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Mamdani wasting no time bringing new team in for new City Hall era
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
Now that Election Day has wrapped up, management at City Hall is in full transition mode with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani picking out his starting lineup team. In the meantime, Eric Adams is on a fast track for his exit from the mayoralty in just two months.
With the exception of Hugh John Grant, who was elected mayor at age 30 in 1888, Mamdani will be the youngest man ever to lead New York City. His win is also indicative of a larger trend of diverse Democrats that swept key races nationwide, fueled by youthful voters, particularly women under 30.
Not one to slouch on Nov. 5, Mamdani immediately started announcing his transition team and fundraising efforts. He then headed to the influential SOMOS political conference in Puerto Rico to continue rubbing elbows with city and state advocates, consultants, and elected officials.
“These leaders alongside me are only the first of many that we announce,” said Mamdani. “I hope their reputations and records of accomplishment are proof of intent to deliver tangible change. This is a moment of opportunity that comes along rarely, and we seize upon it to usher in a new day for New York.”
His all-women transition team features political mainstays from former mayors Bill de Blasio and Adams’ camp, including former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer; Grace Bonilla, who was the first executive director of the city’s Task Force on Racial Equity and Inclusion; budget and social service expert Melanie Hartzog, and political
strategist Elana Leopold. But his team’s “biggest” appointment was former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, who was the nation’s leading antimonopoly champion under former President Joe Biden from 2021 to January 2025, as the transition co-chair.
“New Yorkers sent a clear message this week that it’s time to build a city that working people can actually afford. I’m excited to help Zohran build a team that will usher in a new era for New York City and set a new model for Democratic governance,” said Khan in a statement.
Advocates have lauded Khan’s appointment as a major statement to corporations and the city’s billionaires. There’s a cautious optimism that he is serious about delivering on cam-
paign promises that many voters loved, such as free buses and a rent freeze, despite state opposition. Political strategists, like James Christopher of James Christopher Communications, said that it’s a good sign that Mamdani has opted to hire “seasoned veterans” on his team. It shows that he is open to advice from the “smartest people in the room” and won’t let political grudges from past administrations hold him up, said Christopher. This week, Mamdani appointed Dean Fuleihan, a city budget director with a decades-long career, as First Deputy Mayor. And unsurprisingly, Elle Bisgaard-Church, his former chief of staff in the state assembly and chief advisor for his historic June
Want to work for Zohran Mamdani or Mikie Sherrill? Here’s how you can send your resume
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff
Good news for those who don’t have Zohran Mamdani on LinkedIn. The mayoral-elect is currently accepting resumes as he prepares for office in the coming year. New Yorkers of all experience levels can apply on the portal, which asks about expertise and hard skills. The submissions will remain in a database for Mamdani’s transition appointments team as he fills out his administration and staffs city agencies and offices.
“To build a team of top talent, we need to search far and wide — which is why we are calling on New Yorkers across the five boroughs to share their backgrounds with us and join our movement to deliver a city we can afford,” said transition Executive Director Elana Leopold. “As we begin the transition to a new era, this resume portal will allow us to roll up our sleeves, hit the ground running, and enact the agenda that got Zohran elected.”
But don’t count on becoming the top deputy mayor or his chief-of-staff. Those roles were filled this past week by former Office of Management and Budget director Dean Fuleihan and long-time campaign advisor Elle Bisgaard-Church, respectively.
New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill is also seeking resume submissions for those interested in joining her administration. The portal allows applicants to specify the roles they are interested in and the agencies they would like to work for.
“Our transition is focused on building an administration that reflects the best of New Jersey — its innovation, diversity, and deep commitment to public service,” said Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill. “Our transition is an invitation for talented and passionate people from across the state to step up and help us move New Jersey forward together.”
