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Forum asks if mayoral candidates will fight for reparations

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

State Senator Zellnor Myrie and Michael Blake were the only candidates to show up for the New Yorkers for Reparations mayoral forum this past May 15.

The New Yorkers for Reparations coalition, a local group of more than 100 people, had invited the city’s mayoral candidates to an event titled “Making Equality Real for Black New Yorkers: A Mayoral Forum on Reparations, Healing, and Building Prosperity,” held at Manhattan’s Fourth Universalist Society church. The candidates were asked to present their stance on the issue of reparations for people of African descent.

Most of the people in attendance were advocates of reparations and wanted to hear how seriously the mayoral contenders were taking the issue. “When candidates speak in support of reparations, it actually increases their support among many voters across race, across boroughs, across age,” one of the coalition members said in opening up the forum at the mic. “That means New Yorkers aren’t afraid of the word ‘reparations.’ They’re hungry for leadership with the courage to say it and mean it, and that’s why we’re here tonight, because we’re not just looking for platitudes. We’re looking for partners; for visionaries; for mayors who understand that

housing policy, education equity, land access, public memory, and wealth redistribution are all part of a reparations agenda.”

Initially, only three candidates confirmed they would attend the event: Zellnor Myrie, Michael Blake, and Dr. Selma Bartholomew. On the date of the event, only Blake and Myrie actually showed up.

“I have an economic justice agenda and what we’re saying in the core is to repair eco-

nomic injustice,” Blake said. “That’s why we’re saying reparations have to happen. It is impossible in a $115 billion budget that we cannot find the money for reparations.” Blake, a former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and who worked in former President Barack Obama’s administration, said he takes inspiration from the reparations program instituted in

State lawmakers take aim at DIY machine guns

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

More than bacon grease flows through the “kitchen table pipeline.” On Friday, May 16, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office presented an innocuous 3D-printed object, small enough to fit in the palm of a

clenched fist: a homemade auto sear used to significantly expand a single-shot gun’s firing capacity to fully-automatic. The component, also known as a “Glock switch,” is already illegal on both a state and federal level. But getting hands on one is significantly easier with 3D printing in a trade previously reliant on overseas weapons trafficking. Now auto sears can be

homemade with the increasingly cheaper technology from the “kitchen table” through online blueprints.

Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg says he is partnering with Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal and State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal to crack down on such 3D printing instructions enabling the proliferation of such parts.

“It is important to the safety of Manhattanites to plug up this additional hole,” said Bragg. “Which are the CAD files that are used to provide the sketches [and] the designs to print the guns. You need to make it illegal to transfer the files to make ‘Glock switches’ and these sears to make that apply.”

He highlighted the state lawmakers’ bill, which would outlaw the sharing, selling or distributing of files containing auto sear blueprints. The proponents say the 3Dprinted components have been found in New York City neighborhoods traditionally impacted most by shootings. ATF seizures of auto sears jumped from 658 to 5,816 between 2019 and 2023 nationally.

“It’s still legal to create an instrument of war from your couch or wherever you hang out,” said Rosenthal. “From a park bench you can create an instrument of war. And that is why we have to change the law.” Machine guns remain illegal under the

New Yorkers for Reparations coalition member Ivy Valentine interviews NYC Mayoral candidate Michael Blake, who gives his view on the idea of reparations for Black New Yorkers. (New Yorkers for Reparations photo)

Assistant District Attorney Bonnie Seok points to the lime green 3D printed auto sear slotted into an illegal ghost gun during a roundtable at the Manhattan D.A.’s Office. (Tandy Lau photo)

On the ballot: Q&A with mayoral candidate Dr. Selma Bartholomew

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Dr. Selma Bartholomew is an educator and a candidate in this year’s mayoral race against the incumbent Eric Adams. Her campaign for mayor is the definition of an “underdog” in a crowded field of well-funded candidates with the benefit of name recognition. Still, she seems unfazed by the obstacles ahead of her. Bartholomew was born in Grenada and grew up in Harlem. She earned a degree in math and physics from Lehman College, as well as two master’s degrees from Adelphi and Fordham University. She went on to earn her doctorate in pure mathematics. She considers herself a staunch educator, and has taught at all levels—with preK-12 students, at the university level, and for those incarcerated. She is also a proud breast cancer survivor.

To date, Bartholomew has only raised $1,264 in private funds, according to the latest filings of the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB). Even though she’s made it on the ballot, because of NYCCFB rules on contributions and spending, she’s discovered that she cannot participate in many New York City debates. Fellow candidates who have smaller grassroots campaigns, like Paper Boy Prince, face a similar issue.

The Amsterdam News caught up with Bartholomew over the phone. Here is

what she had to say about her campaign. (Questions and answers have been shortened or edited for space and clarity.)

AmNews: I’m curious what inspired you to want to run for mayor. Bartholomew: I am not a traditional candidate. I have always pretty much voted Democrat, and I think the people have to be the change that they want to see. That is the life that I’ve lived, and I’m confident in my 30-year-plus experience that I bring. I wanted to see change.

My mission is clear: I want to bring our children back. I work in schools in New York and across the country, and I see the slow, slow death of our children. They are pushing this synthetic marijuana on our kids. I wanna be able to bring a bigger, bolder vision to New York City.

I’m an entrepreneur. I grew up in Harlem and so I bring a different sense, and a real perspective of New York. And I want it.

AmNews: Do you agree with mayoral control over the educational system? Bartholomew: I’m in favor of mayoral control. I understood what it did. I just think that New York City school systems have been run by the robber barons and the poverty pimps. I know fully well that the culture is all about the test, the test. And the money is going out the door to big contracted individuals that aren’t

New Yorkers have more to complain about, according to data

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

What is grinding New York City’s gears? Illegal parking, noise, and a lack of hot water, apparently, according to the State Comptroller’s Office and their recently released report analyzing the most frequent reasons to call 311. Those three categories topped citywide numbers. The findings come on the heels of the office’s launch of a NYC311 Monitoring Tool last week.

“New Yorkers are increasingly contacting 311 to report a lack of heat and hot water, excessive street noise, and illegally parked cars,” said State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli in a statement. “Our new NYC311 Monitoring Tool maps complaints and breaks down the information by neighborhood. Being able to see where complaints are heaviest by type and location should make it easier for advocates, agency officials, and policymakers to identify neighborhoods that need help or where resources should be focused.”

New York City established the nonemergency 311 line in 2003 as “a 24/7/365 clearinghouse on all things City government.” To be clear, while the tool focuses on service requests, the number is not exclusively reserved for complaints — New Yorkers can

reach out for everything from Memorial Day closures to obtaining a wedding license.

Deputy Comptroller Rahul Jain told the Amsterdam News that the new dashboard will break down NYC Open Data to measure service demand across the city. The tool allows New Yorkers to narrow searches for neighborhood, zip code, and borough, sorting data by requests and 12-month moving averages. An interactive map of the city also shows the complaint volume spatially.

“The idea was to make this data digestible in a way where people could use it to look at their neighborhoods, citywide or their boroughs,” said Jain. “And that helps understand demands for services. We do see 311 complaints [rising] each year since 2019, prior to the pandemic and through the pandemic. Even despite less activity during 2020 and 2021 as the pandemic kept folks at home, we still saw service requests rising. And that trend has continued through 2024.”

Through the tool, the state comptroller found illegal parking complaints were the highest in Brooklyn, while the residential noise complaints were the highest in the Bronx. New York City recorded just 4,793 illegal parking complaints from Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene residents in

See 311 AUDIT on page 36

See BARTHOLOMEW on page 38

Dr. Selma Bartholomew. (Contributed by Bartholomew’s campaign)

Now Hiring: The receivership search begins after judge greenlights Rikers takeover

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Interested in running the city’s jail system? Do you have excellent communication and demonstrative collaborative skills — along with substantial correctional and leadership experience outside of the New York Department of Corrections (DOC)? If so, you can apply for the Nunez Remediation Manager role by sending a cover letter, resume, and three references to nunezremediationmanagerapps@nysd. uscourts.gov.

The fancy title ostensibly refers to the independent receiver assigned to oversee Rikers Island facilities and other local jails after Chief U.S. District Judge Laura Swain ordered the long-deliberated federal takeover last Tuesday, May 13. At least four candidates need to be “confidently” presented to the court by Aug. 29.

“The nearly decade-long record in this case, amassed since the Consent Judgment went into effect, establishes that less extreme remediation measures have failed,” wrote Swain in her 77-page opinion. “Defendants have demonstrated — in virtually every core area the Court and the Monitor have identified as related to the persistence of excessive and unnecessary force — that neither court orders nor the Monitor’s interventions are sufficient to push the DOC toward compliance.”

Receivership — the last-ditch effort of placing an institution under a custodian — seemed inevitable since last November, when Swain held the city in contempt for repeated noncompliance with court-mandated reforms from the Nunez class-action settlement alleging unconstitutional and excessive use of force on Rikers Island by staff.

Other remedies like levying financial penalties and jailing responsible officials were mentioned but not seriously considered.

Through the receivership order, the city will transfer power over local jails to a third-party expert appointed by the federal courts. The receiver would return control over the facilities once compliance is met.

A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams directed to comments he made during a May 13 media roundtable. He argued the poor conditions on Rikers date back long before he entered office and pointed to reductions in slashings and staff sick-outs. However, 38 people died in or shortly after DOC custody under the Adams administration. Almost all were housed on Rikers Island.

“So we’re just going to follow the rules to improve the conditions of Rikers,” said Adams. “I’ve been on Rikers Island more than any man in the history of this city, speaking to correction officers and inmates. And we’ve done more to stop the river that

feeds Rikers Island. We’ve done that. And so it’s up to the — that’s outside my span of control. I’m going to follow whatever rules she puts in place because she has the authority to do so.”

Debra Greenberger, a partner at class counsel Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, said the details remain in the works between the plaintiffs and the city. She is one of the lawyers representing all present and future individuals incarcerated by the DOC for injunctive and declaratory relief in the lawsuit (although some named plaintiffs also sued for monetary damages).

“The point of all of these changes was to fix the problem,” said Greenberger over the phone. “And the city also agreed that there would be an independent monitor who would look at and evaluate whether the city was complying with the provisions of the order. What happened over the life of this consent judgment is that the monitor, time and again, would say the city is not complying with what they agreed to do. Even when there [were] moments of progress, there would then be backsliding.

“On multiple occasions through the

course of this agreement, the court entered into other agreements, second agreements [and] action plans — all different ways to get to a world where the city actually makes the jail safe for people in custody. It continued not to work.”

Nine years of Nunez

Nunez was the sixth class-action lawsuit “challenging a pattern and practice of excessive and unnecessary force in New York City’s jails.” A concurrent U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation found constitutional violations specifically against male teenagers in custody predating Raise the Age laws.

Court-ordered reforms sprang from the settlement in fall 2015 through 25 sections and “hundreds of provisions” for the DOC to implement. Additionally, a monitor was federally appointed to document progress.

Year after year, the city fell short on the required reforms, and the action plan was later enacted in 2022. The monitoring team believed DOC did not lack “the authority and the ability to address” the dangerous jail conditions and pointed to the department’s “foundational patterns and practices” hampering compliance

with the court’s orders.

This October marks a decade since Nunez was settled. The most recent monitor’s report, filed just last week, detailed “little progress in reducing the frequency with which staff use force to respond to the behaviors of people in custody” and pointed to greater use of force rates in 2024 than when the litigation began. However, they noted improvements in decreasing the “most egregious incidents.”

“Courts, just as a general matter, don’t want these sorts of cases,” said Brennan Center for Justice senior fellow Hernandez Stroud. “They do not see themselves as administrators of jails and prisons, and it is only when there is neglect by a political government that courts feel duty-bound after years and years of giving the government opportunities, do they ever feel compelled to get involved.”

“There is immense judicial reluctance, and these are just not the cases that judges are hunting for … we live in a democracy. Courts really are there to decide questions [like] ‘is this constitutional?’ The court doesn’t want to go any further than necessary, because it’s

New York City Mayor Eric Adams meets with incarcerated men on Rikers Island on March 26, 2024. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Breaking barriers with MCN Exec. Dir. Husein Yatabarry

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

Husein Yatabarry, 32, is Muslim Community Network’s (MCN) Executive Director –– the youngest and first Black American to hold the position.

Founded in 2003, MCN is dedicated to redefining and shaping the Muslim experience in the U.S. through community education, leadership development, and advocacy.

Yatabarry was born and raised in the South Bronx and grew up with his fair share of challenges with bullying and fitting in. He only spoke Soninke, which was his native language, and he learned English at school. “My family immigrated to the U.S. from West Africa. Small country called Gambia,” he said. His biggest inspiration, he said, was his mom, who was a home health aide for seniors and a big advocate for being educated. His father worked as a meat and fish packer. His other siblings were born in Gambia, so he didn’t get to grow up with the whole family.

“It was tough growing up,” said Yatabarry. “I mean, we were a very small community in the South Bronx because a lot of parents came there in the late 80s, early 90s. A lot of it was immigrant on immigrant tension with Latino and Hispanic communities because we were a growing population in that neighborhood.”

Yatabarry said that a lot of the infighting in the neighborhood was over the idea that the community resources were limited. His experiences in high school, at Brooklyn Tech, helped expand and diversify his friend group as well as his worldview. He went on to attend The City College of New York, and earned a degree in Biology and minored in Psychology. His first intention was to become a

THE URBAN AGENDA

By David R. Jones, Esq

Black

New

Yorker

doctor, but realized that the career wasn’t meant for him. He was proud to be the first college graduate in his family, regardless.

After his matriculation, he became a public charter school science teacher at age 22 in the Bronx and Harlem. For seven years, he was dedicated to educating the city’s youth, but was a bit discouraged by the vast disparities certain districts faced. Witnessing this inequity and wanting to do more for his community partly inspired him to move into the nonprofit sector. His other influence was rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was known for his altruistic spirit. He was nominated for the Community Leader of the Year at the Sene-Gam -

bia West African Awards in 2021 and was recognized in the Black Muslim Series during Ramadan 2023.

He joined MCN in 2023.

At the time, there weren’t a lot of strong Black voices at the organization, and leadership intentionally wanted to change that.

“We are a target demographic of a faith community, and it’s an interesting crossover to be in. Any matters that deal with immigration, specifically with Muslim communities, and global matters,” said Yatabarry. “I think for me sometimes it does feel like information overload.”

Beyond his professional life, Yatabarry is an avid runner and traveler. He also cherishes spending time with his family.

GOP Budget Will Bring NY Housing Doomsday

Unless leaders in our state take action, a dreadful housing catastrophe is set to thunder across New York later this year, which is all but certain to force thousands of families from their homes and destabilize the affordable housing industry.

This calamity is the expected devastation from the sweeping Republican budget making its way through Congress. It will cut billions of dollars in U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) aid and put limits on rental assistance used by one million New Yorkers. The effect of the cuts go far beyond aging, inner-city, public housing projects.

Section 8 voucher cuts will waylay small landlords whose tenants can suddenly no longer pay rent, as well as undermine the finances of affordable housing deals statewide and the private management initiative by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to refurbish tens of thousands of apartments.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and state lawmakers must step up to provide more housing aid. Without emergency action, New York faces an explosion in evictions and resulting homelessness. That would be tragic in a housing market already facing a severe shortage of units for the working poor.

New York State provides minimal support for NYCHA operating budget. The federal government, which funds almost 70 percent, is poised to wield the ax. The 2025-26 state budget passed by lawmakers includes $225 million for NYCHA capital improvements and $75 million for public housing authorities outside New York City. That’s a far cry from the $1 billion the New York State Assembly proposed in its one-house budget.

Mayor Adams, who lowballed NYCHA in his budget request, has not uttered a word publicly about the federal housing cuts. Of all people, he knows what the housing cuts will mean for the struggles of average New Yorkers. His biography chronicles being raised in public housing in Brooklyn, family struggles with food insecurity and fear of eviction.

Statewide, more than one million New Yorkers rely on Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers to stay in their homes, according to the New York Housing Conference. In New York City, 482,000 people live in HUD-assisted buildings, including public housing, project-based subsidies and dwellings for the elderly and disabled persons.

The Republican budget places a two-year limit on vouchers for “able-bodied recipients.” In New York, the average length of time a household uses a voucher is 15 years. NYCHA residents have an average duration of more than 25 years. Under the plan, states would receive small housing block grants and then be left to weigh their options to fill the gap.

These cuts will harm public housing residents and put the affordable housing industry at risk.

Consider the fact that City HPD relies more on federal funds than any other city agency – with 58 percent of its $1.2 billion budget coming from Washington to fund vouchers, housing inspections and affordable housing construction, an Independent Budget Office analysis found. Also, mass layoffs at HUD regional offices delay paperwork for the conversion of construction loans to permanent, long-term Federal Housing Administration financing.

The cap on Section 8 vouchers could also complicate NYCHA’s efforts to bring physical improvements to public housing systems through the Preservation Trust and the Rental Assistance Demonstration-Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (RAD-PACT). These and other project-based vouchers are key to the financing of new affordable construction and preservation. The changes in vouchers may make some projects financially unstable.

Separately, landlords face being left in the lurch by the sudden end of the Emergency Housing Voucher Program. New York City has the most emergency vouchers, which began during the COVID pandemic, than any U.S. city, according to housing advocates. Vouchers are used by 16,105 New York City renters and accepted by the owners of 5,000 properties, according to an analysis by the New York Housing Conference. The Bronx accounts for nearly half of the buildings, while Brooklyn makes up one-fourth.

There is evidence that affordable housing deals around the country that rely on the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP), a major grant and loan program from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, are on hold. Not surprisingly, the Trump administration wants to eliminate GRRP.

A dozen developers expecting awards under GRRP, including New York-based Related Companies and Essence Development, signed onto a recent letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner warning their projects would halt or be badly delayed if the federal government goes back on its commitment. Related said the projects at risk include a $140 million, 179-unit development in Poughkeepsie. It was expecting a $647,700 GRRP award.

Conservatives like to cloak their misguided disdain for helping the poor in claims that antipoverty programs are unnecessary or rife with waste. It’s a feckless excuse to implement policies that destabilize Black and brown communities and displace families.

But their attack on housing projects have consequences outside of NYC: steel beam factories in Arkansas and South Carolina will be impacted; fewer jobs for Pennsylvania and Midwestern concrete workers; and small-town Michigan economies that rely on residential glass and curtain wall manufacturing will take a hit.

All to finance tax cuts for the wealthiest among us. Shameful.

R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), the leading voice on behalf of low-income New Yorkers for more than 175 years. The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer. The Urban Agenda is available on CSS’s

Muslim Community Network (MCN) Executive Director Husein Yatabarry. (Photo contributed by Raven Robinson)

Tenants organize to freeze the rent and build political power ahead of NYC primaries

Housing Justice for All, a coalition of New York tenant

organizations, has launched a campaign to

pressure NYC’s next mayor to agree to a rent freeze

By SURINA VENKAT Special to the AmNews

Housing Justice for All, a statewide coalition of tenant advocacy organizations, has launched a campaign in New York City to pressure mayoral candidates to freeze future rent increases for stabilized apartments if elected to office. Though the campaign’s goal is to instate a rent freeze, the tenant organizing groups hope to use the campaign to build a powerful tenant voting bloc that can exert influence in city elections.

“There’s consensus amongst renters that it seems that they’re not being served,”

Jordan Alexander, a tenant organizer for the Met Council on Housing, a member organization of Housing Justice for All, said. “And more than not being served, they’re being intentionally targeted.”

Housing Justice for All announced the launch of a “Freeze the Rent” campaign in New York City in December 2024 and began circulating a petition “to pressure our mayoral candidates into promising a rent freeze for the next four years through the Rent Guidelines Board,” Alberto Oliart, an outreach coordinator for the Met Council on Housing, said.

The Rent Guidelines Board is a city agency that annually determines rent adjustments for those living in the city’s close to one million rent-stabilized units.

Though the board is independent, the mayor appoints all nine board members.

Under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, the board froze the rent on three separate occasions in 2015, 2016, and 2020. In 2017, he said the previous two-year rent freeze happened because he “instructed [the board] not to follow the biases of the past.”

The board controversially voted to propose a rent hike for rent-stabilized tenants on April 30 for the upcoming year, beginning October 1. The board will consider raising the rent by 1.75-4.75% for one-year leases and 4.75-7.75% for two-year leases, and will hold its final vote in June.

The board’s decision prompted immediate outcry from tenants and advocacy groups in attendance at the April 30 meeting, who began chanting “freeze the rent” following the board’s announcement. Landlords welcomed the board’s decision, though Kenny Burgos, CEO of the New York Apartment Association, a coalition representing property owners and managers that provide affordable housing, told the New York Times that the proposed hikes would not adequately cover the money needed for repairs on thousands of rentstabilized buildings.

According to the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development,

rent-stabilized tenants tend to have more difficulty affording their rents than tenants of market-rate housing. In 2023, median household incomes of rent-stabilized tenants were 34% lower compared to that of market-rate tenants, and those living in rent-stabilized households were more likely to experience food insecurity compared to market-rate tenants by 50%.

In 2023, rent-stabilized units made up about 28% of all housing stock and over 44% of all rental units. In that same year, New York City lost close to 4,200 rent-stabilized units, the largest decline in eight years.

The rent freezes under de Blasio’s administration were all met with widespread relief from tenants. As New York City faces a housing crisis that disproportionately affects Black and brown residents, tenants have begun organizing to ensure the next mayor supports the preservation of existing rent rates to prevent further displacement.

“It really matters who the mayor is,”

Pamela Aahn, a volunteer with the “Freeze the Rent” campaign, said. “So I think that if we get enough signatures here … the mayor is going to realize that unless [they’re] going to go for a freeze, which de Blasio did vote for when he was mayor, they’re not going to get people’s votes.”

For Aahn, this issue is important and important to her. “I just retired, and that’s exciting, except your income goes down,” she said. She also has a 26-year-old daughter who lives with her in their Inwood apartment. “It’d be really great if she could move

out, and she will, but I think the rents are too high,” Aahn said. “The rents are increasing too quickly, and it makes it very hard for people to have the kind of life that they want for their own apartments.”

A new Data for Progress poll shows that 3 in 4 New York residents support a rent freeze. Several mayoral candidates have expressed support for freezing the rent if elected to office, including Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, State Senator Jessica Ramos, and former Assemblymember Michael Blake, who has supported this policy throughout their campaign season. They’re joined by City Comptroller Brad Lander, former Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who all recently hopped on the wagon.

Burgos told the Amsterdam News that a rent freeze would make it difficult for property owners to maintain residential buildings.

“It’s, to me, a dishonest way to appeal to voters who are certainly looking for some level of relief, but if you offer them that relief in the form of a rent freeze, you’ve really destined for them a very unlivable experience in a building that will be strapped for cash and will ultimately fall into disrepair given all the costs that have increased over the years,” Burgos said. He pointed, a reduction in housing price through the reduction of property taxes and water rates, “which the mayor and city hall have tremendous power to do.”

Through a combination of monthly canvassing events, phonebanking, and other forms of outreach, “Freeze the Rent” cam-

paign organizers hope to get 20,000 signatures on their petition and aim to get all its signatories to vote for tenant-friendly candidates in the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary election. Campaign organizers have collected around 10,800 signatures on the online petition, not including signatures on physical petitions passed around at canvassing events.

According to Alexander, the campaign’s initial efforts have been promising.

“All these people that we talk to on the street are for this campaign. All the people that we talk to in the buildings are for this campaign,” Alexander said. He also noted that the campaign has seen lots of tenant participation. “The community is coming out to help because this is something that is important to people. The rent is too damn high,” he said, repeating the campaign’s unofficial tagline, “and so people are participating because it matters.”

