs and Border Protection Agency.
Saturday saw more “Hands off” mass protests in New York and across the country against Trump’s policies. More information regarding future rallies can be found at the American Civil Liberties Union website.
NYC Public Advocate Juumane Williams addressing the audience during the rally in front ot the New York State Supreme Court Building. April 19.
Walking in NoLita section of Manhattan, protestors hold “Hands Off Higher Education” banner chanting “Chants of ICE took our students, we want them back.” April 19.
Protestors gathered with signs at Washington Square Park before marching down to Foley Square. April 19. (Jason Ponterotto photos)
Divine Nine News
Local chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. celebrates a decade of service in Lower Manhattan
This week, the Alpha Alpha Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, proudly celebrates 10 years of distinguished community service and impact in Lower Manhattan. The chapter, affectionately known as Downtown New York City Zetas, will host a 10th anniversary soiree. The event will be open to the public, and will take place on Friday, May 31, at 1 p.m. at Dear Brooklyn in Brooklyn.
According to Charter Member and current Chapter President Felecia Chatman, the theme for the event is “Our Perfect 10! Celebrating the Downtown New York City Zetas, the story of dreams and aspirations achieved over the last decade.”
On May 2, 2015, the chapter was established, and 11 charter members started to realize their dream of serving Lower Manhattan. According to Event Committee Chair Natasha Bobo-Pringle, “A lot of people, when they think of Lower Manhattan, they think of the affluent section of Manhattan. The Wall Street part.” Yet, the chapter’s area of service covers below 42nd Street from the Eastside to the Westside.
Charter Member and current Chapter President Felecia Chatman remembers a time in 2015 when her Soror Bobo-Pringle, a charter member and third vice president of the chapter, envisioned this milestone anniversary celebration. Chatman said, as for Natasha, “This event is her baby. She has been thinking about this for 10 years.”
This spring, the soiree will give the chapter of approximately 25 active members an opportunity to honor their beloved sorority, which
was founded in 1920 at Howard University in Washington, DC. According to Chatman, the pillars of the international sorority are the foundation of everything the chapter does. “All of our work is rooted in and around our principles. Scholarship. Service. Sisterhood. Finer Womanhood. Everything we do is attached to one of them. We are definitely a service-driven organization,” Chatman said.
Every March, as part of Bare Essentials, members and the public purchase items that are donated to women’s shelters in observance of International Women’s Day. Donated items include undergarments, sanitary products, and other toiletries. Bare Essentials, their signature service program, will be highlighted during the soiree. Service-partner organizations and graduating high school seniors will be recognized, who either reside in the Borough of Manhattan or attend a public or charter school there. Acceptance into an accredited two- or four-year college or university is required. One student will receive a $5,000 award named the Dr. Shanell L. Robinson Visionary Scholarship, and two students will each be awarded $1,000 as recipients of the Zora Neale Hurston Book Scholarship.
Bobo-Pringle said, “We have to showcase what we’ve done in the community over the last 10 years. We’re just trying to celebrate us and show everybody in our service area that we’ve worked hard over the last 10 years to grow and build and to make an impact on Lower Manhattan.“
For more information about the soiree, visit aayzsperfect10.eventbrite.com.
KAYLYN KENDALL DINES, MBA
Members of the Downtown NYC Zetas pose with their service area, Lower Manhattan, in the background. The Alpha Alpha Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. serves below 42nd Street from the Eastside to the Westside. (Photos courtesy of The Downtown NYC Zetas of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.)
Sitting from left to right: Natasha Bobo-Pringle: 3rd Vice President; Felecia Chatman: President; Pascale Leone-Jones: 2nd Vice President; Standing from left to right: Zoe LeJoy Campbell: Secretary; and Andrene Denniston: Treasurer.
Charter members of Alpha Alpha Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. pose in 2015 when the chapter was established.
Union Matters
May Day Strong protests utilize International Workers’ Day to protest Trump
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
This year, the ongoing protests against the Trump administration’s policies have turned May 1, the labor movement’s traditional holiday, into an opportunity for demonstrators to show widespread national dissent.
A coalition of 250 activist organizations will participate in what has been termed a National Day of Action. The activist 50501 Movement has organized more than 1,000 May Day Strong protests. Those who visit the MayDayStrong.org site have been encouraged to use its search engine to find local protests they can join or use an online toolkit to launch a protest of their own. The protests will take place on this year’s traditional International Workers’ Day –– a day initially established in 1886 by the American Federation of Labor to celebrate the workers who fought for the creation of the eight-hour workday.
May Day 2025 will be marked by rallies focused on opposing the Trump administration. There has been a notable increase in the number of individuals participating in these protests, especially among workers who have experienced job losses due to new policies implemented by the administration.
Black people and Black voters have spoken of having feelings of resentment toward a nation that could reelect Trump, and many have stayed away from the growing protests. That is completely understandable, said Portia Allen-Kyle, the interim executive director of the online racial justice organization, Color Of Change, which has signed on to endorse the May Day protests. But “for Color Of Change, it’s important for us to show out. We recognize that there is no way around this but through it, and part of the way through it is by showing up in solidarity and continuing to build power, making sure that when folks are ready, we are ready to welcome people into the movement. We, as an organization, need to make sure that we are showing up, that we are engaging and moving our members, and reminding folks that Black people are workers too.
“What we are seeing is an administration run by recently employed billionaires, in power to try to take back, undercut, defund, and strip all of the protections that working folk have fought so hard for and particularly that Black folk and Black working folks have fought so hard for from civil rights up through now,” Allen-Kyle added. “That is our interest and angle at the table, you know, recognition that our fates are linked and that we really need to be in solidarity in this moment. And we hope that more folks
can get out and join us when they’re ready.”
Getting out there and voicing disagreement with how the Trump administration is operating is important, affirmed Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler in a conversation with the Amsterdam News.
“If things are bad now, they’re only going to get worse,” Hagler remarked. “They’re getting bad for white folks and Brown folks, and it’s going to be even worse for Black folks. That’s always been the case in our history: we’ve either had to lead in liberation or we’ve led in being exploited and being oppressed. So, it’s up to us to break the chains and show people what resistance looks like.”
Rev. Hagler is the founder and president of the racial and economic justice-oriented Faith Strategies USA organization. He is also an adviser to the peace group, FOR-USA.
Hagler recently wrote an article in Common Dreams about why the Black community “can’t let 2024’s betrayal keep it from the anti-Trump fight.” The racial justice struggle is about righting the wrongs of this country, he said. “No matter what white folks do, we have a responsibility to ourselves and to humanity to resist this onslaught. We may not understand all the connections right now, but this is part of being awake and aware: it may look like an attack upon the white society right now ––and we may want to say, I told you so, and I told you so is correct. But the reality is, I told you so is not satisfying because this is going to come back at us with a vengeance.
“The protests are using the International Workers’ Day, May Day, because…particularly here in Washington, D.C., you’re deal-
ing with massive federal firings and the threat of federal firings. You’re dealing with people who are looking at their lifetime careers evaporating before them. In D.C., there were always limited voting rights, but now there is a further erosion of those voting rights. So, we should be more aware right now that this is an attack that we’ve never seen before. We don’t expect radical change from the protests, but the protests educate the population because they agitate. And agitation essentially draws people in to understanding what the equation is. I don’t expect any miracle from this administration. And I don’t think this administration can hear anything unless it has to do with dollars. But one thing that we do need is to educate our public that the time is now for mass uprisings across the country.”
May Day 2025’s organizing poster. (MayDayStrong.org photo)
Black People Will Swim is offering a swim certification program
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
If you don’t know how to swim, you might wonder why you should bother to learn. You can easily visit beaches, enjoy a drink while relaxing poolside, and even trace circles in the water with your toes without knowing how to swim laps.
But Paulana Lamonier, founder of Black People Will Swim (BPWS), emphasizes that having swimming skills extends beyond merely being able to do laps in the pool. Swimming, along with running, is one of those unique sports that gives you life-saving capabilities.
“To put this into more context,” Lamonier said, “it doesn’t just save your life, it can also save somebody else’s.
“Let’s say you’re at a beach and you see someone else who doesn’t know how to swim, but you do: you have the proper skills to help save them if something happens. We typically just tell our students to call the lifeguards before they do anything else, especially if they are now learning how to swim. But the reason it’s important is that we’ve been kept out of this space for so long, and there’s a reason. You don’t keep somebody, you don’t keep a certain demographic of people from a particular sport or an activity for just no reason, right? So, for us, we’re simply trying to level the playing field and give Black and Brown people and children the opportunity to learn how to swim. If drowning is the leading cause of death for children under five, that alone is more than enough reason for us to make sure that Black and Brown kids have access to this life-saving skill.”
BPWS is not only encouraging people to learn to swim, but this May, it’s also offering a Swim to Serve: Pipeline Certification Program. The free and/or partially-funded certification classes, set to be held May 17 at the Dwight School Athletic Center in East Harlem and on May 18 at Westbury High School in Long Island, will provide 26 teenagers with swimming lessons and certifications in lifeguarding and water safety.
Lamonier said the certification program is part of BPWS’s push to address racial disparities in aquatics. The link for those who want to sign up for the program is available at: BlackPeopleWillSwim.com/swim-to-serve.
USA Swimming Foundation has determined that “45% of Hispanic/Latino children and 64% of African American children have little to no swimming ability.” These facts are not out of a vacuum: Black Americans don’t tend to have a history of swimming because throughout most of the 20th century, public swimming pools and beaches were racially segregated. Funding resources were allocated to predominantly white swimming areas, while predominantly Black locations were often unkempt. If Blacks and whites shared a swimming pool, Black people had separate days when they could enter the pool. Learning to swim wasn’t encouraged, and being able to do so wasn’t pleasurable.
That history of being discouraged from swimming is why Lamonier says BPWS staff go out of their way to make the swimming environment welcoming for people of color.
“We want to make sure that people understand that there is equipment, there are swim caps available, there are lessons available, there’s places out there for people to go where they can learn how to swim in a safe environment.
“With us, we prioritize the Black experience. In our program, we make sure that we address the reasons why Black people have been kept out of the water so long, and we create solutions for that. We provide swim caps, and we make sure that people know where to go when it comes to their hair care. If classes are expensive for them, we provide affordable lessons for people to make sure that lessons are accessible. And if things still tend to be a bit pricey here, what we do is we will partner up with organizations like Outdoor Afro or subsidize lessons for people in our community. We’re not existing to exclude anybody, but we’re making sure that those who have been left out of the conversation and have been impacted the most by drowning, that this is now a safe space for them to learn.”
Affordable Housing for Rent
111 Willoughby
69 NEWLY CONSTRUCTED UNITS AT 111 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Downtown Brooklyn
Amenities: Pet-Friendly (2 pets max per unit, up to 25 lbs)*, Dog station*, Bike storage lockers*, Pedestrian-friendly - Walk Score (98),Bus stop/Public transportation access, Washers and dryers in units, Laundry service*, Dishwasher in unit, High-end kitchen appliances, High-end countertops and finishes, Energy-efficient appliances, Air-conditioning*, Common area WIFI*, High-speed internet*, Cable or satellite TV*, Online options for leasing, paying rent, and making maintenance requests, Gymnasium*, Yoga/dance studio*, Community events and classes*, Outdoor areas*, Jogging/walking/bike path or access to one nearby, Close to schools, Recreation room*, Outdoor terrace*, Rooftop terrace*, Security cameras, Gated access, Recycling center, On-site resident manager, Concierge, Package lockers*, Virtual doorman, Intercommunication device, Elevator, Accessible entrance, Smoke-free *Additional Fees may apply Transit: Train – 10 Subway Lines, | CitiBike Locations – 18 No broker’s fee • Smoke-free building • More information: 111willoughbylottery.com
This building is anticipated to receive a Tax Exemption through the 421a Tax Incentive program of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Who Should Apply? Individuals or households who meet the income and household size requirements listed in the table below may apply. Qualified applicants will be required to meet additional selection criteria. Applicants who live in New York City receive a general preference for apartments.
New York City is committed to the principle of inclusivity in all of its neighborhoods, including supporting New Yorkers to reside in neighborhoods of their choice, regardless of their neighborhood of origin and regardless of the neighborhood into which they want to move. AVAILABLE UNITS AND INCOME REQUIREMENTS
1 Tenant responsible for household electricity, including electricity for cooking, heating, and cooling. Rent includes hot water.
2 Household size includes everyone who will live with you, including parents and children. Subject to occupancy criteria.
3 Household earnings includes salary, hourly wages, tips, Social Security, child support, and other income Income guidelines subject to change.
4 Minimum income listed may not apply to applicants with Section 8 or other qualifying rental subsidies Asset limits also apply.
How Do You Apply?
Apply online or through mail. To apply online, please go to https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/. To request an application by mail, send a self-addressed envelope to: MGNY Consulting, c/o 111 Willoughby, 109 East 9th Street, Storefront, New York NY 10003. Only send one application per development. Do not submit duplicate applications. Do not apply online and also send in a paper application. Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified. When is the Deadline?
Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than June 25th, 2025. Late applications will not be considered.
What Happens After You Submit an Application?
After the deadline, applications are selected for review through a lottery process. If yours is selected and you appear to qualify, you will be invited to submit documents to continue the process of determining your eligibility Appointments are usually scheduled from 2 to 10 months after the application deadline. You will be asked to bring documents that verify your household size, identity of members of your household, and your household income.
Español Presente una solicitud en línea en https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/. Para recibir una traducción de español de este anuncio y la solicitud impresa, envíe un sobre con la dirección a: MGNY Consulting, c/o 111 Willoughby, 109 East 9th Street, Storefront, New York NY 10003. En el reverso del sobre, escriba en inglés la palabra “SPANISH.” Las solicitudes se deben enviar en línea o con sello postal antes de June 25th, 2025
简体中文 访问https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/ 在线申请。如要获取本广告及书面申请表的简体中文版，请将您的回邮信封 寄送至：MGNY Consulting, c/o 111 Willoughby, 109 East 9th Street, Storefront, New York NY 10003 信封背面请用英 语注明“CHINESE”。必须在以下日期之前在线提交申请或邮寄书面申请2025年6月25日 Русский Чтобы подать заявление через интернет, зайдите на сайт:
대한 한국어 번역본을 받아보시려면 반송용 봉투를MGNY Consulting, c/o 111 Willoughby, 109 East 9th Street, Storefront, New York NY 10003으로 보내주십시오 봉투 뒷면에 “KOREAN” 이라고 영어로 적어주십시오 2025년6월25일 까지 온라인 신청서를 제출하거나 소인이 찍힌 신청서를 보내야 합니다 Kreyòl Ayisyien Aplike sou entènèt sou sitwèb https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/. Pou resevwa yon tradiksyon anons sa a nan lang Kreyòl Ayisyen ak aplikasyon an sou papye, voye anvlòp ki gen adrès pou retounen li nan: MGNY Consulting, c/o 111 Willoughby, 109 East 9th Street, Storefront, New York NY 10003. Nan dèyè anvlòp la, ekri mo “HATIAN CREOLE” an Anglè. Ou dwe remèt aplikasyon yo sou entènèt oswa ou dwe tenbre
Polskie Aby złożyć wniosek online, przejdź na stronę https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/. Aby uzyskać polskie tłumaczenie tego powiadomienia oraz wniosek w wersji wydrukowanej, wyślij kopertę z własnym adresem: MGNY Consulting, c/o 111 Willoughby, 109 East 9th Street, Storefront, New York NY 10003. Wpisz słowo POLISH” w j. angielskim na odwrocie koperty. Wnioski muszą posiadać stempel pocztowy lub zostać przesłane online nie później niż 25 czerwiec 2025
Français Pour déposer votre demande en ligne, rendez-vous sur le site https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/. Pour recevoir une traduction en français de cet avis ainsi qu’un dossier de demande papier, envoyez une enveloppe libellée à votre nom et votre adresse à l’adresse suivante : MGNY Consulting, c/o 111 Willoughby, 109 East 9th Street, Storefront, New York NY 10003. Inscrivez le mot « FRENCH » au dos de l’enveloppe. Les demandes doivent être envoyées par la poste ou soumises en ligne au plus tard le 25 juin 2025, le cachet de la poste faisant foi.
https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/
Black People Will Swim will be offering free and/or partially-funded swimming certification classes for 26 teenagers. (Joe Klementovich photo)
The injustice department
The incivility of the Trump administration during his first 100 days struck a telling blow at the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division with policies seeking to undo many of our continstitutional and measures bolstered by the Biden administration, most notably through presidential actions “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” and “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias.”
Let’s call it the “Injustice Department,” given the departure from protecting the civil and human rights of Americans, particularly those who have been traditionally marginalized and abused.
According to Stacey Young, who helms the Justice Connection and a veteran Civil Rights attorney, “The impact is catastrophic. They are scaling back, possibly, nearly all enforcement that they have been doing for decades on civil rights statutes they’re required to enforce. This is a monumental shift in the way the division operates, and it’s going to result in American civil rights not being protected as they almost always have been.”
We couldn’t agree more with her and the need to ensure the protection of our most vulnerable citizens.
The removal of qualified leaders and the threat imposed on others have dramatically upended even certain guaranteed constitutional rights.
Since she was sworn in to lead the Justice Department, Harmeet K. Dhillon has mainly followed her boss’ dic-
Rolling back the HALT Act won’t make New York prisons safer — here’s what will
By EMMETT SANDERS
tates to do away with what they term “woke ideology.”