Mamdani’s resume portal can be found at www.transition2025.com/apply
Sherrill’s resume portal can be found at www.nj.gov/govelect/
(L-R) Mayorelect Zohran Mamdani (at podium), incoming First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, and incoming Chief of Staff Elle BisgaardChurch. (Photo contributed by Mamdani’s campaign)
New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces the appointment of Dean Fuleih as first deputy mayor, and Elle BisgaardChurch as chief of staff, in New York, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
New York City reduces Black and Brown opioid overdose deaths for the first time since 2018
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News staff
For the first time in six years, Black and Brown opioid overdose deaths decreased citywide in 2024, according to health department data released on Oct. 28. The reduction followed broader New York City and national trends across racial demographics. But disparities persist as Black and Brown New Yorkers continue dying at twice the rate of white New Yorkers from overdoses.
“Progress on reducing opioid overdoses will never make up for the families that have been devastated and the communities torn apart by these drugs, but it gives us hope that brighter days are ahead,” said Mayor Eric Adams in a statement. “I am proud of the work our administration has done to stay focused on this issue by pursuing litigation and using funds from opioid settlements proactively, strategically, and forcefully to support those who are struggling.”
So what’s working? The outgoing administration points towards funding treatment and service programs through almost $190 million in opioid epidemic settlement money filed by the city and state from suing pharmaceutical companies like the Sackler family-owned Purdue Pharma, which manufactured OxyContin. Provisional data shows a 28% total decrease from 2023 in
overdose deaths. But advocates also credit the city’s more humane approach.
“There is a real focus on funding for providers that are specifically geared toward or expert in working with people who are actively using substances,” said Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) New York State director Toni Smith. “That is a huge piece of the puzzle that is often not totally accepted. There are many people who are currently using drugs, many of whom would like their use to be different or less, and they’re struggling to make that happen.
“And without the expectation that they will stop using immediately,” Smith continued, “there have to be providers or services that acknowledge that and still find a way to provide people [with] the things that are most critical to them in that moment.” Overdose prevention sites, best known for where people can use drugs safely and under supervision, served more than 8,000 participants with harm reduction resources through the city’s two uptown locations operated by service provider OnPoint NYC this past fiscal year. Frequently mis-
nomered as “safe injection sites,” OPCs provide broader medical care and look to prevent overdoses beyond just those from opioid injections. Such programs date back three decades across the world, all without recording a single on-site overdose death.
“You’ve heard me in the past not celebrate dips in overdose [deaths]...[it was] painful for many years seeing our people — my people — not be a part of that success,” said OnPoint NYC executive director Sam Rivera. “What I think has happened specifically to us is an entire system: I love that people talk about the OPC, we have an amazing drop-in center. We have a lowthreshold medical program that’s almost never talked about.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani supported OPCs during his campaign, marking three straight administrations behind the oftenmaligned prevention strategy dating back to Bill de Blasio. Despite significant political differences with his predecessor and successor, Adams also remains a staunch proponent and previously advocated for the sites to remain open all day.
Long-time East Harlem resident Kaliris Salas, who heads the local volunteer Community Education Council, recalled initial concerns from parents when OnPoint NYC opened doors in the neighborhood. That led to an open line of communication for the service provider to reach people using See OVERDOSE on page 25
DOI seeking public’s assistance with reviewing how the NYPD polices protests
By TANDY LAU Amsterdam News staff
The NYC Department of Investigation has put out an open call for information about how the NYPD responds to protests and is using an online portal to gather more from people who have their own accounts of the incidents.
“We’re open to hearing from anyone, including people who think that a protest was handled particularly well,” said Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber. “But what we would expect is to get anyone who is a witness to or has heard from someone else that a protest was not handled appropriately, based on what they observed. What we’re going to be looking at is how the department’s conduct measures up to the policies and standards it has now set for itself in policing protests.
“But obviously, people are not going to necessarily be familiar with those standards, and that’s fine. They’re going to be reporting like they normally would on any conduct that they feel is of concern: inappropriate handling of crowds, inappropriate interactions with individual protesters, really anything along those lines.”
Ultimately, the investigation seeks to fine-tune how NYPD protest responses are conducted to ensure they not only remain in compliance, but also examine how such practices can be improved. The portal allows respondents to upload photos and specifically asks about whether officers employed the likes of bicycles, flexi-cuffs, or shields during protest enforcement — such equipment is known to be used for nowbanned practices like kettling, which involves trapping protesters, including those not accused of committing a crime.