Lydia Shestopalova, a tenant in a rent-stabilized apartment and a “Freeze the Rent” campaign volunteer, called a rent freeze “such an obvious first step” to dealing with the city’s housing crisis and an “easy opening” for people to talk to their neighbors about housing issues.

“If we want to build a movement, people have to be connected,” Shestopalova said. Her sentiment reflects the campaign’s larger goal. Though the campaign’s demand is getting a rent freeze, Oliart said, the rent freeze wasn’t “the ultimate objective” of the campaign or coalition. Instead, Oliart said organizers hope to use the campaign as a way to “activate tenants politically.”

In 2021, close to 70 percent of New York City households were occupied by tenants.

Though tenants are the majority in New York City, housing advocates have said that the real-estate lobby wields an outsize influence on politicians through tactics such as lobbying.

Housing Justice for All coalition groups and advocates launched the New York State Tenant Bloc, a sister-like nonprofit organization able to explicitly support specific political candidates that back tenant-friendly policies.

The Tenant Bloc’s ultimate goal is to build a statewide network of 250,000 tenant voters, Cat Weaver, the director of Tenant Bloc, told City & State. The “Freeze the Rent” campaign marks what the organization hopes will be the beginning of a longer fight to enhance tenant power and protections in New York state.

“The actual objective is to activate tenants politically, to get tenants to understand themselves as political subjects, if that makes sense, and be able to demand more important, more pressing things than just the rent freeze, which is really the bare minimum,” Oliart said.

Housing activist groups held a protest against rent increases at City Hall Park in New York City, NY April 28, 2022. Activists claim that Mayor Adams, who hand-picked the Rent Guidelines Board, proposed massive increases for rent-stabilized tenants. (Photo by Steve Sanchez/Sipa USA) (Sipa via AP Images)

José Tavarez President, Bank of America New York City

NYC Braiding professionals unite for more access to licensing

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

African hair braiding has been a culturally significant practice in Black communities for decades. Dozens of braiding professionals rode buses to Albany last week to advocate for reforms to the natural hair styling license requirements.

New York State was the first state to adopt a natural hair styling license in 1993. To obtain a license, stylists need a check-up from a doctor, complete 300 hours of training, and pass a written and practical exam. It can cost between $3,500 and $7,000.

The license is also required to braid legally in the state. These requirements have proven to be particularly challenging for Black immigrant braiders, according to the African Communities Together (ACT) 2019 report.

“I have been doing this job since I arrived in America. Braiding is not something new to me, I learned how to braid since I was 12 years old in my home country,” said Ramatoulaye Ngom, a professional braider based in Harlem, in a statement.

“My mother taught me how to braid by putting a dry corn in a bottle and using the leaves to learn how to braid,” continued Ngom. “Most households in Africa with girls use this system, and many ways, to teach girls how to learn how to braid. This job allows me to practice what I learned from my mother, and also to take care of my family.”

Senator Cordell Cleare sponsored the 2025 Natural Hair Styling Bills, which aim to help braiders overcome obstacles to licensure like language barriers, excessive testing, and training requirements. “I’m very appreciative of the influx of creative hair braiders, artists if you will, that came in and really took it to another level. Something that is a part of our history, a part of our tradition, and a part of our heritage,” said Cleare.

Cleare has been wearing her natural hair for decades. As a Black woman and an

elected official, she said she’s faced hair discrimination in her career and certainly finds it “annoying, frustrating, and even disrespectful,” but is not discouraged from embracing her natural hair. So when African hair braiders in her district reached out about getting more access to licenses, she was determined to find the best path forward and ensure that the practice of hair braiding was not swamped in bureaucracy.

ACT and over 60 advocates travelled to Albany on Tuesday, May 13, to lobby for support for the bill. The legislation requires individuals seeking a license to pass a practical skills assessment in their natural language, establishing an education criterion of 40 hours as opposed to 300; and requires all forms and materials to be provided to applicants in their natural language. It also allows for anyone age 17 and older, who meets the criteria to apply for a hair braiding license.

“It was amazing to see so many dedicated

hair braiders come to Albany to advocate for their profession,” said Assemblymember Pamela J. Hunter, who sponsored the assembly version of the bill, in a statement. “Most of these braiders only earn when they work, which underscores how important this licensure change is to improve their occupation. Current standards are unproductively burdensome to those who have dedicated so much to this craft.”

Massandje Doukoure, another professional braider, said that many clients assume that braiders do not have licenses. This leads to mistreatment and disrespect, said Doukoure.

“For too long, African women hair braiders have been forced to navigate a system that doesn’t honor their craft. They’ve been required to complete hundreds of hours of classes and pay thousands of dollars to learn a skill they already know,” said ACT New York Chapter Director Maimouna Dieye.

“The current Natural Hair Styling licensing

requirements impose unnecessary and burdensome barriers that prevent talented and hardworking braiders from legally practicing their craft and earning a dignified livelihood. The braiders in our community are not asking for special treatment. They are demanding equity and fair treatment.”

Hair advocacy groups, like the Natural Hairstyle & Braid Coalition (NHBC), are in support of the legislation. However, they suggest certain amendments to the bill to make sure the curriculum still includes coursework about scalp disorders, proper shampoo techniques, proper conditioning and detangling methods, sanitation, and promoting healthy hair care.

“You know how to braid, but you have to know the science behind it,” said NHBC Co-founder Diane Da Costa. “We don’t want to intentionally harm ourselves, and cause harm to themselves and the community if they’re not educated about hair.”

Da Costa said that the organization is also in favor of two separate licenses: one for natural hair care, sponsored by Assemblymember Gary Pretlow, and one for braiding, sponsored by Cleare.

The Pretlow bill outlines the services included in natural hair care and braiding, emphasizes techniques without chemicals or heat, addresses techniques that cause tension or traction alopecia, creates an apprenticeship, allows individuals with at least five years of experience to apply for a license after completing coursework and providing proof of experience, and creates an advanced expertise natural hair care and braiding license.

“We’re open to hear from anybody,” said Cleare. “The point here is just not to make it an arduous process for people to braid hair, and also to make it easier in their own language. We don’t want anybody to be prohibited by that. That’s the main idea of the bill. It’s not meant to hurt any other professional, or any other group, or take away from the qualifications to do other parts of hairstyling.”

Hair braiding professionals at the conference in Albany on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

African Communities Together (ACT) signage.　(Contributed photos by African Communities Together (ACT))

Hair braiding professionals at the natural hair conference in Albany on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

NYC launches new plan to expand tree canopy to combat climate inequity

By CHRISTIAN SPENCER Special to the AmNews

New York City is taking fresh steps to expand its urban tree canopy and bring long-overdue green benefits to communities that have historically been left out of the shade.

On May 15 at Thomas Jefferson Park, the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ), in partnership with the Parks Department and a coalition of environmental groups, launched borough-based Urban Forest Planning Workshops. The goal is to increase citywide tree coverage to 30 % of land area, up from the current 23.4 %.

At the session, MOCEJ Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson outlined the stakes in a pre-recorded video.“Our charge is to have a plan, through PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done, to reach a 30 % tree canopy goal,” Hutchinson said. “And we’ll talk about how to do so equitably.” Equity is at the core of the effort, as areas with sparse tree cover often face hotter streets, higher asthma rates, worse air quality, and greater flood risk.

Data shared at the workshop shows that while 58% of the city’s existing tree canopy is on cityowned property, such as parks and streets, 34% is on private land, including homes, businesses, and institutions.“That presents a major opportunity,” said Paul Onyx Lozito, MOCEJ deputy executive director. “We can — and should — partner with private property owners to expand the canopy across residential and commercial lots.”

Between 2017 and 2021, the city saw a 1.2 % increase in canopy coverage, totaling over 45,000 acres. However, Lozito noted that it’s not enough. “Most of the canopy growth we’ll see comes from cultivating young trees to maturity. The more mature a tree is, the more benefits it provides.” Northwest Queens, lag with less than 14%. The city aims to address these disparities by planting trees “wherever practical,” Lozito said. “I live in the Bronx by Palm Bay Park. Have I ever experienced an environmental hazard that was caused by the lack of trees… yeah, just being alive in this time period. I do think that they all contribute to the lack of trees and other environmental factors,” said Sarah Maloney, a Hunter College student who attended the event and is interning

Breakout sessions where environmental conscious attendees discuss and ask neighborhood questions

at Natural Areas Conservancy.

But planting is just one part of the equation. City officials are rooting for the protection, care for, and nurturing of trees long-term, with much of the chatter centered on community focus, especially critical in places like East Harlem, where environmental burdens are concentrated. “The asthma rate

here is really high,” said Karina Smith, Assistant Commissioner of Strategic Community Engagement. “We’re trying to address climate equity and green equity. It’s our responsibility to think about those coming behind us.”

The initiative is backed by Local Law 148 of 2023, which requires the creation of an Urban Forest

Plan centered on public input. The borough-based workshops are key to that process. “That’s why we’re holding these sessions,” Hutchinson said. “We want to hear your ideas, experiences, and recommendations as we develop this plan together.”

Public input will also be informed by research like the State

of the Urban Forest report by The Nature Conservancy, which highlights where trees are needed most. In addition to The Nature Conservancy, the city is working with organizations such as City Parks Foundation, Partnerships for Parks, and local advisory groups from institutions like NYU to turn this vision into reality.

Ted Enoch introducing himself to a crowd of attendees at the Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem. (Christian Spencer photos)

Union Matters

Offshore wind project back on track after Trump administration lifts pause

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press

Additional reporting by KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO

Amsterdam News Staff

The Trump administration is allowing work on a major offshore wind project for New York to resume.

The developer, the Norwegian energy company Equinor, said Monday it was told by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that a stop-work order has been lifted for the Empire Wind project, allowing construction to resume.

Work has been paused since Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last month directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to halt construction and review the permits. Burgum said at the time that it appeared former President Joe Biden’s administration had “rushed through” the approvals. Equinor spent seven years obtaining permits and has spent more than $2.5 billion so far on a project that is onethird complete.

Equinor President and CEO Anders Opedal thanked President Donald Trump for allowing the project to move forward, saving about 1,500 construction jobs and investments in U.S. energy infrastructure. He also expressed appreciation to New York’s governor, New York City’s mayor, members of Congress, and labor groups, as well as Norwegian officials who worked to save the project. The Norwegian government owns a majority stake in Equinor.

“We appreciate the fact that construction can now resume on Empire Wind, a project which underscores our commitment to deliver energy while supporting local economies and creating jobs,” Opedal said in a statement.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said it took countless conversations with Equinor and White House officials, and the involvement of labor and business interests, to emphasize the project’s importance and get Empire Wind back on track. Equinor is building Empire Wind south of Long Island, New York, to provide power in 2026 for more than 500,000 New York homes.

“New York’s economic future is going to be powered by abundant, clean energy that helps our homes and businesses thrive. I fought to save clean energy jobs in New York — and we got it done,” Hochul said in a statement Monday.

The Interior Department said Tuesday the pause on the project was lifted while a review of the permits continues.

Large offshore wind farms have been making electricity for three decades in Europe and, more recently, in Asia. But the industry has struggled to grow in the U.S. due to high costs, difficulties grow-

ing a supply chain for materials, and the lengthy permitting process.

Trump has prioritized fossil fuels and moved against renewable energy since returning to the White House. One of his first acts was ordering a pause of offshore wind lease sales in federal waters and the issuance of approvals, permits, and loans for all wind projects. But the administration’s targeting of Empire Wind, a project already underway, took that a step further.

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement Friday that while unleashing America’s energy dominance, Trump “paused certain wind projects that are detrimental to our beloved wildlife, including birds and whales.”

There are no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing offshore wind activities, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While wind turbines can pose a risk to birds, wildlife conservation organizations say they support the responsible development of offshore wind because climate change is a bigger threat.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Monday that lifting the stop-work order is welcome news. Empire Wind will greatly benefit the economy on Long Island and the environment for all New Yorkers, he said in a statement.

Offshore wind advocates also celebrated the decision. It’s a win for workers, the industry, and companies in places like Louisiana, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania, helping to build projects in the Northeast, the Oceantic Network said in a statement.

Vanessa Fajans-Turner, executive director of Environmental Advocates NY, said, “This reversal is a win for New York workers and for the future of our energy economy. Governor Hochul’s persistence helped protect thousands of good jobs and keep a major clean energy investment on track. Offshore wind is how we grow paychecks and protect the planet at the same time — and it’s exactly the kind of win-win policy New York needs more of.”

“The Empire Wind 1 project is exactly the kind of infrastructure investment New York needs — it will provide clean energy to half a million homes, power our economy with thousands of good-paying union jobs, and generate billions in economic investment in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Sunset Park and Red Hook,” New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes commented. “This project was fully permitted years ago, and it should never have been put on pause. The attempt to kill it was an affront to working New Yorkers like the ones I represent. I’m grateful to Gov. Hochul for her work to get this project back on track. I’ll continue to fight for affordable energy, resilient infra-

structure, and economic opportunity for all New Yorkers.”

“Empire Wind 1 is a generational project that will create thousands of jobs, power New York with reliable electricity, and invest millions of dollars in our port infrastructure,” said Michael Prohaska, Business Manager of Laborers’ Local 79. “Our members have spent years preparing for these jobs, and now they can get back to serving our communities and supporting their families. Thank you to all the advocates and officials who worked to make sure that Empire Wind 1 will become a reality.”

Equinor had said on May 9 it would be forced to abandon Empire Wind within days unless the administration relented on its order that stopped construction. Equinor was spending up to $50 million per week and had 11 vessels on standby.

Equinor finalized the federal lease in March 2017, during Trump’s first term. The federal government approved the construction and operations plan in February 2024. New York aims to obtain 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035. New York is getting some wind power from the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, a 12-turbine wind farm called South Fork that opened a year ago, operated by different companies east of Montauk Point, New York.

Wind turbines will deliver energy to New York City residents. (Community Offshore Wind photo)

Do even more to remember Malcolm X

A proliferation of global tributes took place yesterday, celebrating the life and legacy of Malcolm X on the centennial of his birth.

In Cape Coast, Ghana, which Malcolm visited during his international travels, the Malcolm X Liberation Institute hosted a two-day celebration, featuring lectures, cultural performances and community activities honoring Malcolm.

At SOAS University in London, author Kevin Ovenden launched a new edition of his book, “Malcolm X: Socialism and Black Nationalism,” which delves into Malcolm’s revolutionary politics and its relevance to contemporary struggles.

The commemoration events in the U.S. are far too many to detail, and, of course, we have a major one here in New York City at the Shabazz Center, which we covered.

Yes, there were a number of remembrances and reflections on the life of the revolutionary freedom fighter, but hardly enough to truly capture the essence of his brief stay among us. Thankfully, not a month passes that his name and memory isn’t evoked, whether on lawsuits by his advocates and family members; the release of more government documents — and still a horde of them are unavailable — to say nothing of the ongoing organizations and institutions through their events, books, and activities cite his relevance to their aims and purposes.

Too often Malcolm’s name is invoked to shore up some nefarious acts of violence, which is about as far fetched as you can get about his politics and legacy. Indeed, on more than one occasion he mentioned to resist “by any means necessary,” it was usually just a rhetorical promise. Many of his followers would have preferred he fight fire with fire, retaliating with a defense to dissuade his attackers.

As it stands, there is no diminution of Malcolm’s iconic wattage, and the countless celebrations of life and legacy during the centennial of his birth is a clear indication of how significant he is for the current generation of activists, artists, and political leaders around the globe.

His name is irrevocably connected to a courageous stand against the enemies of human decency, those who would trample on our manhood or sisterhood via racist epithets or vicious attacks.

It is so wonderful to see and to hear how important his memory is for so many beyond our shores, which should push and inspire us to do even more to assure that continues.

Building strong partnerships to protect tenants and preserve our city’s affordable housing

By AHMED TIGANI

As a renter and a New Yorker, I know well, and have myself, been the target of eviction threats or contention cases with unresponsive landlords who refuse to make necessary repairs. That experience and numerous stories come through the complaints our inspectors receive and respond to, and are regular reminders of what’s at stake –– why a thoughtful, collaborative, and boots-on-the-ground strategy is a necessary piece to ensure the work we do has the impact we want.

Far too many people believe that dealing with harassment is just another part of living in New York City that can’t be helped. With a dangerously low percentage of available, accessible housing and rising costs, the limited options feeds into that perception. For the team at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), combating this situation and trying to give tenants a different reality is one of our north stars. Tenants shouldn’t have to face this alone, and at HPD, we’re making sure they don’t.

This work is executed by our entire agency, not just a single unit or area of work. Our enforcement team is on the ground every day responding to complaints, issuing violations, and making emergency repairs when necessary. Our colleagues in Housing Litigation are taking legal action –– in conjunction with tenants, bringing actions on their behalf, or our agency taking steps to seek repairs ourselves.

That’s why I’m proud to talk about the expansion of Partners in Preservation, an HPD initiative that supports tenants by creating the space for collaboration between CBOs, legal services providers, and government agencies to more strategically identify and address tenant harassment and untenable living conditions in rent-regulated buildings. One of the more important objectives of this format is empowering the tenants to be our partners and helping them form strong, effective tenant associations — because we know that when tenants come together, they can change the trajectory of their buildings and their communities.

Partners in Preservation began as a pilot in 2019 and has already shown what’s possible when government partners with community organizations. Now, with permanent annual funding of over $5 million per year, the expanded program will serve all five boroughs, helping tenants across 30 community districts form nearly 200 new tenant associations.

We’re closely working with 16 trusted community-based partners, including Community Voices Heard, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, the Flatbush Tenant Coalition, and the Cooper Square Committee. These groups are deeply rooted in the neighborhoods they serve, and they understand the unique challenges tenants face –– from neglect and unsafe conditions to outright harassment.

tionately affecting low-income residents, families, and communities of color, and as a result, erode the very fabric of our neighborhoods.

But through Partners in Preservation, tenants are pushing back. They’re learning their rights, forming tenant associations, organizing for repairs, and protecting their homes from displacement. They’re not just improving conditions in their buildings, they’re strengthening the entire community. Where there are owners who want to be responsive but have difficulties with the costs, our preservation experts can be brought in and can build on those discussions. This is what the power of a thoughtful, collaborative, and boots-on-the-ground strategy looks like.

We’re proud to support this work, and we’re committed to expanding it. Partners in Preservation is more than a program — it’s a model for how government and community can work together to ensure every New Yorker has a safe, stable place to live.

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief

Executive & Investigative Editor

Our rental assistance team is pushing when they find units that do not meet the basic standard of habitability and working with owners to get those fixes done. And where the issue goes beyond the scope of our oversight, we leverage our relationships with agencies like the Department of Buildings and the Department of Health to look into an expanded set of issues where their powers can help bring relief to New Yorkers. We are using every tool we have to protect tenants’ rights, to increase our reach so we can educate and empower constituents to take action and create transparency through data so actors can be held accountable. The message is simple: if you’re a tenant experiencing abuse or harassment, we are here, we are listening, and we are taking action. But we know the government cannot do it alone. Lasting change requires organizing and community partnerships.

Our role is to support and amplify that work. We’re providing data tools to help identify buildings where tenants are in need, facilitating connections to legal services and other City agencies, providing training and information about HPD enforcement processes directly to organizers so they can better utilize those tools and explain them to tenants, conducting follow-up enforcement activities in some buildings and showing up alongside tenants to ensure their voices are heard. Together, we are shifting the balance of power — away from negligent landlords and toward the people who make our city home. Tenant harassment takes many forms. Sometimes it looks like unsafe construction or an absentee landlord ignoring critical repairs. Sometimes it’s more subtle: refusing to renew leases, shutting off essential services like heat and hot water, or creating unlivable conditions to push tenants out. These tactics are all illegal, often dispropor-

Holding bad landlords accountable, providing interested owners with the tools to make repairs, preserving rent-stabilized apartments, and standing with tenants are core to HPD’s mission. With this expansion, we’re reinforcing our commitment to neighborhoods across the city. Together, with our partners and the tenants leading this work, we’re building a stronger, fairer New York — one where everyone has the opportunity to stay, grow, and thrive.

Ahmed Tigani is the Acting Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).

Damaso Reyes:

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor

Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor

Siobhan "Sam" Bennett:

Ahmed Tigani

New York must protect my right to visit my incarcerated mother

By LAQUINTAE BRADLEY

It was just Mother’s Day, but I haven’t been seeing much of my mom lately.

When you have a parent in prison, much of your relationship is built on letters, phone calls, and visits. These connections matter deeply, but nothing replaces face-toface, in-person visits.

Since the correction officers’ illegal strike in February, I have only been able to see my mom once. The disruption caused prisons throughout New York to halt in-person visits, starting on February 20. Despite the strike ending, visits remain restricted to weekends, when conditions are crowded and chaotic. I work on Sundays, which further limits when I can visit my mother. It’s not fair, and it’s why the

olina. Although I made sure I always sent letters to keep my mom updated about my life, a mother’s love, while transcending time and space, couldn’t be felt as strongly from that distance. I returned home to be closer to my mom and start to advocate for her and others.

It’s great that we’re closer now, both physically and emotionally. Often, I have made spontaneous decisions to hop on a train to see her. The ache subsides for a while until I hug her and feel her warmth. Since the strike, these impromptu visits have become impossible. Even with visits partially available, I’m limited to brief windows on weekend days — which are not accessible due to my work schedule. Although I eagerly wait for her calls, nothing replaces in-person visits.

Sinners

CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.

state legislature must pass the Protect In-Person Visits (PIPV) bill, which would require all correctional facilities to offer in-person visiting during accessible hours and make sure that video conferencing never replaces faceto-face visits. My mom and I have built a relationship that relies on visits, and disruptions have placed a strain. It’s an indescribable hardship. I remember visiting the Children’s Center when I was little. I can still see the shine in her smile when I walked into the room. I felt her love throughout our time together, and saw the pride in her eyes when I shared what I was learning in school. As I would leave, she would scoop me into her arms and hold me tight. I hoped she would never let go.

After graduating from high school, I moved to South Car -

The PIPV bill is so important to others like me and to the thousands of NY families affected by incarceration. The bill would provide security in knowing I could see my mom whenever I feel an urgent need for her presence. The legislation would guarantee accessible visiting hours, including evenings and/or weekends. It also, importantly, ensures that video calls cannot replace in-person visiting.There is nothing like hugging and being hugged by your mom. Thousands of mothers and daughters, fathers and sons would benefit from this law.

Growing up with my mom in prison, we’ve built our bond with all the connection points available to us. Those visits, that precious time together, feeling her touch — all have strengthened our relationship, making it possible for me to know her love. We must protect this right for my family and all the children missing their mothers on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and beyond!

LaQuintae Bradley is a consultant and student who lives in Washington Heights. Her mother has been incarcerated for 26 years, since she was 4 years old.

By now, many of you have seen Ryan Coogler’s latest cinematic masterpiece, “Sinners”. I saw the film roughly a month ago, and I am still thinking about it. I am still mulling over the acting, the music, the visuals, the costuming, the dialogue, and the overarching themes of what it means to be free. As a Black American, I often think about the concept of freedom and about the idea of ever truly being free in a land my ancestors cultivated over several centuries. I think about what it means to be a citizen in this nation and whether my humanity will ever truly be seen and respected. Coogler tackles these hard questions and more in “Sinners,” and I felt truly blessed to experience the film in the cinema.

tonation in his voice transports the viewer exactly where he wants us to be. I do hope this film finally shows the world what so many of us have witnessed in his brilliant portrayals for decades.

“As I reflect on why this film is resonating with so many, at this particular moment in time, it is because it’s largely, unapologetically Black and unflinching about the beauty Black folks have created on this soil and the cruelty they have also experienced on this same land.”