Basically, rather than assuring the protection of the disabled and the disenfranchised, Dhillon seems emboldened to overturn and change longstanding civil rights. In short, the California lawyer, who stood shoulder to shoulder in his wrongful assertion that the 2020 elections were stolen, is running roughshod over laws championed by Democrats. Hers is a continuation of the attack and erasure of DEI, which in reality was improving things for those abused.
She is Trump’s hit-lady, an unrepentant terminator and already we have witnessed the departure of several attorneys with others expected to leave the Justice Department.
No matter where we turn nowadays Trump is wreaking havoc and finding individuals who are willing to carry out his ignominious changes without remorse.
Yes, it is indeed an Injustice Department.
Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief
New York’s 2022 HALT Act was a common-sense measure to end prolonged solitary confinement ––which the U.N. has described as torture –– in prisons and jails. Under pressure from corrections workers who went on strike in February, and buoyed by a tide of misinformation, Governor Hochul has rolled back many of the Act’s protections, a move that will leave New York prisons no safer for incarcerated people or staff than they were before.
The corrections officers’ union claims that the HALT Act hamstrung their ability to put dangerous people in solitary confinement, creating unsafe working conditions. There’s one problem with that argument: New York state prisons never fully implemented HALT in the first place.
In 2024, New York’s Office of the Inspector General found that 40% of people in solitary confinement were spending more time there than the new law allowed. A June 2024 court ruling also found that people were routinely held in solitary hundreds of days past the legal time limit.
About a quarter of the time, according to the Inspector General, people in solitary confinement were held without sufficient evidence of having committed an offense severe enough to land them there. New York prisons have also continued to throw people with disabilities in solitary confinement, a violation of the HALT Act.
How is it possible that a law never fully put in place made corrections workers “desperate” enough to strike?
The irony is that by bullying the Governor into rolling back a law they didn’t like, corrections officers may be shooting themselves in the foot. That’s because solitary confinement doesn’t prevent harm; it creates it. Devastating the mental and physical health of incarcerated people, who often already have severe mental support needs, makes the prison environment less safe. In fact, research has repeatedly shown that reducing the use of solitary confinement significantly reduces prison violence.
To be sure, prison staff sometimes
unsafe conditions. The union is also correct that disorderly behavior has increased in New York prisons (though the vast majority of incidents recorded as “assaults” result in no injury to a staff person). But the HALT Act has nothing to do with this trend –– in fact, the rise in agency-reported assaults started 10 years before the law was even passed. Reforms to solitary confinement could have been a step toward both a more humane system and a safer working environment, had prisons bothered to implement them.
There are other steps the state government can take to make all state prisons safer. First and foremost, the state must be steadfast in its resolution to close more prisons, even over the objections of special interests like the union. New York has several prisons that are far below capacity –– some only half full –– but all facilities require that the same essential functions be staffed in order to operate securely. That means that even though New York has the single best staffto-incarcerated-people ratio in the
country, its staff are spread out inefficiently across facilities. Keeping under-capacity prisons open is a waste of the agency’s human resources and creates staffing problems at facilities that are full.
The ugly truth is that incarcerated people –– who in New York are still mostly Black and brown, working class folks –– have much less political power than the correctional officers’ union. That means that important reforms to solitary confinement can be quickly and illegally thrown away, while common-sense prison closures can be back-burnered for years just because they threaten the union.
It will take political courage for Governor Hochul to stand up for incarcerated people and reinstate the HALT Act. But it’s the right thing to do, and the sensible way. The problems in New York state prisons for incarcerated people and staff –– won’t be solved by recommitting to state-sanctioned torture.
Emmett Sanders is the Policy and Advocacy Associate at the Prison Policy Initiative.
face
Damaso Reyes: Executive & Investigative Editor
Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor
Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor
Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: Chief Revenue Officer and Head
Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009):
Emmett Sanders
Seal of the United States Department of Justice.
Citizens in Ohio challenge qualified immunity
By HERB BOYD
There is the possibility of good news from Ohio for advocates seeking to eliminate qualified immunity, making it easier to sue police officers for their violation of a citizen’s constitutional rights.
This is a subject the AmNews has followed with considerable interest and joined the outrage about an invisible shield that allows police officers and government officials to be protected for their abuses.
Four years ago, Damaso Reyes and I published a three-part series that examined both the history and various steps then currently to end the measure. I am glad to see that a citizens’
proposal to end qualified immunity in Ohio is moving forward through the state’s ballot initiative process.
A few days ago, the Supreme Court ruled against Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost, effectively ending a two-year freeze on the proposal to change the state constitution, thereby making it easier to sue police officers.
Since 2023, Yost has repeatedly denied certifying summary language of the proposed amendment, saying that the language was not “fair and truthful.”
The Sixth Circuit of Appeals found Yost “most likely violated the First Amendment by blocking citizens from petitioning their government.”
On Tuesday, April 29, depending on the outcome of a decision by the Ohio Ballot Board, the organizers can begin collecting the 413,000 signatures needed to place the proposal on a statewide ballot.
What’s needed to give this initiative ballast is for other citizens in other states to organize and present their proposals.
The citizens in Ohio have presented their blueprint for change and if it gets support it should fuel and inspire others to join these significant steps.
Ultimately, it will take massive footprints to upend what has become an ironclad protection for officers and government officials who abuse with impunity.
Healing beyond borders: Why immigration justice is reproductive justice
By DR. ALEXANDRA FAYNE
One month ago, I had the unforgettable opportunity to lobby at Capitol Hill for a number of bills aiming to further reproductive justice. Thirty of my fellow physicians and I, all fellows with Physicians for Reproductive Health (PRH), a doctor-led organization that uses medicine and science to advance access to reproductive and sexual health care for all patients, spoke to our federal representatives and senators of our respective states. Our advocacy centered on immigration justice policies to protect patients and families, specifically advocating for the HEAL Act, Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, and the Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant People Act.
The framework and values of reproductive justice (RJ) are core to the way our communities can stay safe and healthy. In the 1990s, a group of Black activists, often referred to as the founding mothers of RJ, defined RJ as the human right to maintain bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and to parent those children we have in safe and sustainable communities. As a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist who believes that bodily autonomy for all of us is central to building a future where we can all make informed and trusted decisions about our bodies, families, and futures, I see the intersectionality of reproductive justice within many elements of the medicine I practice every day.
Given the anti-immigrant sentiment furthered by the Trump Administration, it was critical to use our time during this lobby day to advocate for bills that would offer baseline protec-
tions for the most inequitably impacted communities accessing health care. Given the chilling effect of xenophobia, ICE activities, including detention and deportation, and misinformation and disinformation spread about immigrants in the United States, it is our duty as physicians who all care for immigrants to ensure that they have at least basic protections to ensure their human rights.
The HEAL Act (Health Equity and Access under the Law for Immigrant Families Act) would remove discriminatory barriers to accessing health care for immigrant families. It would lift the five-year ban period that fed-
erally authorized immigrants, including children and pregnant people, are required to wait before being able to enroll in health care programs, including Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant People’s Act is legislation that would prohibit the U.S Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Border Protection from shackling pregnant, postpartum, and lactating people. It would also create a presumption that pregnant, birthing, and lactating people should not be detained. The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act would rein-
It’s May already
CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.
When I was a young kid each spring I loved to present this riddle, “April showers bring May flowers, but what do May flowers bring?”
And then I would gleefully exclaim, “Pilgrims!” I should have known then I was going to become an American politics professor, but it would be many years later before that became a reality. Each May, I am filled with a sense of excitement for the good weather ahead, a sense of exhaustion as the semester and academic school year come to a close, and slight anxiety knowing that the summer will come and go in the blink of an eye.
May also seems to be a time of transition for so many people. As we look at trees budding this year, it seems like so many friends and colleagues are surrounded by loss. The passing of friends, grandparents, and even parents has reminded me that the cycle of life is always moving around us. Just as the trees shed their leaves and somehow begin anew in spring, or birds who flew far south begin to return, the cycle of nature is always around us. Babies are being born, and loved ones are passing on. As I get older, I realize the cycle of nature, whether outside of my window or in my personal life, is something that keeps moving, no matter how much I want time to stand still.
I always love to use the emergence of spring as a time to reset. As we begin to come out of our winter cocoons, I
hope we can temporarily block out the madness of the world and let nature take hold of our focus, even if only for a few minutes. I, for one, am going to spend more time going to the farmers market, sitting in the sun, taking the subway less and trying to walk the streets of New York a bit more, playing a little croquet with friends, and spending time in one of the many parks in NYC with my binoculars observing my little avian friends. So, how are you going to maximize your May? I know for some, the school year is winding down, and summer preparations are on the minds of many parents. For others, the beginning of spring means a new opportunity to think about changes in their professional or personal lives. No matter how to choose to plan for the month of May, it is imperative we spend a little time in nature to appreciate the newness of our environment. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we must prioritize our mental health and how we treat ourselves. So, let’s practice healthy behavioral habits that we can pass along to others.
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.
Dr. Alexandra Fayne (Contributed photo)
Caribbean Update
Trinidad gets a new government
By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews
Clearly tired of two consecutive terms of the People’s National Movement (PNM), voters in economically challenged Trinidad and Tobago picked a new government in its general elections held on Monday, giving the new administration a large enough majority, allowing it to pass key bills without opposition help.
The Indo-dominated United National Congress (UNC) of former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar won 26 of the 41 parliamentary seats, picking up seven along the way, while the Afro-supported People’s National Movement (PNM) dropped to 13 from 22 from the 2020 polls. Voters appear to have been angry with the PNM for its lethargic response to various crises in different communities and its slow uptake on meeting infrastructural improvement demands in others.
The oil and gas-rich nation, the most southerly in the Caribbean island chain, has also faced major challenges with steadily declining daily oil production and a signifi-
cant reduction in gas exports and output. Efforts, for example, to increase natural gas production were dealt a severe blow recently when the Trump administration blocked efforts by the federation to jointly explore a giant gas field straddling the border with Venezuela that would have tremendously improved economic prospects.
In reelecting attorney Persad-Bissessar, voters made her not only the first woman head of government but the first to come back after a defeat to serve a second term at 73. She urged jubilant supporters not to “be boastful and arrogant. We have lots of work to do,” as it became clear long before midnight that she is heading to the office of the prime minister again after 10 years in opposition.
“When God says ‘Yes’, nobody can say no. We, the people, have the real power in Trinidad and Tobago. Not the fake elites. The victory is yours. Now that the UNC has won, everybody wins. It is now that the real work starts. From day one, we will be focused on delivering on our promises. Working to make every citizen’s
life better, brighter, more prosperous. I give you the assurance that no one will be left behind,” she said. For his part, former prime minister Stuart Young, given the leadership of government following the retirement of Keith Rowley just over a month ago, conceded defeat but vowed that the party would rebuild and come back strongly. His just over five-week tenure was clearly the shortest since independence from Britain in 1962.
“The electorate has spoken tonight, and we look forward to tomorrow morning. We’ll be back on the road, rebuilding and encouraging the youths to come forth. I certainly look forward to playing a part in that and a leadership role in that.” Predecessor, Rowley noted that “tonight is not a good night for the PNM. It is clear at this time that we have lost the election. We have done it before, conceding defeat on election night but tomorrow is a new day.”
As Persad-Bissessar prepares to be sworn in as the Caribbean’s newest head of government, the conclusion of the federation’s elections now means that regional attention will be switched to Suriname, which goes to
the polls on May 25th. There, polls are showing that the incumbent coalition of President Chan Santokhi will struggle to win enough seats to form a government with 26 or more of the 51 seats as the country has been beset by serious economic troubles, widespread allegations of corruption and state and other contracts awarded to friends and family of the ruling elite. Other contests in the making are Guyana, Jamaica, and St. Vincent to go along with those already held this year in Belize, Bermuda, Curacao, The Turks and Caicos Islands, and Anguilla in one of the busiest years in the 15-member bloc. Rowley says his party will bounce back and has experienced defeat before.
“We conceded in 1986, 1995, and in 2010, so this 70-year-old party, sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t win –– tonight is one of those nights where, surprisingly, we have not done very well in the general election. But from Tuesday, the PNM will begin to prepare itself for the next call within the next 60 months. We wish all the leaders well, as our country is now in their hands.”
The horror of Trump’s first 100 days: A democracy on trial
FELICIA PERSAUD
IMMIGRATION KORNER
There are chapters in a nation’s history so jarring, so steeped in injustice, that they leave an indelible mark on its collective conscience.
The first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency stand as one of those haunting chapters –– a period when the core values of American democracy were pushed to the brink by a government that cast aside the very Constitution it swore to defend.
Human Rights Watch didn’t mince words — it labeled Trump’s first 100 days “an assault on the rights of many Americans.” But let’s call it what it truly is: a nightmare unfolding in real time. A horror show, where due process is discarded, and the lives of immigrants — especially Black and Brown ones — are sacrificed on the altar of political spectacle. Fear now walks freely across the land, as it does in regimes where power is unchecked, and human dignity is expendable.
This isn’t governance. This is targeted persecution.
From day one, the Trump administration has trampled on the legal protections meant to shield asylum seekers, naturalized citizens, and permanent residents. Court orders are treated as mere suggestions, not binding rulings. In one of the most egregious examples, Kilmar Abrego Garcia — a Salvadoran man fleeing danger — was deported in direct defiance of a federal court’s order. The cruelty didn’t stop there. His family –– including young children –– were forced into hiding after the government deliberately exposed their home address online. This isn’t bureaucratic failure. This is calculated cruelty, weaponized against the vulnerable.
And it didn’t end with Abrego Garcia. Immigrants have been forcibly deported to El Salvador under conditions so secretive and severe, they amount to enforced disappearances. Asylum seekers from diverse nations are being expelled to Panama and Costa Rica, in blatant violation of international law. These are not one-off mistakes –– they are part of
a calculated and coordinated purge, aimed squarely at the communities that have long enriched and sustained the soul of American society.
And disturbingly, not even U.S. citizens are beyond the reach of this escalating injustice.
Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, a dual citizen, was detained by ICE for nearly two days in Florida during a routine traffic stop — simply because he looked undocumented. His Social Security card was brushed aside. His citizenship, dismissed. His trauma? Real and lasting.
Then there is 19-year-old Jose Hermosillo, arrested and detained for nearly 10 days in Tucson, Arizona — because he allegedly said he was Mexican. Authorities either ignored or didn’t care that he was a U.S. citizen with a learning disability. He said he told them the truth. No one listened.
And let us not forget those detained for speaking out.
Palestinian student and green-card holder Mohsen Mahdawi, a peaceful protester at Columbia University, was apprehended by ICE in Vermont during a naturalization interview. His only “crime?” Standing for Palestine.
Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla PersadBissesar in 2013. (Control Arms / commons.wikimedia. org/wiki/File:Kamla_PersadBissesar_2013.jpg)
Mahmoud Khalil, another green card holder, has been detained since early March for the same reason — protesting against the horrific war in Gaza that has left over 50,000 dead and many now starving. A judge ruled that his deportation was reasonable because it could impact U.S. foreign policy. Let that sink in: a protest, an exercise of free speech, became grounds for exile.
This is not democracy. This is autocracy, dressed in red, white, and blue.
The tragedy deepens with the stories of legal permanent residents like Fabian Schmidt, detained at Boston Logan Airport, and Lewelyn Dixon, an elderly Filipino green card holder, arrested in Washington state. Six Bhutanese men living peacefully in Pennsylvania, all green card holders, were taken by ICE without explanation. No reason. No warning. No justice.
And then, there is the story of Nascimento Blair — a Jamaican green card holder deported in shackles after a past mistake he had already paid for. He had rebuilt his life, earned degrees, mentored the formerly incarcerated, and cared for a
sick fiancée. But in Trump’s America, redemption has no place for immigrants — only retribution.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker put it plainly: “The United States Constitution guarantees due process. We are witnessing Donald Trump erode our fundamental constitutional rights in real time.”
I echo that sentiment. As an immigrant, a journalist, and a woman of color, I watch with heartbreak and fury as Trump’s America targets the vulnerable, silences dissent, and turns a blind eye to the humanity of those who look like me.
We must never forget what happened during these 100 days. We must continue to speak out, to organize, and to protect our communities from the return of such horror.
For in the words of Elie Wiesel, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” And we cannot afford to be indifferent.
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.
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
Seven leaders from Cuba’s civil society organizations attended the United Nations’ fourth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. While in New York, two of these leaders, Rolando Rensoli, president of the José Antonio Aponte Commission of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), and Kenia Serrano, from the community project Karibuni and the Afro feminist Articulation Coordination, sat down to speak with the Amsterdam News. The Permanent Forum, like all other UN bodies, brings advocates together to make progressive declarations and set goals for world governments to work towards. But it doesn’t supply them with the resources needed to achieve those goals, Serrano noted. “The resources countries in the North have were created by the majority Black nations of the South. They got rich at our expense,” she said. “That is where there is a need for historical reparations. The people, the populations, the African diaspora –– that Africanness that every Cuban has, that every Caribbean person has, that people here in New York have –– we feel that there is a historical debt owed to our people and that there is a historical debt owed Africa.”