The DOI’s probe stems from settlements made over Black Lives Matter protesters alleging police brutality during the 2020 George Floyd protests. The lawsuits brought by the State Attorney General’s Office, as well as legal organizations like the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society, led to police reforms, including a tiered system that restricts the NYPD’s deployment of the Strategic Response Group, a controversial unit dedicated to crowd control.
In March, the city established the DOI’s Protest Response Oversight (PRO) unit to handle such matters as a part of the settlement. An Inspector General, along with
two special counsels and two senior investigators, make up the taskforce. While the office required new hires, handling this investigation through a local government agency rather than a third-party monitor — like the Floyd litigation over stop-andfrisk practices or the Nunez settlement over city jail conditions — will save the city substantial money.
As of last month, the PRO unit is reviewing two protests recommended by the settlement plaintiffs: a pro-Palestinian Brooklyn College demonstration in May and a “No Kings” rally outside 26 Federal Plaza immigration court in June. Monitors from the team are easy to spot at protests as they wear a bright green vest labeled “DOI Protest Response Monitor.”
For those interested in submitting information to the PRO unit, the DOI cautions those facing related criminal charges to consult with their attorney first. “I’m not giving anybody legal advice, but as a general matter, I think if someone is under arrest for conduct at a protest, they want to consult with their attorney,” said Strauber. “And their attorney can give them guidance as to whether, if they have a complaint or a concern they want to raise, what the appropriate channel is to do that.”
Submissions go through the DOI online portal, but those who wish to report anonymously can call (212) 825-6854.
A sign on the wall reads “This site saves lives” in Spanish and English at an overdose prevention center at OnPoint NYC in New York, Feb. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
People participate in a Caribbean-led Black Lives Matter rally on June 14, 2020, at Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willen, File)
NYC voters send clear message on housing ballot proposals – backed by Mayor-elect Mamdani
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
New York City voters have approved Mayor Eric Adams’ controversial ballot proposals on fast-tracking housing production with a stamp from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who announced his support for the proposals on Election Day.
According to the NYC Board of Elections (BOE) unofficial results, New Yorkers voted ‘No’ on proposal 1 (54.56%), an upstate environmental and land development issue, and on proposal 6 (53.08%), which would have moved local elections to even-numbered years.
The BOE said that New Yorkers voted ‘Yes’ for proposal 2 (58.32%), to fast-track affordable housing projects; for proposal 3 (56.75%), which changes the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) process; for proposal 4 (58.30%), establishes an Affordable Housing Appeals Board; and for proposal 5 (73.25%), which would digitize a City Map and create a borough map office.
Mamdani’s homegrown message of improving affordability for New Yorkers
and implementing a rent freeze for rentstabilized apartments on the campaign trail resonated with voters, clinching him a win in this year’s mayoral election over former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. In the weeks leading up to Election Day and during the mayoral debates, Mamdani evaded taking a firm stance on the ballot measures. However, he confirmed that he voted in favor of proposals 1 - 5 on Nov. 4. He also voted against proposal 6, he said.
“We urgently need more housing to be built across the five boroughs, and we also need to ensure that housing is high quality, creating high-quality union jobs,” Mamdani told City & State after he left the polling place.
Amit Singh Bagga, the campaign director for YES on Affordable Housing and principal of Public Progress Solutions, explained that the Mayor and city government play a massive role in determining affordability levels based on a community’s needs and identifying opportunities to build “taxpayer-financed
New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman today announced that she will retire at the end of her current term, the congresswoman announced on Nov. 10.
Watson Coleman, 80, became the first African American woman to represent New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was first elected to the House in 2014 as a Democrat representing New Jersey's 12th District, including the state capital, Trenton, and in Princeton.
Prior to taking that seat, she served in the New Jersey General Assembly and became the Assembly Majority Leader. She was the first African American woman to be elected chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.
“I made this decision with tremendous thought and reflection, and through many personal conversations with my husband Bill and my family,” Watson Coleman said in a statement. “I am confident it is the right choice for me and my family, who have graciously sacrificed by my side when I placed serving our community above all else, and I can truly say, I am at peace with my decision.”