I won’t give away any spoilers, but Michael B Jordan plays twins Smoke and Stack. About seven minutes into the film, I forgot I was watching one actor play two different characters. I must admit, I don’t think I give Jordan the respect he deserves as an actor and someone who continues to sharpen his craft with each role. I also love that Coogler and Jordan are forging a director/actor partnership that we’ve seen with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro as well as Spike Lee and Denzel Washington.

Anyone who knows me also knows that I think Delroy Lindo is one of the greatest actors to walk this earth. Many may remember him in Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X” and “Crooklyn” (or that club scene in “Da Five Bloods”, but I digress). The level of attention and detail in every small facial flinch or minor in-

As I reflect on why this film is resonating with so many, at this particular moment in time, it is because it’s largely, unapologetically Black and unflinching about the beauty Black folks have created on this soil and the cruelty they have also experienced on this same land. Picking cotton from sunup to sundown, but also creating loving families and relationships while doing so. The passing of a chain gang and then the reminder for them to remember to keep their heads held high and remember their dignity and humanity. This movie is a love letter to Black people past, present, and future. It connects Black people to lands and worlds (and others) in ways we have not seen in cinema. I love to see this movie surpassing expectations and movie goers seeing it multiple times, and bringing new friends to help them discuss and dissect. It’s clearly Ryan Coogler’s moment, and I’m just pleased we get to witness and celebrate it.

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.

Laquintae Bradley (Photo courtesy)

Caribbean Update

Venezuelans to vote on Sunday on taking western Guyana

By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

On Sunday, May 25, Venezuelans across the South American nation will vote in municipal elections for regional governors and deputies, and in doing so, will also be asked to elect a governor and administrators for a large swath of land in neighboring Guyana that, for decades, Venezuela has claimed as its own — a controversial move.

In the late 1890s, an international boundaries commission demarcated border lines between the two nations, but a Venezuelan junior commission member contended, in a memoir released after his death in the late 1940s, that his nation had been cheated out of the western Essequibo region that has been in Guyana’s control since the demarcation. Guyanese officials say the commissioner offered no evidence of cheating other than declaring that malfeasance was afoot during the land surveying.

Once the document became public, Venezuela began to agitate for the area, which represents about two-thirds of Guyana’s land space, claiming the mineral- and

Why Trump’s

oil-rich region belongs to it. By 1966, just months after independence from Britain, Venezuelan troops began to occupy Guyana’s portion of Ankoko border island, raising tensions between the two. Over the decades, Venezuela has threatened to invade the Caribbean Community (Caricom) nation to take the Essequibo region by force. In December 2023, for example, Venezuelans were asked to participate in a takeover referendum vote for the area, and this week are being requested to elect a governor and eight deputies to administer the county.

Reacting to these developments in its neighbor to the east, authorities in Guyana have launched a full-scale public awareness campaign aimed at countering the saber-rattling in Venezuela and assure locals that the country is ready to respond. Army Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Omar Khan has even threatened to arrest and jail any Guyanese who participates in the vote. Similar treatment will be meted out to anyone of the 100,000 Venezuelans living in Guyana.

“I would tell you, as part of my visit along the border, I made an announcement that should any

Guyanese participate in such an election, there will be implications for that person. This is almost like a passive coup, because you are voting in a foreign government to have our territory. That would be a serious offence; any Guyanese participating in such an election will be arrested and there will be implications. Secondly, any Venezuelans living in Guyana who participate in such elections will be arrested and deported,” Khan said at a related press conference.

Over the weekend, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud suggested in a social media posting that “given that we have close to 100,000 persons of direct or indirect Venezuelan ancestry currently in Guyana, shouldn’t this reality give all Guyanese a cause to be alert? People’s vigilance is equivalent to people’s power and defense.”

Security Minister Robeson Benn has also contributed to the awareness campaign, especially because Venezuela has threatened to hold part of the vote on Guyana’s soil even though no logistical preparations have been seen on the ground. “Any person, Guyanese or otherwise, if it’s a Guyanese who is appointed to be governor and

be in place, we will charge that person for treason and lock them up,” Benn said. “Each and every one of them, they’re gonna be charged for treason, and anybody who is supporting them will also be charged.”

For his part, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said after the 2023 vote that “we have taken the first steps of a new historic stage in the struggle for what belongs to us, to recover what the liberators left us.” More recently, he also suggested the Essequibo region is “an inalienable part of the Venezuelan territory and a legacy of our liberators. Its defense is a historical, constitutional, and a moral mandate that unites the entire Bolivarian homeland. No international pressure, judicial blackmail, or foreign tribunal will make us back down from this conviction.”

Tired of the threats and reluctance of investors to do business in the area, Guyana had, back in 2018, taken the case to the World Court in the Netherlands for a once-and-for-all settlement, but no ruling is expected at least before next year. The court has warned Venezuela several times to act responsibly and await its verdict. Caracas has countered by saying that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court. Guyana has, meanwhile, placed its small military on alert as the vote nears.

America welcomes white South Africans while deporting

Black and Brown immigrants

On May 11, the U.S. government rolled out the red carpet — literally — for 59 white Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch and German colonizers who enforced South Africa’s brutal apartheid regime. They arrived at Dulles Airport aboard a private jet, funded by American taxpayers, and were welcomed by top officials from the Trump administration’s State and Homeland Security departments. These immigrants didn’t arrive as refugees escaping persecution or genocide; they rolled into the U.S. wheeling designer luggage, looking more like luxury tourists than asylum seekers. Yet, they were granted “Prior-

ity 1” refugee status — a designation typically reserved for people fleeing war zones and imminent death. This wasn’t a humanitarian gesture. It was a political performance.

The very next day, May 12, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans in the U.S., even as Afghanistan remains under Taliban rule with ongoing reprisal killings. Haitians, too, have seen their TPS revoked, despite the U.S. government’s own warnings not to travel to Haiti due to unchecked gang violence.

This is not an immigration policy; it’s a glaring double standard — a re-definition of asylum rooted not in need or threat, but in race.

Let’s be clear: White South Africans are not persecuted. They are

not fleeing genocide. They are not stateless. Despite making up just 7% of South Africa’s population, they own more than 70% of the land and maintain outsized control over the economy. That’s not oppression. That’s privilege — colonial, entrenched privilege.

Trump’s decision to designate these arrivals as refugees isn’t rooted in compassion; its ideology dressed up as policy; a calculated move to reward whiteness and solidify an America he imagines — white, powerful, and dominant.

Remember that in 2018, Trump famously questioned why the U.S. accepts immigrants from “shithole countries,” naming Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations, and asking instead for more people from places like Norway. Fastforward to 2025, and Trump is making that racist fantasy a reality — only now, it’s white South Af-

ricans standing in for Norwegians.

Meanwhile, Black and brown immigrants — those fleeing real persecution in countries like Haiti, Venezuela, and Afghanistan — are being pushed out, locked up, or ignored.

South Africa’s own government and international experts have debunked Trump’s claims of a “white genocide.” There is no crisis of land seizures in South Africa. The so-called “Expropriation Act” has yet to trigger a single land grab. Most victims of farm attacks, in fact, are Black.

This isn’t refugee resettlement.

It’s white nationalism in practice; a protest against multiracial democracy. A message loud and clear: white grievance matters more than Black suffering.

And it’s part of a larger strategy. Trump isn’t just importing immigrants — he’s importing voters

who will maintain the status quo. With white Americans expected to become a minority by 2044, this is racial gerrymandering on an international scale.

Thus, when we see cancerstricken immigrant children deported and green card holders arrested, but white South Africans chauffeured in with full benefits, we must see it for what it is: a betrayal of American values, and a fundamental assault on democracy. Trump’s America isn’t just choosing who gets in; it’s choosing who gets to belong. In that America, belonging is still too often dictated by the color of your skin.

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.

Chief of Staff of Guyana Defence Force Brigadier General Omar Khan. (Public domain photo)

International News

An Afro-Peruvian vision of Pope Leo XIV

By JESÚS CHUCHO GARCIA

Special to the AmNews

Translated by

KAREN JUANITA

CARRILLO

Amsterdam News Staff

On May 8th, over a hundred Roman Catholic cardinals and high-ranking Vatican officials from five of the world’s continents elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new Pope Leo XIV. The election of Prevost as the new Pope came as a welcome surprise to Peruvians, and particularly to the Afro-Peruvian community. Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1955, the new Pope had spent over two decades in Peru, where he demonstrated a commitment to supporting the most disadvantaged individuals during a period of intense violence in the coun-

try. While serving as the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, Pope Leo was one of the first to call for former authoritarian President Alberto Fujimori to issue a formal apology to all those who had been victimized by his administration. Fujimori infamously designed an anti-poverty initiative that pressured Indigenous and Afro-Peruvians women into sterilization, threatening violence or the withdrawal of essential services for those who declined.

Afro-Peruvians form an important part of the nation’s identity. The community has nurtured major figures like Dr. José “Cheche” Campos Dávila, who teaches at the Universidad Nacional de Lima and writes about the Peruvian Black Movement; José Pepe Luciano, who was a formi-

dable human rights activist; and the singer, poet, and playwright Nicomedes Santa Cruz, who wrote some of the most important works on Afro-Peruvians identity.

Pope Leo XIV’s impact on AfroPeruvians

Oswaldo Bilbao Lobatón, executive director of the Center for Ethical Development (Centro de Desarrollo Étnico (CEDET)), shared his thoughts on the recently elected Pope Leo XIV. During his inaugural visit, when he was still Cardinal Prevost, he made a significant impact on the underprivileged population who live in the diocese of Chulucanas, which is in the state of Piura. While in the diocese, the future pope frequently visited the nearby Afro-Peruvian farming vil-

lage of Yapateras. The future pope made a particular effort to visit the famed local poet/community historian Fernando Barraenzuela.

Bilbao Lobatón told the AmNews: “For us, it was good news when the current pope, Leo XIV, was appointed. He served as bishop of Chiclayo in 2015, and three years later, in 2018, he assumed the second vice-presidency of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference. Then he was with the Congregation of Bishops, and then he served as the apostolic administrator of Callao, the Pacific Ocean port city where a large number of Afro-Peruvians are concentrated, and where salsa is the daily dose of happiness. We have no doubt that he was affected by and shared in our salsa joys.

“While he lived in Peru, he visit-

ed the Afro-Peruvians Museum of Zaña. After the arrival of the terrible COVID-19 virus, he promoted the installation of oxygen plants to urgently help the families affected by the terrible Cyclone Yaku. This new Pope understood the Peruvian people and their extraordinary devotion to Christ, known as the Lord of Miracles.”

During his stay in Peru, the new Pope learned to speak both Spanish and Quechua. According to Bilbao Lobatón, there are expectations for a Pope Leo XIV-led church that is more committed to supporting the poor, a direction the Catholic Church took once it was initiated by Pope Francis. The new Pope’s extended stay in Peru has led to him being recognized as connected to Hispanic America. The hope for continued progress remains.

Oswaldo Bilbao Lobatón (in purple shirt, second row) poses with Peruvian youth who took part in Centro de Desarrollo Étnico programs. (Oswaldo Bilbao/CEDET photo)

NYC high schoolers work to protect Brooklyn’s shoreline

By ROXANNE L. SCOTT Special to the AmNews

A yellow school bus rumbled on the sandy road of Bayview Avenue in southern Brooklyn to drop students from Harlem Renaissance High School off at the beach. The 32 students would soon be surrounded by the blue water of Gravesend Bay, views of the Verrazano Bridge, and seashells by the shore.

First a lesson, though. The high schoolers circled two instructors on this windy Tuesday at Coney Island Creek Park. One of the instructors held a thin, aquamarine wooden stick that stood about 11 feet tall.

“That’s how tall the water came when Sandy hit Coney Island,” she said.

The students came here to plant stems of beach grass to keep unruly sand dunes from eroding. Once embedded in the sand, the web of roots will cling together and keep the beach dunes in place. When a storm hits the shore, the surge from the water will crash against the sand dunes first and not homes.

Harlem Renaissance High School was one of the five schools from across the city whose students left their pencils and textbooks behind to come to this southern Brooklyn beach to touch grass and help blunt the impact of climate change. The schools are part of Resilient Schools and Communities (RiSC), a program of the National Wild-

life Federation that educates New York City students about climate change and environmental justice. Since 2021, middle and high schoolers near and far have journeyed to Coney Island each spring to plant beach grass to restore its beach dunes.

The official name of the plant the tweens and teens planted this day is American beach grass, or Ammophila breviligulata. The roots and rhizomes of these sand-loving plants grow deep underground to create a tangled network to keep the dunes intact.

This dune restoration program is just one of many measures referred to as “naturebased solutions” that work to help ecosystems combat climate change-fueled storms and rising sea levels in coastal cities.

“Rather than us coming in and using a metal mesh or plastic or other types of things to keep the sand in place, just let nature do its thing,” said Alexandra Kanonik, one of the instructors holding the tall wooden sticks. She’s also the New York office program director of the American Littoral Society, one of the partners in the RiSC curriculum.

A

vulnerable city and peninsula

Previously, New York City was designated a continental climate, but in 2020, the National Climate Assessment recategorized the city as a subtropical climate. That means flowers spring up earlier, winters are less frosty, and rain showers can turn vola-

tile. It also means more destructive storms that affect shoreline neighborhoods such as Coney Island. New York City’s 520 miles of coastline make it vulnerable to future storms that are becoming more intense due to manmade climate change.

Kanonik said that much of the city’s low-lying areas used to be marshland, created after the last Ice Age glaciers receded and left the Atlantic coastal plains. “It’s nice to be a very water-side city,” she said, “but it also makes us very vulnerable to future global climate change impacts.”

The low-cost solution of planting grass on the beach is one way to subdue the force of inevitable storms to come, as well as engage young community members who will one day be stewards of this shoreland.

Many of the younger students this day weren’t born when Superstorm Sandy hit the city in 2012, but have heard stories about the storm’s damage through their parents and grandparents.

The southern Brooklyn peninsula, which includes the neighborhood of Coney Island, is also vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat, which disproportionately affects New Yorkers of color.

Sandy’s significance

Restoring Coney Island’s shoreline became a priority after Superstorm Sandy, the catastrophic storm that killed more than 40 New

Yorkers and caused approximately $19 billion in damage in the city. The disaster left Staten Island, as well as peninsulas such as southern Brooklyn, Red Hook, and the Rockaways, in deep water.

Superstorm Sandy whirled the city into the center of the cataclysmic effects of powerful storms and what’s to come. Abby Jordan, the other instructor with the wooden sticks and the climate science education program manager at the National Wildlife Federation, lives in Brighton Beach. She survived Sandy when she was an 18-year-old student at Hunter College. Water burst through her windows, leaving her and her family waist-deep in floods.

“That leaves a mark on you, and that was a very traumatic experience,” she said. Jordan was left with no electricity or heat for months. She remembers completing midterms by using the light of her stove for power. Lack of internet meant she printed everything at the school library. She said communities on the Brooklyn peninsula that include Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Sea Gate, and Manhattan Beach were devastated during Sandy. Hundreds of patients were evacuated from the former Coney Island Hospital. About 400 NYCHA buildings across the city were pummeled in the storm, including the Coney Island Houses, Gravesend, and O’Dwyer Gardens.

18

Students from Harlem Renaissance High School plant protective beach grass in Coney Island. The nearby housing projects were especially hard hit during Superstorm Sandy.

Middle and high schoolers from across the city trekked to Brooklyn to plant grass on Coney Island’s beaches. Sowing these seeds is a plan to keep southern Brooklyn safe for the next disaster.

(Gerard Gaskin photos)

Brooklyn shoreline

Continued from page 16

Boilers and generators damaged by Sandy, as well as stalled and botched repairs afterward, have left NYCHA residents without regular running water or cooking gas years after the storm. Neighborhood leaders say the area still isn’t ready for another “Sandy.”

The damage from the storm has led local leaders and advocates to find solutions that both protect and engage the community. “That kind of was the impetus to start on these projects, and to start on building resiliency,” Jordan said, “and to just start thinking a little bit more pragmatically about sustainable, holistic solutions.”

A field trip to the beach

Demetrius Gilmer grabbed a trowel from one of the bright-orange storage baskets provided by the parks department. He dug a hole about 6 inches deep and placed two strands of the beach grass in the opening before tightly compacting the sand to keep the grass

rooted. The 19-year-old alumnus of Harlem Renaissance came back to his alma mater to volunteer. Gilmer was just in grade school when Sandy ravaged the city. He wants his time here this morning to make a difference.

“I actually knew about Coney Island’s floods, and hopefully we can help change the environment.”

“I feel like all students need this,” said Anttwon Johns, an 18-year-old student at Harlem Renaissance. “They should be able to get in the field and actually experience what they’re learning about, instead of constantly just getting paper tests.”

Because dunes are left to the whims of the wind, they can erode, creep into people’s homes, and clog storm drains. Rooting beach grass, restoring oyster reefs, and preserving mangroves are examples of nature-based responses to climate change. When strong and intact, Coney Island’s dunes can serve as a barrier for storm surge, but a storm surge can wipe away a weakened dune, similar to how a sand castle vanishes after a large wave.

The rows of beach grass being planted by young New Yorkers will reinforce dunes and

potentially protect the homes just behind them from getting slammed by a storm. Even with NYC students coming to Coney Island to plant grass, though, this alone may not protect the city from the inevitable effects of climate change.

“It’s not enough,” said Jordan of dune restoration. She said the same money allocated to other parts of the city by the government to build infrastructure such as sea walls, berms, and flood gates should also be given to Coney Island.

Jordan had hope with former President Joe Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which directed resources to communities affected by historic disinvestment, but money now for neighborhoods such as Coney Island are in flux. Since taking office, the Trump administration has directed environmental justice offices under the Environmental Protection Agency to be shuttered and plans to eliminate the federal agency’s scientific research arm.

Laying groundwork

For advocates such as Jordan, this dune restoration program allows shoreline com-

munities, such as southern Brooklyn, to do something without waiting for the government. The ultimate goal of RiSC is to create a resilient shoreline. “It’s not a be-all and end-all solution,” said Emily Fano, director of climate education at the National Wildlife Federation, but it is a way for shoreline communities to protect themselves from rising seas and erosion.

After work and play in the sand and sun, students packed their gloves and trowels back into the orange baskets. Classes snapped photos by the dunes before hopping back on the school bus to go back to class.

For Jordan, the path to caring about the environment was a winding road that included a natural disaster. She hopes when the students get back home, they’ll surf the internet or find a TikTok page about climate and the environment. For her, that’s a valuable start. “At least, we were able to just sow those seeds early on.”

This story was made possible by a Climate Solutions Visual Storytelling grant from the Solutions Journalism Network.

John Delgado, the NYC Parks Dept. Wetlands Stewardship Coordinator, shows NYC public school students the best beach grass planting technique. (Gerard Gaskin photos)

Kimberley Coke from Canarsie Brooklyn, is a volunteer with the New York City Parks Dept. who helped students plant seagrass at the Coney Island beach.

Beach grass is essential to protecting the housing projects in Coney Island. Without it the protective beach would wash away, leaving the area more vulnerable to storms.

In addition to planting beach grass Jaron Serrano from Harlem Renaissance High School also took time to clean the beach.

NYC Council’s Charter Commission holds hearings on curbing mayoral powers

By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

The New York City Council Charter Revision Commission (CRC) hearings on government accountability and strengthening local democracy are underway, not to be confused with the Mayor’s CRC.

The dueling commissions kicked off last summer, when Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams went headto-head over the advice-and-consent law, among other things.

Shortly after the law’s introduction, the mayor convened his commission to change the city’s constitution, with a particular emphasis on public safety and “fiscal responsibility,” which most saw as a surreptitious way to overturn laws and knock off ballot measures he didn’t agree with. This is a common tactic, known as “bumping,” that many former New York City mayors have used.

The council retaliated with the enactment of Local Law 121 of 2024, allowing them to convene their own CRC to ultimately limit mayoral powers in the city’s constitution. The council commission is composed of 17 commissioners, nine of whom are appointed by Speaker Adams. Others are appointed by the mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and five borough presidents. The council commission is co-chaired by District Council 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido and New York Urban League President & CEO Arva Rice.

“These hearings have continued our effort to solicit proposals from policy experts and the public on substantial, effective amendments to the city charter,” said Garrido. “The charter is our city’s foundational document. Because the charter plays a vital role in establishing the structure and procedures of city government, it shapes how decisions are made on a wide range of issues affecting everyday New Yorkers. The commission has been in panel to conduct a thorough review of the charter and craft proposals to be put

before the voters. While this commission was convened via local law passed by the City Council, we are an independent body, [and] regardless of the merits of any proposals that can be achieved by local llaw, we will not likely consider any proposals that weaken local democracy.”

So far, the council’s CRC has discussed issues of land use, affordable housing, tenant protections, displacement, lack of community voice in development decisions, and transparency with the city budget.

The hearing on Monday, May 19, held on the John Jay College campus, saw testimony from electeds such as Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Councilmember Gale Brewer, Councilmember Pierina Sanchez, and State Senator Liz Krueger. They discussed their ideas for improving the mayoral removal process, the mayor’s power to appoint leaders on the Board of Corrections (BOC) and the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), and limiting the mayor’s executive and emergency powers.

“The office of the public advocate acts as a watchdog to ensure that city agencies are efficient and effective as mandated by the people of New York, as set forth in Section 24 of the New York City charter,” said Williams. “The office also investigates and resolves constituent complaints relating to the services provided by these agencies. As the second-highest ranking elected official in the city, however, my ability to fully serve New Yorkers can be undermined by the existing language.”

Williams suggested that the public advocate’s office be given timely access to documents and subpoena powers to speed up investigations and avoid lengthy lawsuits.

He added in his testimony that the BOC should receive a minimum budget tied to 1% of the expense budget of the Department of Corrections (DOC), to allow for better oversight.

As the public advocate, Williams is in the unique position of being interim mayor

NO ONE SHOULD DIE OF AN OVERDOSE.

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For emotional support or substance use services, call or text 988 or visit nyc.gov/988.

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Public Advocate Jumaane Williams testifiesd at New York City Commission to Strengthen

Local Democracy hearing on Monday, May 19, on John Jay College campus.

(Ariama C. Long photo)

Arts & Entertainment

DanceAfrica presents ‘Mozambique: Movement! Magic! Manifestation!’

By ZITA ALLEN Special to the AmNews

As the 18 members of the National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique move across the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s (BAM) fourth-floor rehearsal studio, their bodies mirroring the compelling rhythms of the drummers and other musicians clustered at the far end of the room, they dance with such forcefulness that the floor shakes and the room is electric. It is clear DanceAfrica Artistic Director Abdel Salaam has made a thrilling choice for this year’s annual cultural celebration.

“Mozambique: Movement! Magic! Manifestation!” headlines the dance performance series at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, which runs from May 23–26 and is the centerpiece of this festive event, founded by Baba Chuck Davis. This year, it highlights the history, movement, and traditions of Mozambique, where artistic expression is a powerful form of cultural memory, spiritual connection, and resilience. Under the artistic direction of Abdel R. Salaam, this year’s performance features traditional works — including the annual Memorial Tribute to the Ancestors. The internationally recognized Song & Dance Company of Mozambique will be showcased alongside Mama Coumba Saaraba, the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, and the Billie’s Youth Arts Academy Dance Ensemble.

The dance program is only one of the many highlights of a full slate of performances, films, dance classes, and community events over Memorial Day weekend.

“We auditioned five companies,” Salaam said in explaining part of the complex process involved in choosing whom to include when DanceAfrica, BAM’s longest-running program and the nation’s largest festival of African dance and culture, returns for its 48th year. “Mozambique is celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence from colonialism under Portugal.”