For decades, Cuba has looked at how inclusion and inequality, particularly as it pertains to skin color, lead to societal disparities. Social researchers have debated the best way to address these issues. But Serrano noted that some Cuban institutions are reluctant to discuss racial disparities because they fear bringing the subject up gives ammunition to those who want to criticize the Cuban revolution.
There was a recent analysis of the general population’s health indicators at the end of 2024, shown on the program ‘Color Cubano,’ Rensoli said. The show looked at hernia samples, infant mortality, and life expectancy. Cuba looks at health indicators for its gener-
International News
Cuba’s civil society leaders discuss racial issues during UN’s Permanent Forum
al population and will only differentiate its patients based on their skin tone. Rensoli noted that in Cuba, racial categories are not strictly followed: “We … assume that in Cuba we are all Afrodescendants,” he said. “It is another thing that we, well, we want our discourse about. We are a mestizo people, we are all Afrodescendants. We talk about skin colors, we are not an Afrodescendant and non-Afrodescendant population. We talk about Black Cubans, mulattos, and whites, but the issue of Afrodescendants encompasses us all.”
This year’s Permanent Forum meeting was a tad disappointing for UNEAC’s Rensoli. The declaration of 2011 as the International Year for People of African Descent,
and the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa in 2001, have led to numerous meetings in New York and at the UN’s Geneva, Switzerland offices. It has forced the world’s advocates for African descendants, Rensoli points out, to shuttle between New York and Geneva to discuss Black world concerns. “I believe that Brazil, for example, which says its population is nearly 55% Afrodescendant, could host the forum. When we talk to each other in Afrodescendant forums, why don’t we talk about having one in Colombia? In Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, or with the Blacks of Chocó? Why don’t we do Venezuela, which has an extraordinary Afrodescendant movement? They’re organized, and the Bolivarian rev-
olution gave rights to the Afrodescendant communities. Why don’t we have one in Cuba? In Havana or Santiago de Cuba?”
Cuban delegation members who attended the Permanent Forum complained that their visas restricted them to only being able to visit the Cuban Mission and the United Nations. In New York, they had no opportunities to talk with Black New Yorkers in any of the city’s five boroughs.
Rensoli insisted that if the Permanent Forum were held in other parts of the world where there is a predominantly Black population, there would be better opportunities for world delegates to talk about Black communities and visit local ones. Serrano added that such meetings in those cities
would also bring occasional economic boosts.
The Permanent Forum’s insistence that without racial justice there can be no global justice was also poignant for Serrano. She said that her nation’s ongoing struggles against the U.S. embargo on trade and financial dealings with Cuba is part of that fight. A delegate from another country even mentioned this during the Permanent Forum, Serrano said: “I was delighted to hear these people say that one way to fight against racism and one way to seek global justice is to remove the blockade on Cuba. For Cuba, for the Afro Cuban people, said one delegate, if the blockade is lifted from the Afro Cuban people, we are making an act of reparations.”
Rolando Rensoli, president of the Aponte Commission at UNEAC poses alongside Kenia Serrano, from the community project Kariburi and the Afro feminist Articulation Coordination. (Karen Juanita Carrillo photo)
Education
‘Swim Strong’: A life-saving skill in a warming world
By RAYMOND FERNÁNDEZ Special to the AmNews
Before jumping into the pool, Swim Coach Shawn Slevin told Amsterdam News the importance of “situational knowledge of water.” In a swimming pool, that means looking at its shallowness, lanes, and color. But in a maritime city like New York, understanding water and its movement has deeper implications.
“We lose toddlers across the United States to drowning every year, and most of them are dying in their homes, not because their parents are bad parents, but because those parents don’t have a context for water risk in their home,” said Shawn Slevin, Founder of the Swim Strong Foundation, adding, “It only takes two inches of water, and two-seconds for a toddler to drown.”
The CDC reports that drowning is now the leading cause of death in infants 1 through 4 years of age. According to the same study, for children 5 to 14 years old, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death. The CDC also reports that Black children ages 10 to 14 drown at rates 7.6 times higher than white children.
Slevin warned, “You’re speaking to a disrupter in this space.” She aims to reverse dangerous drowning trends with an innovative and nuanced approach.
“The traditional way is by being in the water and offering the skills, right? And thus far, we’ve taught more than 11,400 people how to swim. We’ve given more than $1.8 million in free swim lessons to families who had that need,” she said about her organization.
She added, “We’re even taking that further and talking about situational knowledge of water, which has nothing to do with swimming, but everything to do with understanding and managing the risk of water from an environmental and a climate point of view.”
Swim Strong is a non-profit organization based in New York City and has served its residents for almost 19 years. Its main mission is to teach New Yorkers how to swim as a health-beneficial skill and as a life-saving tool. Slevin, along with “some colleagues,”created a program called ‘Know Before You Go,’ which has reached 96,000
people through school programs across the country.
Slevin explained why water safety is a crucial part of her class, “[Hurricane IDA] was responsible for 93 drowning deaths between Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania,” emphasizing the drowning had occurred inland. “13 of those people were my neighbors in Woodside, Queens.” She lamented their deaths and said it could have been prevented.
In a house, situational knowledge of water teaches you the safety measures in case of a flood.
“With a storm of that nature coming in, you never go down. You go up,” she added.
Slevin also discussed how storms are getting stronger due to climate change. She specifically mentioned that what were once considered “once in a lifetime” or “once in a 1,000 years” storms are now occurring more frequently and with increased intensity.
According to Climate Central, warming oceans are indeed fueling stronger tropical cyclones; they are also increasing hurricane activity.
Slevin also recalled colder winters when she was younger and thick ice packs that allowed for activities like skating. However, today’s winters are warming, leading to thinner ice packs. This change means that ice is less stable and people are increasingly at risk of falling through ice. The thinning of ice is a direct result of climate change, making winter activities more dangerous and unpredictable.
Her message is clear: situational knowledge of water is crucial as weather patterns become more extreme due to the Climate Crisis.
Coach Slevin teaches in three out of the five boroughs of New York City. She describes NYC as “an aquatic desert,” and believes the city does not meet the standards of a maritime city.
“When you look across the political landscape of New York City, we have 51 council districts. Only 18 of them have a public swimming pool,” she noted. “The Parks Department has 58 facilities, but only 12 of those are swimming pools, and of the 12 swimming pools, only six are potentially available for year-round use.”
She concluded, “You do the math, almost 9 million citizens into six swimming pools, public swimming pools, and you can see the problem that we’re in.”
The AmNews attended a class at Bushwick High School in Brooklyn, one of the 5 schools where Slevin coaches. World-RecordHolder Merle Liivand led a breaststroke boot camp for competitive swimmers. Liivand, also known as ‘The Eco-Mermaid’, began the class by speaking to the swimmers and their parents about the importance of coral reefs around the world, her concern about
warming oceans, sea-level rise, and mentioned The Billion Oyster Project in New York.
‘The Eco-Mermaid’ revealed that she wishes to live in a world where swimming is encouraged and properly funded as an environmental activity. Liivand’s latest swimming achievement was breaking the Guinness World Records for the longest swim with a monofin and restrained arms. She swam 50 kilometers in 14 hours and 15 minutes, all while collecting trash.
“Pick up trash and make a change,” she told the young swimmers.
Slevin’s students are a diverse crowd with Memo, a triathlon competitor, Jerry, who enjoys swimming with his son, Rin, who is hoping to join the Marines, and children from elementary to high school, all learning how to swim and identify the threats water poses as extreme weather patterns continue to increase.
Underwater training led by Coach Ray Belmont at Far Rockaway HS campus. (Provided by Swim Strong)
Arts & Entertainment
Thomas J. Price’s ‘Resilience of Scale’ elevates the Black presence
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
The imposing 12-foot-tall bronze sculptures of men and women in Thomas J. Price’s “Resilience of Scale” exhibit project a powerful presence. With his first major solo show at Hauser & Wirth’s SoHo gallery –– and a sixth sculpture, “Grounded in the Stars,” which was unveiled on April 29 in Times Square at Broadway and 46th Street –– Price portrays Black people in relaxed yet commanding postures while normalizing and celebrating their physicality.
At a press briefing for the opening of his gallery show, Price spoke about remembering how people reacted to him and his family when he was growing up as a Black child in Britain. He said it fascinated him to see how other people reacted to his family members: how people looked at them and decided whether they were important or not.
Those insights later led him to think about how people are
generally taught to understand monuments and sculptures — representations of history and achievement, which can be of real people or fictional characters.
Large-scale sculptures of everyday Black people are uncommon, but Price has used digital sculpting and wax casting to create stately depictions that show the
grandeur of familiar Black figures. He places them in postures and stances we’re used to seeing; they wear casual jeans, suits, and athletic outfits that situate them
within the everyday world. Price’s work has been featured in public spaces throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. His sculptures portray individuals unbothered at being seen. The artist said he’s looking forward to seeing the public’s reaction to his Times Square piece “Grounded in the Stars.” “It’s going to be interesting to see how it’s perceived in that space,” he said. “Because I do think that wherever I put my works, they tend to bring out the things that need to be talked about in that area. I’ve put the same work in a different location, and it will bring out the nuance of that space, and the nuance in that community, and the nuance and intensity of that space.”
“Resilience of Scale” is on view through June 15, 2025, at Hauser & Wirth’s SoHo gallery, 134 Wooster St, New York, NY 10012. For more information, visit: www.hauserwirth.com. “Grounded in the Stars” will be on view in Times Square at Broadway and 46th Street until June 17, 2025.
Studio Museum in Harlem curator Connie Choi, the artist Thomas J. Price, and Madeline Warren of Hauser & Wirth introduce his new solo show, “Resilience of Scale.” (Karen Juanita Carrillo photos)
Close-up of ‘A Place Beyond’ by Thomas J Price
A Kind of Confidence by Thomas J Price
Within the Folds (Dialogue 1) by Thomas J Price
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Consuelo Kanaga: Catch the Spirit
By ROBERT GERHARDT Special to the AmNews
Consuelo Kanaga was “way ahead of her time,” recalled her photographer friend Dorothea Lange in the 1960s. The comment is recounted by curator Drew Sawyer in his essay for the catalogue for “Consuelo Kanaga: Catch the Spirit,” currently on view at the Brooklyn Museum through August 3.
For six decades, Kanaga photographed everything from still life and celebrity portraits to urgent social issues tackling urban poverty, labor rights, racial terror, and inequality. The title of the exhibition comes from a quote by the artist that sums up her work and how she related to her subjects: “When you make a photograph, it is very much a picture of your own self. That is the important thing. Most people try to be striking to catch the eye. I think the thing is not to catch the eye but the spirit.”
The exhibition was organized by the Brooklyn Museum in collaboration with Fundación MAPFRE and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It was curated by Drew Sawyer and Sondra Gilman, curator of photography at the Whitney Museum of American Art, who was formerly the Phillip and Edith Leonian curator of photography at Brooklyn Museum. The Brooklyn Museum presentation is organized by Pauline Vermare, the current Phillip and Edith Leonian curator of photography, with Imani Williford, curatorial assistant of photography, fashion, and material culture at Brooklyn Museum.
“Her work is about love and kindness and looking and caring for each other. I mean, essentially, she cared for the people she took photographs of,” Vermare told me during a
Zoom call. “Whether they were strangers on the streets of the Bowery, people who have no money, who are down and out, who are misfits, essentially. People who have a life that doesn’t seem to be respected and valued by others ... I mean, inequalities, racism, all of those questions of segregation. But it’s the way she was looking. I think that’s why this show feels so important to me.”
Born in Astoria, Oregon in 1894, Kanaga began her career as a writer and photographer for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1915 at the age of 21. In doing so, she became one of the first women to work as a staff photojournalist at a major newspaper. She moved to New York City in 1922 and worked for the New York American newspaper, where she stayed for two years before returning to California.
In 1927 and 1928 Kanaga spent almost a year traveling through France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Tunisia. Her trip was underwritten with the support of Albert M. Bender, a San Francisco arts patron. During these travels she learned about modernist photographic practices and was able to visit museums, monuments, and churches throughout the countries she visited. It was also during this time that she began to express her views on racism at home in the United States, which she would explore in her work in the 1930s. In a letter to Bender she wrote “I am sick of seeing colored men and women abused by stupid white people.”
In California, Kanaga also met Tina Modotti, an Italian photographer, actress, and activist who organized an exhibition of her photographs. In the 1930s, she became associated with Group f/64, which included such photographers as Ansel Adams,
Imogen Cunningham, and Edward Weston, and was included in a major exhibition of their work in 1932 at the de Young Museum. When she returned to New York in 1935, Kanaga began making photographs for leftist publications like the Sunday Worker. She joined the Photo League, where she lectured and taught and became the leader of documentary group projects. During the 1940s and 1950s she continued her commitment to photographing African Americans and worked to document workers in the Jim Crow South. Her work was also included in the historic exhibition The Family of Man at the Museum of Modern Art.
Kanaga’s photographs used a modernist visual language to explore social and economic inequities and was committed to using photography to address difficult social issues from labor rights to
discrimination. This placed her work in a unique place when compared to many of her peers, being considered very progressive for its time. Her focus on representing people who had been either misrepresented, or ignored by the mainstream media and other artists at the time, further set her apart. But her work continues to resonate today as it reflects many of the same issues that America faces currently.
“I feel like in the work of Kanaga, the photos that I love the most, that move me the most, might be the ones where I can see what she was trying to do with her photographs, showing another image of Black America,” Vermare said. “That was really her mission.”
overlooked and forgotten. While her name itself is not easy to place, and is sort of mysterious, another major factor was the way she lived. “When you look at her work, you think it’s on par with Dorothea Lange and so many other great photographers of her time, and you wonder why the name is not more well known,” Vermare explained. “She did not have kids. She had three husbands ... Nobody really was there to support her legacy.”
This exhibition, the first of her work in 30 years, and the accompanying catalogue work to bring Kanaga’s work not just back to light, but to place her back into the canon of great documentary photographers. With the current political climate in the United States, the exhibition is also very timely.
“At the end of the show, there’s a quote by her, and she says, ‘I thought that photography could change the world.’ And there’s that feeling,” Vermare said. “I think that today, to remind yourself, all of us, and especially the younger generation, that it is possible, not to change the world, but that you have to be with your world. You have to be a witness, and you have to hope and always look after each other. So if you’re more privileged in one way or another, if you’re in a position that is more comfortable than another, then it’s your duty to push and to support those who are not as privileged as you. That’s how she lived her life, and I think it’s remarkable.”
Consuelo Kanaga: Catch the Spirit is on view at the Brooklyn Museum of Art through August 3. For more info, visit www. brooklynmuseum.org.
At a time when international headlines focus obsessively on Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, we could all use a peek into life on the African continent. Meeting the moment is the 32nd New York African Film Festival, which premieres May 7 and runs through May 13 at Film at Lincoln Center. It then continues at Maysles Documentary Center, the Brooklyn
Academy of Music (as FilmAfrica during DanceAfrica), and at St. Nicholas Park.
This year’s festival includes more than 100 films. It opens with Nigerian director Afolabi Olalekan’s “Freedom Way,” a tragic look at how various forms of corruption infect and connect the lives of everyday people trying to eke out a living in Lagos.
The showcase entry, “Memories of Love Returned,” is a documentary directed by American-Ugandan playwright and documentarian, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine,
and executive produced by Steven Soderberg. Set in rural Uganda, the film initially pivots intimately around the work and life of a gifted local portrait photographer, Kibaate Aloysius Ssalongo, but eventually stretches around the irrepressible stories that are resurrected when community memory is captured and retold through photography. Also noteworthy, Mauritanian-born Malian director, Abderrahmane Sissako, will hold the New York premiere of his newest film, “Black Tea,” at the festi-
val. Sissako’s 2014 film “Timbuktu” was an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film nominee.
The festival closes with a shorts program of women-centered films.
In addition to cinema, the festival will feature two art exhibitions, one highlighting the work of the artist Bereket Adamo from The Southern Peoples Nations of Ethiopia, and the other entitled “Congo Re-Vue,” showcasing the work of Congolese artists. For more info, visit africanfilmny.org.
“Black Tea” (FLC Press photos)
“Freedom Way”
“Memories of Love Returned”
may 31
alvin ailey american dance theater
Fri, May 9 @ 8PM Sat, May 10 @ 8PM Sun, May 11 @ 3PM “Movement that’ll move you” (New York Magazine) is guaranteed for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Mother’s Day weekend engagement at NJPAC.
Sat, Jun 7 @ 7PM
Majah Hype (the “Caribbean King of Comedy”) returns to NJPAC with his original characters and relatable impressions.
Love You Too, The Tour Sun, Jun 1 @ 7PM
A night of R&B, soul and jazz with GRAMMY®-winning singer Ledisi (“High,” “Alright”) and Marsha Ambrosius (“Far Away”).
Sun, Jun 15 @ 7PM
Earthquake’s Father’s Day Comedy Show will make you laugh with DeRay Davis, Chico Bean and B. Simone
Fri, Jun 6 @ 8PM
Join Master P and the No Limit Solders for a ’90s Juneteenth celebration featuring The Lox, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and more. master p & the no limit soldiers
Fri, Jun 20 @ 8PM
HOT 97’s Summer Jam is back! The biggest hip hop concert with A Boogie, Gunna, GloRilla, Muni Long and more.