The self-described progressive has been critical of President Donald Trump and said she was proud of her record aimed at fighting poverty and helping create “an economy for all.”
She was outside an immigration detention center in Newark, along with Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver, when authorities arrested the city’s mayor on a trespassing charge. It was later dropped,
but McIver was being prosecuted on assault charges, to which she has pleaded not guilty.
Watson Coleman supported McIver, calling the charges against her “purely political.”
“New Jersey is losing a great public ser-
vant in Bonnie’s retirement. For a lot of us in the House of Representatives, we are losing a dear friend and role model extraordinaire,” said Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson.
The sentiment was echoed by a good number of her colleagues.
“It has also been an honor to have been tutored by her and to have partnered with her in our efforts to make the many things that make this country great accessible and affordable to all. Bonnie has been a real workhorse on behalf of her constituents, and she will be sorely missed by them and by us, her colleagues and friends,” said South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn.
According to the New Jersey Globe, there are numerous people lining up to run for her office, which sits in a heavily Democratic district, making for a potentially crowded primary. This includes East Brunswick, N.J., Mayor Brad Cohen, Somerset County Commissioner Shanel Robinson, State Sen. Andrew Zwicker of South Brunswick, and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson of Trenton.
Watson Coleman now becomes the latest legislator to announce their retirement. Others include, Democrats Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Maine Rep. Jared Golden, Illinois Rep. Chuy Garcia, and Republican Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington. — With AP
New Jersey Democratic Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill and Lt. Governor-elect Dale Caldwell celebrate during an election night party in East Brunswick. (Matt Rourke/AP)
U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (Mark C. Olsen/New Jersey National Guard)
Rev. Ron Sullivan reflects on Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal’s anniversary
By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews
When Ron Sullivan visited his thengirlfriend, Mariama’s church in Harlem, he never would have envisioned he would one day lead the historic congregation. In 2002, after serving in the ministry for a few years, he would officially be handed the pulpit from the legendary Rev. Eugene Callender in leading the non-denominational Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal, a role he has held for the last 23 years.
On Nov. 14, the church, which was founded by Callender and was originally a denomination of the Christian Reformed Church, will be holding its 70th anniversary celebration Gala at the
Black New Yorker Partnerships at the Davis Center that Put Harlem First
By Jenny Schulte Sponsored content by JPMorgan Chase
History will be made in Harlem this fall as New Yorkers lace up their skates and return to Central Park’s north end. The new Gottesman Rink at the Davis Center opens to the public on November 15, marking not just the debut of a stateof-the-art skating destination, but a reimagined model that puts Harlem and its community first.
Replacing the former Lasker Rink, the Gottesman Rink represents something far more ambitious. Operated by the nonprofit Central Park Conservancy with philanthropic support from partners including JPMorgan Chase, it’s built on a model that redefines what a public space can be: open, equitable, and deeply connected to the neighborhood it serves.
That vision guided every decision—from pricing and programming to the partners invited to help bring it to life. The Conservancy sought out organizations that share its mission to make the Park a true commons: a space where everyone can connect with nature, with neighbors, and with themselves.
With generous support from JPMorgan Chase, the Davis Center’s programming is designed to be inclusive and accessible. The goal is to make this space genuinely useful to local families year-round. Through this model, the Conservancy offers partner organizations free and discounted ice time—ensuring that local groups remain at the heart of the experience.
North Stars, the Park is central to the team’s identity. “It’s such a treat to bring this experience to people with special needs in the world’s greatest park,” he said. “Being in nature is important for anyone, but for our players especially, it’s great they get outside and do this.”
And for these players, this season symbolizes more than a return—it’s the start of a new chapter filled with promise.
“Everybody at the Conservancy has been awesome to us,” said Bill Tobias, the team’s Head Coach and Manager. “They’ve given us access to the facility, helped with scheduling, and offered extra time for special events. It’s nice to know that we’re going back to something greater than before.”
But the impact goes beyond one facility. Partnerships like the one between the Conservancy and JPMorgan Chase show how public organizations can work hand in hand with community partners to create spaces that foster local ownership, pride, and opportunity—priorities JPMorgan Chase brings to its many community projects across New York City.