Salaam said that inviting this East African company to perform was meant to “expose New York’s DanceAfrica audiences to different places on the continent” and

was also very timely. Mozambique gained its independence 50 years ago, on June 25, 1975, as a result of organized resistance against centuries of Portuguese colonial rule. Mozambique followed the lead of a host of continental African nations (including Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Gambia, Nigeria,

Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Zaire — formerly Belgian-held Belgian Congo, among others) in breaking the chains of exploitation of their human and natural resources and reclaiming their sovereignty and their culture.

Artistic Director Abel Fumo and Producer Lindo Cuna described

the performance of dances that will reflect Mozambique’s history, spirituality, and resilience while serving as a powerful force in the process of knitting together the people of the country’s many multicultural, multi-lingua provinces.

“Mozambique is a very

big country,” said Abel, “and we are bringing 35 minutes of nonstop dance and music from many different provinces in our country. We are bringing Xigubo, a warrior’s dance, that is deeply rooted in Mozambique’s legacy of resistance, and historically performed by fighters preparing for battle. Then there is Tufo, for the ladies, where they show us beautiful, fluid movements and percussive clapping. Ngalanga is a celebratory dance traditionally showcased at festivals and gatherings, embodying joy and communal spirit.”

The program also includes Mapiko, a mask dance from Cape Legado, in the north of Mozambique, and Nyau, dances that highlight Mozambique’s diverse traditions — from the dramatic storytelling of masked performances to the powerful rhythms of drumming and movement.

Underscoring the power of dance in nation-building, Lindo said dance has played a major role in the process by recalling a legendary moment when the country was embroiled in a decade-long civil war and the dance company gave a performance in the war zone. “I wasn’t there, but as the story goes, the company arrived and the fighters, armed with guns, told them, ‘If you are coming for political reasons, you will die.’ What happened was because the dance speaks to everyone, at the end of the show, all of them put down their guns and were dancing with the company because we were talking about peace, not fighting among brothers. That was where the people saw that the company can teach using the dance, and even someone who doesn’t speak the language can understand the message.”

Dancer, choreographer, and teacher Maria José Gonçalves, a 33-year veteran of the company, started training with the National Dance School when she was 8 years old and, in addition to performing with the company, also teaches ballet, modern, and traditional dance. In describing the critically important role the dance plays in the community, she said, “Over the years, the company helped inform people

DanceAfrica Master Class, 2024. (Nate Langston Palmer photo)

DanceAfrica Bazaar, 2024. (Tony Turner photo)

Dance Africa

Continued from page 21

about diseases like malaria and AIDS. For example, at a time when some people in some parts of Mozambique didn’t have information about AIDS, we took this piece called Amatodox around the country to remote places to enlighten them. Amatodox refers to a man who likes all the women. It was interesting how the people understood the message about AIDS because we made the information accessible by using traditional dances to help save lives.”

While the messages might change over the years, Abdel Salaam said, “What strikes me is that in very challenging times, this company shows what we all need: the spirit of activism and the sense of community that led them to their independence and rebirth. It is the very thing that DanceAfrica attempts to do every year and what it was created for by Baba Chuck Davis, who was, among other things, a cultural ambassador.

“I’ve been involved in DanceAfrica since its inception and when Baba Chuck transitioned, that he and the ancestors opened the way for me to be a part of this rich lineage is so special. Chuck always told me, ‘Do it your way, but make sure that you balance out the im-

portance of tradition while emphasizing the importance of who we are now, because Africa is dynamic, the diaspora is dynamic, and you have to understand who we are now to see where we are going.’”

In that spirit, DanceAfrica 2025 continues the tradition of being a vibrant community event that extends beyond the stage, offering experiences in dance classes, film screenings, art, and cultur-

al exchange in community with the Billie Holiday Theatre at Restoration Plaza, Weeksville Heritage Center, Mark Morris Dance Center, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), and Film Festival.

DanceAfrica Bazaar transforms the streets around BAM into a vibrant marketplace with more than 200 vendors, while dance classes offer hands-on engagement with African movement traditions. This year’s festival also features a new visual arts installation by Mozambican artist Cassi Namoda, presented with MoCADA, along with an artist talk where Namoda will discuss her work and creative process in conversation with Amy Andrieux, the organization’s executive director

FilmAfrica, curated by the African Film Festival, returns with a selection of films from across the continent, adding to the festival’s immersive exploration of African and diasporic culture.

For the full DanceAfrica 2025 lineup, tickets, and registration for free events, visit BAM.org.

DanceAfrica 2024 celebrations. (Tony Turner photos)

The Song & Dance Company of Mozambique.

Netflix’s ‘Forever’ — the fierce urgency of Black teenage love

By MARK WINSTON GRIFFITH Special to the AmNews

It’s rare to find fully realized Black teenage love on screen. The last 40 years of cinema is strewn with teen romances, but they consist mostly of straight white leads (often accompanied by a Black and/or gay sidekick) who follow some variation of the boy-finds/loses/finds-girl story arc. Even in contemporary television series like “All American” and “Bel-Air,” the intentional centering of young Black (straight and queer) relationships and Black cultural settings feels more like paint-by-the-numbers marketing choices than authentic explorations of Black life.

Created by television veteran Mara Brock Akil, whose credits include “Girlfriends,” “Moesha,” and “The Jamie Foxx Show,” the Netflix Series “Forever” doesn’t so much escape the dictates of the teenage romance genre as endow it with flesh-and-blood and a cultural currency that Black audiences, in particular, can recognize and appreciate.

Our star-crossed lovers are high schoolers Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone) and Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.), who are each ricocheting their own way through quintessential high school drama, the college admissions process, and power struggles with their parental units.

Because it’s loosely — and I mean loosely — adopted from the 1975 Judy Blume novel of the same name, it has both the ambition and DNA of Blume’s coming-of-age stories, which is to say it sensitively renders teenage interior life with complexity and agency on a pop culture scale.

Continuing the comparison to “All American” and “Bel-Air,” the dynamics of the show are similarly set in motion by the burdens of Black excellence that are carried by Gen Z kids born to Gen X strivers.

Keisha and Justin both attend elite Los Angeles high schools, but their lives are shaped by a distinct set of high-pressure

conditions. Keisha, who lives in a modest apartment, is a straight-A track star on a single-minded quest to earn a scholarship at an HBCU (Howard). Justin, who lives in high-priced comfort in Park-Windsor Hills, is struggling mightily with ADHD and his uncertain basketball prospects, is being pushed by his mother to be a legacy admit at a PWI (Northwestern, Mara Brock Akil’s alma mater). It says something about the expectations that come with their lives that Justin is universally considered “lost” because, at 17, he is unsure what career path to pursue or which elite university to choose from.

Thankfully, Simone and Cooper have enough chemistry to make the connection between the confident Keisha and awkward Justin believable and compelling, which comes in handy when we watch them make a series of knuckle-headed decisions, like reflexively blocking each other

on their phone whenever their relationship hits a snag. (Blume is known for having frank conversations about teenage sexuality, but by the modern day standards of “Euphoria” and “Sex Education,” the sexual explicitness in “Forever” feels innocuous.)

As mature and emotionally advanced as they show themselves to be, like the vulnerability they submit to, or the ways in which they each shoulder the presence of a lifealtering incident in Keisha’s life, the underdeveloped portions of their teenage brains are consistently on full display.

Keisha’s and Justin’s parents are not provided with extensively developed backstories of their own, but, owing mostly to strong supporting performances, they are much more than simple foils for the central characters. Xosha Roquemore gives Keisha’s mother, Shelly, the requisite amount of resilience and maternal wisdom, but the script provides more oxygen for Jus-

tin’s parents, played by Karen Pittman and Wood Harris. In a lesser actor’s hand, Dawn might be a one-note, fire-breathing Tiger Mom, but Pittman is formidable in a more multi-dimensional way while allowing just enough softness to seep through to make Dawn a mostly sympathetic character. It doesn’t hurt that Harris’ Eric is seemingly heaven-sent to balance Dawn’s hard-driving approach. Harris has never been more comfortable in a role, arguably his strongest since “The Wire,” and his breezily charismatic presence lifts and lightens every scene he’s in. Eric’s earthy wisdom, along with the grace and advocacy he extends to his children, represent the kind of post-Cliff Huxtable fatherhood we all deserve.

“Forever” is pointedly set in the years leading right up to the start of the COVID pandemic, effectively adding an element of foreboding to the story and unsuspecting characters. This is increasingly the case when we learn that there is a scheduled second season of “Forever,” which would carry the story beyond where Blume ended it and subject Keisha and Jusin’s dreams and relationship to the Zoom-filled, maskcovered spaces of the coming plague. In fact, in the final moments of the last episode, there is a sudden rush of sagacity and maturity from Keisha and Justin that belie their years, as if the characters received a memo from the future to get it together before it becomes really hard to sustain a relationship.

Until that moment, I interpreted the series title “Forever” as an ironic take on the naivete of teenagers who believe that their romance will never die. Perhaps, though, it was a heads-up to viewers like me who were silly enough to believe that Netflix would complete the story in the purposeful way that Blume intended, instead of extending and draining the story for everything it’s worth. In the world of entertainment, love may indeed come to an end, but lucrative franchises are interminable.

Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark and Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards in “Forever.”

Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards, Wood Harris as Eric, and Karen Pittman as Dawn in “Forever.” (Netflix/Elizabeth Morris photos)

Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark and Xosha Roquemore as Shelly Clark in “Forever.”

Black Girl Magic Ball celebrated its 8th year

By MARIELLE ARGUEZA Special to the AmNews

In many ways, Mahogany L. Browne’s poem “Black Girl Magic” was a call for all Black girls to realize their potential. But Browne’s work was also a reminder of the legacy of excellence Black girls come from. The poem eventually inspired a gala event — The Black Girl Magic Ball. Years later, on May 13 at Lincoln Center, it celebrated its eighth iteration. And true to its roots, it remained a celebration of creativity and lineage.

Guests dressed head to toe in colorful ensembles that expressed their creativity. Some coordinated their wigs with their dresses, while others draped themselves in gold chains and rocked Timberland boots. Despite the dreary day outside, everything glittered in the atrium space, where Brooklyn-based and Chicago-raised DJ PINKKY set the tone, fittingly spinning a soundtrack made entirely by Black artists.

Browne approached the mic and reinforced the tone of the ball: “I want this to be like church!” She continued in her iconic spoken word annunciation: “This is where laughter is a revolution, where love wears locks, holds gold or silver hoops and a righteous

strut. We are not just celebrating a moment. We are honoring a movement stitched together by our stories, our scars, our singing voices, our boundless brilliance and oh, what brilliance we hold in this room tonight.”

The ball honored five Black women artists and trailblazers in the creative field, along with one “Ally Honoree:” Nona Hendryx, Sade Lythcott, Maori Holmes, Rachel Cargle, Pascale Sablan, and ally honoree Jason Reynolds. All were presented with awards throughout the night.

Hendryx — best recognized as a member of the trio Labelle — is celebrated for her electrifying performances and genre-defying sound as a singer, songwriter, and award-winning producer. She rose to fame with the groundbreaking group Labelle, known for their hit “Lady Marmalade,” before launching a solo career that fused funk, rock, and new wave. Beyond music, Hendryx is also known for her multimedia collaborations and advocacy for social justice and women’s rights.

Lythcott is a self-proclaimed “theater person.” More importantly, she is the CEO of the National Black Theatre in Harlem, where she leads one of the oldest Black theaters in the country.

Under her leadership, the institution has expanded its programming and forged partnerships with cultural powerhouses like The Apollo and Lincoln Center. Lythcott is also a Tony Award-winning producer, recognized for her commitment to amplifying Black voices in the performing arts.

Holmes is a filmmaker, curator, and CEO of BlackStar Projects, a nonprofit that elevates the work of independent Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists globally. She is the founder of the BlackStar Film Festival — often called “the Black Sundance” — and has curated for institutions including MoMA and the Whitney Museum. Holmes also hosts the podcast “Many Lumens,” where she explores the creative lives of visionary artists.

Cargle is a writer, lecturer, and founder of The Loveland Foundation, which provides therapy support for Black women and girls. Her debut book “A Renaissance of Our Own” blends memoir and manifesto to explore identity, liberation, and personal growth. Through her popular platform The Great Unlearn, she creates accessible education on race, feminism, and wellness.

Sablan is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA). She is an award-winning architect

and a leading advocate for equity in design. She is the founder of Beyond the Built Environment, which highlights diverse designers through exhibitions like Say It Loud. With over 15 years of experience and work on major projects globally, Sablan is also the youngest African American woman elevated to the AIA College of Fellows. Ally Honoree Reynolds is a New York Times best-selling author whose books for young readers tackle issues of race, identity, and resilience. His acclaimed works include “Long Way Down,” “Ghost,” and “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” co-authored with Ibram X. Kendi. Reynolds has served as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and is known for connecting deeply with youth through storytelling that is both honest and empowering. He was the only man to receive an award that night, and Browne hailed his work for raising funds for fellow Black women.

While the crowd roared each time an honoree walked the stage, the gala also featured performances by multi-talented performer and musician Shyvonne, a choreographer from the youth dancers of Brooklyn-based AbunDance, and an original spoken

word poem by NYC Poet Laureate Kai Giovanni.

In an event all about celebrating artistic and creative achievement and lineage, Giovanni represents both. They are the grandchild of the late Nikki Giovanni and are the Urban Word NYC youth poet laureate for 2024–2025. The Black Girl Magic Ball is in part held to raise funds for Urban Word.

The program helps youth engage and express themselves through literary art and created the Youth Laureate Program in 2008. Like in many cities, the poet laureate program selects a young poet annually, not only to represent the program but also to participate in four weeks of intensive poetry courses. Laureates also gain opportunities for high-profile publishing deals and to compete in regional competitions.

“The Youth Laureate Program allows young people who are into poetry, across the nation,” said Urban Word Executive Director Melisha Jackman to AmNews. “It’s not just a way to come together, but to name things, people, society, and to give people that New York taste, all over the nation, for as many young people as possible. It’s a way to get our poetry out of New York, and bring it to a bigger scale.”

Dr. Mahogany L. Browne poses with honoree Pascale Sablan, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a leading advocate for equity in design. (Marielle Argueza photos)

Giovanni performs for the crowd. Giovanni is Urban Word NYC’s Youth Poet Laureate for 2024-2025.

Dr. Mahogany L. Browne, founder of the Black Girl Magic Ball, poses for the cameras at the event’s eighth iteration.

‘The Imaginary Invalid’ is delightful — and free! — in Prospect Park thru May 25

BY LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

“The Imaginary Invalid” is being presented with a rich imagination at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Free to the public, this telling of Moliere’s delightful comedy, combining a story, humor, and dance (originally ballet, hip-hop is now the bill of fare), has been creatively and endearingly translated and directed by Lucie Tiberghien.

In partnership with Prospect Park Alliance, Moliere in the Park gives us all a great treat as we experience the story of the rich, but foolish Argan, who claims to be at death’s door and who constantly lets a quack physician, Dr. Purgon, prescribe enemas for him. Argan is trying to marry off his daughter, Angelique, to a doctor, so that he can have a doctor in the family at his disposal, but Angelique has met another man and has rapidly fallen in love with him. Argan, a generally miserable person, often verbally abuses Toinette, his servant. Toinette, however, is no shrinking violet: she not only will argue with Argan, but chastises him about his life decisions and treatment of Angelique. Ar-

gan’s wife, Beline, is not married to him for love; while he is fooled by her motivations, she is blatant about her wants and desires to others around her. Argan also has a sister, Beralde, who tries to tell him how gullible he is when it comes to his doctors. There’s quite a lot going on with this story and it is

amusing to behold, and the insults fly rapidly among the characters. Bringing a funny play like this to fruition takes a skilled, hilarious cast that has perfect comedic timing, tone, and gestures, and who never misses a beat. This is exactly what you get with this marvelous cast.

Sahr Ngaujah, whom we all recognize from “FELA!,” is exceptionally funny and fabulously cast as Argan, setting the pace from the opening scene and keeping the momentum going. Rory Furey-King is splendidly cast as Toinette. She is quick witted, quick tongued and often underappreciated by Argan, but she also orchestrates the events that follow as Argan tries to figure out his life. Shayvawn Webster is engaging as Angelique, who tries to figure out how to assert her opinion and convince her father she should be pleased with the man she marries — instead of marrying to benefit him. Naomi Lorrain is very versatile in two roles as Thomas, a doctor hoping to wed Angelique; and as Beralde, Argan’s sister. Mary Bacon is captivating as Beline, Argan’s wife. Her disdain for Argan is palpable. Doron JePaul is delightful as Cleante. Donte Bonner portrays four roles with distinction and humor. Omari Chancellor does well as Souffleur. Cal Hunt has the moves as choreographer and dancer, bringing a hip-hop flair. Johnathan Moore provides lovely musical accompaniment as composer and cellist.

The production will only run through May 25. For tickets visit moliereinthepark.com.

‘Goddess’ is a celestial, theatrical, soul-soaring gift

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

My soul is still soaring from the gift I received at the Public Theater by experiencing “Goddess.”

This new musical is a gift from the gods that will make your spirit and heart ascend to the heavens, in a matter of speaking. It has an extraordinary, superb book by Saheem Ali, with additional material by James Ijames. Ali also delivers perfect direction to this enticing story. The intoxicating music and lyrics are by Michael Thurber, who also does orchestration. The splendid Africanthemed choreography is the delightful, electric work of Darrell Grand Moultrie.

The musical, set in Mombasa, Kenya, tells the mythological origin story of Marimba, the goddess of music. The audience learns of her existence and her coming to Earth to share her love of music with humans. The musical shows how music is a deeply rooted part of who we are as people and demonstrates the power and beauty of music, song, and dance in our lives.

Ali is Kenyan-born and has a strong connection to the power of song and dance in the lives of our people. There is a connection that we all share through music, song, and dance that shows we have more in common than we may think. The respect, love, and understanding of the power of music and the human spirit is something stunning to behold. The delectable com-

bination of heart-pounding music, voices that make your spirit shake, and choreography that has you wanting to dance at your seat is more than enough reason to see this superb musical.

The musical takes place in an Afro-Jazz club called Moto Moto, where the people love their music and dance, and come together to let their true selves thrive. The club has a singer, Nadira, who inspires, enchants, and thrills the people. Omari, the governor’s son and a gifted saxophone player and singer, visits the club in secret and finds himself on a journey to self-awareness.

“Goddess” has an engaging storyline involving love, unrequited love, danger,

self-denial, and the questioning of family loyalties. Even though a myth, it has a realistic conclusion.

The cast is out-of-this-world talented! Amber Iman as Nadira is sublime. Her voice is truly awe-inspiring, her vocal gifts immeasurable. Austin Scott is charming, conflicted, and gripping as Omari. Arica Jackson as Rashida is a funny, sassy, strong woman. Nick Rashad Burroughs delivers a marvelous, delightful performance as Ahmed. Reggie D. White is enthralling as Balozi. J. Paul Nicholas is mesmerizing as Hassan. Ayana George Jackson delivers a powerful performance as Siti. Destinee Rea is memorable as Cheche. Jason

Bowen is tortured and defiant as Madongo. The three women who play the Griotrio — Melessie Clark, Teshomech Olenia, and Awa Sal Secka — are absolutely stunning as they move the musical storyline along. The vocal talents of the entire cast are astronomical. Members of the Griot Ensemble are fantastic and fabulous in both their singing and, of course, their dance performances. They include Brandon Alvion, Zachary Downer, Quiantae Mapenzi Johnson, Christina Joens, Isio-Maya Nuwere, Jasmin Richardson, Teddy Trice, and Wade Watson. I don’t normally name all the ensemble members, but I had to because every person on that stage is integral in the supreme delivery of this most captivating, inspiring, and amazingly creative musical.

On the technical side, everyone is on the same page to deliver a — dare I say — perfect musical that makes your very soul stir. These talented individuals include set designer Arnulfo Maldonado, costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Bradley King, sound designer Nevin Steinberg, special Tony Award-winning hair and wig designer Nikiya Mathis, and puppet designer Julian Crouch.

Make plans to see this musical ASAP because you will want to go back several times with friends and family before June 1, when, sadly, it will end. Inspiration, spiritual enrichment, and soul-raising performances are waiting for you at the Public. For tickets, visit publictheater.org.

Sahr Ngaujah and Naomi Lorrain in “The Imaginary Invalid” playing at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park. (Russ Rowland photo)

Austin Scott and Amber Iman in “Goddess,” playing at the Public Theater. (Joan Marcus photo)

Molière in the Park’s ‘The Imaginary Invalid’: A conversation with Sahr Ngaujah

By MARK WINSTON GRIFFITH Special to the AmNews

For all the love that summer in New York gets, spring is really where it’s at. The weather is nonoppressive, free outdoors events have started to appear, and New Yorkers have already begun to light up the parks.

Molière in the Park checks all of those boxes. Since 2019, this world-class production house has brought the works of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, the 17th-century playwright, actor, and poet known as Molière, to Prospect Park. This year, from May 8–25, at the LeFrak Center, Molière in the Park is presenting the last work Molière wrote and performed in: “The Imaginary Invalid,” directed and translated by Lucie Tiberghien.

If the idea of getting steeped in classical French theater and comédie-ballet does not sound like an enthralling evening, au contraire, mon ami. Like Shakespeare in the Park, Molière in the Park productions are culturally relevant and designed to be accessible, whether or not you happened to have already read the play in question in preparation for an 11th-grade AP exam. Unlike Shakespeare in the Park, the language of Molière, at least the way it has been translated by Tibeghien, is modern and immediately accessible. Meanwhile, scoring tickets does not require a day-long excursion.

Most importantly, the show is a pure hoot. Not only is it socially insightful and raucously funny about things like the medical industrial complex and marriage, but it features show-stopping movement and vocal performances. Fearless in breaking the fourth wall, “The Imaginary Invalid” is intent on entertaining the audience, not condescending to it. I had a chance to sit down with Sahr Ngaujah, who plays the play’s titular invalid, Argan, as part of a mostly Black cast. Ngaujah has had a long and distinguished career in theater and television, with his most notable credits being Tony-nominated turns in “Fela!” and ““Moulin Rouge” on Broadway. Having seen both “Fela!” and actual Fela Kuti performances multiple times myself, not to mention having attended a Mother’s Day evening performance of “The Imaginary Invalid,” I was particularly excited to chop it up with Ngaujah. AmNews: First, let me just tell you

that I saw you in “Fela!” In fact, I saw “Fela!” three times, and it remains the single most satisfying experience I’ve ever had on Broadway. Sahr Ngaujah (SN): Oh, man. Thank you so much. Thanks for telling me that.

AmNews: Your performance was not only mesmerizing, but you brilliantly captured Fela’s revolutionary bad-boy charisma. If you look at the trajectory of your career so far, what significance do you feel that role had for you?

SN: It was life-changing. Definitely career-defining. I went to see the premiere of Bill T. Jones’ [the dancer/choreographer who conceived, directed, and choreographed “Fela!” on Broadway] show “Still/Here” at BAM a few months ago. He did not know I was going to be in attendance, and I went to the reception and stood next to him. He was gripping my hand, holding me close, and said in my ear, “Sahr, I’m really happy to see you. That show we did together was the most powerful show I’ve ever done in my life.” Or something in that ballpark. My point is, if it was a big deal for Bill T. Jones, you can imagine that it was a big deal for me.

AmNews: You may be a little bit too young for this, but did you ever get a chance to see Fela perform yourself? How much did he figure in your life and imagination?

SN: He wasn’t performing while I was growing up, but he played a major role in my upbringing and in my understanding of music and of African music. My parents are music lovers and musicians in their own right. My father’s a West African man from Sierra Leone, and Fela is the poster child of cool, especially for guys of my father’s generation, so I grew up with that, and I was floored when I had the opportunity to participate in the development of the play. It was intimidating, but I worked as hard as I … could every single day. It’s a part of my life now and I’m still in touch and close with Fela’s family. They made it very clear to me that I would always be a part of their family, whether I liked it or not. And I do like it [laughter].