The Gateways Festival Orchestra brought musicality and brilliance to Carnegie Hall
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
Even before their splendid music filled the place, it was the size of the Gateways Festival Orchestra (GFO), 90 Black musicians, that astounded. Not since a revival and celebration of James Reese Europe and the Clef Club appearance in 1912 had I witnessed such an array of African American performers on the stage at Carnegie Hall, though the GFO made its debut at the Hall three years ago. When the conductor Anthony Parnther strode on stage, he was greeted by many in the audience as if they knew him. With a wave of his wand, the program began with Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88.
The 15 cellos led by the principal player Cole Randolph set the stage for brilliant, and often piercing notes from the flute section with Judith Dines up front. What followed was a seamless flow of melody at a rather brisk tempo before giving way to a slower, more reflective motif. To me, it possessed
fewer of the African and Native American themes he showcased so vividly in his Ninth Symphony, “From the New World.” Even so, the four movements fully demonstrated the musicality of the orchestra.
After the intermission, Parnther appeared more animated in his directions as he coaxed
the orchestra into Damien Sneed’s “Reflections of Resilience: Five Spirituals.” The magnificent voice of mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges put a ring of resonance around her articulation of “Go Down Moses,” and it soared to an astonishing crescendo when she recited the words “to heal the sin-sick soul” from “There
‘A Wu-Tang Experience’ — Hip-Hop as unifier
By MARK WINSTON GRIFFITH
Special to the AmNews
Early in “A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre,” the impresario Robert Diggs, a.k.a. RZA, the co-founding leader of the Wu-Tang Clan and the co-director of “A Wu-Tang Experience,” declares that “music is a universal language.” It’s a statement so cliche as to make you want to roll your eyes.
Fortunately, in the case of “A Wu-Tang Experience,” it’s also a pretty fair point. An earnest and reverent documentary capturing Wu-Tang’s one-night engagement at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, in the summer of 2021, “A Wu-Tang Experience” is a testament to the group’s broad appeal and to the global audience that hip-hop has established over 50-plus years.
The venue is Exhibit A in this argument. Colorado’s white population constitutes almost 90% of the state and the film’s lively interviews with audience members outside Red Rocks feature soccer moms, senior citizens and prepubescent kids alike, all flashing “Ws,” citing Wu-Tang trivia, and skillfully spitting Wu lyrics.
The true conceit, however, of “A Wu-Tang Experience” is the 60-member Colorado Symphony Orchestra that accompanies the live D.J., and much ado is made throughout the film of the marriage between Wu-Tang’s performance and the classical arrangement. RZA makes the comment that hip-hop has historically struggled to be considered real music, suggesting that the concert is an elaborate attempt to make their art, first conceived in Staten Island public housing, more respectable.
This of course is not new. From Run
DMC’s rock inspirations and Guru’s jazz hip-hop fusions, to Nas’ performance at Lincoln Center and Kendrick’s Pulitzer, hiphop has, over the years, found itself either seeking cross-cultural validation or being unwittingly crowned with it.
But RZA is a product of his era, when hiphop was still relatively unsure of itself. As Australia-born Christopher Dragon, who at the time of the concert was a 31-year-old resident conductor of the Colorado Symphony, points out, the generations of music fans who came of age in the decades after “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” dropped in 1993 have never doubted hop-hip’s legitimacy or music primacy. To that end, the Colorado Symphony accompaniment is so seamlessly blended with the recorded music of the D.J. during the concert, that it’s not always clear where one starts and the other ends — demonstrating just how sonically complex hip-
hop production has become.
“A Wu-Tang Experience” is just the latest filmic behind the scenes of Wu-Tang life. There are no fewer than six documentaries and a fictionalized biographical drama about the Wu-Tang Clan, the most comprehensive being the May 2019 Showtime four-episode documentary series, “Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men.”
While “A Wu-Tang Experience” offers little in the way of additional insight into the relationships, history or artistry of WuTang, it is a welcomed anecdote to the tired “Behind the Music” archetype of a group making it to the top of the charts, only to be eventually torn apart by fame, drugs, egos, and power struggles.
It’s unheard of that seven original members of a highly successful pop group, each of whom can claim their own identity and individual success, are not just surviving, but seemingly thriving. Rather than look-
Is a Balm in Gilead.” There were moments when her dazzling lyrics matched her colorful gowns that shimmered with each movement of her body.
The program closed with the renowned William Levi Dawson’s “Negro Folk Symphony,” that he composed in 1934. At various stages of the three movements, there are elements of Black folk music that takes on a dance-like quality and then morph into a call-and-response between different sections of the orchestra. On occasion, you can hear the evolution of African American folk music from the field holler, to the blues, and a tinge of jazz, though it’s the spiritual and gospel elements that seem to dominate.
Dawson was widely heralded for his pedagogy in choral music, and the symphony is but a sample of his prodigious talent. With each swell of the music from the GFO, Dawson’s style and intuition about the music of his people are present. The only thing missing is that it isn’t performed enough. For more information, visit www. gatewaysmusicfestival.org.
ing worn down by time and the excesses of the business, they appear relatively healthy and still fully invested in the musical project that RZA recruited them for in the early nineties. Even the one member of the group who succumbed to an overdose in 2004, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, is resurrected in the form of his son whose stage name is, of course, Young Dirty Bastard.
What’s more, they still got it. If nothing else, “A Wu-Tang Experience” gives us what we really came for: Bangers like “Protect Ya Neck,” “Bring Da Pain,” “C.R.E.A.M.,” “Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit,” “Method Man,” “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” and “Triumph,” each reprised with the energy and crisp urgency that WuTang is known for.
Just before hitting the stage, RZA quips that “We gonna find out if this is a night to remember or the night where RZA just needs to shut the f*ck up and stick to hip hop.”
While it’s important to appreciate Wu-Tang’s evolution and the creative ambitions of the concert, which included the simultaneous screening of Wu-Tang’s original muse film, “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin,” it’s the intact fraternity of these middle-aged Black men on stage that is the most enduring theme of “A Wu-Tang Experience.” That and the fact that their music has lasted so long, not through gimmickry and exhaustive reinvention, but by the group remaining exactly who they’ve always been and by delivering unvarnished, uncompromised, roots hip-hop. Perhaps that’s as universal as music gets.
A Wu-Tang Experience first premiered on PBS on November 11, 2024. It will be available on major streaming platforms on May 6, 2025.
From the left: Damien Sneed, J’Nai Bridges, and Anthony Parnther taking their bows at Carnegie Hall. (Shahar Azran photo)
Stills from “A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.” (Image courtesy of Breaking Glass Pictures)
Desmond Beach’s ‘The Weight of Joy’ on display through May 24
By MAC JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
It’s only fitting that the buzz in Bedstuy, Brooklyn is centered around something that’s perfect for an unseasonably cold start to spring: A quilt.
With vibrant and eccentric textiles, the Richard Beavers Gallery has once again found the sweet spot between advancing an artform and ancestral reverence in its newest exhibit by Desmond Beach titled “The Weight of Joy.”
Desmond Beach has spent most of his career harnessing the power of Black beauty, Black pain, and Black history across multiple mediums. But in the recently opened “The Weight of Joy,” Beach sheds his skin of performance, sculpture, and mixed media in favor of familial textiles and frayed fibers. While Beach displays his skill with each stitch, he purposely includes inescapable imperfections to not only catch the viewer’s eye, but draw them into his own profound manner of storytelling.
“Our healing is messy,” he said to me at the opening of his exhibition. “It’s frayed at the edges. It hurts. It’s painful. I felt it would be a disservice if everything was finely and neatly put away. We have to get to the healing.”
While quilts and quiltmaking are often associated with comfort, Beach uses this exhibition to focus more on the covering and protection offered by each effervescent mesh of fabric. He also uses the creative direction of distress to bridge the gap between viewing each work objectively and understanding the connected tissue of each thread.
“I want you to see the threads that are
hanging, the work that went into the piece being constructed because I want you to have evidence of it,” said Beach. “That’s why I don’t put a back on them, because I
want you to see the stitching.”
Beach’s work guides the viewer through a polaric range of emotion. Harmonious colors and composition allow passage
through the lows of violence against Black bodies and coming face to face with your own mortality. However, other pieces present a joy so palpable that one can almost hear the music that some of the ancestors depicted in the artwork are dancing to.
“I want you to walk away feeling like you had an encounter,” said Beach. “Like you had a moment of reflection. The textiles make you think about your own family. Maybe it’s the gesture that someone is making or the expression on their face. I want you to feel like you walked into a sacred space. Like you walked into your grandmother’s living room or your grandmother’s room and you are being comforted and you are being loved, you are being held in this moment.”
Beach’s latest work offers a kaleidoscope of great impressionists. I immediately saw Monet or pillars of pointillism when taking a closer look at the elaborate stitching. But when I mentioned that parallel to Beach, he was quick to clarify his greatest influences, especially being guided by his grandmother.
“My practice is really rooted in ancestral technology or ancestral memory,” said Beach. “So when I’m in the studio working I just feel guided by them. So when I’m cutting some things off, something says ‘don’t cut that. leave that piece. Make it more frayed.’ And I feel like they are guiding me.” Beach hopes his connection to those who paved the way for him is projected through the work in a way that leaves the viewer not only moved but fulfilled as well.
“The Weight of Joy” by Desmond Beach will be on display at Richard Beavers Gallery until May 24. For more info, visit richardbeaversgallery.com and desmondbeach.com.
Desmond Beach, “Scars Like Galaxies: For Peter,” (2025)
Desmond Beach, “Indigo Dreaming” (2025)
Desmond Beach, “Swing Low, Kick High” (2025)
Oprah, Gayle and Tyler groove to Beyoncé in concert … Saquon Barkley plays golf with the president … Johnny Mathis heads to Bergen Performing Arts Center
FLO ANTHONY
GO WITH THE FLO
On April 28, along with Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King hit the opening night of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium. The BFFs were clad in denim outfits including King’s daughter Kirby, as the elite posse danced the night away. As Beyoncé sang, Perry and Winfrey did a few country western steps to the music, a performance which lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes. The Cowboy Carter Tour hits the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey May 22-May 29........
Some of the Philadelphia Eagles recently met with Donald Trump to celebrate their Super Bowl win. While quarterback Jalen Hurts was one of the team members who opted out of the visit, former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who is now with the Eagles, not only went to the White House, but played golf with the president at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster and then reportedly flew back to Washington D.C. with POTUS on Marine One. Meanwhile, according to CBS News, Trump told the crowd at the White House that he told the Giants to “retain Barkley by any means necessary.” Despite being criticized for being so chummy with Trump, Barkley posted on Twitter he respects the office and just golfed with Barack Obama not too long ago......
Bergen Performing Arts Center, at 30 N. Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey, is presenting the final concert date of the great Johnny Mathis’ “The Voice of Romance” Tour and will celebrate Mathis’ 70-year career on Sunday, May 18 at 7:00 pm. The five-time Grammy nominee and Grammy Lifetime Achievement recipient’s accomplishments include 80 original albums and seven Christmas albums.....
The 69th Annual Viennese
Dance Calendar May 2025
By CHARMAINE PATRICIA WARREN Special to the AmNews
Philanthropist, TV host, and author Jean Shafiroff. (PMC/ Mark Sagliocco photo)
Opera Ball will return to Cipriani 42nd Street in the Big Apple on May 9. This year’s gala was launched formally at a kick-off cocktail reception hosted by philanthropist, TV host, and author Jean Shafiroff at her Park Avenue home filled with music and laughter. Regarding the upcoming ball, Shafiroff commented, “I am delighted to host the kick-off party for the Viennese Opera Ball. As co-chair along with Denise Rich for many years, I can say that the Ball will be spectacular, especially as we are excited to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss II.”......
DanceAfrica at BAM tops this month’s calendar. Celebrating the 48th year as the nation’s largest festival of African dance and culture, the Memorial Day Weekend festivities (May 23-26) will include performances, films, dance classes, and community events. Under artistic director Abdel R. Salaam, Mozambique is the focus for DanceAfrica 2025, with the theme Mozambique: Movement! Magic! Manifestation!.
The program highlights the history, movement, and traditions of Mozambique, where artistic expression is a powerful form of cultural memory, spiritual connection, and resilience. This year’s performance features traditional works — including the annual Memorial Tribute to the Ancestors — and showcases Mozambique’s internationally recognized Song & Dance Company of Mozambique, alongside Mama Coumba Saaraba, The DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, and The Billie’s Youth Arts Academy Dance Ensemble. For more information, visit www.bam.org
May 2-4: Peridance Contemporary Dance Company’s Season 42 will feature works by Igal Perry, Roderick George, Mizuho Kappa, and Lar Lubovitch. For more information, visit www.peridancecontemporary.org.
May 5-19: Movement Research at the Judson Church continues its monthly offerings with performances by Kiera Bono, Stephanie García | Punto de Inflexión and Leslie Parker (May 5), Mohammadreza Akrami and Abbey McBride (May 12) and Benin Gardner, Zhangxinan Wu 吴 , Queer CI Cohort: Robin Ekeya, Leland Hull, Emily Jones, and Hannah Krafcik (May 19). For more information, visit movementresearch.org.
May 8-9: As part of Harlem Stage’s dance series, E-Moves, Bebe Miller Company makes its debut with the new ensemble work Indifferent Forest (2025), and solos Rain (1989) and Rhythm Studies (1999). For more information, visit harlemstage.org.
May 9-11: For their annual Mother’s Day weekend at NJPAC, and continuing to celebrate the life and legacy of artistic director emerita Judith Jamison, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater,
under interim artistic director Matthew Rushing, will present Sacred Songs by Rushing, Jamar Roberts’ Al-Andalus Blues, Hope Boykin’s Finding Free, Lar Lubovitch’s Many Angels, plus repertory works including Ailey’s Revelations. For more information, visit www.njpac.org.
May 10: Alethea Pace will reprise between wave and water, a sitespecific performance rooted in contesting and reclaiming the history of an African Burial Ground in Hunts Point, the Bronx. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com.
May 15-17: The experimental movement-based performance artist Ankita Sharma will present dhoka/Betrayal/, where the “Heady and erotic, dhoka entangles Hindu goddess Kali’s ultimate power with presentday authoritarianism and religious violence in a South-Asian diasporic dance-theater duet,” notes the release. For more information visit ci.ovationtix.com.
May 15-24: For this season, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company will offer two programs: Program A: Curriculum III: People, Places & Things, “created against the backdrop of a memory of freedom, and with that memory comes a taste for self-determination…” And Program B: Jones’ latest work, Memory Piece solo, where he “...reflects on pivotal moments and influential figures throughout his career …” according to the release. For more information, visit newyorklivearts.org.
May 15: New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Jerome Robbins Dance Division
will present pioneers of Harlem Lite Feet who will share stories of how this New York City dance tradition and culture was created and how it has grown. For more information, visit www.worksandprocess.org.
May 18: The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, led by artistic director Greta Campo and executive director Andy Chiang, will launch its 37th anniversary season at the Ailey CitiGroup Theater showcasing Chen’s Unfolding, Tiger and Water Lilies, plus excerpts of Shadow Force. The evening will close with Way of Fire, and the premiere of UNANiLLUSION by associate choreographer Evan Matthew Stewart. For more information, visit www.nainichen.org. May 21-22: At the 92NY Harkness Dance Center, The Limón Dance Company celebrates its 79th anniversary with works by José Limón (La Malinche and The Moor’s Pavane), Doris Humphrey (Two Ecstatic Themes), and Join, the premiere by Aszure Barton. For more information, visit www.92ny.org.
May 29-31: The Harlem-based, Black female-led dance company EMERGE125’s 2025 season will happen at El Museo del Barrio, with repertory and restaged works by artistic director Tiffany Rea Fisher. For more information, visit emerge125.org.
May 29-Jun. 1: Led by artistic director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro, Ballet Hispánico celebrates the 150th anniversary of Bizet’s classic opera “Carmen” with a reimagining of Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s CARMEN.maquia at New York City Center. For more information visit www.nycitycenter.org.
National Song and Dance Company of Mozambique (Tony Turner photo)
Healing beyond
Continued from page 13
state legal protections ensuring that places of worship, schools, and health care facilities would not be targeted by ICE agents.
These bills would not just offer theoretical protections. As I think about the realities of the patients I care for every day, I know what kind of meaningful impact these bills would have. As a pediatrician who worked in the Bronx where there is a large immigrant community, and now as an adolescent medicine specialist in upstate New York in a sanctuary city, I have provided care for patients and families with varying immigration status, all of them worthy and deserving of access to the health care they need. These bills will help continue access to primary care services, such as vaccinations for preventable diseases. These bills will also aid immigrant youth and families who are in need of sub-specialized care for sexual reproductive health, eating disorders, and gender affirming care. This spans evaluating adolescents for heavy and debilitating menstrual periods, to supporting and affirming patients in social and medical transition that aligns with their gender identity, and providing medical management for individuals who are malnourished from an eating disorder.
All people, regardless of nationality, race, gender or immigration status, should be able to receive health care. Under the current administration, ICE has entered children’s hospitals and targeted parents of sick children. I know parents do their best to protect and provide for their children, and no parent should have to decide between life-saving health care for their kid and the fear of detention or family separation. As an advocate for RJ, I cannot forget that one of the principles of the RJ framework is to be able to parent the children people choose to have in safe environments. Allowing ICE or DHS agents into spaces such as hospitals, health care facilities, schools,
places of worship, or playgrounds, further decreases trust for these immigrant families and communities, and leads to further health disparities for an already marginalized community. The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act would prevent this from happening. We need policies that protect patients and their rights.