Harlem School of the Arts.
“We’re not a physically large church, but for some reason, God has chosen to spare us through drug crisis, housing crisis, issues throughout the community, the pandemic, and financial issues to somehow have us continuing to not just hold on but thrive,” Sullivan said.
“Some people do like the status of being in a church with a big name, or a pastor who’s a big name and on TV, and I don’t aspire to any of those things,” Sullivan continued. “There’s something to knowing that most people know your name and your face and feeling like a family.”
Each Sunday, Sullivan, 59, can be seen delivering a message to the congregation and thousands through the livestream.
See BNY on page 27
One of these organizations is Ice Hockey in Harlem (IHIH), a nonprofit offering local children high-quality hockey and enrichment programming at no cost. After operating at the Lasker Rink since 1987, IHIH will return to Central Park at the new Gottesman Rink this winter.
“Returning to the rink at the Davis Center is truly a full-circle moment for us,” said Malik Garvin, Executive Director at IHIH. “We and the Conservancy share a commitment to making this facility a place of learning, joy, and belonging. Their dedication to the Harlem community and to ensuring inclusive access aligns directly with our mission and makes this collaboration especially meaningful.”
Also returning this winter are the Central Park North Stars, an ice hockey team for athletes with developmental disabilities.
For Robert Epner, Founder and Director of the
One such example is the ROOTED Wellness Series at the Davis Center this fall, which featured financial wellness workshops hosted by JPMorgan Chase on topics ranging from budgeting and saving to building credit and the path to homeownership. These events showcased both JPMorgan Chase’s commitment to Harlem’s success and the Davis Center’s role as a gathering place to empower its neighbors.
“Everything that Harlem stands for is what JPMorgan Chase stands for,” said Nichol King, New York City Market Director for Community Banking at JPMorgan Chase. “Love, happiness, financial wellness, investing in the neighborhood, and being proximate to the needs of your community.”
When shared values—like accessibility and community wellness—guide collaboration, the result is a public space that truly belongs to everyone.
Take it from Epner: “I’m just proud and grateful that we can be part of this. It’s such a beautiful facility—you don’t think cities can do this anymore. And not only did they do it, but we feel like this is ours too. It’s a nice feeling.”
Rev. Ronald Sullivan has served as the pastor for the Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal for 23 years. (Courtesy, Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal)
The Studio Museum in Harlem reopens, welcomes a new future while staying true to its roots
By MARIELLE ARGUEZA Special to the AmNews
The Studio Museum in Harlem is back, bigger and bolder than ever. Since the early 1980s, the Studio Museum operated out of its 125th Street property in Harlem in a former bank building cleverly retrofitted to become a working studio, gallery, and community space.
Within five stories and 60,000 square feet, the Studio Museum accomplished plenty. Globally, it became known for helping launch the careers of up-and-coming artists such as Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, and David Hammons through its famous artist-in-residence program. Locally, it became institutionalized as the place to witness Black art and to see the Black experience enshrined.
After decades in operation, it was clear to the Studio Museum team that its physical space was not scaling fast enough for its programming or future growth. “I loved the old building, but it was a bank, and sometimes still felt like a bank,” said Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem.
By 2017, the museum quietly raised $175 million in a capital campaign to create an entirely new building on the same property. To date, it has raised more than $300 million to secure not just the building but the future sustainability of the museum as part of its Creating Space Campaign.
After seven years of construction, the Studio Museum is ready to welcome the public back through its doors with a grand (re)opening on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Addressing members of the media in a press opening, Golden said, “We chose to build this completely new home on the same ground where we stood for so many years. We could’ve looked for a different site in Harlem. We could have relocated to a space in an existing building. But we knew, and our public knew, that this site, which the museum has occupied since the early ‘80s, is where we belong.”
She continued, “We are rooted in 125th Street, just as we are rooted in the history, the heritage, the imagination, and the inspiration of all those who came before. Today, we welcome a new future for ourselves by staying true to our past.”