AmNews: You’ve been a bit of a globetrotter, right? You worked in Atlanta, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Johannesburg. How do you compare those theater experiences with that of New York?

SN: I was involved with a troupe. At the time, it was called the

Freddie Hendrix Youth Ensemble of Atlanta; now it’s the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, but it was based in a theater called Seven Stages. Seven Stages was the hub of international theater in Atlanta and it was deeply steeped in Theater of the Absurd, highly experimental theater, so I was completely immersed in that world at the age of 15, until I moved to Europe. [I] was exposed to companies from all over the world. We would do workshops and engage in the techniques and the practices of those theater companies. The work in Johannesburg also happened at a very early age — I was in my late teens — but of all the companies that were coming through Seven Stages, the Dutch theater for me was the most fascinating. There was something about the way they dealt with scenic design or architecture and with design in general — the way costumes were constructed, the relationship to the audience, to the fourth wall, to story, and how a story was built or constructed or deconstructed. There was something that was just light years

United States?

SN: What we used in building the “Fela!” production has now become an industry standard, as in we offered the commercial theater industry a new tool that didn’t really exist before, which has brought the music industry and the commercial theater industry together. Now there is a template or a basis for how to tell the story of a music artist or a group of music artists, and you now have shows like “MJ the Musical” and “Buena Vista Social Club.” Much of that came from the construct that we created to build “Fela!” AmNews: How did you get to “The Imaginary Invalid”? What was it about the script and role that intrigued you? How did you get involved in the production?

away from everything else that I saw. I said, What in the world is the starting point? And what are they drinking there? What are they eating? What are they smoking …

AmNews: And where can I get some [laughter]?

SN: Right [laughter]. I ended up living in the Netherlands for almost all of my 20s into my early 30s, until Bill T. Jones brought me to New York. I didn’t really have any intention of coming back to the States. Honestly, I had a different trajectory in mind, but he got me back.

I’ve been in New York now for almost 20 years, but that [international work] had a massive impact on me. I worked as an actor and collaborator with a few very important theaters, but also began directing theater there. I became known there more as a director, theater maker, and eventually as a party promoter, rather than an actor, because I was quite busy with finding ways of bringing codes of theater, concert, club, and film environments into the same space.

AmNews: How did you bring that sensibility and approach to the

SN: I got a phone call and an offer. First of all, I don’t live far from Prospect Park and the spring is a very special time. I have a son who is almost 5 years old, so it’s our backyard and it’s an incredible place to spend time. I’d heard of Molière in the Park. I never saw a show or a reading, but I thought it was really cool that Brooklyn has Molière and Manhattan has Shakespeare. When they called me, however, I had been on a two-year hiatus from theater work, partly to focus on raising my son and being available to my wife and my family. I hadn’t read “The Imaginary Invalid” at the time. I listened to an audio reading of it, and I started watching tapes of many different productions of it, from all over the world. I fell in love with the story, and took a deeper dive into Molière’s life than I ever had before, and became completely captivated by him and his journey. There was not a lot of time between getting the offer and starting rehearsals. I got the call about two weeks out from the start of rehearsal, and I was like, “Which role do you want me to play?” When they said, “Argan,” I was like, “Whoa, wait a minute, there are 50-plus pages of lines here, man!” But I took it anyway. I have a lot of respect for what Lucie is doing — the fact that she’s offering free theater in Prospect Park. Molière’s work and the placement that it had in France, when he made it, made it also feel like it was important to play a part in bringing this work to the city of New York, the borough of Brooklyn, and Prospect Park.

Sahr Ngaujah, star of Moliere in the Park’s “The Imaginary Invalid.”

CCNY Place Memory & Culture, New Heritage Theatre Group,

and more celebrate preservation and place in Harlem

(Contributed press release)

The CCNY Place Memory & Culture Incubator (PMCI) at the Spitzer School of Architecture recently hosted an outdoor exhibition event at 135th Street with partners that included the New Heritage Theatre, Schomburg Center, Harlem YMCA, Harlem Cultural Archives, and newly relaunched Yoruba Cultural Center.

The multi-site activation, culminating at the New Heritage The-

atre Group’s offices and adjacent lot, marked the end of this spring’s “Generative Histories Harlem” course collaboration, the flagship curriculum tied to the Mellon-supported Place Memory & Culture Incubator project, now in its second year. Spitzer School of Architecture undergraduate students, alongside local stakeholders, set up numerous installations and site-specific workshops at historic sites along 135th, including Harlem Hospital, the Schomburg Center, Harlem

YMCA, and New Heritage Theatre Group’s offices. The activations ranged from posters and zines inspired by Malcolm X to a virtual reality display that allows viewers to walk through time and experience the Harlem YMCA when historic figures like Langston Hughes stayed and gathered there. The day ended at the lot next to the giant mural of jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, with music and performances by local artists Luther Isler and Cruz Angel. Undergraduate architecture

and design students staged interactive installations that engaged passersby with Central Harlem’s living history — some of which that is rapidly disappearing from the built environment. Guests included Voza Rivers, head of the New Heritage Theatre; Glenn Hunter, Harlem Cultural Archive; Katherine Alotta, Harlem YMCA; Kevin Matthews, deputy director of the Schomburg Center; and Imani Rashid, Yoruba Cultural Center. The community-partnered

course was coordinated by Professor Jerome Haferd, architect, Spitzer faculty member, and PMCI co-director, along with four other faculty members and the PMCI team. Dean Marta Gutman co-directs the project with Haferd. It began in fall 2023 and seeks to engage the Harlem community and expand preservation practice through a number of initiatives that are made possible through the grant’s support. For more info, visit ssa.ccny.cuny.edu.

Swarovski Foundation’s Creatives for Our Future ceremony honors fourth cohort of youth innovators

By LEAH MALLORY Special to the AmNews

The Swarovski Foundation held its 2025 Creatives for Our Future ceremony, celebrating its fourth cohort of youth innovators at the United Nations headquarters on Thursday, April 24.

The Creatives for Our Future program, created by the Swarovski Foundation in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, recognizes the creativity and designs of six young people, ages 21-30, worldwide for their sustainable solutions to global inequalities. It awards them €20,000 each – approximately 22,830 USD – to continue their efforts, along with professional mentorship and educational support for a year.

“It’s great to know someone believes in my idea,” said 23-yearold Indonesian product designer and fourth cohort member, Azra Firmansyah.

Firmansyah’s design, Svaika, is a wearable device allowing deaf individuals to experience music by transforming audio signals into physical vibrations. Through touch, users can feel rhythms and beats, allowing them to enjoy the musical experience.

He said that with the financial support from the Swarovski Foundation, he could take his design from a prototype to a tangible solution for those who need it.

“I’ve been working on this for my final year university thesis for one year, and I have virtually very limited funding. So back then I could only present to my professor in university a proof of concept, and a dummy model,” he said. “I really

believe [with Swarovski funding] I can make this happen by the end of this program.”

The idea, he said, came from his love for languages. Firmansyah learned Indonesian sign language, allowing him to network and connect with deaf friends, who often lack sufficient support and visibility in the country, he said.

He plans to involve them in every step of the design process.

“This is where I try to contribute to elevating their voices and their stories and everything because, well, this needs to be brought to attention. They are a cultural group, not just a condition. It’s a culture. They all have their own

language,” he said. “I want them to try on and test [Svaika], see what they hear, and see the feedback, and hopefully it can improve the design of the project.”

23-year-old architect and designer Blossom Eromosele from Nigeria, also a part of the 2025 cohort, was awarded for her AllSpace Modular Homes. The solarpowered housing units, modeled after traditional African huts, are crafted from recycled materials and provide shelter to refugees. Currently, Eromosele said she is focusing her efforts on northern Nigeria, an area facing conflict and housing insecurity. She has already developed multiple units,

but the funding from the Swarovski Foundation would enable her to create more.

“We want to see how we can have a community of sustainable homes. We want to give these people more than just a house — we want to give them a community,” she said. “We plan to extend to small models of about eight to ten, like small clusters. Doing that, we have a prototype of what a small community can be.”

She shared that growing up, her family struggled with access, and that she frequently witnessed people sleeping in the streets.

“I’m like, in a world that has so much extraordinary architecture,

why do so many lack even the most basic shelter and a roof over their heads?” she said.

Motivated by her childhood experience, she chose to study architecture in school. A few years later, she launched her company, AllSpace, to address the housing and refugee crises.

“I mean, having to lose everything in the blink of an eye is nothing anyone plans for, but the least we can do for them is give them a space where they can start from all over again,” she said.

Other projects within the cohort included transforming ocean waste into sustainable textiles and utilizing plants on polluted land to create natural dyes.

Jakhya Rahman-Corey, director of the Swarovski Foundation in London, explained that they have three pillars of focus for advancing sustainability: equity, water, and creativity. The Creatives for our Future, she said, is meant to target the efforts of younger creators in those areas, reducing obstacles to the creativity industry.

“We thought — who is hard hit in this situation? It’s the young creatives,” she said. “But we realize barriers aren’t just financial — it’s who you know, it’s your network, it’s mentoring, it’s all of that.”

The six cohort members were selected from nearly 500 applicants worldwide.

“That just shows the appetite,” said Rahman-Corey.

Over the next year, the winners will be paired with mentors and participate in online master classes until they graduate from the program in April 2026.

Blossom Eromosele gives speech at 2025 Creatives for Our Future ceremony (Leah Mallory photo)

Blossom Eromosele, 23, architect and designer, founder of AllSpace (Photo courtesy of Swarovski)

Blossom Eromosele poses next to AllSpace Modular Home unit (Photo courtesy of Swarovski)

Blue Note, Sony Hall, Smoke

In a mere two notes or less, any jazz enthusiast will recognize the astonishing, stratospheric register that is the distinct sound of the innovative trumpeter and composer Dizzy Gillespie. As a true beacon of music, he consistently dispelled the concept of jazz parameters. He, along with Charlie Parker, created the revolutionary sound of bebop — crazy chord progressions with daring improvisations based on a combination of harmonic structures, something that couldn’t be duplicated or scribbled down by those in the Apollo Theatre balcony.

With just as much hoopla, the trumpeter ushered in the Afro-Cuban jazz movement with Chano Pozo and Mario Bauza. The quick-witted musician with those pouched cheeks, scat singing with a combination of genius musicianship, should have a 10-foot monument erected in his honor.

While the great Dizzy monument is being contemplated, his legacy lives on with the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars. Together, members of the ensemble explore the trumpeter’s great repository of musical masterpieces from May 23–25 at the Blue Note jazz club (131 West 3rd Street).

The ensemble features Gillespie’s longtime bassist, musical director John Lee; trumpeter Charlie Porter; saxophonist Erena Terakubo; Brazilian pianist and vocalist Abelita Mateus; percussionist Roger Squitero; and another Dizzy alumnus, drummer Tommy Campbell. Two shows each night at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Visit bluenotejazz.com for more info.

As the so-called president and his smallminded minions continue their daily task of demolishing America’s alleged democracy, the sharp, poetic words of Saul Williams will be of some solace and perhaps a call to action. Linger in his words May 27–28 at the Blue Note.

Williams, a singer, musician, writer, and actor, was catapulted into the New York City scene during his memorable appearances on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam. His words are thought-provoking, actionprovoked, listen-think-listen-do something, don’t just sit — his words fly with too much truth to sit. His ensemble will include: percussionist Carlos Nino, drummer Malick Koly, cellist Nioka Workman, keyboards Surya Botofasina, and bassoonist Sara Achoenbeck. The ensemble will vary during the engagement.

As a writer, Williams has been published in the New York Times, Esquire, and African Voices. His writings and lesson plans featuring his work have been added to the curricula of schools and universities around the world. As a musician, he has re-

leased six albums and toured or collaborated with artists such as Nas, Janelle Monae, Nine Inch Nails, The Roots, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), and Amiri Baraka. Williams is currently working on his next album, as well as a new film project, and is featured on the latest releases by Shabaka, Kamasi Washington, and Denzel Curry. Attendance is mandatory for those not afraid of the truth! Two shows each night at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Visit bluenotejazz. com for tickets and more info.

On May 27, the centennial of NEA Jazz

Master, saxophonist and composer James Moody gains momentum as the celebration shifts to Sony Hall (235 W. 46th Street) as part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival.

The saxophonist and flautist will still be known after infinity for his “Moody’s Mood for Love,” although he did play also bebop with its architect, Dizzy Gillespie. He was a hard bopper with a swinging bluesy tone.

Some of the many musicians who will gather in celebration of Moody’s 100th birthday will include Paquito D’Rivera, Christian McBride, Terri Lyn Carrington,

Madeleine Peyroux, and Randy Brecker. For more info, visit bluenotejazz.com/jazz-festival-nyc.

Miles Davis has been written about more than most jazz musicians in history. He’s been praised, demonized, criticized, and called a genius all in the same sentence. He was just a different type of cat. For five decades, he was in the forefront of that next musical movement. He was an integral part of bebop; birth of the cool, hard bop; led the way in jazz fusion; and was recognized for his two great quintets. “Kind of Blue” (Columbia Records 1959) remains the most popular jazz albums of all time.

The Smoke Jazz Club will celebrate the life and music of the iconoclast Miles Davis May 28–June 1 (he would have been 99 on May 26). Some of those Davis standards will be performed by the quintet (all celebrated band leaders) featuring trumpeter Eddie Henderson, saxophonist Ralph Moore, pianist George Cables, bassist Peter Washington, and drummers Billy Hart (Wednesday–Thursday) & Bill Stewart (Friday–Sunday).

Henderson, who was greatly influenced by Davis, noted that “Miles was an everevolving artist, always looking to challenge the boundaries of jazz.” Hart, the legendary drummer, is the only member of the quintet who actually recorded with Miles on his album “On the Corner” (Columbia, 1972). “Miles was always about pushing boundaries and exploring new ideas,” said Hart. “Playing with him was an education, a constant reminder of the power of innovation.” Nightly sets are at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. with additional 10:30 p.m. sets on Friday and Saturday nights only. For reservations and more info, visit smokejazz.com.

Saul Williams (Andrew Gura photo)

Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars (Dervon Dixon photo)

Andre Brown maintains his innocence as he faces reimprisonment for a previously overturned sentence

By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps Member

Before Andre Brown can pursue his claim to innocence, he will fight to stay out of prison. The 48 year old faces the remaining 17 years from a double attempted murder sentence he was freed from after a successful ineffective assistance claim two years ago.

Brown spent 23 years out of a 40-year sentence in prison for a 1999 shooting which injured two men, leaving one victim paralyzed. During the original trial, his previous lawyer failed to mention a leg injury Brown was nursing when the shooting he was convicted for occured. The evidence would conflict with accounts of the perpetrator running after the victims.

The judge released him on his own recognizance, but his initial bid for innocence — which would have prevented reimprisonment — was unsuccessful. And the prosecution successfully questioned why nearly two decades passed before evidence of the leg injury surfaced.

Last winter, the courts reinstated the conviction. Brown previously prepared to surrender himself twice, but the Bronx District Attorney’s Office agreed to give his party more time, first in March, to wait out an emergency clemency petition to Gov. Kathy Hochul and then in

April, to consider resentencing based on the ineffective assistance claim.

“That motion is going to be before the judge on May 16,” said Oscar Michelen, one of Brown’s lawyers. “The district attorney has the right to oppose that motion, and their papers would be due on May 9. We’re hoping that they will not oppose the motion, but rather will consent to the motion, or at the very least not take a position either way. We’re waiting to hear back [from] them as to what their position will actually be.”

The Bronx District Attorney’s Office confirmed the prosecutors would take the extension to review the resentencing request. If granted, the motion would ostensibly prevent Brown’s reimprisonment by reducing his 40-year sentence and applying his significant time served.

“On April 23, 2025, defense counsel filed a motion asserting that representation at the original sentencing hearing was inadequate,” said a Bronx District Attorney spokesperson over email. “This new claim does not focus on actual innocence. Instead, it concerns whether Andre Brown’s trial attorney failed to present mitigating evidence at sentencing. We agreed to adjourn the case to review the motion.”

Yet Brown and his attorneys say his claim to innocence remains the end game as they currently work on preventing reimprison-

ment. While their first attempt failed, they can refile a motion to vacate the conviction if new evidence comes up. Additionally, they can petition the Bronx D.A.’s Conviction Integrity Unit, which would streamline the process.

“The narrative has never changed,” said Brown over the phone. “The minute I walked into the precinct, I continued to [profess] my innocence and say to everyone that I did not commit this crime … we’re excavating the soil, continuously looking for new evidence, reaching out to more experts.”

Michelen and Brown’s other lawyer, Jeffrey Deskovic, have long maintained they only represent clients in wrongful convictions if they believe in their innocence claim and do not simply take cases based on administra-

tive error. They said ineffective assistance was their third argument after they initially argued for Brown’s innocence as well as pointing to newly-discovered evidence. “But that’s not a technicality … we’re saying the omission that he did [by] not presenting Andre’s evidence directly ties into the innocence claim,” said Deskovic.

Their emergency clemency petition to the governor, focused more on Brown’s reentry after his prison sentence. Beyond his sterling after release, he also helped at-risk youth as a credible messenger and established a chess club and GED program.

The New York Times reported one of the shooting victims, O’Neil Virgo, died earlier this year. Virgo’s family reportedly stated that he was convinced Brown was the shooter and they opposed his 2022 release.

“We understand your pain, but I did not commit this crime,” responded Brown. “I was not that individual who caused your family that harm and caused your family that pain.”

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

Andre Brown family photo (left to right): his son AJ, Brown, daughter Trinity, and wife Tameka. (Photo courtesy of Andre Brown)

Education

Zeph Farmby is the collaborating artist for 2025’s Dumbo Drop

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

The artist Zeph Farmby is the collaborating artist for this year’s Dumbo Drop event on May 30, 2025. Farmby is partnering with the Dumbo, Brooklyn-neighborhood’s BID for this year’s Dumbo Drop, the annual fundraiser for PS307 Elementary School and The Dock Street Middle School.

The event serves as both a spectacle and a fundraiser, with proceeds supporting Dumbo’s public schools.

In one of New York City’s busiest tourist hotspots, visitors are encouraged to buy $15 tickets to attend the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. drops, when thousands of toy elephants parachute down from neighboring rooftops. With a ticket, visitors can secure a spot in the drop zone and will be able to take home a custom Farmby-designed souvenir parachute and elephant.

Zeph Farmby, who uses the tagline “God’s favorite artist,” said in a state -

ment to the AmNews that his work for the Dumbo Drop is based on an original painting he created entitled, “Seeds of Imagination.”

A 60” x 60” mixed media piece made with acrylic and oil paints on canvas, “Seeds of Imagination,” Farmby explained, “celebrates artistic freedom and the impact of different generations. The vibrant floral elements symbolize creative growth, while the fragmented yet strong portrait represents the beauty found in complexity. The silhouetted figures painted on the canvas, who are my son and daughter, emphasize that art is a dynamic exchange connecting the past, present, and future.”

On top of the parachuting elephants, the Dumbo Drop fundraiser features free kidfriendly activities under the Dumbo Archway starting at 4 p.m. The evening also features prize sweepstakes giveaways. For more information about how to participate in the Dumbo Drop visit: https:// dumbobrooklyn.square.site/

The artist Zeph Farmby, who uses the tagline “God’s favorite artist,” is the collaborating artist for this year’s Dumbo Drop event on May 30. (Zeph Farmby photo)

Flipping The Hood event focuses on real estate and economic empowerment

By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Flipping The Hood, a two-day grassroots real estate and economic empowerment event, took place at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on May 9 and 10. Led by actor-turned-developer Dr. Malik Yoba, the second annual holding of this event provided participants with opportunities for business networking, informational sessions, and a few guided spiritual regroundings. Local high school students were able to attend because of the tickets purchased by event-goers.

The conference took place on the top floor of a renovated building in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard. Yoba said he had first visited the site in 2022 and, although the space was only sparsely arranged with chairs and tables at that time, he thought it was beautiful.

“The minute I walked in and saw this view, it was a sunny day; I saw this view of New York City that I had never seen before. You got Brooklyn, you got Queens, you got Manhattan. And the first thing I thought was, ‘I want to turn this place into something that looks like a penthouse. And I want to create space. I want people who have never had the opportunity to be in these fabulous spaces to walk into some place and go, ‘I want to live here. This is how I want to live.’”

Flipping The Hood featured presentations and talks by Tawan Davis, CEO of the $500 million-dollar real estate company,

The Steinbridge Group; media personality Angela Yee; Brooklyn Nets Assistant Coach Juwan Howard; Tammy Jones of Basis Investment Group; Karine Apollon, the New York City Department of Education’s Chief Diversity Officer; and actress Naturi Naughton-Lewis.

Even in the large layout of the conference space, the event maintained a small get-together feel with participants being encouraged to greet one another. The actor-developer Yoba said he has been working on community-based development ideas since he was a teenager. Even when he was at the height of his acting career, real estate and development remained his main interests. “Being able to create space and bring people together,” he said, “I’m 57 years old; I’ve been doing this since I was a 10-year-old. People see me post and talk about development, and talk about love and creation, because I claimed I was going to be a millionaire when I was a kid.

And I made millions of dollars. The largest transaction I ever made, the largest check I ever got, was in real estate. Not film, not TV. But buying more undervalued property on the Upper West Side of Central Park for $220,000 and selling for just under a million. That was my first real estate transaction. And I was like, ‘I’m staying in this long term.’”

For more information about Flipping the Hood, visit: https://yobadevelopment. com/events/fromthegroundup/

Actor/entrepreneur Dr. Malik Yoba gave the opening address at the second annual Flipping The Hood event. (Yoba Development photo)

Health

Dr. Michelle Morse on the 5th anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown

By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA Special to the AmNews

Dr. Michelle Morse, MD, MPH, Acting Commissioner, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, spoke with the Amsterdam News for a Q&A about the 5th anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

AmNews: Can you give our readers your thoughts on the 5th anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown?

Morse: I am so glad that you are covering this. I think such an important part of the pandemic recovery is to step back and reflect on what’s different and what isn’t different now, what we learned, and what we didn’t learn. To that effect, I think on the bright side, we spent two years actually in a citywide planning effort to review everything that happened during the pandemic and the city’s response, and to come up with a series of recommendations, and learnings in a report that was just released a few weeks ago. I think that’s again the kind of rigor we need because of the expansive and profound impact of the pandemic. It took two years to come up with that citywide assessment, learning, and recommendation document.

I mentioned that because again, I think it’s really important that we do that. And then, we did an internal 18-month-long process in the health department with over 1500 of our 7000 staff engaged in a learning process about the pandemic.

AmNews: Could you talk to us about Long COVID?

Morse: I’ll start by saying that Long COVID is a real disease, and we’re also still defining it. There are over 200 symptoms that could be attributed to Long COVID. It’s a very broad collection of symptoms, and because of that, each person’s experience with Long COVID really tends to be unique and different based on their unique med-

ical history, background, and experience during one or more episodes of COVID that they had. What we do know for sure is that people who were in the intensive care unit with COVID are more likely to have Long COVID. People with more comorbidities are also more likely to have Long COVID –– women, people of color, people living in poverty. There are a number of risk factors. Those are clear for Long COVID, so those things are true, but each person’s symptoms are different. Now the definition of long COVID is having some collection of those 200 symptoms for longer than three months after having been infected with COVID. And so that definition stands, but that can mean just about anything for anyone, because the symptoms can look different. The defining factor really is that it persists … beyond three months after the infection.

AmNews: What is the future for the fight against COVID in NYC?