This current Administration — and some New York lawmakers — are trying to sow the theme of seeing immigrants as a threat instead of allies. There is a narrative that pins Black folks against immigrants and perpetuates negative stereotypes, that immigrants are taking away jobs, lowering wages, and unfairly taking away from our government. These are all lies that are spread to further separate and divide these communities. This narrative is focused on competition and conflict between Black Americans and immigrants, when both of these groups share a history of repression and colonization by an economic structure that seeks to make wealth and wellbeing available only to the top one percent. Both groups continue to face economic and racial disparities that limit access to healthcare, generational wealth, and stability.
While we were able to meet with many offices that day, my hope is that as we see increased violence against immigrants, cruel detention practices, family separation, and forced deportation to random countries — not of the nationality of the immigrants being deported — that legislators across the country will understand the importance of passing legislation that centers and protects the health care needs of immigrants across the country. As a physician, these bills are important — I took an oath to provide justice and fairness, and to respect autonomy for all patients.
Dr. Alexandra Fayne, a Fellow for Physicians for Reproductive Health and a board certified pediatrician, is also finishing her last year of an Adolescent Medicine fellowship. Her medical interests include providing comprehensive sexual reproductive health and education for teens and young adults.
Forever. For Justice.
For 100 years, we’ve helped New Yorkers give back and make life better for their communities. Together, we can build a more just and equitable future. Contact us today to learn more. Be a force for good with The New York Community Trust.
Teen activist Babou Gaye began his advocacy and activism when he joined the New York Civil Liberties Teen Activist Project, a program funded by The New York Community Trust. Photo by Ari Mintz
Dr. Alexandra Fayne (Contributed photo)
Nannie Helen Burroughs, renowned activist and artist CLASSROOM IN THE
By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews
Ever since I began doing this column, particularly when pursuing the lives of significant Black women, the name of Nannie Helen Burroughs pops up. I silently say, “one day I will profile her.” Well, that day has arrived, and it’s time to live up to that promise.
Nannie Helen Burroughs was born May 2, 1879, in Orange, Virginia. She was the eldest daughter of enslaved parents, John and Jennie Burroughs. Her father, a Baptist preacher and a farmer, died when she was still very young. Although limited by chattel slavery, the couple managed to acquire skills that would benefit them after the Civil War ended. In 1883, Burroughs and her mother relocated to D.C., where they lived with Cordelia Mercer, Nannie’s aunt and the older sister of Jennie Burroughs. Nannie attended the legendary M Street High School. At the school, she studied business and domestic science, and in her spare time, organized the Harriet Beecher Stowe Literary Society. The school was also a place where she met such notable freedom fighters as Anna Julia Cooper and Mary Church Terrell, whom she cherished as her mentors.
She graduated from M School with honors in 1896, but was unable to find work as a domestic science teacher in the city’s public schools. Her inability to find employment in her chosen field may have been because, unlike the other teachers in her line of work, most of the Black women had light complexions. “The die was cast,” she said, “to beat and ignore both until death.”
The rejections had a positive outcome as she established a training school for women and girls.
In Louisville, Kentucky, from 1898 to 1909, she worked as an editorial secretary and bookkeeper for the Foreign Mission Board of the National Baptist Convention (NBC). During her tenure at the NBC, the Women’s Industrial Club was organized, where domestic science and management courses were part of the curriculum. She was also
a founder of the Women’s Convention, serving in various capacities for nearly half a century. For 13 years, she was president of the Convention.
The same year Nannie completed her studies at M School in 1896, the National Association of Colored Women was formed, and they had a memorable convergence later, and out of their meetings
ed, Nannie became one of the first honorary members; the other three were Mary Church Terrell, Coralie Franklin Cook, and Gabrielle L. Pelham, of the famous Pelhams of Detroit. In 1928, she was appointed to a committee on Negro housing by President Herbert Hoover.
Among her several speeches was “How White and Colored Women Can Cooperate in Building a Christian Civilization.”
Despite her commitment to addressing the social and political issues Black women faced, Nannie was also a published playwright. In the 1920s, her one-act plays were performed by amateur church theatrical groups. Whether in the socio-economic arena or cultural affairs, upliftment of Black women, especially girls, was always uppermost on her agenda.
This dedication was often saluted with commendations and awards, as well as an honorary M.A. from Eckstein Norton University in Kentucky that later merged with Simpson University. Her image was included in the 1945 painting “Women Builders” by William Johnson as part of his Fighters for Freedom series.
ACTIVITIES
FIND OUT MORE
Nannie’s obituary and biography are included in several encyclopedias, most rewardingly in Darlene Clark Hine’s Black Women in America.
DISCUSSION
Her complexion may have hurt her in some capacities, but could have endeared her in the various Women’s clubs.
PLACE IN CONTEXT
the National Association of Wage Earners (NAWE) was forged to amplify the issues faced by African American women. In concert with other notables, including Mary McLeod Bethune and Maggie Lena Walker, Nannie made the NAWE a formidable entity, inducing the participation of other formations.
When the sorority Delta Sigma Theta was found -
In 1964, the school she had founded as the National Training School for Women and Girls was renamed the Nannie Helen Burroughs School in her honor, and parts of it has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
In 1975, Mayor Walter E. Washington declared May 10, Nannie Helen Burroughs Day. And two years later, the National Women’s History Project honored her during Women’s History Month. Nannie died on May 20, 1961 and is buried at the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, where she was a member.
Her years of activism covered more than threequarters of a century, and she left an indelible mark on several organizations and institutions.
Nannie Helen Burroughs
‘Vote No on Demo,’ say NYCHA advocates at Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
The environmental review process for the proposed demolition of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA’s) Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea (FEC) Houses in Manhattan is underway. Tenant organizers and public housing residents protested the demo at last week’s hearings.
The city’s $1.9 billion redevelopment plan is to demolish 24 buildings across seven acres of public housing development land –– one of the largest planned public housing demolitions in the city’s history –– and ideally move back in displaced, primarily Black and brown, Chelsea residents once reconstruction is complete.
The plan was launched in 2019, and the NYCHA Board approved the Master Development Agreement in October 2024. The agreement enacted the Bridge Plan, which was supposed to provide additional security, pest control, building system repairs, and common area and in-unit repairs for the FEC before and during the construction of the new buildings. This will be handled by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the National Environmen-
tal Policy Act (NEPA), and NYCHA.
At this stage in the process, NYCHA and HPD have released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which includes a detailed description of the proposed project and its environmental impacts. The DEIS also describes six alternative zoning plans the city could pursue as opposed to demolition.
“The release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement marks the next step in the environmental review process, ensuring that any proposed redevelopment is carried out in a thoughtful and responsible way,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt in a statement. “As this process moves forward, we are excited that we continue to move closer to the ultimate goal of delivering enhancements to 4,500 Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea residents.”
But at last week’s public hearing, dozens of dedicated FEC residents and community leaders testified against the proposed demolition. Their primary concern was the displacement and disruption of their community and its members.
“Environmental justice is not simply about the physical environment. It is about the right to remain, the right to age in place, to raise children, and build intergenerational futures in one’s home and community. What this plan fails to account for are
when harm is done. This demolition proposal offers none of that,” she continued. Jackie Lara, a Fulton Houses tenant and organizer, said, “We’re not asking for luxury. We’re asking to stay in our homes. Rehab is cheaper. Rehab is safer. Rehab is possible. NYCHA just doesn’t want to do it because there’s no billiondollar contract attached to it.”
In addition to fears of displacement, many spoke about the potential harmful impacts the demolition might have on air and soil quality for residents.
the irreparable social, cultural, and emotional costs of displacement –– these are the very harms that environmental justice was meant to protect against,” said Renee Keitt, president of the Elliott-Chelsea Tenants Association and a leading voice against the demolition.
“There is no justice in a process that strips away communities under the guise of equity. Justice, in its broadest sense, demands fair and impartial treatment, the prevention of harm, and remedial action
“This DEIS is not a road map ––– it’s a smoke screen,” said Layla Law-Gisiko, District Leader for Assembly District 75, Part A. “It glosses over contaminated soil, ignores hospital capacity, and dismisses viable rehabilitation without a single independent structural review. This project is not about fixing public housing –– it’s about transferring public land to private hands.”
The DEIS public comment period remains open until Monday, May 19, 2025.
The last public hearing on the environmental DEIS was rescheduled for May 8, 2025, due to a nationwide Zoom outage. To sign up for the hearing in May, go to https://bit.ly/FEC-DEIS-Hearing. Written comments may be submitted electronically via email to nepa_env@hpd.nyc.gov and, in hard copy to HPD.
Tenants and housing advocates protested in front of Fulton Houses on April 23.
(Contributed by FEC Against Demolition)
Health
GetSetUp helps older adults in NY learn technology to stay healthy
By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA Special to the AmNews
Lawrence Kosick, one of the co-founders and President of GetSetUp, spoke with Amsterdam News about his company, technology needs for older adults during COVID-19, and the future of online education. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
AmNews: Could you tell us about GetSetUp? Kosick: GetSetUp is a virtual learning platform for older adults, and we started the business almost 5 years ago, a little bit prior to the pandemic. I think we thought it was both a problem and an opportunity back then because both my co-founder and I, had older friends, family, and loved ones. . . we just thought there needs to be a safe, secure place for every other demographic to go and learn new things, socialize, and connect with others. Why was there nothing specific for older adults? We thought, well, why don’t we create that place. Now, as the name GetSetUp would suggest, we actually started thinking we’d solve the digital literacy problem. Help everybody with basic tech get set up on whatever smart device they had at home, to get online, and get into your first Zoom class. The premise was, if we could help you with your iPad, your tablet, Android, whatever device you had or even if it was an old computer that needed the operating system or the browser updated, we would help you do that and if you could do that then you could open up a whole new universe of anything and everything that you could learn. If you think about the time right before the pandemic, we had folks who liked to learn things, but when the pandemic hit, they needed to learn how to access almost every service virtually because they were now stuck at home. So we scrambled from sort of helping somebody with basic tech to ‘oh goodness’ we need to teach folks how to use Telehealth, how to do online banking, how to order [food] and have it delivered, how to have their medication delivered, how to cook at home, exercise at home.
AmNews: You have a large number of users. How did you get to that number?
Kosick: When we started, we thought whatever we build, let’s build something that’s easy for older adults to use. How do we remove as much friction as we can to help somebody learn to use a device? That was the original premise. That way, we got good at helping older adults, and it was in part because of the pandemic. Our initial partners were area agencies for the aging; Departments of the Aging, Health and Human
Services. In many cases, we were given large lists and we would reach out, call folks, and help them with whatever device they had, get them into a class, give them a tour of GetSetUp, find out what they were interested in, and help them book their classes. We got really good at activation, and we tried to never lose that sort of muscle memory because we find that in the aging space, there are so many wonderful products and services and programs, but many of them go undiscovered and unused. We wanted to build something that got used, so whatever we did we wanted to make sure that it was easy to use and people could access it. Then we started partnering with states like New York. New York was one of our earliest and remains to date, one of our biggest partners. We wanted to make it easier for older New Yorkers to access and get whatever it is they needed. And part of that was to get somebody onto the platform taking classes. There are only so many basic tech classes one can take, but then if you want
to retain and engage them over a longer period of time and get them to take a lot of classes, and tell their friends, you’ve got to offer other interesting classes and content.
AmNews: Is this free for people?
Kosick: For the most part, yes, it is free. And I’ll tell you why we got there: We needed to find organizations who cared about the health and wellness of older adults and had some sort of reason to keep them healthy and independent longer. That’s why we partnered with Departments of the Aging, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, libraries, and healthcare companies because they do have the financial incentive to help older adults stay at home healthy longer.
AmNews: Where do you get your teachers from?
Kosick: We struggled with that initially. We contacted the Retired Teachers Association and we said ‘Do you have a bunch of people that would like to do a
little part-time work, and if so send us their resumes.’ Many of them had taught in a classroom… we realized once older adults had taken classes… many of them would raise their hand and say I’m a retired doctor, teacher, lawyer, nurse, yoga instructor, and can I teach on your platform and in many cases, they could. They were wonderful teachers. We put them through training, reskilling, and upskilling. Most of them had the core credentials in that subject matter; they just needed to know how to teach online.
AmNews: Is there anything else you’d like the Amsterdam News Readers to know?
Kosick: Our platform is open to absolutely everybody. In many cases, we’ve worked with local agencies . . .there are a lot of wonderful resources out there for older adults; people just don’t know about [them]. Any way we can help access those [resources] we want to do that. Visit www.getsetup.com
GetSetUp Guide Vanessa LaBranche works to prepare her classes for GetSetUp on money-saving recipes and nutritious meals. (Photo courtesy of GetSetUp)
Trump…100 days later
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
The first 100 days of a presidency has, in modern times, become a major benchmark –– allowing the public to gauge how the next four years will go. President Donald Trump has raced to sign executive orders, raise tariffs, deport immigrants without due process, and slash federal jobs in his second term.
According to extensive analysis from the Center for American Progress (CAP), Trump’s administration has adversely affected the economy, areas of immigration, and the structure of the federal government with the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and influence from business mogul Elon Musk. Many of his “move fast and break things” attitude to governing were policy items outlined in the far-right Project 2025 agenda. An agenda tracker indicates that he’s fulfilled about 312 items so far, including eliminating civil rights and diversity offices, ending data collection on gender identity, rescinding laws that helped to prosecute sexual assault and discrimination cases, and prohibiting the U.S. government from combating the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
Other agenda items that are on the list, like defunding National Public Radio (NPR)
and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), weakening regulations on baby formula, or ending cash grants to small businesses, haven’t been completed yet.
Inflation and Tariffs
The biggest promise Trump made to his loyal followers was to make groceries
cheaper, pass tax cuts for workers, boost American manufacturing, and end inflation nationwide. However, Trump’s grift has taken concerning steps away from accomplishing those goals.
“Core inflation” didn’t increase by much last month, reported PBS NewsHour. But food prices are still spiking, most notably
the price of basic items, like eggs. Besides hiking up people’s grocery bills, Trump and far-right Republicans furiously pushed to cut huge swaths of funding to Social Security, Medicare, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and gut Medicaid in the latest budget. All of which are nonpartisan programs that citizens in red and blue states alike depend on. The administration has also frozen funding to many humanitarian programs, like foreign food aid and Head Start, which is a national child care program for children aged 3 to 4.
Trump’s rampant tariffs have been “economically jarring” at best, reported PBS NewsHour. The tariffs currently include steep 145% tariffs on China, and 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods that are not covered under the North American trade pact. The initial results of these tariffs have meant turmoil in the stock market, a mortgage rate surge, retaliation from other countries, and a steep loss of confidence from voters. PBS’ polling indicates about 49% of U.S. adults have either delayed or sped up buying things while they can. Those figures are higher for Black (70%) and Latino (71%) adults, said PBS.
Threats to immigrants and citizens Trump has issued a flurry of anti-immigrant orders that use federal agencies, like See Trump on page 30
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Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to detain and strip legal status from Black, Latino, and Muslim immigrants with visas and green cards. Under the outdated Alien Enemies Act, immigrants from Venezuela, aged 14 and older who are suspected of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, are shipped to Guantánamo Bay without due process.
They’ve also attacked local “sanctuary jurisdictions” like churches, courthouses, and schools to find immigrants to deport.
“The Trump administration, throughout their entire nearly three months and at this point, has been saying that they are taking these actions for the safety and security of the country,” said New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) President and CEO Murad Awawdeh in a debrief about Trump’s presidency so far. “What we are saying is that this is not in fact about safety and security, it’s about creating chaos, panic, and fear across communities, and cruelty is their point.”
Trump’s mass deportation agenda has hit especially hard in New York City, under the compliance of incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, and throughout the state. Among other things, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding for migrant
shelters and services was revoked, federal loan forgiveness for those who work in the immigration field was restricted, legal representation for unaccompanied children facing deportation was cut, and Adams announced an executive order to return an ICE hub to Rikers Island (which was technically issued by his First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro).
International college students, like former Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung, and Mohsen Mahdawi, with green cards, were targeted and detained by ICE because of their involvement in pro-Palestinian protests. Nationally, more than 1,700 students have lost their student status because of alleged antisemitism, said NYIC. There’s also been a movement toward a “silent ban” on student visas from some countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. And, a restriction on visas from South Sudan and Chad.
These anti-immigrant efforts have culminated in an outright attack on birthright citizenship, which was first introduced in the U.S. Constitution under the 14th Amendment and ratified in 1868. This amendment gave former slaves and free Black individuals birthright citizenship, making them “whole” persons in the eyes of the law. Trump ordered federal agencies not to recognize the U.S. citizenship of children born in the U.S. when one parent does not have permanent status. The Supreme Court is scheduled to argue the case this May.
Constitutional Crisis
Trump has been accused of hiring “sycophants” into key positions, like Kash Patel at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Scott Bessent at Department of the Treasury, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and maliciously slashing jobs to shrink the federal workforce.
Tens of thousands of employees across the federal government have been fired, placed on leave, or taken voluntary buyouts, said PBS. Trump has also tried reclassifying large groups of workers as “Schedule F,” so they’re more easily fired, and targeted the structures that protect federal employees and workers’ unions overall.