Building a Space for Black Art
The Studio Museum began in the 1960s, with the protests and discourse of the Civil Rights Movement in the backdrop. Before the ’60s, it was difficult for Black artists to find homes for and display their works anywhere. From museums and academia to commercial art galleries and scholarly publications, Black artists were often excluded from the art world, whether by law or social norms.
In 1968, a group of artists, philanthropists, and community activists came together to address the exclusion. The Studio Museum’s first home was located at 2033 Fifth Ave., just north of 125th Street, in a second-story loft space.
Under the leadership of Charles Inniss, who became the museum’s first director, and co-founders future congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Campbell Wylly, Betty Blayton Taylor, Carter Burden, and Frank Donnelly, they opened the See story
doors to the public on Sept. 24, 1968. The museum became not just a display of Black art, but also a place where Black creators could produce their work and engage with the community at large.
The museum received an upgrade in square footage and cultural capital, not even 10 years into operation. The museum was gifted a building that was once the New York Bank of Savings, at 144 W. 125th St., its current location. The iconic 125th Street is the main vein of Harlem, and the change of location helped ensconce it in the pantheon of other Black institutions like the Apollo Theater and the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building.
J. Max Bond Jr., the mind behind the Schomburg Center and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, led the renovations of the building, leaving most of the exterior intact but redeveloping the interior.
In its new home, the museum’s ideas grew within and beyond its walls, as the team found more ways to engage the public with free admission days and family activities, alternative education pathways, and innovative multimedia installations that attracted Black creatives, musicians, and filmmakers from all around the world.
Then, on the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2018, the Studio Museum offered patrons a “Last Look” before it shut its doors to the public for seven years. After a few necessary hurdles and a temporary pause during the pandemic, the former building was demolished and excavated in August 2020. A construction wall shielded the progress of the new building from the eyes of the community for years.
Without a site of its own, the Studio Museum, as it had always done, operated beyond its physicasl space, partnering with MoMA PS1, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others to keep up programming and exhibitions.
The construction wall came down earlier this month, revealing a seven-story, dark charcoal, brutalist-inspired building towering above classic New York brick buildings. It was designed by Adjaye Associates, led by Cooper Robertson, and boasts 82,000 square feet — an increase of 60%.
Among its features are double- and triple-height walls, multiple galleries, workshops, archives, a forum for lectures and talks inspired by the city’s stoops, studio spaces, and movable and false walls that will open, close, expand, and contract depending on the museum’s needs.
Addressing members of the media during the press opening on Nov. 6, Raymond J. McGuire, chairman of the Studio Museum’s board of trustees, said, “This magnificent building says to the world: Harlem matters. Black art matters. Black institutions matter.”
Meeting the Need and Making a Statement
Much of the work of museums happens outside their walls. But it does help when there is a dedicated space where that work can blossom into ideas, which can be nurtured into art and discourse. At least that is the philosophy of the Studio Museum’s chief program officer, Natasha Logan.
This isn’t to say that those things didn’t happen in the old building — they did. In fact, programs like Family Days, teen programming, and artist residencies were wildly popular and well-known. But the new museum now has so many purposebuilt and adaptive spaces (they can literally move walls and ceilings), Logan said, they can now respond quicker and more thoughtfully to their community’s needs.
“I think the beauty of this building is that it is needed. This is a building that came out of explicit needs that a previous space couldn’t provide. The design was so intentional,” said Logan. “So in some ways, the building is responding to things that we needed in order to fulfill the scope of our mission: classrooms with sinks for wet work, ceiling heights that could expand so that we could say yes to any type of scale project, among a few examples.”
Much of the programming will stay the same unless it’s expanded or rebranded — like free family days becoming “Studio Sundays,” where families are invited to participate in art workshops, Logan confirmed.
The museum, in its transmuted form, will be a much-needed third space for the local community. And after raising more than $300 million to sustain its future, it is also, symbolically, a statement of Black artistic legacy and its future.