Morse: I think where we are now in terms of five years later ... the bright side that I see is that our rates of death and hospitalization from COVID have plummeted from 2020 until now. What we’ve also seen is that life expectancy is starting to improve. So our Healthy NYC goal is to get us to 83 years of life expectancy by 20-30, which would be the highest life expectancy in New York City’s history. And to do so equitably. We are on track to meet or exceed that goal because the rate of COVID mortality has declined significantly. Our goal was to reduce it by 60% by 2030. We have already reduced it by 48% between 2021 and 2022, and then we are planning to release our 2023 data later this year.

So those are successes and again like that success I would say is also seen in our racial equity outcomes, the rate of death for Black New Yorkers was two to three times higher at the height of the pandemic and it is now about 1.2 times higher, so not perfect but significantly reduced for COVID related mortality.

For additional resources about COVID-19, visit www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/index.page or call 311.

COVID-19 testing, masks, and vaccination resources can also be accessed on the AmNews COVID-19 page: www.amsterdamnews.com/covid/

If you are recovering from #COVID19 or experiencing #LongCOVID, you can call 212-COVID19 to receive specialty care, or visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/services/covid-19 to learn more about NYC’s COVID-19 Centers of Excellence.

Dr. Michelle Morse

Former long-serving mayor of Newark, Sharpe James, dead at 89

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

Sharpe James, Newark, New Jersey’s longest-serving mayor, was often photographed at a variety of events: in a swimming pool, shooting pool, and playing soccer, to mention a few. But it was behind a podium where his voice was commanding and combative that he is best remembered. Sharpe, whose otherwise distinguished career was blemished by corruption charges, died on May 11 in a West Orange, New Jersey, elder care facility. He was 89. His death was confirmed by his son, John Sharpe James, a former Newark city councilman.

While some considered him two-faced and at times a happy-go-lucky man of extravagance, others knew of his cold, steely resolve behind the scenes. Sharpe was born Feb. 20, 1936, in Jacksonville, Florida, the son of Louis, who died before he was born, and Beulah James Fluker. She remarried and moved to New Jersey in 1940. Sharpe, named after his mother’s maiden name, graduated from South Side High School (now the Malcolm X Shabazz High School) and then from Montclair State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree and an M.A. in physical education from Springfield College.

In 1961, he received an award from Springfield’s department of physiology

and later completed postgraduate studies at Washington State University, Columbia University, and Rutgers University. His military career included stints in the U.S. Army where he served in Germany. Before entering politics, Sharpe worked as an athletic director, teacher, and a professor at Essex County College.

When he entered the political arena in 1970, where he was never defeated, he began as a councilman in Newark. Sixteen years later, he defeated the incumbent Kenneth Gibson, who had held the position for 16 years. For the next few years, Sharpe was at the city’s helm before deciding not to run in 2006. Four years before, he won a contentious but successful race against Cory Booker, chronicled in the “Street Fight,” an Oscar-nominated documentary. Booker would replace Sharpe as mayor, after Sharpe was convicted of steering cityowned property to his girlfriend. He served a year and half in federal prison.

“Sharpe James was a beloved pillar of our shared community, serving the city of Newark for two decades as mayor and giving nearly four decades of his life to public service,” said Booker, now a senator. “I am deeply saddened by his passing.” When Booker ran in a special election for the senate seat, he was endorsed by Sharpe.

Among the things Booker referenced was Sharpe’s development of downtown Newark. The later construction of the Pru-

dential Center can be attributed to his leadership. In his book “Political Prisoner,” published in 2013, Sharpe denied claims that his lavish lifestyle was the result of reaping benefits from campaign donations, and city credit cards. He can be credited for the building of the New Jersey Center Per-

forming Arts Center. In 1988, Sharpe was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from Montclair State University, and, in 1991, an honorary doctorate from Drew University. He is survived by his wife, Mary (nee Mattison) and three sons.

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(L-R) Nayaba Arinde, Sharpe James, and Ivy Pat

Religion & Spirituality

Fierce Love, Partner with Love

I woke up this morning to this meditation from the Center for Action and Contemplation. I get it every day, and you should too. There are such beautiful centering pieces from a broad range of authors who — like us, family — are working to heal the world with love. Imagine my joy to see this gorgeous image and then my words underneath, alongside wisdom from Sojourner Truth.

In this piece, I am wrestling with how what we think, say, preach, write, and sing about God shapes our personal stories and our society. Below is an excerpt from CAC published.

“It makes sense that because white men created so much of religion, the image of God was an old white man with grey hair. However, this image needs a makeover because he’s no longer working.” — Jacqui Lewis, “She Is Love, She Is Love,” the Mendicant.

Oppressive images of God lead us to limit and even exclude ourselves from the divine image.

We know, despite preaching and teaching to the contrary, that our God is not on the side of oppression but on the side of freedom and justice. We know our God is a

revolutionary lover who came as one of us to teach us how to love. We know that any Christian practicing the tools of empire is not Christian and that Christian nationalism is not about Christ but is about propping up the empire with God-talk.

What I am saying is this: Some of us are walking around like the god of the oppressor is our God. Oh, we’re talking about liberation, but we have not freed ourselves…. Our pulpits preach too much about who is out. We fear questioning the way the world works because we might leave ourselves out. We’ve forgotten Ubuntu — that we are inextricably connected, and that we are

her a chance to set it right, side up again…. How came Jesus into the world? Through God who created him and the woman who bore him. Man, where is your part? But the women are coming up blessed by God, and a few of the men are coming up with them.

CAC is our partner in the movement for love, justice, and family.

Father Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, is the founder and my friend. I’ve helped launch two of his books, worked closely with amazing young women who graduated from the Living School to

“We know, despite preaching and teaching to the contrary, that our God is not on the side of oppression but on the side of freedom and justice. We know our God is a revolutionary lover who came as one of us to teach us how to love.”

indeed our siblings’ keepers…. Let’s turn away from the theologies that cause us to keep others in chains.… As an act of prophetic resistance, we need to boldly reject theologies that contradict God-is-love.

In her famous speech advocating for women’s right to vote, the abolitionist activist Sojourner Truth (1797–1883) emphasizes the strength and power of women, as well as the critical role of women in God’s plan for salvation: I want to say a few words about this matter. I am a woman’s rights. I have as much muscle as any man and can do as much work as any man. I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that?.. I can carry as much as any man, and can eat as much too, if I can get it. I am as strong as any man that is now…. I can’t read, but I can hear. I have heard the bible and have learned that Eve caused man to sin. Well, if women upset the world, do give

do some work with young adults, and have taught on faculty at the center. CAC produces my Love Period podcast. This partnership is one of many we have with amazing humans and the institutions they run across the country.

We understand that the violent, vindictive, capitalistic, white-supremacist, homo- and trans-phobic, misogynistic, anti-science ideologies that some folks put in the mouth of God are untrue and will destroy us all.

And we are loud that God is Love. Just Love. Period. Love will liberate us!

You’re invited into partnership with us. No matter where you live, what you do for a living, how you name God, or if you don’t believe in God — that you are reading this means you belong to us, to this movement, in this movement.

Your vision, passion, your voice, and vote matter. Your volunteerism and investment matter! Together, we who believe in freedom can make a “Kin-dom” of love on earth. If you already consider Middle Church your home, come through. Our restored TownHouse is amazing! The online worship looks and sounds beautiful, too! If you are looking for a place to call home, a place in which you are encouraged to have a theological adventure with a God whose name is Love, we are waiting for you. There is room for you here. This is what you will find: music, art, justice, seekers, children and families, queer and straight folk, a multiethnic band of seekers, weeping, laughter, prayer, love and joy. Come partner with us, be in community with us. We’ll make a better world for all of us. Together.

Love,

Jacqui

Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. Celebrated internationally for her dynamic preaching and commitment to justice, she champions racial equality, economic justice, and LGBTQIA+/gender rights. Featured on MSNBC, PBS, NBC, CBS, and NPR, she is the author of several books, including “Fierce Love” and the “Just Love Story Bible.” Countless individuals and communities have been inspired by Lewis’ transformative work on her podcast, “Love Period;” in columns and articles; and on stages, in churches, on the street, and in digital spaces around the globe.

A mission and tribute to Malcolm X’s Mother, Louise Langdon Little

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

On the third day of a five-day pilgrimage to Grenada, economist Dr. Julianne Malveaux chaired a meeting of women to discuss the life of Louise Norton Langdon Little (1897–1989), the mother of Malcolm X, who was born on the island.

The meeting was part of a delegation led by the Institute of Black World 21st Century, principally to commemorate the legacy of Little. Malveaux began by citing Little’s early years in Grenada and her student days, saying that she was multilingual and “she was a good writer, who wrote for Garvey’s publication, ‘The Negro World.’” The lengthy profile was largely based on the biography “The Life of Louise Norton Little” by Jessica Russell, although Hilda Little, her eldest daughter, compiled most of the vital research.

Malveaux, in effect, set the tone for the following events that culminated at La Digue, where Little was born and lived until she left for Montreal. “It was in Montreal that she met and married Earl Little,” Malveaux said, noting that they must have done something more than create a political bond, given their eight children.

If Malveaux left out anything about Little, it was capably filled in on Saturday in La Digue, a mountainous territory in St. Andrew’s parish. Given the distance from St. George’s, the capital (a winding, twisting 20

kilometers deeply embedded in the hills and gullies), you might wonder how Little managed to navigate passage to Montreal. Maybe a portion of the answer can be found in the two recent biographies of her eventful stay among us.

When asked how Little is remembered in La Digue, radio commentator Reggie of STAR 101.9 said she was a remarkable woman and “she left here when she was a very young woman, and as for how I identify her, it’s as Louise Langdon Little.”

Little’s transition from the mountainside of Grenada was perhaps facilitated by her commitment to Garveyism, a point touched on by Dr. Julius Garvey during his speech to the assembly of visitors and residents. He recounted that both his father and Little left the Caribbean for the U.S. “to carry on the struggle for emancipation.” He mentioned that Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” was based on a speech his father delivered.

“We must continue this fight for total liberation and independence, much as Malcolm X did, and that would be the best way to honor these freedom fighters,” Garvey said.

A long dedication of the sacred ground followed Sister Afia Dawson’s invocation and anointing of the land by Father Hugh Logan. His spray of water often wetted some of the spectators as he blessed the space that belonged to everyone, in keeping with Paulann Paterson’s earlier pronouncements. On many occasions when Dr. Ron Daniels had come to

Grenada, Dawson was an indispensable aide in making the arrangements and accommodations of visitors to the states.

The program at the ceremony featured musical performances and speeches, including from New York State Sen. James Sanders; David Abdullah, union leader from Trinidad & Tobago; Monifa Bandele of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and Movement for Black Lives; Charles Mitchell of the Malcolm X Commemoration Committee; the always stimulating expressions from Kim Poole, a poet/singer; and Schemeeka Simpson of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation. Capping off their presentations was a letter from Malcolm’s daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, read by Baba Akili of the IBW Board, where she

blessed the entourage and extended her revolutionary greetings to the people of Grenada.

The resilience of the Grenadian people was well represented by the nation’s Chief Cultural Officer, Dr. Terry Marryshow, who has never missed an opportunity to show his support for Daniels, and a heart-warming message from Terrance Wilson that conveyed the sentiments of the Littles and their extended family.

At the close of the festivities, Daniels, assisted by the Rev. Dennis Dillon, gathered the participants in a collective cry of “Harambee,” expressing their united call for the continuation of revolutionary commitment and reiterating the honor and promise of total liberation established by Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Louise Langdon Little.

Sister Afia Dawson delivers stirring invocation at tribute to Louise Langdon Little. (Photo by Herb Boyd)

311 Audit

Continued from page 3

2019. They made 24,205 last year. In the Bronx’s Wakefield, Williamsbridge, & Eastchester neighborhoods, 3,134 residential noise complaints were made in 2019. That number skyrocketed to 67,191 last year.

Heat/hot water complaints largely centered around neighborhoods with significantly more rent-stabilized units, which generally boast greater populations of color. In Harlem, such calls increased by 34% between 2019 and 2024 and outpaced illegal parking complaints. Jain points to an existing tug-of-war between landlords and tenants as renters continue struggling to shoulder housing costs while property owners say the annual increases greenlit by the Rent Guidelines

Receivership

Continued from page 4

not accountable politically. People haven’t voted Judge Swain [into] office, but on the other side of that is the Constitution, the rights of incarcerated people, and the rule of law.”

Receivership’s royal history

Long before receivers oversaw the jails between the Bronx and Queens, they managed the affairs of kings. The concept dates back to English history, according to Stroud.

“Receivership actually emerged in England centuries ago as a way to protect real property,” he said. “When a king would die without a son, the court stepped in to appoint a temporary person to essentially manage the castle. This concept was exported to the United States in the late 1800s [to] early 1900s. [More than a quarter] of the nation’s railroad trackage was under receivership because [the corporations whose] job it was to run the railroads were doing it for their own benefit, not for that of the shippers and stakeholders.”

“The hope was that the courts could appoint someone who could reorganize them, and turn them back over to the owners [to run consistently with the law].”

Courts began employing receivership toward public matters following the Brown v. Board of Education decision declaring the “separate but equal” doctrine unconstitutional. Judges began mandating desegregation in noncompliant public schools during the racist southern backlash against integration, after a decade of voluntary compliance with Brown produced virtually no change in school competition. Receivership over prisons and jails starting in the 1970s grew out of those rulings, said Stroud.

Swain’s decision marks just the 14th time a judge placed a correctional facility or system under receivership. Recent exam-

Board cannot cover repair costs.

Rodent sighting complaints, on the other hand, are down in all five boroughs. However, they remained higher in Manhattan neighborhoods bordering Central Park, particularly in East Harlem, where requests outpaced illegal parking calls last year.

But the tool can get down to more specific service requests, all the way to the downright bizarre. A quick search shows 14 complaints to the Department of Mental Health & Hygiene for harboring bees/ wasps in March. Calorie labeling complaints were extremely rare throughout the past six years, but the most frequent in the Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen area.

In Black neighborhoods facing gentrification, 311 police calls for noise complaints against houses of worship went from nonexistent to near monthly occur-

ples include the Miami-Dade County jail and medical care in California’s prisons.

Ask and you shall receive

To be clear, the Trump administration will not play a direct role in the city’s receivership. The Nunez Remediation Manager “will be appointed by and answerable only to the Court” under Swain, who was handpicked by democratic former president Bill Clinton and boasts a lifetime tenure as a federal judge.

In fact, a receiver’s role is directly tied to independence. Receiverships often need to make politically-unpopular decisions to eliminate constitutional violations and need to ensure their implemented reforms are sustainable once they abdicate control.

DOC commissioner Lynelle MaginleyLiddie will be retained and work alongside the receiver, which Stroud said is unprecedented. While some other correctional heads previously remained in their roles under receivership, the constitutional reforms were more narrowly tailored compared to the broad takeover of New York’s city jail system.

Maginley-Liddie, the department’s first Black woman commissioner, drew praise from the monitoring team in Nunez reports. The city previously proposed to install her as a “compliance director,” basically allowing her to answer to the city and judge alike.

“We did not think this dual hat system made any sense or would lead to, what the court has called, ‘the transformational change’ that’s necessary,” said Greenberger. “We said that what we need is an independent receiver. And then what happened this week is that the Court said we need an independent receiver, a dual hat approach that the city is proposing is not something she was going to adopt.”

Receivers overseeing jails or prisons do not necessarily need a correctional background. For example, a judge appointed then-incoming Alabama Gov. Forrest James Jr. to oversee the state’s prison system in the late 1970s.

rences now. Bed-Stuy recorded just 17 service requests throughout 2019. Twenty-one were recorded in April 2024’s onemonth span.

While the comptroller’s tool helps break down 311 data, there remain gaps for a better reading of the numbers. Open Data does not specify repeated requests, so a rather persistent New Yorker can heavily skew the needs of a neighborhood.

“That’s not something we were able to do with the data on our side, because we’re just using what the city releases,” said Jain. “But there's the potential [from] the city [which] really knows how they responded. They can clean some of that up, and they can also potentially provide more detail on their responses.”

The new dashboard follows increased scrutiny around 311 calls. Last month, the NYPD rolled out QSTAT, a program simi -

Several prominent names showed interest in the role earlier this year, including renowned civil rights attorney Norman Siegel. He told the Amsterdam News “it would be an honor” and hopes to address the Sixth Amendment’s right to a speedy trial through the receivership, given most of Rikers Island’s population is held on pretrial detention and are innocent before proven guilty.

“There’s something wrong with the system there that adds to tension between the staff and the detainees, and the detainees among themselves,” said Siegel. “And I don’t think you can minimize that overriding factor.”

Receivership’s limited scope

With the receivership’s independence comes limitations on involvement with other existing reforms. The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) signed into law by Pres. Clinton in 1996 famously limited incarcerated individuals’ ability to sue in federal court. But the legislation also curbs a federal judge’s ability to interject in prison and jail operations.

“That law says essentially that when crafting something like a receivership, you have to do it in the most narrow way possible,” said Stroud. “Laser-focused on the remediation of the constitutional violations, and you can go no further than that. There’s a whole lot conceivably that the court could pursue in terms of improvements and changes … but the court really is bound by the PLRA and judicial precedents that say you can only focus on eliminating the constitutional violations and nothing more.”

The city’s borough-based jail plan mandates Rikers Island’s closure by 2027. Four facilities based near the city’s municipal criminal courts and designed to mitigate custody conditions would then hold the remaining people in detention. However, construction is significantly behind schedule, with some slated to open past 2030.

Due to PLRA, the Nunez Remediation Manager cannot directly address politi-

lar to a crime stat to analyze quality of life complaints.

“These monthly meetings will focus on responses to 311, community engagement, and the identification of chronic conditions and strategies to resolve them,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on April 10. “And just like CompStat meetings do, QSTAT will provide enhanced accountability, coordination and accurately measure our progress. QSTAT is the logical evolution of the CompStat revolution that began 32 years ago.”

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

cal measures like Rikers’ closure. But the receivership can unofficially further the city’s plan if it aligns with eliminating constitutional violations.

For example, the Adams administration long blamed Rikers’ high population count for stymying the closure plan as the new facilities can only house around 4,000 people. The receiver could push for decarceration if overcrowding contributed to unconstitutional conditions.

“We’re gonna continue to do the advocacy and organizing around those issues that we’ve been pushing the city to implement the law, and that’s around decarceration,” said Freedom Agenda co-founder Darren Mack, a major advocate for Rikers’ closure. “We’ve seen the monitor agree that we need to reduce the population … regardless if there’s a receiver or not, our work is going to continue to push the city to seek to implement the [borough-based jail] plan.”

The tug-of-war between Adams and the city council also includes solitary confinement-related practices and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence on Rikers Island. In fact, the mayor recently blamed local laws passed by the council for the receivership order. He pointed to the borough-based jail plan for preventing capital improvements on Rikers Island.

Adams also said he hoped Swain would look at “laws that state that we can’t handcuff dangerous inmates when we’re transporting them.” The federal monitor’s report on Local Law 42 of 2024, the solitary confinement-related ban the mayor is likely referring to, pondered whether some of the provisions would undermine Nunez reforms.

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

Malcolm 100

By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews

As expected, there was a massive turnout for the centennial birth of Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) Monday evening at the Shabazz Center. “Malcolm 100” was an appropriate title for the celebration because it was about that number of early arrivals, with hopes of securing a prime seat. To some extent, the program booklet was helpful, particularly with a photo of the special guest Lauryn Hill upfront, but for unaccounted reasons, the lineup of speakers and performers was unreliable, which had no consequence since a screen noted clearly who was on the stage.

At the very top of the evening, as in the recent past, the African Healing Circle, followed by Ayanna Gregory, united to make a call to the ancestors, as they turned libations into an exhilarating performance.

Then followed Will Liverman, the American baritone, with his stirring rendition of the Black National Anthem, this time completing all the poetic stanzas. Marc Lamont Hill, a prized regular at the center, with the stunning Kennedy Lucas, Miss Black USA, who was on stage to accompany him, presented the Vanguard Awards.

The stage was set for Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, the chairwoman of the Board of Directors to deliver her welcome speech, as well as a bevy of board members, which on this occasion, along with her sister, Malaak, including councilman Yusef Salaam, who, accompanied by his fellow Central Park exoneree, Kevin Richardson, received a resounding ovation. One of the highlights of her address was her quote from her father’s vast collection of unforgettable comments, one about the so-called political progress –– after someone pulls a nine-inch knife out of your back to six inches, that is not progress. “He said that isn’t progress,” she said,

NYC Council

Continued from page 20

should the current mayor resign or be removed from office. Williams didn’t testify to specific methods his office came up with for improving the mayoral removal process, but did comment on the “more strained” relationship he has with Mayor Adams since the public began calling for Adams to step down during his previous legal troubles.

“I think if the mayor had as much love for the city as he had for himself, he would have taken it upon himself to make a different decision than he did,” said Williams. “I understood what some of the struggles that people were going through, so I know it was a difficult position. I’m speaking for myself — I think the city can’t move away from the administration fast enough.”

In separate testimony, Rachael Fauss, a senior policy advisor for Reinvent Albany, spoke about her organization’s support for

“and nothing to celebrate. Progress is healing the wound.” She reiterated that her father gave voice to the unheard and that from her mother, she and her sisters “were exposed to lessons that empowered us.”

A similar background and upbringing may have occurred for the first Vanguard Award winner, Dr. Vee Kativhu, who, as a British-Zimbabwean education activist, personified the succession of awardees, though few could match her Oxford-Harvard CV. At this point, the published schedule was interrupted to allow remarks from Rev. Al Sharpton. Countering all the published differences between Malcolm and Dr. King, the minister, focused on how they became close. He pointed to the time when Malcolm visited Selma, Alabama, hoping to meet with Dr. King, who was in jail. That’s when he reportedly told Coretta, “you tell your husband that we have his back.” He then noted how Coretta and Dr. Betty Shabazz, both widowed, began to commiserate, and when Dr. Shabazz was in the hospital struggling for survival, he said Coretta visited her.

“We need to stop the infighting and deal with those against us,” he continued. “We should have enough sense to know if they can come together and put a convicted felon in the White House, we should have enough intelligence and humanity to stand together.”

There was a call to action by Steven Barter who shared the stage with special guest Fredrika Newton, the widow of Huey Newton, after she discussed how the Black Panthers continued the revolutionary conviction of Malcolm X. Guests included District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, Georgia, and basketball great Kyrie Irving, with his baby daughter in tow. Things were relatively calm up to this moment until rap immortal Lauryn Hill began her special

a two-step mayoral removal process that includes a City Council vote and a public vote from New Yorkers in a Special Removal Election. This method was first proposed by Citizens Union (CU) in their 2025 report to amend the city charter and address government overreach. Their proposal for removal is to give voters the means to hold the mayor accountable for misconduct, and is intentionally structured to avoid the pitfalls of other removal systems.

“The crisis of governance and corruption in the Adams administration has made it clear that New York needs a practical process to remove a mayor for serious misconduct,” said John Avlon, board chair of Citizens Union, in a statement. “To ensure New Yorkers have the ability to hold a mayor accountable for violating their oath of office, we need to amend the City Charter to establish an effective, honest, and fair removal process for abusing the public trust. Our proposal is strong, mandates broad consensus, and protects due process for the mayor.”

performance. After being coaxed into singing a birthday salute to Malcolm, she took it all the way up, practically converting the space into a party, with Attorney Benjamin Crump directing folks to wave their arms and sway to the music.