The idea is to reshape the federal government as Trump sees fit by eliminating agencies and firing any non-loyal employees. CAP described this as “authoritarianism” and a broader movement toward the executive branch of government seizing unprecedented power in order to create an oligarchy that mirrors a kingship.
This was also detailed in Project 2025’s far-right playbook, and relies heavily on the “misguided” theory that Article II of the Constitution gives presidents virtually unchecked authority and lessens the power of Congress (Article I) and the judiciary (Article III) branches of the federal government, reported CAP, deeply upsetting the ‘checks and balances’ that’s supposed to keep the U.S. from becoming a monarchy.
In CAP’s report, researchers said that Trump’s presidency more closely resembles a political system run by a small group of powerful people and “self-dealing” elected officials in places like Turkey, El Salvador, Serbia, and Hungary. Musk and DOGE skirt the laws. Trump and his allies ignore courts, threaten judges, thwart procedure, and distort the Constitution.
The Response
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, though.
At first, there was a sense of shock and exhaustion after last year’s presidential election concluded. Black women voters had especially come out in droves to support former Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential campaign. When she lost, many Democrats dreaded that Trump’s wanton display of disregard for the country would mean the end.
Trump’s actions so far have enraged Democrats and finally reached a portion of Republican voters and electeds ––many of whom are equally impacted by program cuts, job losses, a flailing economy, and immigration profiling.
The federal courts appear to be slowly standing up to Trump where constitutional power grabs are a concern, while at lower levels, advocacy groups and some elected officials have been consistently challenging the administration’s illegal or unconstitutional orders, said CAP.
Lawsuits have been filed over the last three months against DOGE for not com-
plying to Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) transparency rules and illegally sharing private citizens bank information, HHS for deleting of critical health information from government websites, the dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and for attempting to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and against the IRS for unlawfully sharing tax data with ICE, and for removing climate and environmental justice data from federal websites.
In New York State, Attorney General Letitia James has filed and joined 15 lawsuits and 22 amicus briefs with state attorneys general across the country.
They’ve pushed back on Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship and won a preliminary injunction upheld by the courts. They’ve also sued to stop the freezing of federal funding, block the Trump administration from canceling $600 million in teacher grants, for firing thousands of federal workers without cause, for interfering in local elections, to restore states’ access to school grants, for imposing illegal tariffs, to stop the dismantling of Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the U.S. Department of Education (DEP), and to defend the practice of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion. and Accessibility (DEIA) in schools.
“We will not allow this administration to trample our Constitution, strip Americans of their fundamental rights, and dismantle critical services that millions of people rely on every day,” said James in a statement. “We stopped some of their most unconstitutional policies dead in their tracks, and we are not slowing down. If this administration continues to bulldoze the Constitution and ignore the law, they will find all of us standing in the way every single time.”
And in New York City, in addition to protesters taking to the streets, City Council and mayoral hopefuls have pushed back against Mayor Adams’ subservience to the Trump administration.
On April 15, the City Council filed a lawsuit to block Adams’ executive order for ICE to operate on Rikers Island based on a law from 2014 that bans federal immigration authorities, like ICE, from setting up offices or quarters on NYC Department of Corrections (DOC) property for civil matters, like deportations. Five of the city’s legal defense organizations — The Legal Aid Society, New York County Defender Services (NDS), The Bronx Defenders, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, and Queens Defenders — also protested the order by invoking the constitutional rights of every client present and future in DOC custody. Additionally, the City Council passed Resolution 836, which gives City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams –– a candidate for Mayor this year –– the power to defend against the violation of immigration sanctuary laws.
Black Agenda mayoral forum
Continued from page 6
city needs at least 3,000 police officers toward public safety with a focus on accountability; he wants to fund public schools and expand child care services; and he’s going to build low-income housing on vacant lots and strengthen rent stabilization laws.
Cuomo was the last in the candidate lineup. Prince’s earlier spectacle was topped when a barrage of protesters took to the stage suddenly while Cuomo was in the middle of answering questions. They screamed obscenities and tried to unravel signs and banners, but were quickly herded out by police and organizers.
“One of the issues and problems with the Democratic Party, who claim to be a big tent party, is that if you don’t have a certain view, then they try to shout you down,” said Henry Butler, District Leader 56th Assembly, advisor to the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association (VIDA), and vice chair for the Brooklyn Dems. “And I think it’s a disgrace when I see a bunch of young white progressives trying to tell Black people who we should vote for. Do not tell us who we should vote for. We are educated. We know how to think for ourselves.”
To clarify, the anti-Cuomo protesters appeared to be young adults with varying ethnicities.
“I’ve been HUD Secretary, I’ve been Attorney General, I’ve been Governor for 11 years,” said Cuomo in response.
“If I don’t get protested about something, it’s a slow day, I’ll tell you the truth.”
Cuomo went on to say that he is for reinstating a “community preference first” for affordable housing units, boosting the down payment assistance for first time homebuyers, making a fortified landlord assistance program, demolishing and reconstructing public housing for better infrastructure. He supports involuntary removals of homeless indi -
BNY
Continued from page 5
timore is known for their poets, like New York. I got to visit them for a slam [poetry event], and I know some people there. To me, Baltimore is the next scene to navigate, to really slam in and to build community with, because really, ideally, none of us are separated.” For Diata, slam poetry is training for poets to communicate their messages and practice activism through art.
They could talk about slam poetry culture all day, if possible. Diata holds excitement to navigate more of the slam poetry
viduals with severe mental issues, and designing a new public safety system that deploys trained mental health staff and medical personnel. He closed on his experiences advocating for New York as Governor during COVID, while Trump was in his first term.
Despite the occasional chaotic outburst, many of the audience members were not completely disheartened or rattled by the demonstrators. Most chalked it up to the usual heightened tension around anything political nowadays.
“I’m actually grateful for the event because I felt like I needed an opportunity to hear what each of the candidates had to say about what their plans would be for the Black community, quite often we don’t get to hear from them,” said Dr. Jada John, a high school teacher in Brooklyn. “I’m a little bit unnerved by the fact that folks thought it was more important to protest how they feel about different candidates than to allow us in to hear what the plans would be for the betterment of our community… However, I’m still grateful that we were able to have this. There are a lot of things that were said tonight that I have to go home and really think about.”
Andrew Beard, a retired firefighter, was elated that Medgar Evers College had the opportunity to host the forum. He wasn’t too keen on any one candidate, but as a “New Yorker,” said he wanted someone for the people.
“I thought that these distractions were par for the course,” said Beard. “You know, we are always gonna have people who are gonna feel one way or another about individuals. They’re gonna be encouraged, they’re gonna be discouraged, they’re gonna you know. But I was not overly surprised by reactions.”
Anthony Beckford, district leader for the 43rd Assembly District, said that the forum was informative and showcased the candidates’ platforms. He noted that most of the candidates had similar platforms with some different strategies to carry them out once in office.
“I love the fact that the youth voiced themselves, but as a movement leader, there is a way to go about it to where you’re
community and try to mend aspects of it.
“I feel I’m constantly mending communities because I’m one of the few youth poets in the slam scene,” says Diata.
“There are very few of us. I feel I’m trying to mend that community and youth with poetry in general, because it’s such an adult dominated and sometimes usually male dominated space as well, even among Black people.”
Diata plans to shift dynamics with hopes to mend New York poetry with Baltimore poetry. Healing communities through their work remains part of their personal mission and is something Diata will continue to do within their youth laureate role and beyond.
not disrupting a community and actually engaging them,” said Beckford about the protesters. “We march, we chant, but what’s next? We have to make the move. From the ballot box, that’s when you choose.”
Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse said that the main criticism she perceived was that the public was frustrated that they couldn’t ask questions themselves. All in all, she was happy to see women candidates in the race. She hasn’t officially endorsed anyone, but spoke highly of Speaker Adams since they’ve worked closely during their time in city council. “[Adrienne] is a leader for me, a mentor to me, and has led by example,” said Narcisse, who’s running for reelection this year. “My mind is [on] who’s doing the work and who has been addressing a lot of the issues that matter to us. And she has lived the life.”
Paperboy Prince, a mayoral candidate, staged a protest at the forum on Thursday, April 23. (Ariama C. Long photo)
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NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK, WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF J.P. MORGAN CHASE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE SECURITIES CORP., MULTIFAMILY MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2018-SB54, Plaintiff, vs. 507 W 139 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 June 4, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 507 West 139th Street, New York, NY 10031. 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 2071 and Lot 25. Approximate amount of judgment is $7,355,449.75 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850501/2023.
Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee
McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff
IL BAMBINA VINTAGE LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/27/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 251 E. 2nd St., APT. PHA, New York, NY 10009. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUTTON TOWER LIN HOLDING LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/3/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 430 East 58th Street, Unit 41B, New York, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful act.
RAJAB COLLECTION LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/13/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 172 W 127th Street, 705, New York, NY 10027. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Being Sarah Kim LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/13/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 363 E. 76th St, NY, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT: NEW YORK COUNTY. NYCTL 19982 TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Pltf. vs. WEN DENG, if the aforesaid individual defendants are living, and if any or all said individual defendants be
dead, their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, committees, devisees, legatees, and the assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest of them, and
generally all persons having or claiming under, by, through, or against the said defendants named
as a class, of any right, title or interest in or lien upon the premises described in the verified complaint herein, et al, Defts. Index #158597/2022. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale
entered Jan. 8, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on May 14, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises k/a 310 W. 52 nd Street, SU 104, New York, NY 10019. Approximate amount of judgment is $2,626.51 and $2,682.59 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale.
ROBERTA ASHKIN, Referee. THE DELLO-IACONO LAW GROUP, P.C., Attys. for Pltf., 312 Larkfield Road, Lower Level, East Northport, NY 11731. File NO. 22-000140 - #102159
EL REY VENTURES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/17/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 136 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NUSYSTEM SERVICES LLC, filed Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/02/2025. Location: New York County SSNY designated as agent for service of process on LLC. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 121A, Nassau Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
DAR REALTY COLLECTIVE
LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/25/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1 West End Avenue, Unit 21F, New York, NY 10023. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF BRONX US Bank National Association, as Trustee for Credit Suisse First Boston Mortgage Securities Corp., CSAB Mortgage-Backed Trust 20064, CSAB Mortgage-Backed Pass-ThroughCertificates, Series 2006-4, Plaintiff AGAINST Martina R. Garcia; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered May 8, 2018, and amended August 23, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the Bronx County Courthouse, 851 Grand Concourse, Room 711, Bronx, New York on May 12, 2025, at 2:15PM, premises known as 1500 Vyse Avenue, Bronx, NY 10460. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Bronx, City and State of New York, Block 2995 Lot 120. Approximate amount of judgment $857,204.83 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 381047/2011E. Only cash or certified funds payable to the Referee will be accepted as a deposit in the amount of ten percent of the purchase price.
Leticia Arzu, Esq., The Bozeman Law Firm, PLLC, Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: April 6, 2025 For sale information, please visit www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2831 85060
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Nick Ransom LLC
Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/20/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to the LLC at: 3333 Broadway, D27E, New York, NY 10031. Purpose: Sales, and marketing consulting services.Duration: Perpetual.
TCC FARMS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/14/2025. Office location: ORLEANS County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 3710 TUTHILL ROAD, NEW YORK, 14411. Purpose: Any lawful act.
FLYING LOTUS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/04/2025. Office location: Ny County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 287 Bleecker St, Apt 5R, New York, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK
POPULAR BANK FKA BANCO POPULAR NORTH AMERICA, -against-
PATRICK REGAN A/K/A PATRICK B. REGAN, ET AL.
NOTICE OF SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York on January 21, 2025, wherein POPULAR BANK FKA BANCO POPULAR NORTH AMERICA is the Plaintiff and PATRICK REGAN A/K/A PATRICK B. REGAN, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the NEW YORK COUNTY CIVIL SUPREME COURTHOUSE, ROOM 130, 60 CENTRE STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10007, on June 4, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 4260 BROADWAY, UNIT 306, NEW YORK, NY 10033; and the following tax map identification: 2164-1036.
THE CONDOMINIUM UNIT (THE "UNIT") KNOWN AS UNIT 306 IN THE BUILDING (THE "BUILDING") KNOWN AS "THE 4260 BROADWAY CONDOMINIUM" LOCATED AND KNOWN AS BY THE STREET NUMBER 4260 BROADWAY IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, COUNTY, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK, DESIGNATED AND DESCRIBED AS UNIT NO. 306 IN THE DECLARATION ESTABLISHING A PLAN FOR CONDOMINIUM OWNERSHIP OF SAID BUILDING AND THE LAND UPON WHICH IT IS SITUATE UNDER ARTICLE 9-B OF THE REAL PROPERTY LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (THE "NEW YORK CONDOMINIUM ACT"),
TOGETHER WITH AND SUBJECT TO AN UNDIVIDED 0.8527% INTEREST IN THE COMMON ELEMENTS;
THE PREMISES WITHIN WHICH THE UNIT IS LOCATED ARE MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:
ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, CITY, COUNTY AND STATE OF NEW YORK
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 850663/2023. Elaine Shay, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.
368 WEST 46 STREET, LLC.
Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/04/03. Latest date to dissolve: 12/31/2053. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 372 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
MYSTIC POINTE 2805 LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/10/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, Attn: Gennady Perepada, 345 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
LUXWORA LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/02/2025. Office location: Ny County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, 20th Fl , New York, NY 10111. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Blood Dynamics, LLC. LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/20/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 450 Riverside Drive, Apt 94, New York, NY 10027. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Tristate Healing Strategies LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/28/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 380 Malcolm X Blvd. #J7, New York, NY 10027. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Formation of BLACKSMITH LANE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/04/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Jonathan Barzilay, 670 West End Ave. (8A), NY, NY 10025. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated January 31, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction in Room 130 at the New York County Courthouse, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY, on May 21, 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 as:
UNIT: 825, Cipriani Club Residences at 55 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005
Block: 27 | Lot: 1085
Approximate amount of lien: $1,126,233 plus interest and costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number: 850251/2021
MARK MCKEW, ESQ., Referee
Craig Stuart Lanza, PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff
44 Court Street, Suite 1207
Brooklyn, New York 11201
Phone: (347) 556-9795
Email: cslanza@gmail.com
SMITTY SMARTYPANTS DAYCARE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/28/2024 Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 2186 5th Ave #5A, New York, NY 10037 . Purpose: Any lawful act.
PAMELA SOLE JEWELRY
LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/09/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 112 East 74th St. Apt 6N, New York, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of formation of RCK9 LLC . LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 3/27/ 2025 . Office location: New York County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 196 Spring St, Apt 2, New York, NY 10012. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that a license, number #NA-034024-133233 for Beer, Wine & Liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Beer, Wine & Liquor at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 228 W. 56th St., NYC 10019, NY County for on premises consumption. Ruay Infinity LLC, Ruay Infinity
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK BDS III NY 1369 BROADWAY LLC, Plaintiff, - againstBROADWAY STAR REALTY, LLC,
JOSHUA GOLDBERG, Defendants.
Index No. 850029/2022 NOTICE OF SALE
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated September 5, 2024, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on May 14, 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 the corner formed by the intersection of the southerly side of West 37th Street with the westerly side of Broadway; being a plot 71 feet 8 and 1/8 inches by 41 feet 1 and 1/8 inches by 85 feet 7 and 2/3 inches by 43 feet 4 and 1/2 inches.
Said premises known as 1369 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY. Approximate amount of lien $41,881,623.83 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850029/2022. MARK L. MCKEW, ESQ., Referee
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 3 World Trade Center, 175 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007
{* AMSTERDAM *}
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF LSF9 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST, Plaintiff AGAINST ALADRYN COPELIN, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered January 10, 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 May 28, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 845 United Nations Plaza, Apt. 21F, New York, NY 10017. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block 1340 Lot 1118. Approximate amount of judgment $698,490.81 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850152/2022. Allison M. Furman, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 22-000029 84398
MK WILKINS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/23/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 482 E. 74th Street , 3D, New York, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUMMONS
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
COUNTY OF CLARENDON
Probate Court IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF ERNEST DINGLE
Jeri Dingle Johnson, Petitioner, v. Any unknown heirs of Ernest Dingle, and all persons unknown who are or might claim to be heirs at law of Ernest Dingle, including but not limited to, any unknown persons in the armed forces of the United States of America, any minors and any persons under a disability of any kind or nature, all such unknown heirs and all such persons being designated herein as John Doe and Mary Doe, Respondents. TO THE RESPONDENTS LISTED ABOVE: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to Answer the Petition in this action, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer upon the Petitioner(s) listed above at the following address(es):
Jeri Dingle Johnson c/o Emily M. Reich 700 Huger Street, Suite 102 Columbia, SC 29201 Your Answer must be served on the Petitioner at the above address within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Petition upon you, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to Answer the Petition within that time, the Petitioner(s) will ask the Court for a judgment by default for the relief demand in the Petition.
SUMMONS
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CLARENDON
SUMMONS
Notice of Qualification of ASSURED HEALTH GROUP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/14/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Florida (FL) on 01/23/20. Princ. office of LLC: 18100 Von Karman Ave., 10th Fl., Irvine, CA 92612. 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. Cert. of Form. filed with FL Secy. of State, The Centre of Tallahassee, 2415 N. Monroe St., Ste. 810, Tallahassee, FL 32303. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of FORTHILL AX HOLDCO, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/31/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/21/25. 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. 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.