See STUDIO MUSEUM on page 20
Expanding and false walls, soaring ceilings, large gathering spaces — every design choice was intentional with the Studio Museum’s new look. (Marielle Argueza photos)
New Jersey Black church leaders chart post-election strategy after Sherrill victory
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
Rev. Dr. Charles F. Boyer and members of his Salvation and Social Justice team held a post-election strategy call on Monday, Nov. 10, for more than 140 Black church and faith community leaders. The meeting took place just six days after Mikie Sherrill’s decisive victory in the New Jersey gubernatorial race.
The call was a chance to celebrate, take a breather after months of organizing, reassess, and start planning for what comes next.
“Let me just say, sisters and brothers, that I am personally overjoyed and indebted to all of you on this call and many more who heard thoroughly, I think, the clarion call to make sure that the encroachment of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement did not make its way to State Street,” Rev. Boyer said at the start of the video call. “One thing that I think was largely a common theme amongst all of us was that the safety and the well-being of our people was paramount. And we certainly needed to activate the Black faith community in terms of what the work and the assignment was.”
Sherrill’s double-digit victory over Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli can be largely credited to the Black vote, Rev. Derrick L. Green, founder of the Interfaith Action Movement, asserted during the call. The coalition, which supported former President Joe Biden in New Jersey, also strongly backed current Gov. Phil Murphy. In both 2017 and 2021, Murphy won some 94% of the Black vote. Even when support from Latino and other demographic groups waned in 2021, dropping into the 50s, Murphy’s continued reliance on Black voters was key in securing his narrow three-point victory, Green noted.
Green pointed to the following breakdown of Sherrill’s support: “Forty-seven percent of the white community in New Jersey gave their vote to Mikie Sherrill. She got 93.5% of the Black vote. And here’s the great stat: The other minority groups gave her about 70% of their vote. That’s how she was able to get the 12, 13-point lead.”
The Black faith community remains a powerful force in shaping policy today, Green added. Endorsements from over 200 Black ministers supporting candidates like Mikie Sherrill and Dale Caldwell helped reach approximately 300,000 constituents.
This analysis was supported by the Associated Press Voter Poll, which surveyed over 4,000 voters in New Jersey and found that Sherrill did well among nonwhite voters, winning roughly 7 out of 10 of them. Despite Trump making inroads with the Black and Hispanic communities in the previous election — reducing the Democratic victory in New Jersey from a 16-point margin in 2020 to just six percentage points — the Biden coalition, which Green says came together because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, held firm to secure the governorship for Sherrill.
With the understanding that the Black vote played a pivotal role, the SandSJ urged faith leaders to maintain momentum by staying connected with state representatives on key policies.
The organization listed several legislative priorities, such as advocating for legislation that strengthens police accountability, supporting a restorative justice bill that provides incarcerated elders an opportunity for resentencing and reunification with their families, addressing disparities in Black maternal healthcare outcomes, and securing state funding to create more Freedom Schools across New Jersey.
Is everybody getting primaried? 2026 congressional midterm challengers emerge
By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff
The 2026 congressional primaries are still several months away, but candidates looking to challenge entrenched Democrats in New York are already coming out of the woodwork to announce their campaigns.
Democrats rejoiced last week as they swept in elections all over the country, such as New York City, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Georgia, and Maine. These wins have not only rejuvenated the party but put a fire under Democratic National Committee leadership heading into next year’s midterms.
“American voters just delivered a Democratic resurgence. A Republican reckoning.
A Blue Sweep,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin in a statement. “And to all the Republicans who have bowed a cowardly knee to Trump all year, consider this: We’re coming after your jobs next. Over the next year, the ability to stop Trump in his tracks runs directly through the Democratic Party. We will earn every vote. We will win.”
The ultimate goal is to at least shift the balance of power away from a Republicancontrolled Senate and House. But a slew of progressives and younger voters have become so steadfast in their disapproval of President Donald Trump and far-right Republicans that even high-ranking Democrats aren’t safe if they are perceived to be “weak.”
As of this Tuesday, former Bronx Assem-
blymember Michael Blake is vying for a chance to unseat Congressmember Ritchie Torres, the first openly gay Afro-Latino member, in the Bronx’s 15th Congressional District.