The evening should have concluded on this high note but there was still an hour of presentations on the agenda, including awards for notables like Dr. Ron Daniels, who received a Vanguard Award and looked exhausted from leading a delegation on a pilgrimage to Grenada to pay tribute to the birthplace of Malcolm’s mother, Louise Langdon Little. Similar honors were bestowed on antiracist educator and producer Ernest Crim III, Dr. Monica Miller of Barnard College who is an eminent schol-

Krueger and Assemblymember Tony Simone sponsored Bill S.590/A.3665, which aims to end the bumping provision in New York City’s charter, considering it “outdated and undemocratic.”

“I distinctly remember Mayor Giuliani bumping off a voter ballot question — they didn’t want to pay for sports stadiums,” recalled Krueger. “He very much wanted to pay for, I believe it was the Yankee Stadium at that time, and so he was convinced he had to come up with some fairly ridiculous questions to go on the ballot to make sure that the voters couldn’t say, ‘Why should we spend taxpayer money to build a sports stadium for a private company?’ I know I was angry about it at the time, since I was a voter.”

Many who testified maintained that Mayor Adams should not be allowed to cancel out other public proposals, silence voters with political maneuvering, or block the council and citizen petitions from being voted on in the form of a ballot measure.

ar in Africana Studies; Jerry Lorenzo, founder of the Fear of God, a fashion brand; and Dr. Hisam Aidi, a deeply informed scholar, filmmaker and academic adviser to the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center.

The time was also up for me since, like Dr. Daniels, I was still waiting for the rest of my body to join me after the pilgrimage to Grenada, though I was there long enough to hear the keynote speaker Imam Omar Suleiman’s rewarding context of Malcolm’s Islamic pursuits.

Thankfully, the human warmth from the center prepared me, to some extent, to the chilly winds up and down Broadway, where Malcolm must have ventured interminably during his adventurous days in Manhattan.

The commission has upcoming public hearings from 5 to 7 p.m. at various locations in the five boroughs. The last one meets on July 1, 2025.

Monday, June 16: Government Accountability

Wagner College, Manzulli Boardroom, 1 Campus Road, Staten Island

Tuesday, June 17: Budget Transparency

Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center, 3415 Olinville Avenue, 2nd floor, the Bronx

Monday, June 23: Government Accountability

Museum of the City of New York at, Ronay Menschel Hall, 1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, Manhattan

Thursday, June 26: Land Use

Sunset Park Library, Community Rooms 1/2 located , 5108 4th Avenue, Brooklyn

Tuesday, July 1: Final Hearing

Queens Public Library, auditorium, 89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, Queens

For more information or how to testify, go to www.thecommission.nyc/.

Lauryn Hill at the celebration. (Photo by Leonard McKenzie)

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NOTICE OF SALE

In pursuance and by virtue of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly granted and entered in an action entitled NYCTL 1998-2 Trust and The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 1998-2 Trust v. 249 West 131 Street Associates LLC, et al., bearing Index No. 153894/2017 on or about April 2, 2025, by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, I, the Referee, duly appointed in this action for such purpose, will expose for sale and sell at public auction to the highest bidder on June 25, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, Room 130, New York, New York 10007, the liened premises designated as Block 1937, Lot 12, in the City of New York, County of New York and Borough of Manhattan, State of New York and known as 249 West 131 st Street, New York, New York 10027 , directed in and by said judgment to be sold. The sale will be conducted pursuant to the Court’s Auction Rules and any COVID Restrictions.

The approximate amount of the judgment is $17,625.04 plus interest and other charges, and the property is being sold subject to the terms and conditions stated in the judgment, any prior encumbrances and the terms of sale which shall be available at the time of sale.

Dated: May 22, 2025 New York, New York Elaine Shay, Esq. Referee 800 Third Avenue Suite 2800 New York, New York 10022 (212) 520-2690

David P. Stich, Esq. Attorney for Plaintiff 521 Fifth Avenue, 17th Floor New York, New York 10175 (646) 554-4421

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.

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.

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.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK

DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR GSAA HOME EQUITY TRUST 2004-10 ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2004-10, -against-

JACQUELINE MORROW A/K/A JACQUELINE CREIGHTNEY, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE AND EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF TYRONE MORROW, 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 February 6, 2025, wherein DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR GSAA HOME EQUITY TRUST 200410 ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2004-10 is the Plaintiff and JACQUELINE MORROW A/K/A JACQUELINE CREIGHTNEY, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE AND EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF TYRONE MORROW, 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 11, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 301/311 CATHEDRAL PKWY, APT/UNIT 2 A/K/A 2 FREDERICK DOUGLASS CIR A/K/A 7 FREDERICK DOUGLASS CIR A/K/A 300/318 W 111 ST A/K/A 2031/2039 FREDERICK DOUGLASS BLVD A/K/A 301/311 W 110 ST, APT/UNIT 2V, NEW YORK, NY 10026; and the following tax map identification: 1846-1038.

THE CONDOMINIUM UNIT (THE "HOME”) KNOWN AS HOME NO. 2V IN ONE OF THE BUILDINGS COMPRISING TOWERS ON THE PARK CONDOMINIUM AND BY THE STREET ADDRESS OF 301 CATHEDRAL PARKWAY, BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, CITY, COUNTY AND STATE OF NEW YORK, SAID HOME BEING DESIGNATED AND DESCRIBED AS HOME NO. 2V IN A CERTAIN DECLARATION DATED MARCH 2, 1988, MADE BY FREDERICK DOUGLAS ASSOCIATES UNDER ARTICLE 9-B OF THE NEW YORK REAL PROPERTY LAW, TOGETHER WITH A .1349 PERCENT UNDIVIDED INTEREST IN THE COMMON ELEMENTS OF THE CONDOMINIUM HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED IN SAID DECLARATION.

THE LAND UPON WHICH THE BUILDING CONTAINING THE UNIT IS ERECTED IS DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

PARCEL 1:

ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, COUNTY, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 850190/2019. Thomas R. Kleinberger, 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 APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY OF FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

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.

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.

Forty Whiskers LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/07/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 223 W38TH ST, BOX 493, New York, NY, 10018. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS

Index NO. 850284/2024

Date Filed: 4/22/2025

Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, not in its individual capacity but solely as Owner Trustee of CSMC 2022-JRI Trust, Plaintiff, -against-

Young Sook Lee a/k/a Young S. Lee, if she be living or if she be dead, her spouses, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to Plaintiff; The Board of Managers of Chartwell House Condominium Homeowners Association; City of New York Environmental Control Board; City of New York Parking Violations Bureau; City of New York Transit Adjudication Bureau, and "JOHN DOE" said name being fictitious, it being the intention of Plaintiff to designate any and all occupants of premises being foreclosed herein, and any parties, corporations or entities, if any, having or claiming an interest or lien upon the mortgaged premises, Defendants.

PROPERTY ADDRESS: 1760 2 nd Avenue, Unit 19B, New York, NY 10128

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 a notice of appearance on the attorneys for the Plaintiff within thirty (30) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. Francis A. Kahn, III, a Justice of the Supreme Court, New York County, entered Apr. 18, 2025 and filed with the complaint and other papers in the New York County Clerk’s Office.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $220,000.00 and interest, recorded in the New York County Office of the City Register on March 10, 2004, in CRFN 2004000145956 covering premises known as 1760 2nd Avenue, Unit 19B, New York, NY 10128 a/k/a Block 1554, Lot 1087.

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.

Plaintiff designates New York County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mortgaged premises is situated.

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 A 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.

Dated: March 11, 2025

Steven M. Palmer, Esq.

Foreclosure Attorney

LOGS LEGAL GROUP LLP

Attorneys for Plaintiff

175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624

(585) 247-9000

Fax: (585) 247-7380

Our File No. 24-096679 #102286

State of Now York

Unified Court System

SURROGATE'S COURT OF THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK

31 CHAMBERS STREET NEW YORK, NY 10007 (646) 386-5800

NOTICE TO CITED PARTIES

You have been served with a citation for a matter that is scheduled to be heard at a New York County Surrogate's Court calendar. The citation that you have received contains a return date. Please do not appear in the courthouse on that date. The following choices are available to you:

If you do not object to the relief requested, you do not need to contact the court or do anything else. If you do object to the relief sought on the citation, you or your lawyer must send a document to the court signed by you or your lawyer indicating that: 1. You object to the relief or you are requesting discovery; OR 2. You are requesting the opportunity to appear in person or by using Skype for Business or by telephone conference; OR 3. You are requesting an adjournment to consult with or retain counsel. Your written response must be received by the court three (3) business days before the return date and must include either an email address or telephone number, or both, where you or your lawyer can be reached during business hours. Your communication to the court may be sent by email to: Probate General@nycourts.gov or by mail addressed to the Probate Department of this court at the address listed above or you may bring it in person to the court. The attorney for the petitioner must be copied in your communication. If your written communication to the court indicates that you would like to proceed as described in choice number 1 above, your case may be referred to a court attorney-referee for a conference. The case will be adjourned to a future date, if you request the opportunity to appear in person or by electronic means or to consult or retain counsel (choices number 2 and 3).

If you do not contact the court by the date on the citation, the record will reflect that you do not object to the relief requested.

If an attorney plans to appear on your behalf, he or she must file a Notice of Appearance. This Notice may be filed by delivering it in person to the Probate Department of this court or mailing it addressed to the Probate Department at the address listed above or through the e-filing system (NYSCEF), at www.nycourts.gov/efile.

If you have questions about responding to the citation, you may contact the Probate Department at Probate General@nycourts.gov. Please note that court staff are prohibited from giving legal advice but they are available to answer any question about procedure. The Probate Department of the New York County Surrogate's Court PROBATE CITATION

File No.

2024-2532/A SURROGATE'S COURTNEW YORK COUNTY CITATION

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, TO TIFFANY C. GRAVES, if living and if dead, to her heirs at law, next of kin and distributees whose names and places of residence are unknown and if she died subsequent to the decedent herein, to her executors, administrators, legatees, devisees, assignees and successors in interest whose names and places of residence are unknown and to all other heirs at law, next of kin and distributees of GREGORY GRAVES, the decedent herein, whose names and places of residence are unknown and cannot, after diligent inquiry, be ascertained.

A petition having been duly filed by Daryl K. Harris who is domiciled at 322 Millies Road, Hopkins, South Carolina 29061

YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogate's Court, NEW YORK COUNTY at 31 Chambers Street, New York, on June 16, 2025 at 9:30 o'clock in the FOREnoon of that day why a decree should not be made in the estate of GREGORY GRAVES lately domiciled at 15 West 127th Street, New York, NY 10027

November 10, 2007

(Codicil(s) dated _________, GREGORY GRAVES

admitting to probate a Will dated. copy of which is attached, as the Will of_ Gregory Graves deceased, relating to real and personal property, and directing that [X] Letters Testamentary issue to:_

[ ] Letters of Trusteeship issue to:_

[ ] Letters of Administration c.t.a. issue to (State any further relief requested)

DARYL K. HARRIS

*To all Parties: No in person appearances shall be made at the return date. If you wish to object to this matter, you may do so in writing in accordance with the annexed New York County Surrogate's Court Notice to the Cited Parties May 5th 2025 HON.

Rita Mella

Surrogate

Diane Sinebria

Chief Clerk

Dated, Attested and Sealed

Christopher J. Donadio, Esq., Gair, Gair, Conason, et Attorney for Petitioner

80 Pine Street, New York, NY 10005

Address of Attorney

212-943-1090 Telephone Number cdonadio@gairgair.com E-mail Address of Attorney

[NOTE: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed you do not object to the relief requested. You have a right to have an attorney appear for you.]

P-5 (10/96)

Notice of Qualification of SQUARE NINE CAPITAL, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/06/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/23/24. Princ. office of LLC: 292 Madison Ave., 22nd Fl., NY, NY 10017. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o The Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 240 WILLOUGHBY GL, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/29/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/15/25. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Maritime Management, LLC, One Maritime Plaza, Ste. 2100, San Francisco, CA 94111. 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 Secy. of State of the State of DE, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Purchase of real property.

Notice of Qualification of 154 PARTNERS INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/01/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/15/24. Princ. office of LLC: 34 E 51st St., NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to CT Corporation System, 28 Liberty St., NY, NY 10005. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK

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.

BOARD OF MANAGERS OF TOWERS ON THE PARK CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff, — against —

BOARD OF MANAGERS OF TOWERS ON THE PARK CONDOMINIUM, Plaintiff, — against — ROGER WILLIAMS, Defendants.

ROGER WILLIAMS, Defendants.

Index No. 152565/2023

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.

Index No. 152565/2023

PUBLICATION OF SALE

PUBLICATION OF SALE

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered December 18, 2024, as amended on January 10, 2025. I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse Room 130, 60 Centre Street. New York, New York on the 4th day of June 2025 at 2:15 p.m. the premises known as Unit 12E of the Towers on the Park Condominium, 301 Cathedral Parkway, New York, NY (Block: 1846, Lot: 1191) Approximate amount of lien $ 131,156.53 plus any additional common charges, assessments, late fees, legal fees, and interest that may accrue up to the date of sale. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale and subject to the prior mortgage lien of record. Ronald Zezima, Esq., Referee. Edi Ebiefung, Kellner Herlihy Getty & Friedman, LLP Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff, 470 Park Avenue South, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10016

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered December 18, 2024, as amended on January 10, 2025. I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse Room 130, 60 Centre Street. New York, New York on the 4th day of June 2025 at 2:15 p.m. the premises known as Unit 12E of the Towers on the Park Condominium, 301 Cathedral Parkway, New York, NY (Block: 1846, Lot: 1191) Approximate amount of lien $ 131,156.53 plus any additional common charges, assessments, late fees, legal fees, and interest that may accrue up to the date of sale. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale and subject to the prior mortgage lien of record. Ronald Zezima, Esq., Referee. Edi Ebiefung, Kellner Herlihy Getty & Friedman, LLP Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff, 470 Park

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.

Royvolution LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/17/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 34th Ave. #977, Anchorage, Ak 99503. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

Archie's Handy Works LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on Feb. 28, 2025. Office location: Manhattan County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 228 Park AVE S #608669, NY, NY. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE CERTIFICATE HOLDERS OF BANC OF AMERICA

FUNDING CORPORATION, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 20076, Plaintiff, Against

GREGORY STEPHENSON AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN OF DEBORAH A. STEPHENSON; VINCENT STEPHENSON AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN OF DEBORAH A. STEPHENSON; DWIGHT STEPHENSON, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN OF DEBORAH A. STEPHENSON, et al,

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 01/15/2025, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, in Room 130 of the New York County Supreme Courthouse, at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007on 6/18/2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 158 West 130th Street, New York, NY 10027, and described as follows:

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, City and State of New York.

Block 1914 Lot 55

The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $3,768,746.12 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 103164/2008

Paul R. Sklar, Esq., Referee.

MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 MIDLAND AVENUE, SUITE 205, PORT CHESTER, NY 10573

Dated: 4/10/2025 File Number: 19-300697 CA

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.

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.

MAKEUP BY T LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/14/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 105 W 13 Street Apt 4E, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstKIM BRAUN BARDONESCHI, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 9, 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 June 18, 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 tenantin-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .009864% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37. Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $22,959.33 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850310/2023. SCOTT SILLER, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39337 {* AMSTERDAM*}

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC, BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -againstMELISSA B. GILSON, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 1, 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 June 18, 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-in-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .009864% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37.

Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $16,139.99 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850138/2023.

GEORGIA PAPAZIS, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP

PLLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590

DLG# 39157 {* AMSTERDAM*}

SUMMONS AND NOTICE

Supreme Court of New York, New York County, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company v. Yvonne M. Murphy and Beacon Eldercare, Inc., Index No.: 650816/2025. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Honorable Robert R. Reed, J.S.C., dated April 30, 2025 and duly entered on April 30, 2025 in the office of the Clerk of the County of New York, State of New York.

TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to serve upon the Plaintiff's attorneys an answer to the Complaint within 20 days after the service thereof, exclusive of the day of service, or within 30 days after service is complete if service is made by any method other than personal delivery to you within the State of New York. In case of your failure to answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE OF THE ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT: The nature of this action is breach of contract. The relief sought is money damages and specific performance. Upon your failure to appear, judgment will be taken against you by default in the sum of $4,638,183, with interest, plus the costs and disbursements of this action.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

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 SALE SUPREME COURT NEW YORK COUNTY

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff against

NERA PROPERTY HOLDING LLC, et al Defendant(s)

Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Parker Ibrahim & Berg LLP, 5 Penn Plaza, Suite 2371, New York, NY 10001.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered June 3, 2022, and Amended on June 30, 2022 I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at Room 130 at the Supreme Court, New York County, 60 Centre Street, New York, New York on June 25, 2025 at 2:15 PM. Premises known as 531 West 162nd Street, New York, NY 10032.

Block 2122 Lot 13. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York.

Approximate Amount of Judgment is $829,409.72 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 850232/2018.

The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 1st Judicial District's Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in

place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Referee will only accept a certified bank check made payable to the referee.

Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee File # 850232/2018

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff -against- YEANNETTE SALAZAR, ARTHUR M. SALAZAR, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 24, 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 June 11, 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 tenantin-common with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the building located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .009864% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership interest in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions dated October 10, 2008 and October 31, 2008 as CFRN # 2008000426142 as recorded in the Office of the City Register, County, City and State of New York. The Timeshare Unit is also designated as Block 1009 and Lot 37. Said premises known as 102 WEST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10019

Approximate amount of lien $19,946.34 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850280/2023. TOM KLEINBERGER, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT BRONX COUNTY JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff against NINA VAZQUEZ, et al Defendant(s)

Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Fein Such & Crane, LLP, 28 East Main Street, Suite 1800, Rochester, NY 14614.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered September 27, 2019, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at the Bronx County Courthouse, Courtroom 711 at 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York on June 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM. Premises known as 3609 Holland Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467-0467. Block 4661 Lot 21. 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. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $599,659.45 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 380570/2008E.

The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 12th Judicial District's

Notice of Qualification of P. DREAMS 8805 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/29/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/03/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 3, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of qualification of EC A2 SLIHC Taxpayer LLC (“LLC”). Application for Authority filed with the Secy. of State of New York (“SSNY”) on March 13, 2025. Office location: New York County. Principal business location: 505 Eighth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, New York 10018. LLC formed in Delaware (“DE”) on February 28, 2025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: EC A2 SLIHC Taxpayer LLC, c/o Common Ground Management Corporation d/b/a Breaking Ground Management, 505 Eighth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, New York 10018. DE address of LLC: EC A2 SLIHC Taxpayer LLC, c/o The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Building, 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

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.

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39159 {* AMSTERDAM*}

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, Not in its Individual Capacity but Solely as Trustee of MFA 2021-INV2 Trust , Plaintiff, vs . 414 East 115 LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on January 14, 2025 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at Room 130 of the New York County Courtroom, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on June 11, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 414 East 115th Street, New York, NY 10029. 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 1708 and Lot 142. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,800,390.76 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850427/2023.

Tom R. Kleinberger, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff Firm File No.: 224262-2

Covid-19 Policies and the Bronx County foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing.

Jose C. Polanco, Referee File # XCAJN007

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK , mary djurasevic , Plaintiff, vs . marcy ellin boucher, a/k/a marcy ellen boucher, a/k/a marcy e. boucher a/k/a marcy boucher ET AL. , Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly filed on February 6, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Supreme Court, Room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on June 25, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 406 West 25 th Street, New York, N.Y. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of New York, County of New York, City and State of New York, Block 722 and Lot 45. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850003/2024.

Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee

Law Offices of Morrison Cohen LLP, Joaquin Ezcurra, Esq., 909 Third Avenue, 27 th Floor, New York, NY 10022-4784, (212) 735-8600

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 Qualification of BASKIR FIRST PROPERTIES LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/06/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/04/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: All legal activities especially property investment.

Notice of Qualification of 1580 NOSTRAND AVE OWNER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/08/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/12/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK, WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF J.P. MORGAN CHASE COMMERICAL MORTGAGE SECURITIES CORP., MULTIFAMILY MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2018-SB54, Plaintiff, vs. 174 W 137 LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on January 30, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on June 11, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 174 West 137th Street, New York, NY 10030. 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, City and State of New York, Block 1921 and Lot 55. Approximate amount of judgment is $8,116,397.95 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850498/2023.

Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee

McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff

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 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 Formation of DETOX BY REBECCA NYC LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/28/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK PHH MORTGAGE CORPORATION, Plaintiff AGAINST BONNIE WIENER AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF LINDA ORLIN, UNKNOWN HEIRS OF LINDA ORLIN IF LIVING, AND IF HE/SHE BE DEAD, ANY AND ALL PERSONS UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, CLAIMING, OR WHO MAY CLAIM TO HAVE AN INTEREST IN, OR GENERAL OR SPECIFIC LIEN UPON THE REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THIS ACTION; ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered January 23, 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 June 25, 2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 220 East 60th Street, Unit 5M, New York, NY 10022. 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, Section 5, Block 1414, Lot 1055. Approximate amount of judgment $591,441.70 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850197/2022. Christy M. Demelfi, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 20001018 84608

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

HOMEWRIGHTS DEVELOPMENT, LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/24/2025. Office: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: The LLC, 380 Riverside Dr, Apt 7J, NY, NY 10025. Purpose: any lawful act.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Index No.4264-2024 Date Summons

Filed:

Plaintiff designates Bronx as the place of trial. The basis of venue is CPLR 509.

Summons with Notice Plaintiff resides at 593 Riverside Drive 4A New York, NY 10031 County of Manhattan. Nina Kakiashvili, Plaintiff against Felix Anguyo, Defendant Action for Divorce

To the above named Defendant YOU ARE HERE BY SUMMONED to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff within twenty(20) days after the service of this summons exclusive of the day of service (or, within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the notice set forth below.

Dated May 15, 2025

Plaintiff Pro Se Signature: Nina Kakiashvili Phone number 631-774-7859

Notice: The nature of this action is to dissolve the marriage between the parties, on the grounds: DRL Section 170 subd. (2)-the abandonment of the Plaintiff by the Defendant for the period of more than one year.

The relief sought is a judgment of absolute divorce in favor of the Plaintiff dissolving the marriage action. The nature of any ancillary or additional relief demanded is:

That and the Family Court of Bronx County shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the Supreme Court with respect to any future issues of maintenance and support.

That either party may resume the use of a prior surname. That the Plaintiff may resume her maiden name.

That the Court grant such other and further relief as the court may deem just and proper.

The parties have divided the marital property and no clain will be made by either party under equitable distribution.

Notice Under DRL Section 177:

The Defendant is advised that he may no longer be covered by the Plaintiff's health insurance plan upon the entry of a judgment of divorce and that the Defendant may be responsible for own health insurance coverage.

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.

Notice of formation of Limited Liability Company (“LLC”). Name: Kingsboro SHOP 1 GP LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (“SSNY”) on April 24, 2025. N.Y. office location: New York County. The SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to Kingsboro SHOP 1 GP LLC, c/o Breaking Ground II Housing Development Fund Corporation, 505 Eighth Avenue, 5 th Floor, New York, New York 10018.

Notice of 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 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 formation of Limited Partnership (“L.P”). Name: Kingsboro SHOP 1 L.P. Certificate of Limited Partnership filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (“SSNY”) on April 24, 2025. N.Y. office location: New York County. The SSNY has been designated as agent of the L.P. upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to Kingsboro SHOP 1 L.P., c/o Breaking Ground II Housing Development Fund Corporation, 505 Eighth Avenue, 5 th Floor, New York, New York 10018. The latest date upon which the L.P. shall dissolve is December 31, 2135 unless sooner dissolved by mutual consent of the partners or by operation of the law. Name/address of each general partner available from SSNY. Purpose: any lawful activity.

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.

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.