Probate Court IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF ERNEST DINGLE
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CLARENDON
Probate Court IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF VELMA H. DINGLE
Jeri Dingle Johnson, Petitioner, v. Any unknown heirs of Ernest Dingle, and all persons unknown who are or might claim to be heirs at law of Ernest Dingle, including but not limited to, any unknown persons in the armed forces of the United States of America, any minors and any persons under a disability of any kind or nature, all such unknown heirs and all such persons being designated herein as John Doe and Mary Doe, Respondents. TO THE RESPONDENTS LISTED ABOVE: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to Answer the Petition in this action, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer upon the Petitioner(s) listed above at the following address(es):
Jeri Dingle Johnson, Petitioner, v. Any unknown heirs of Velma H. Dingle, and all persons unknown who are or might claim to be heirs at law of Velma H. Dingle, including but not limited to, any unknown persons in the armed forces of the United States of America, any minors and any persons under a disability of any kind or nature, all such unknown heirs and all such persons being designated herein as John Doe and Mary Doe, Respondents. TO THE RESPONDENTS LISTED ABOVE: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to Answer the Petition in this action, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer upon the Petitioner(s) listed above at the following address(es):
Jeri Dingle Johnson c/o Emily M. Reich 700 Huger Street, Suite 102 Columbia, SC 29201 Your Answer must be served on the Petitioner at the above address within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Petition upon you, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to Answer the Petition within that time, the Petitioner(s) will ask the Court for a judgment by default for the relief demand in the Petition.
Jeri Dingle Johnson c/o Emily M. Reich 700 Huger Street, Suite 102 Columbia, SC 29201 Your Answer must be served on the Petitioner at the above address within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Petition upon you, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to Answer the Petition within that time, the Petitioner(s) will ask the Court for a judgment by default for the relief demand in the Petition.
NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY OF FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
SUMMONS
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CLARENDON
Notice of Formation of 160 EAST 84TH STREET ASSOCIATES LLC Cert. of Conversion filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/23/06, converting 160 EAST 84TH STREET ASSOCIATES to 160 EAST 84TH STREET ASSOCIATES LLC. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: The Feil Organization, Inc., 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 618, NY, NY 10001. 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. The regd. agent of the company upon whom and at which process against the company can be served is The Feil Organization, Inc., 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 618, NY, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of STANDARD POWER NOVA LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/25/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/13/25. Princ. office of LLC: 551 Madison Ave., Fl. 4, Ste. 450, NY, NY 10022. 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 Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, DE Secy. of State, DE Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
The Malin Chelsea LLC App. for Authority filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/10/2025. LLC formed in DE on 04/09/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 32 Mercer Street, 3 rd Floor, New York, New York 10013. The address of the office required to be maintained in the jurisdiction of its organization by the laws of that jurisdiction is 300 Creek View Road, Suite 209, Newark, Delaware 19711. Cert. of Form. on file: DE SOS, Div. of Corporations, P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: any lawful business.
Probate Court IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF VELMA H. DINGLE
Jeri Dingle Johnson, Petitioner, v. Any unknown heirs of Velma H. Dingle, and all persons unknown who are or might claim to be heirs at law of Velma H. Dingle, including but not limited to, any unknown persons in the armed forces of the United States of America, any minors and any persons under a disability of any kind or nature, all such unknown heirs and all such persons being designated herein as John Doe and Mary Doe, Respondents. TO THE RESPONDENTS LISTED ABOVE: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to Answer the Petition in this action, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer upon the Petitioner(s) listed above at the following address(es):
Jeri Dingle Johnson c/o Emily M. Reich 700 Huger Street, Suite 102 Columbia, SC 29201 Your Answer must be served on the Petitioner at the above address within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Petition upon you, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to Answer the Petition within that time, the Petitioner(s) will ask the Court for a judgment by default for the relief demand in the Petition.
IGLESIAS NOTARY AND MANAGEMENT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/14/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: Business Filing Incorporated, 187 Wolf Road, Ste 101, Albany, NY 12205. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SMZ International Group LLC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/27/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 2804 Gateway Oaks Dr # 100 , Sacramento, CA 95833. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO WELLS FARGO HOME MORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff AGAINST DOUGLAS E. SEWER, INDIVIDUALLY AND SURVIVING JOINT TENANT OF JOSEPH K. SEWER, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered January 14, 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 May 21, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 81 West 119 Street, New York, NY 10026. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the City, County and State of New York, Block 1718 Lot 108. Approximate amount of judgment $1,333,945.21 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850001/2010. Christy M. Demelfi, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 00-161915 84298
DOMINIQUE ANNAMARIE CONSULTING & STRATEGY
LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/18/2024. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park Ave S #272012, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Qualification of VELOCITY ELEVATE LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/23/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/23/24. Princ. office of LP: 1 Penn Plaza, Ste. 4420, NY, NY 10119. NYS fictitious name: VELOCITY ELEVATE 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 LP 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 Secy. of State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of GreshamQuant Trend Intermediary Fund, L.L.C Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/16/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/10/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Gresham Investment Management LLC, 19 Union Sq. West, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10003. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Votes Of Confidence LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/7/2025. 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 #348233, NY, 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF [SHOP N DROP ONLINE LLC]. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on [03/10/2025]. Office Location [NY] County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it maybe served. The P.O address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the [LLC] served upon him/her is: [7014 13TH AVENUE, SUITE 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228]. The principal business address of the [LLC] is [228 Park Ave S #977430, New York, NY 10003].
Notice of Qualification of HERMETIC HOLDINGS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/22/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/15/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of the State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of X11 FIRST AVE LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/25/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/07/24. 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: Any lawful activity.
INDEX NO.: 850417/2024
Date Filed: 03/10/2025
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS WITH NOTICE
MORTGAGED PREMISES: 635 West 42nd Street, New York, New York 10036
BL #: 1090-1226
Plaintiff designates NEW YORK County as the place of trial; venue is based upon the county in which the mortgaged premises is situate.
STATE OF NEW YORK
SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NEW YORK
JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, Plaintiff, vs.
Yiping Zhou, and all the heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid defendants, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid classes of person, if they or any of them be dead, and their respective husbands, wives or widows, if any, and all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to plaintiff, except as herein stated; Huizhen Xia Zhou, and all the heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid defendants, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid classes of person, if they or any of them be dead, and their respective husbands, wives or widows, if any, and all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to plaintiff, except as herein stated; New York State Department of Taxation and Finance ; United States of America o/b/o Internal Revenue Service; Waterside Propco LLC; The Board of Managers of the Atelier Condominium; New York City Environmental Control Board; New York City Parking Violations Bureau; John Doe #1 through #6, and Jane Doe #1 through #6, the last twelve names being fictitious, it being the intention of Plaintiff to designate any and all occupants, tenants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises being foreclosed herein.
TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the attorneys for the Plaintiff within 20 days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Amended Complaint.
NOTICE
YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME
IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME. SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOUR CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY. SENDING PAYMENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $129,195.00 and interest, recorded in the Office of the City Register of the City of New York on July 10, 2007, and as CRFN: 2007000350170, covering premises known as 635 West 42nd Street, New York, New York 10036, BL #: 1090-1226 The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. The Plaintiff also seeks a deficiency judgment against the Defendants and for any debt secured by said Mortgage which is not satisfied by the proceeds of the sale of said premises.
TO the Defendants, Yiping Zhou, and all the heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid defendants, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid classes of person, if they or any of them be dead, and their respective husbands, wives or widows, if any, and all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to plaintiff, except as herein stated; Huizhen Xia Zhou, and all the heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid defendants, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid classes of person, if they or any of them be dead, and their respective husbands, wives or widows, if any, and all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to plaintiff, except as herein stated the foregoing Supplemental Summons with Notice is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. Francis A. Kahn, III, J.S.C. of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, dated and filed February 19, 2025.
Dated: March 29, 2025
/s/ Deborah M. Gallo
Deborah M. Gallo, Esq.
McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLP
420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840 New York, New York 10170
Phone: 347.286.7409
Fax: 347-286-7414
Attorneys for Plaintiff, JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT
YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE.
The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department of Financial Services at 1-800-342-3736 or visit the Department's website at www.dfs. ny.gov.
FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS
Be careful of people who approach you with offers to "save" your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner's distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF BRONX
OCWEN LOAN SERVICING, LLC, -against-
JORGE MUJICA, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Bronx on August 16, 2017, wherein OCWEN LOAN SERVICING, LLC is the Plaintiff and JORGE MUJICA, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the BRONX COUNTY SUPREME COURT, 851 GRAND CONCOURSE, COURTROOM 711, BRONX, NY 10451, on May 12, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 1035 HOLLYWOOD AVENUE, BRONX, NY 10465; and the following tax map identification: 5421-54.
ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH AND COUNTY OF BRONX, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 380444/2009E. Jody P. Vorchheimer, Esq.Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/ CLERK DIRECTIVES.
Notice of Qualification of THE GRESHAM GOLD FUND, L.L.C. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/16/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/10/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Gresham Investment Management LLC, 19 Union Sq. West, 11th Fl., NY, NY 10003. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of SBOS FUND I GP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/19/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/13/25. Princ. office of LLC: 590 Madison Ave., 23rd Fl., NY, NY 10022. 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. Cert. of Form. filed with Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Investment management is purpose of entity.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. HNY CLUB SUITES OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstSONYE MARIA ALLANAH, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 27, 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 May 21, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY; known as The NYH Condominium. Together with an appurtenant undivided 0.0381% in common interest percentage. This 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 27, 2003 and November 3, 2003 as CFRN # 2003000442512 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1006 and Lot 1302.
*referee does NOT accept cash; only bank or certified checks payable to Bruce N. Lederman as referee*. Said premises known as 1335 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10019
Approximate amount of lien $23,048.53 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850191/2023.
BRUCE N. LEDERMAN, ESQ., Referee
DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP
PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39352 {* AMSTERDAM*}
Notice of Qualification of 155 EAST 79TH PROPCO LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/18/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/17/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Standard Management Services LLC, 9 W. 57th St., 46th Fl., NY, NY 10019. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. 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.
MUDUVE GLOBAL LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/10/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 450 Lexington Ave, Unit 27, New York, NY 10163. Purpose: Any lawful act.
MONTEVIDEO LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 3/27/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 418 Broadway, STE R, Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. L& L CAPITAL PARTNERS LLC, As Assignee of Preferred Bank, Plaintiff -against- 194 ORCHARD GROUP, LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated January 16, 2025 and entered on January 22, 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 May 21, 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 southerly side of 80th Street, distant 200 feet westerly from the southwesterly corner of 3rd Avenue and 80th Street; being a plot 102 feet 2 inches by 25 feet by 102 feet 2 inches by 25 feet. Block: 1508 Lot: 45 Said premises known as 168 EAST 80TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY
Approximate amount of lien $11,455,752.04 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850124/2022. MARK L. MCKEW, ESQ., Referee Rice & Bush LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 711 Third Avenue, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10017
{* SUPREMEAMSTERDAM*} COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. ST. REGIS RESIDENCE CLUB, NEW YORK INC., Plaintiff -against- 2423-0476 QUEBEC INC., et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated January 17, 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 May 28, 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 as Club Unit 0821 in the building known as "The Fifth and Fifty Fifth Condominium" together with an undivided 4/52 interest in the Club Unit's undivided 0.3507% interest in the common elements. Block: 1290 Lot: 1208 Said premises known as 2 EAST 55TH STREET, UNIT 821, NEW YORK, NY 10022 Approximate amount of lien $178,991.56 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850438/2023. RONALD ZEZIMA, ESQ., Referee
STARR ASSOCIATES LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 220 East 42 Street, Suite 3302, New York, NY 10017
{* AMSTERDAM*}
Notice of Qualification of SIXTAV VENTURES, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/14/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/14/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 20 Sullivan St., NY, NY 10012. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. 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 -againstJOAN BAFALOUKAS, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated on August 27, 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 May 28, 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, being an undivided ownership interest as tenant-incommon with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .009864% common interest percentage. This 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 $16,962.73 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850161/2023.
DORON LEIBY, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP
PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
DLG# 39125 {* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT: NEW YORK COUNTY. FLUSHING
BANK, Pltf. vs. A.Z.N. REALTY LLC A/K/A A.Z.N. REALTY L.L.C., et al, Defts. Index #850050/2024. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered Jan. 14, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on May 14, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises k/a 13 East 37 th Street, New York, NY 10016 a/k/a Block 867, Lot 12. Said property beginning at a point on the northerly side of 37 th Street, distant 245 ft. easterly from the corner formed by the intersection of the northerly side of 37 th Street with the easterly side of Fifth Avenue, being a plot 98 ft. 9 inches x 25 ft. Approximate amount of judgment is $7,638,745.19 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale.
PAUL SKLAR, Referee. JASPAN SCHLESINGER NARENDRAN, LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 300 Garden City Plaza, Garden City, NY 11530. #102158
STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NEW YORK
NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR TRUMAN 2021 SC9 TITLE TRUST, Plaintiff, v.
ELI SHADIA, ET AL, Defendants.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of New York County on December 18, 2024, I, Paul R. Sklar, Esq., the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on May 21, 2025 at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007, at 02:15 PM the premises described as follows: 150 West 51st Street, Unit 15-9
New York, NY 10019
SBL No. 1003-1244
ALL THAT TRACT OR PARCEL OF LAND situate in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York. The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 850363/2023 in the amount of $379,247.03 plus interest and costs. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the Court System's COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale.
Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP
Attorneys for Plaintiff
500 Bausch & Lomb Place
Rochester, NY 14604
Tel.: 855-227-5072
Notice of Formation of OT22N, LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/03/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o The Board of Managers of the Olympic Tower Condominium, 641 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
PARK AVE ELECTRICAL LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/02/25. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 2 Park Avenue, 29th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
STATE OF NEW YORK
SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NEW YORK
WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., Plaintiff, v.
LAWRENCE LEE, ET AL,
Defendants. NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT
In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of New York County on January 22, 2025, I, Elaine Shay, Esq., the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on June 4, 2025 at Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007, at 02:15 PM the premises described as follows: 100 West Street 58th 3A aka 100 West Street 58th #3A
New York, NY 10019
SBL No.: Block: 1010 Lot: 1412 ALL THAT TRACT OR PARCEL OF LAND situate in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York. The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 850431/2023 in the amount of $209,178.35 plus interest and costs. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the Court System's COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale.
Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP
Attorneys for Plaintiff
500 Bausch & Lomb Place
Rochester, NY 14604
Tel.: 855-227-5072
Notice of Formation of WONSEOK JANG DENTISTRY
PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/18/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 28 Bailey Rd., Millburn, NJ 07041. Purpose: Dentistry.
Notice of Formation of USHG DETROIT F&B LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/12/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 853 Broadway, 17th Fl., NY, NY 10003. 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 Qualification of ER NORTHWAY LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/24/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/18/25. Princ. office of LLC: 60 Cutter Mill Rd., Ste. 601, Great Neck, NY 11021. 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 122070543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
600 WEST 52ND STREET LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/06/14. Latest date to dissolve: 05/05/2114. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 372 W. 36th Street, New York, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Qualification of PAMALICAN ASSET MANAGEMENT US LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/10/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/25/25. Princ. office of LLC: 535 5th Ave., 4th Fl., NY, NY 10017. 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. 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.
CADENCE TEMPO CONSULTING LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/03/2024 . Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: The LLC 228Park Ave S#943518, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act. ACLM GROUP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/13/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 99 Wall Street, Ste 1020, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Formation of USHG HoldCo, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/12/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 853 Broadway, 17th Fl., NY, NY 10003. 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 OT22O, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/03/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o The Board of Managers of the Olympic Tower Condominium, 641 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
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 WEST 92ND STREET ASSOCIATES
LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/18/22. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/02/22. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. 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.
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 ELATEC GmbH Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/21/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Germany on 09/30/88. NYS fictitious name: ELATEC GmbH LLC. 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 122072543. Germany addr. of LLC: Zeppelinstr., 1 82178 Puchheim, Germany. Cert. of Form. filed with Deutscher and Industrie Und Handelstag, Breite Str. 29, 10178, Berlin, Germany. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of SIDEROFSKY LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/21/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/11/22. Princ. office of LLC: 45 E. 82nd St. - Apt. 3W, NY, NY 10028. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o 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, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of RCPRE I 729 7TH AVE LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/28/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/12/25. Princ. office of LLC: 590 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10022. 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, 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. 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.
Administrative Coordinator. NYC. Provide administrative support for restaurant group including writing reports of business operations; review operating procedures to improve workflow; train, supervise & interpret administrative procedures for staff; manage inventory databases & restaurant promotional material. Req’d: BA Communications, English or related; knowledge of computer science, marketing and English for business & finance. M-F, 9-5. Salary: $79,498/yr. Send resume to Job#5, 519 Third Ave. LLC, 519 3rd Ave, NY, NY 10016.