Clay Bridges LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/17/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 601 W 149th St 67, NY, NY 10031 Purpose: Any lawful act.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY IN ITS CAPACITY AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE OF CIM TRUST 2020-R5, Plaintiff, vs. JOHN ANDREW LUMPKIN, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on February 6, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the New York County Courthouse, room 130, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on June 25, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 92 Perry Street a/k/a 382-384 Bleecker Street, Unit 20, New York, NY 10014. 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, City and State of New York, Block 621 and Lot 1120 together with an undivided 3.6214 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $636,042.05 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850416/2023.

Jeffrey R. Miller, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 223771-1

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.

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.

CRG CAPITAL GROUP LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/08/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 134 West 29th Street, 4th Fl, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful act.

DEEPAK CHOPRA, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/25/25. 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, 41 East 11th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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.

223 W 29TH OWNER LLC.

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/25/25. 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, 431 W 37th Street, #2A, New York, NY 10018. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

315 WEST 92ND STREET LLC.

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/06/25. 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, c/o BDO, 200 Park Avenue, 38th Floor, New York, NY 10166. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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.

Stoller & Pileggi LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/05/2025. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 407 E. 91st St., Apt. 5E, New York, NY 10128. Purpose: Any lawful act.

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.

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.

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.

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.

LYYNC MEDIA LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/28/25. 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, c/o Liu, Yiyi, 4357 Union Street, Unit 5C, Flushing, NY 11355. 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.

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 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 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 Qualification of JCP CONGAREE CREDIT FUND

LP Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/29/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/16/25. Princ. office of LP: 520 Madison Ave., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10022. NYS fictitious name: JCP CONGAREE CREDIT FUND 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 c/o The Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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.

Mayoral candidates

Continued from page 2

Evanston, Ill., where reparations funds are distributed to members of the city’s Black community if they can prove their family has been affected by the city’s decades-long discriminatory housing practices. With the high cost of housing and childcare in New York, Blake suggested this could also be a method to move reparations forward in New York City.

… I’ve said very clearly that economic justice has to be at the forefront, and reparations is part of that.”

would play a pivotal role in providing that.”

Other candidates who did not show up in person sent statements. NYC Comptroller Brad Lander sent in a video that showed him promising to implement the recommendations of the Reparations Commission and working to close the racial wealth gap.

195 HELP WANTED

Organist/Musician/Singer

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

We are seeking a new Organist/Musician/Singer for the Church. Small Baptist Church in Harlem (New York) for weekly services on Sunday, starting at 11 a.m.

Occupational Therapist Priority Care Staffing. Full time. Bronx. 75,712/year (36.4/ hour) Evaluate patients’ conditions; Develop and implement treatment plans; Demonstrate exercises to help relieve patients’ pain; Evaluate results and progress of occupational therapy on patients; Educate caregivers and family members of clients on patient care. usotjobs@prioritycarestaffing. com.

“Maybe if we didn’t spend $1.4 billion on NYPD overtime, we could find the money, right? Maybe if we actually implemented a vacant apartment tax, we can bring in $400 million — we would have the money. Maybe if we reclaimed back the $2 billion of unclaimed fees and fines, we would have the money. I’m making the point that we have the money. It’s about priorities and it’s about a city government that has not actually tried to help Black and Brown people, that they’ve made a decision that they will only come to you for your votes

Myrie arrived at the forum as it was nearing its end, so he only had a few minutes to present his position. He spoke about his support for New York State’s Reparations Commission legislation as a state legislator and his efforts to fund and extend the deadline for the Reparations Commission task force. “[In] this year’s budget, the deadline for that first report has been extended, but also with a $3 million allocation so that they can do the work that I think is necessary,” he said.

Continued from page 4

Myrie also talked about having set out a “Black Agenda that says we’ve got to provide and put the money where our mouth is to ensure our young entrepreneurs, our people who are trying to get houses for the first time, our young people in need of serious mental health [services], that they would have direct access to that and the city

Zohran Mamdani said he had also supported the Reparations Commission, and promised that as mayor, he would champion the progressive goals set out in the Get Free pledge. “As mayor, I will lead with my core belief that our liberation is bound together; redressing slavery’s harms — past to present — is necessary to achieving freedom and equality for Black New Yorkers, and for us all. I look forward to #MakingEqualityReal with you,” Mamdani said.

According to a recent poll, conducted by New Yorkers for Reparations and the group Liberation Ventures, 77% of Black New Yorkers, 41% of white New Yorkers, and high rates of Asian and Latino New Yorkers express support for reparations.

DIY machine guns

Continued from page 2

federal National Firearms Act but litigation over other modifications for increasing fire rates like bump stocks and forced-reset triggers continues on a national level.

To be clear, 3D-printed auto sears do not need to be paired with a 3D-printed “ghost” gun — they can also be slotted into some traditional firearms. Another bill sponsored by State Senator Zellnor Myrie would ban the sale of those “convertible” pistols allowing easy modification from an auto sear.

The legislation passed the Senate Codes Committee this Tuesday, May 20.

“Glock switches allow anyone with $25 and a screwdriver to turn a handgun into a DIY machine gun, but some gun manufacturers haven’t taken re-

sponsible steps to prevent their guns from being easily compatible with these dangerous, illegal, rapidly spreading devices,” said Moms Demand Action volunteer Barry Graubart in a statement. “New York has been at the forefront of innovative gun safety measures to prevent senseless violence and this is yet another example of the leadership we need to save lives.

“We’re grateful to Senator Myrie for his leadership and will continue to support our lawmakers as this important public safety bill moves through the legislature.”

Across the country, state and city governments are suing gun manufacturers over designing firearms that can be converted into automatic weapons with an auto sear. New Jersey, Min-

nesota and the city of Baltimore all reportedly filed lawsuits against Glock in the past year.

The Manhattan D.A. also pointed to specific cases involving 3D-printed auto sears including one involving high-ranking transnational gang members in a weapons trafficking indictment and another involving a gunrunner allegedly selling illegal components while behind bars from a Telegram channel where he and others allegedly espoused “racially and ethnically motivated extremist views.”

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1

Is batting .400 in the realm of possibility for the Yankees’ Aaron Judge?

By RUDY ROBINSON Special to the AmNews

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge is having another MVP season. He is incredibly on a pace to exceed the American League most valuable player campaign he had a season ago. While the Yankees had played just 47 games and had 115 remaining in the 162 game Major League Baseball schedule when they hosted the Texas Rangers in the Bronx on Tuesday, Judge has been far and away the best hitter in the sport.

He led the entire major leagues in hits (71), batting average (.401) and on-base percentage (.488), was third in home runs (15), second in runs batted in (41) and tied for second in walks (30). Ted Williams was the last player to finish the regular season with a batting average of .400 or better when he logged .406 in 1941 with the Boston Red Sox when the regular season was 154 games.

Judge is mostly noted for his home run prowess. He set the American League record in 2022

with 62. However, his batting average as of Tuesday was 100 points higher than his career number of .293. His average of .322 last year was third highest in the league and the highest of his career. This could be the beginning of Judge’s evolution into a complete hitter, combining power and consistency.

His quest for a 400 average has been met with some skepticism. Many feel he strikes out too many times (20% of his at-bats) to reach the goal. Usually home run hitters like Judge don’t hit for a high average, making this an even bigger challenge for him. Power hitters face a disadvantage attempting to hit for average in that teams usually walk them to get to the next hitter. While Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and left fielder Cody Bellinger, who usually hit behind Judge, are having solid seasons, they’ll need to continue their production. Any drop off could result in Judge getting fewer pitches to hit and derail his attempt for the magic number.

In 1994, former Yankees outfielder Paul O’Neill, who won four

Series titles with the franchise (1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000), hit over .400 until dropping below the hallowed mark on June 17, said Judge shouldn’t look at that number as a measure of lofty production.

“You never want to put yourself, as a player, in a position where you

feel like you didn’t have the year you wanted to have because you dropped below .400,” O’Neill said to the media gathered at Yankee Stadium for the subway series versus the Mets. “I mean, come on.”

Playing with Juan Soto — who is now with the Mets — in the Yan-

kees lineup last season, helped Judge become a more aggressive hitter. Judge had a .625 average on the first pitch thrown in his at-bats through mid-May. This change and his overall improvement as a hitter will determine if his quest for immortality materializes.

Arthur Ashe Stadium to undergo an $800 million redevelopment

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

The annual U.S. Open men’s and women’s tennis championship is one of the biggest sports and social events of the year. For decades it has showcased and been a catalyst for creating generational stars. On Monday, it was officially announced that a reimagining of the tournament’s premier event space, Arthur Ashe Stadium, will take place in conjunction with a new player performance center at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens.

The privately funded project, which the United States Tennis Association says will be completed by 2027, will cost over $800 million as the organization aims to ensure it provides engaging and distinctive experiences for players and fans alike.

“This is the single largest investment we have ever made in the U.S. Open, more than $800 million that we will be investing in a multiyear transformation that will change the experience for every fan, every player, and you, our partners,” said USTA CEO and Executive Director Lew Sherr at a launch event held at

Times Center in Midtown Manhattan on Monday. “It will be very clear that we are capitalizing on, indeed, we are doubling down on the continued growth that we are seeing in tennis in this country,” Sherr added. “It is unprecedented, and we will be de-

livering even more economic value to the city of New York. We already deliver more than $1.2 billion in economic impact to the city, that is more than the Yankees and the Mets combined, and that number will only increase significantly.”

The players will get a new two-

floor player performance center that will combine all of the aspects, recovery, rest, mental, emotional, strength training, nutrition, and more, into one facility at a price of about $250 million.

Arthur Ashe Stadium, which currently has 3,000 premium lower

bowl seats, will have 5,000 seats after the upgrade, when in 2027 it’ll reach the 30th anniversary of its opening in 1997. The $550 million restructuring of the stadium will be carried out by the architectural firm Rossetti, which also executed the initial construction of the venue. The upper bowl will get smaller by 2,800 seats, with the suite levels expanding, and the total loss of seating capacity is expected to be between 100 and 200.

The 2025 U.S. Open begins with an added session for the first time on Sunday, August 24, 2025 and runs until Sunday, September 7, 2025. Fan Week begins August 18, with free access to the tennis center for that period. For the first time, the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship will take place on August 19 and 20 during Fan Week and not over the 15-day tournament. Tennis superstars Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, icon Billie Jean King, and world-renowned DJ D-Nice were featured last year during Fan Week.

Tickets for the U.S. Open go on sale to the general public on May 30 at 9 a.m. with American Express Card Members allowed early access on May 27 and May 28.

Danny Zausner, COO of USTA, stands in front of an image of Arthur Ashe Stadium and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at a press conference on Monday to announce the venue’s redevelopment. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

World

Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge went into Tuesday’s game in the Bronx against the Texas Rangers batting .401. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

UFC and boxing return to the NYC-area, headlined by multiple title fights

By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews

The combat sports world continues to heat up, especially in the New York City area. A stacked UFC 316 card on Saturday, June 7 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey will see reigning UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili defending his title against Sean O’Malley, the man he defeated for the title back in September in a decisive 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47.

Dvalishvili (19-4, fighting out of Long Island, N.Y. by way of Tbilisi, Georgia) is currently on an 11-fight winning streak, the longest in UFC bantamweight history, but must be cautious of the powerful striking of O’Malley (18-2), which he did superbly to win the title last September at UFC 306 in Las Vegas.

The co-main event will see UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena defend her title against the second-ranked Kayla Harrison. UFC 316 will mark the 11th UFC event at the arena nicknamed The Rock.

The following Saturday, June 14, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, boxing will take center stage as undefeated IBF world junior welterweight champion and Brooklyn native, Richardson Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs), will face former champion George Kambosos Jr. (22-3-0, 10 KOs). Kambosos Jr is looking to replicate arguably the best fight of his boxing career,

when he handed another Brooklyn native, Teofimo Lopez Jr, the first loss of his professional career in November 2021.

“I think he’s a battle-tested guy, a guy that’s been in big fights already,” said the 27-year-old Hitchens of Kambosos, 31, “so, this is nothing new to him… “But, when you’re facing a generational talent like me, I just think that my skills,

my dominance, and just me as a fighter will be enough to dominate the fight.”

International boxing star and undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs) will clash for the third time against Brooklyn’s unified featherweight world champion Amanda Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs) on Friday, July 11 at Madison Square Garden in an

More than 28,000 athletes take part in the RBC Brooklyn Half

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

Road races across the five boroughs reflect the melting pot that is New York City. The ethnic and physical diversity that is represented epitomizes the aspirational concepts of equality and opportunity that this country theoretically holds as two of its foundational principles.

all-women’s fight card to be broadcast worldwide on Netflix. Taylor, 38, from Ireland, beat the 36-year-old Puerto Rico-born and New York City-raised Serrano for a second time last November by a 10-round unanimous decision as the co-main event of the Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul match. She bested Serrano in their first fight by a 10-round split decision in April 2022. It was a historic night as they became the first female boxers to headline the Garden. Both outcomes sparked controversy as the scoring was widely debated. The AmNews scored the first fight draw and gave Serrano a 95-94 win in the rematch.

“Clearly, I think the world, the millions of people who were watching on Netflix, felt like I won this fight,” said Serrano last month at MSG, where she and Taylor were promoting the highly anticipated bout. “Nonetheless, Katie Taylor is a great champion, and I can’t wait to share the ring with her. Once again, the third time’s a charm for us here in New York.”

Galo Vasquez of the Westchester Track Club, who won the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half in March, took the nonbinary division in 1:13:18.

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) served as both the exclusive title partner and exclusive financial services and investment banking partner of the event for the fourth consecutive year. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, RBC donated $1 to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, for each social media post using #RBCBrooklynHalf during race week.

Liberty’s win

Continued from page 48

scored in double figures, and Wilson led all scorers with 31 points.

This will be an exciting WNBA season as its teams are already experiencing sold-out crowds in the first week of the new season, with enthusiasm running high. The WNBA has also announced its

Felicia Pasadyn, in her RBC Half

The RBC Brooklyn Half, sponsored by the New York Road Runners and held this past Saturday, was a microcosm of people being accepted and embraced simply for who they are, irrespective of the color of their skin, religious faith, or disability. Close to 28,500 athletes took part in the 13.1-mile race that began in Prospect Park and ended in Coney Island, which also featured the Boardwalk Kids run, where 1,200 youth from ages two to 18 trekked along Coney Island’s famous boardwalk. While many runners enjoyed the picture-perfect day, devoid of stress caused by attempting to achieve a specific finish time, others were striving for personal best marks and high placings. In the end, Mulgeta Birhanu Feyissa took the men’s race in 1:04:57, just ahead of his West Side Runners — a Manhattan-based running club — teammate Tilihun Ayele Tariku, who clocked 1:05:11.

debut, won the women’s race in 1:15:37, besting last year’s champion Kim Conley, who competed in the 5,000 meters at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Sadly, Charles Rogers, a 31-year-old former defensive back for the University of Minnesota, collapsed eight miles into the race at Ocean Parkway and 18th Avenue. CPR was administered, and then Rogers was transported to Brooklyn’s Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The Liberty hit the road for games

season-long community impact campaign named “No Space for Hate,” a multi-dimensional platform designed to combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces –– from online to inside arenas. Additionally, the league has unveiled “Viewer Discretion,” a series of films that will spotlight the WNBA’s most gripping players and personalities.

like the Chicago Sky tonight and the Indiana Fever on Saturday. They’ll return home for back-to-back games against the league’s newest team, the Golden State Valkyries, on May 27 and 29.

Close to 28,500 participants took part in the RBC Brooklyn Half this past Saturday. (New York Road Runners photo)

Knicks players Josh Hart (left), Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges celebrate the team’s 108105 overtime win on Monday night versus the Boston Celtics in their Eastern Conference semifinals playoff matchup. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Howard University softball wraps an outstanding season at the NCAA Regional

The Howard University softball team won the 2025 MEAC Championship.

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Howard University’s softball team saw its season come to an end at the NCAA Durham Regional with losses to Duke and Coastal Carolina, but it did not dim the team’s pride for all it had accomplished. Earlier this month, the Bison won their third-ever MidEastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament Championship.

“Winning a conference tournament is a goal for every coach,” said head coach Tori Tyson, who is in her seventh season at the historically Black university in Washington, DC. “You have a vision, and I knew that I had a special class. To see it all come together, I’ll always be humbled by that. I’m humbled by the commitment that these

young ladies made to make this happen.”

Tyson said the student-athletes on the softball team weren’t afraid of hard work. Leading up to the season, they put in many hours working on conditioning. She designed a hard schedule, which included trips to the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, where they faced some of the strongest teams in the country, and the Outrigger Invitational in Hawaii.

“They are battle-tested; they are resilient,” Tyson said. “To make a commitment at this age…to something where you can’t control the result, there’s a risk that comes with that. It takes a level of fearlessness that, regardless of what happens in May, they’re going to fully commit to doing [the work] in August. That’s a big decision to make. … They handled hard together really, really well.”

Softball is not a particularly diverse sport, so showing up as a team with all young women of color makes a bold statement. Tyson said the roster includes a number of student-athletes from California, but other parts of the country are represented as well.

Media Relations photos)

“A lot of minority women come to [Howard] to find a sense of belonging,” said Tyson. “They already understand the bigger picture.”

At the Washington Nationals Youth Academy, they see young girls of color. “We are like their heroes,” Tyson said. “They think we’re

the best softball players around. Our girls volunteer with them weekly. It’s a little reminder that their duty is to serve and represent something much bigger than themselves. When we make it to the postseason, we understand that it’s not just about winning the tournament; it’s about us representing all HBCUs and all these minority teams who didn’t get a chance to make the postseason.”

The grassroots WPBA endeavors to give aspiring pro hoopers opportunities

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

WNBA action started this past week. While fans celebrated the return of their favorite teams, they also lamented the absence of some players who were cut as teams finalized their rosters. Yet, not making squads composed of the world’s best ballers doesn’t spell the end of their hoop dreams.

In 2022, Faatimah A founded the Women’s Premier Basketball Association (WPBA) as a developmental league to help female players launch and advance their professional careers.

“Our goal is…to be developing players that will one day be able to play in the WNBA or other toptier leagues around the world,” said Faatimah. “We’ve been able to send more than 80 athletes overseas to further their careers.

… We try our best to consult with our players and develop them so that they’re able to build longevity within their careers when they get their opportunities.”

The WPBA will have an eightweek season played in Northern California starting June 8. There are eight teams in the league with 12 players each. In the past, players did not receive a salary but did compete for a monetary purse at the end-of-season tournament. This season, there will be a revenue-sharing model between ticket sales and streaming.

Players come from around the U.S. The league has chosen to play concurrently with the WNBA season to provide a place for players who get cut to come and hone their skills. It is also a spot for recent college graduates, players who’ve played overseas, and international players

to continue to develop.

“There are some players coming from overseas that are looking to kind of rate their value so they can be seen as more viable assets for teams,” said Faatimah, who has played internationally. “We are looking at other innovative leagues, like Athletes Unlimited and Unrivaled. I love what they’re doing because it’s showing us that more leagues in this space are able to provide extra opportunities for players to develop.”

Last year, a group of players took on teams from Argentina, Colombia, and Chile. Also, a team from New Zealand came for a scrimmage.

The WPBA has a non-profit arm and will be holding a benefit in San Jose, California on May 23. WNBA veterans Chasity Melvin and Erica McCall will be in attendance, as well as women’s sports personality Ari Chambers. Faatimah looks forward to spotlighting the mission of empowering girls and women through basketball. “Our goal is to provide more resources to the youth in our community,” she said.

Pitcher/outfielder Ameenah Ballenger is a key member of Howard’s softball squad. (MEAC

The Women’s Premier Basketball Association offers opportunities to professional-caliber female basketball players. (Photos courtesy of the WPBA)

A scrimmage vs a team from New Zealand.

Sports

The Knicks’ road to the NBA Finals goes through the familiar foe Pacers

By JAIME C. HARRIS

AmNews Sports Editor

The Knicks and Indiana Pacers played Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden last night in a matchup unexpected by those who closely follow the NBA. The Knicks are the East’s No. 3 and the Pacers the No. 4 seed. Both are worthy of where they find themselves with Game 2 tomorrow, May 23, back at the Garden.

The Knicks knocked off the No. 6 seed Pistons in the opening round 4-2 before a stunning 4-2 series win over the Boston Celtics, the No. 2 seed and last year’s league champion, in the conference semifinals.

The Pacers quickly got rid of the No. 5 seed Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 in the first round and then made fast work of the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1.

Now the Knicks and Pacers, which met in the East semifinals last season with the Pacers winning 4-3, defeating an injury-depleted Knicks squad 130-109 in Game 7, do it again. The circumstances are different as both teams began this year’s series with all their key players healthy. Variables and unknowns may ultimate-

ly decide which team moves on to the finals as they seemingly, more often, wedge or bull their way into the best-of-seven series.

The Knicks haven’t made it to the Finals since 1999, and the Pacers’ last appearance was a year later in 2000. Both lost. The Knicks to

the San Antonio Spurs, and the Pacers to the Los Angeles Lakers. The irony and shared history is that they played each other in the Eastern Conference Finals in those years. This season marks the fourth time they are meeting in the conference finals.

A contrast in styles may be the most compelling aspect of this year’s series, the ninth time the Knicks and Pacers have met in the postseason. It could also be the decisive factor. The Pacers go nine deep and employ a fast-paced, open-court system led by point guard Tyrese

Haliburton, who has laid to rest the notion he is not a star. The 6-5 Haliburton has been sensational in the playoffs going into last night for a Pacers group, directed by head coach Rick Carlisle, whose resume includes guiding the Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title.

Haliburton’s counterpart, Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, has rightfully been anointed a superstar this season, and possesses the physical tools and mental makeup to carry the Knicks to the franchise’s first league championship since 1973. He operates an offense that runs calculatively, seeks to play with a swift pace, but applies a more methodical offensive system than Indiana.

The Knicks essentially have a seven-man rotation, with valuable center Mitchell Robinson and guard Miles “Deuce” McBride as their primary reserves. Tom Thibodeau, the architect of the Boston Celtics’ defense as an assistant under Doc Rivers when the Celtics were champions in 2008, is trying to win another one, this time as head coach of the Knicks.

The pick here is the Knicks in seven.

The WNBA champion Liberty begin their title defense with a win over the Aces

By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews

Every member of the reigning WNBA Champion New York Liberty saw court time during the team’s season opener on Saturday, a 92–78 win over the Las Vegas Aces. The day began with a celebration of the franchise’s first-ever league title, with a banner raised on the rafters of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and the presentation of rings to championship team members. Then, it was down to business. Much of last year’s Liberty team had returned, notably Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones. While Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who has been an important part of the Liberty since 2021, was in attendance, she will not see action this season

as she recovers from a knee injury.

While her absence will be felt, it also makes room for veteran guard Natasha Cloud.

“It was electrifying,” said Cloud, who had 22 points, six rebounds, and nine assists in her first regular season game in a Liberty uniform.

“I always understood as an opponent that the crowd and the fans here are the sixth man on the court at all times. They have the ability to shift momentum at any given moment, and when it’s on your side, it’s really refreshing and nice because it gives you that extra energy.”

Stewart had 25 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Jones had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Kennedy Burke added 10 points.

Ionescu had eight points, seven rebounds, and four assists. The game marked Marine Johannes’ return after missing last season. She had minimal impact on this game, but no doubt much will be expected as the season progresses.

“We’re going to continue to build that chemistry, but switching it in a number of different ways,” said Stewart. This made it hard for the Aces, which has a somewhat different look this season. Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and A’ja Wilson all

See LIBERTY ‘S WIN on page 46

The New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby facing the Indiana Pacers’ Pascal Siakam will be a key matchup in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals. (L: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II; R: AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The New York Liberty’s championship banner was raised at the Barclays Center on Saturday prior to their 92-78 season opening win over the Las Vegas Aces. (New York Liberty photo)