Large kitchenette w. refrig. Good heat & hot water. Nr all transp. Job refs checked. Also, small rooms avail. 118 W. 121st St. Call 917.583.4968 or 917.500.8373
Black youth display boating sailing skills at Antigua Sailing Week
By DERREL JOHNSON
Special to the AmNews
When this Harlemite watched 14-year-old Imani John Polanco on a nearly 30-foot J30 sailboat named Absolute Properties Blue Peter in the sparkling blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean in English Harbor, Antigua, two thoughts immediately came to mind: the teenager displayed poise well beyond her years, and her confident command was comparable to a seasoned professional. Both observations proved accurate as she helped navigate the J30, a high-performance family cruising and racing sailboat, with a cabin large enough for six people.
“Well, I first started sailing when I was seven years old,” John Polanco said on Monday to this writer after disembarking from the boat which she competed in at the 56th annual Antigua Sailing Week 2025, one of the longest-running Caribbean regattas that began on April 26 and closes on May 2.
“And then by the time I was 12, I said I wanted to work on boats.”
John Polanco, who hopes to have a career in boat engineering or as a member of the deck crew shared her experience at the event.
“It was fun, it was really hot,” she said. “We got enough wind. I think we did well today, and we did good as a team, but we did have some struggles, but we got over them.”
tiguan Bernard Evan-Wong.
“One is on the pitch, and one is on the water, and that’s basically it,” added Thomas.
She referenced dealing with the high heat, which hovered in the low-to mid-80s, as the hardest part of the competition and credited the crew with helping her to build sailing mileage with the goal of eventually earning the status of Yachtmaster and then further ascending to work on larger boats.
Connar Imhoff, 14, was primarily inspired to sail by a young family member.
“My (17-year-old cousin) was a sailor, and he told me I should start, so I started,” he said. “He told me it was fun and I could do really fine in life with it.”
For Imhoff, the best part of sailing is being around his teenage friends, which includes John Polanco, and having a good time. But they are also serious about the sport and mindful of the rewards that come with winning their competition.
“Sunday we came in first, Monday we came in third, and today we came in second,” he recited.
“There really isn’t much dif-
For 24-year-old Ta Janica Thomas, like John Polanco, a native of Antigua, sailing became a fix for her competitive nature after she tore ligaments in her knee playing soccer, altering her dreams of becoming a professional footballer.
ference because you’re part of a team when you play football (as soccer is known in most countries) and when you sail,” she said upon getting off the Cal40 sailboat Huey Too, owned by An-
For these young sailors, as they continue on the journey of their budding careers, they hope to inspire other youth to engage in the sport as a hobby or competitive activity.
Ivy Harrington, former Morgan State hooper, crowned Miss New Jersey USA
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
Growing up in New Jersey, Ivy Harrington soaked up basketball knowledge from her father, who had played at Delaware State University. “My father taught me everything about my game –– from shooting in the backyard to going to basketball camps,” said Harrington, who took up hoops at age nine. “I knew when I was in seventh grade that I wanted to play in college, and from then on it was my goal to improve, get stronger, and learn more about the game.”
She considers basketball her first teacher –– introducing her to leadership, camaraderie, and commitment. “It was something I always used as a vehicle to get me to places and spaces that I knew I wanted to be in, college being the most important one for me,” Har -
rington said. A combo guard (point and shooting), she played at Morgan State University, an HBCU in Maryland, from 2013–2017.
Using the focus and discipline learned in basketball, last month Harrington hit the big shots to be crowned Miss New Jersey USA and will represent the Garden State in the Miss USA pageant later this year. “Now the game is paying dividends for me even on the pageant stage,” she said.
“Ivy’s experience as a student-athlete makes her incredibly coachable, competitive in the best way, and always open to new ideas,” said Gina Mellish, a pageant coach who worked with Harrington, at times utilizing basketball analogies. “On the morning of Miss New Jersey USA, I said, ‘It’s game day.’ She knew exactly what that meant and showed up prepared, focused, and
ready to give it her all.”
Harrington said being coachable is her best trait. This was not her first try at the Miss New Jersey USA pageant. Despite three losses, she persisted and remained open to new ideas that Mellish presented.
“I wanted to present my best self on stage and in interviews throughout every single level of the competition,” said Harrington, 30, who has a mentorship program she calls MVP (Most Valuable Pivot), where she helps female studentathletes develop their identities outside of sports. She also coaches a girls’ high school basketball team.
Right now, her duties include community service as well as advocating for women’s empowerment in athletics.
Shortly after winning her title, Harrington got to attend the WNBA Draft. “It was a full circle moment for me,” she said.
Connar Imhoff and Imani John Polanco, both 14, and 24-year-old Ta Janica Thomas, enjoy a lighthearted moment after competing at Antigua Sailing Week 2025. (Derrel Johnson photo)
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame passes over Bucky Lew once more
By CHRIS BOUCHER Special to the AmNews
When the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced its class of 2025 earlier this month, the man who integrated both college and pro hoops — well over a hundred years ago — was once again left off the list.
Never mind that Harry “Bucky” Lew may have been the first player ever “nominated” for the Hall. Gerry Finn, the Springfield Union reporter who interviewed Lew just before it opened its doors, asked way back in 1958: “When they’re handing out memberships in the Basketball Hall of Fame, how about a vote for Bucky Lew? Is there anyone in the hall who can say he doesn’t deserve it?”
Lew, the game’s first Black professional, first started playing at the YMCA in Lowell as an amateur in 1898, within the first decade of the game. He made history when he signed a pro contract to play in the New England League in 1902, then he doubled down by coaching at what is now the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 1903. And Lew didn’t stop there. In a career that spanned 25 years, he ultimately became the integrated game’s first Black player, coach, manager, referee, and franchise owner. And he did it all in otherwise white leagues. (Lew moved to Springfield after his career wound down and lies buried in the city’s Oak Grove cemetery.)
Lew’s logical connection to Jackie Robinson is obvious. He made it himself when he told Finn, “All those things you read about Jackie Robinson … they’re all true. I got the same treatment and even worse … But I gave it right back. It was rough but worth it. Once they knew I could take it, I had it made.”
His impact on the floor may be hard to quantify because he played in basketball’s dead ball era — a time when scores were low to an extreme due to the lopsided ball, small rims, hazardous courts, methodical offenses, and evolving skills.
But his true legacy is easier to measure. It lies in the assist he gave the Dodgers in integrating pro baseball. While Robinson started in Canada, the Dodgers
struggled to find a home for an integrated farm team in the United States until they reached Nashua Telegraph editor Fred Dobens, who assured them his city would welcome its Black players.
How did he know? As a high school basketball star, Dobens’ teams entertained crowds at halftime of Lew’s games in the 1920s. He saw firsthand what a beloved figure Lew was and wrote about it in his column decades later: “Bucky was a Negro and in those days they didn’t like to see Negroes playing on white teams and many is the time the fans refused to let him play — not in this city though … He was a great favorite.”
Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella experienced similar treatment in Nashua and went on to
unite with Robinson in Brooklyn. The winning ways of the Dodgers after they integrated their organization led the rest of major league sports to soon follow.
Lew’s absence from the Hall is partly explained by its cancellation of the Early AfricanAmerican Pioneers Direct-Elect Committee in 2023. The committee was intended to recognize the game’s overlooked trailblazers, of which there were many. After adding 13 members in 11 years, the direct-elect committee and the best hope for old-time players like Lew, was quietly disbanded. The decision to end the committee was surprising in light of efforts by other halls of fame to diversify their inductees, in part, by looking back at forgotten players from the early days of their sports.
While baseball has honored Bud Fowler and football Fritz Pollard, both pioneering players and executives, the Naismith Hall has yet to recognize Lew.
The Hall acknowledges Lew’s status as basketball’s first Black professional, with a 1978 letter to the Lew family from Lee Williams, executive director of the hall at the time, saying as much. And while Lew was on the list of candidates considered by the directelect committee, one wonders if they were aware of his full resume.
The timing is unfortunate because the newspapers of old are becoming digitized and more and more is being “remembered” about such figures. It’s the accessibility of the old papers that has powered much of my research into Lew’s career.
When I first heard of my hometown hero, my efforts to learn more about him were frustrated by the limited coverage he received in the books on the era. He was treated as a footnote more than anything else. But after a few years of research, I’ve learned enough to fill two books, the second of which, a biography soon-to-be-released by McFarland, features over 600 citations. All that said, at least one hall has answered the call made from Springfield so long ago. The American Basketball Hall of Fame, founded by LaMont Robinson, is set to induct Lew this August in Detroit. And regardless of how many other halls open their doors to Lew, true fans know he has already earned his place in basketball heaven.
Basketball pioneer Harry “Bucky” Lew, pictured right in the back row, was once again passed over by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (Boston Globe photo)
N.C. A&T cheerleaders make history with back-to-back national championships
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
There were several teams from HBCU institutions (historically Black colleges and universities) at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) and National Dance Alliance (NDA) College National Championship, but only one emerged a champion. The North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s (N.C. A&T) cheerleading program cemented its place in history by winning its second consecutive title in the Intermediate Small Coed Division I group with a final event score of 95.0093 and no deductions. In 2024, the Aggie cheerleaders were the first HBCU team to win this division title.
“The performance itself was a rush of energy –– the crowd, the lights, and the focus on what we were trying to get done,” said squad member Jaimee Standfield. “It was just amazing. We’ve been working hard all season to go out on the floor to do that. To be able to go out there and do
everything perfectly, how we’ve been training to do it, was unbelievable. It was a very emotional moment.”
The team’s head coach, Daniel Kearns-Pickett, began his position at N.C. A&T four years ago. By 2023, the team made its first appearance at the championship, finishing second. A North Carolina native, Kearns-Pickett has been involved in cheerleading since elementary school, including cheering during his undergraduate years at North Carolina State University. He began working as a choreographer and leading seminars and camps.
“It has been a lot of hard work, but very rewarding,” said Kearns-Pickett. “Picking the team every year is always a very long process because I’m looking for athletes who have the entire package or are willing to work so they can earn the entire package. By entire package I mean athletes who can do game day, perform on the sideline; athletes who are willing to do appearances and be involved on campus, because we are somewhere all
the time every day; athletes who are willing to put in the work academically; and athletes who also have that skill level to compete at the national level.”
It is also essential that those athletes buy into the goal of standing out and being the best. From the day he arrived at N.C. A&T, Kearns-Pickett told the athletic director that he was there to win championships. His commitment is exceptional given that this is a part-time job. He is a licensed clinical mental counselor and is the mental health coordinator for a school district.
Cheerleaders do not receive athletic scholarships but the program does receive funding from the athletic department in terms of gear, transportation, and travel. They also have access to study hall and tutors.
“To cheer requires a passion,” said Kearns-Pickett. “I’m blessed and lucky enough to have athletes who truly love the sport of cheer and want to dominate.”
Senior squad member Christion Drew said being a cheerleader and performing as a unit
is a challenge both physically and mentally. He constantly tells himself that he can do it. Making the victory this year even sweeter is that his younger sister, Aliyah, a freshman, was also part of the team.
“The inclusivity that comes from cheerleading and being able to feel like yourself, that’s why I love it and I’ll always love it for that reason,” said Drew, who has been involved in cheerleading since his sophomore year of high school. “I love being on a big team. I love getting to talk with different people.”
Standfield is a senior studying kinesiology with a focus on exercise science. She has a job lined up after graduation, and after a gap year plans to attend graduate school to become a physician assistant with a sports medicine focus. She believes the teamwork of cheerleading will be highly beneficial in her future career.
Drew is a liberal arts major who hopes to pursue a master’s degree in social work so he can become a therapist. He was on
the team last year and this year, acknowledging that defending a title was even harder than winning it the first time.
“It’s not just physically, but it’s the mental game,” said Drew. “Especially with cheerleading, you’ve got to tell yourself you can do it.”
The Aggies program motto is “Better Than Yesterday.” They called this “Peak Season” as they pushed themselves to be perfectly in sync, even during complicated and tricky maneuvers that had no room for error.
“The goal was that when we get to the end, which was nationals, we’d have that routine that was truly better than yesterday, which allowed us to win for the second year in a row,” said Kearns-Pickett.
“We all have the same common goal and we’re all working hard,” said Standfield. “It’s an opportunity to represent our school and HBCUs. We’re showing African American girls and boys that it’s possible and…it’s very clear that we’re as talented as everyone else.”
The triumphant N.C. A&T cheer team won its second straight national championship.
The triumphant N.C. A&T cheer team won its second straight national championship. (N.C. A&T Athletics photoS)
Shedeur Sanders becomes a casualty of the NFL’s compelling power dynamics
By JAIME C. HARRIS
AmNews Sports Editor
Shedeur Sanders is not a victim of racial bias by NFL teams. His dramatic fall in last week’s NFL Draft is not a case of a Black quarterback being discriminated against
fundamentally because of the color of his skin.
Conversely, if one were to believe several reports from various quarters of the media, Sanders — the former University of Colorado star who was projected by a multitude of NFL talent evaluators and analysts to be
selected in the first round — became trapped in an unforeseen gravitational pull because of perceived character flaws. Ultimately, he was not picked until the fifth round, at No. 144.
Conjecture is the 23-year-old son of NFL Hall of Famer and University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, under his father’s advice and direction, intentionally presented himself poorly in meetings and interviews with unconfirmed teams with the objective of dissuading those teams from drafting him, thus attempting to manipulate and dictate the process.
Without any immutable evidence to support this claim, this writer views this surprising draft outcome as a case of NFL power dynamics. Shedeur’s ability and disposition
are subjective. He was passed over until late in the draft because teams were wary of the combined influence Deion and Shedeur have and possibly would exercise in bending public perception to their will.
Without an intentional strategic effort to shape perspectives, opinions leaned in their favor that Shedeur was wronged and the NFL engaged in unspoken collusion to humble them. Ambiguously delivering a stern warning that the socalled NFL shield is sovereign.
Both Deion and Shedeur are among the most popular personalities in sports and the quarterback position is the most consequential and challenging to fill. NFL executives and coaches are perpetually engaged in power struggles and all desire near absolute control.
Having a rookie quarterback who could create a groundswell of support from millions of fans and by extension gain a measure of power is a scenario that key decision makers
almost assuredly considered.
Would they feel pressured to play Shedeur before they deem him to be ready or determine him to have earned the QB1 spot in the face of struggles by the incumbent starter?
Would coaches and general managers be looking over their shoulder at the possibility of Deion subtly and artfully injecting his weighty voice into important aspects of a team’s operations, including perhaps as an NFL head coach in waiting?
A reliable index of Shedeur’s prominence is that as of yesterday, his Browns jersey was the thirdhighest selling of all draftees behind his close friend and former college teammate, Travis Hunter, who was selected No. 2 by the Jacksonville Jaguars and another good friend and training partner, quarterback Cam Ward, who was the No. 1 pick by the Tennessee Titans.
The first chapter of the story of Shedeur Sanders’ NFL career has been written.
The Knicks need to play with urgency as the Pistons push them to the limit
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
The portrayal and storylines are plentiful in framing the Knicks as they face a formidable challenge trying to win their best-of-seven opening round series against the resolute Detroit Pistons. The Knicks hold a fragile 3-2 lead as Game 6 will be played tonight in Detroit.
Even before the Knicks’ distressing and concerning 106-103 Game 5 home loss at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, there was hearsay that Knicks president Leon Rose would make sweeping changes if the team lost the series to the Pistons. Tom Thibodeau would be out and players moved, with Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson the most likely candidates on the trade market.
It was the usual overreaction to adversity. Thibodeau, while imperfect, has virtually maximized a roster that lacks sufficient size and depth. He produced a 51-victory regular season and No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, one
more win than last season’s 50, although the Knicks entered the playoffs then as the No. 2 seed.
As for the players, Bridges has by and large been the steady if not the elite two-way standout many followers of the team were expecting him to be when Rose acquired him last summer from the Nets for five first-round picks. Robinson is a difference maker when healthy, exemplified by his 13 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes in a strong Game 5 performance.
But the focus for the Knicks and their passionate supporters should be the here and now. They are in a 1990s-style battle with the Pistons — a physical, hard-fought matchup. The five games going into tonight have been settled by an average of 4.2 points, with the Knicks’ ninepoint (123-112) Game 1 win at the Garden the largest margin of victory.
The Knicks, whose trend has been to fall behind and play catch up in this series, pulling out wins late in games, squandered an op-
portunity on Tuesday to close out their first playoff series on their homecourt since 1999.
“We got to figure out how to come out of halftime better,” said Knicks forward Josh Hart. “I think it’s the third game in a row, I’m blanking on the game, Game 1 and 2, we go into halftime with a lead and then we go into the fourth quarter down, so we got to figure that out. We got to come out of halftime more aggressive and punch first.”
Jalen Brunson, who finished with just 16 points on 4-16 shooting, scored less than 30 points for the first time in the series. He was outshone by the Pistons’ ascending 23-year-old 6’6” point guard Cade Cunningham, who posted a game-high 24 points in addition to eight rebounds and eight assists. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff had his group ready to compete after a non-call on the Knicks’ Josh Hart who made contact on Tim Hardaway Jr. on a 3-point attempt to end Game 4 on Sunday, handing the Pistons a crushing 94-93 defeat.
Now the Knicks’ charge is to solely be locked into Game 6 in what will be an amped, hostile environment in Detroit. In a loss, Game 7 would be held Saturday at MSG.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders stunningly was not drafted until the fifth round — the No. 144 pick of overall — by the Cleveland Browns, in last week’s NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The Detroit Pistons Cade Cunningham (left) and Jalen Duren sandwich the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson in the teams’ physical opening round playoff series. (Bill Moore photo)