“People are pissed. As they should be. We should not be deciding on meals or Medicare; we should have both,” said Blake, who is building his campaign on affordability. “This is a moment where it’s clear that people want to see who is going to stand up for people.”
This would be the second time Blake is up against Torres, since he lost to him in the Democratic primary for District 15 in 2020. He is also fresh off his campaign for New York City Mayor in June’s primary, in which he opted to cross-endorse
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani early on. Blake has heavily criticized Torres for his adamant pro-Israel stance and American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) funding, seemingly capitalizing on the momentum behind Mamdani’s win.
“I am an ordained reverend who has baptized people in the Jordan River, prayed at the Western Wall, and have been with Israelis and Palestinians together. You can say you are against AIPAC and against the actions of the government and not be antiIsrael,” said Blake. “In the same way, I can criticize what is happening with Trump as well as Senate Democrats and not be antiAmerican. We can say that Hamas is a
Salvation and Social Justice’s “Black Church Voted” button 2025 (SandSJ photo)
Divine Nine News
D9 Harlem Votes partners with Pace University’s Social Justice Week for “Rapid Fire Chat: Whose House?” with focus on
affordability, economic, and ballot measures
By SHANA HARMONGOFF Special to the AmNews
On October 29, 2025, D9 Harlem Votes, in partnership with Pace University’s Social Justice Week, held a “Rapid Fire Chat: Whose House?” panel discussion about affordability, economics, and ballot initiatives. Divine Nine organizations represented included Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
The program opened with greetings from Drew Gabriel, of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. “We’re grateful to Pace University for inviting D9 Harlem Votes to be part of their Social Justice Week,” Gabriel said. “Social Justice Week honors the life of Pace student Danroy ‘DJ’ Henry. He was a 20-year-old Pace University student and football player who was fatally shot by a white police officer in Thornwood, New York. Though he was not involved in the initial disturbance, his death and the lack of charges sparked years of advocacy and calls for justice. Social Justice Week’s mission is to promote dialogue on social justice issues. We’re humbled that Pace has entrusted us with their mission to bring civic conversations to students and the NYC community.”
of the Divine Nine in service, love, and transformative civic action. Today’s panel emphasizes our commitment to the Harlem community and beyond.”
Panel moderator Tremaine S. Wright, a former member of the New York State Assembly and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., posed questions to the panelists about affordability, economics, and ballot measures. Questions included:
bilized in taking action and moving forward?
Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson, Morehouse College alumnus and senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, presents Morehouse College President Dr. David A. Thomas with framed photo commemorating historic ties between Abyssinian and Morehouse, featuring images of church and Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. with former president Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays. Thomas, who will retire on June 30, 2025, spoke at Abyssinian’s HBCU/Divine Nine worship service, reflecting on how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) inspire faith, education, and innovation for future generations. (The Abyssinian Baptist Church photos)
1. What support is available at the federal, state, and city levels to help us address affordability, and how can we advocate for more resources?
He added that “D9 Harlem Votes was born from a vision to unite Harlem members
2. How can we protect long-time residents from displacement as new investment flows into their communities?
3. What are some next steps to help us get mo-
“D9 Harlem Votes, a coalition committed to uplifting and mobilizing the Harlem community through civic participation, was convened to live, love, and serve,” said Erika L. Ewing, founder of Got To Stop, LLC and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. “The initiative centers on meeting people where they are and making civic engagement accessible, transparent, and empowering. By focusing on education, community connection, and truth-telling, D9 Harlem Votes aims to transform how Harlem engages with the political process.”
According to panelist Michael Bailey II, Esq., housing attorney at the Bailey Law Firm, “We all know that organizations, governmental agencies, and businesses
To share your Divine Nine News, please contact us at d9@amsterdamnews.com and at amsterdamnews.com/d9news
tend to do better when they are led, managed, and run by members of the community — the people that represent the community. Next steps involve being a part of different organizations and people getting involved in their communities by volunteering and joining their local community boards.”
After the panel discussion, Athena Moore, social action chair of Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, which is celebrating its Centennial Year, moderated a questionand-answer session. “The generations before us made it possible for us to be here today, and we are going to keep on doing what we’ve always done: being a resilient Black community,” said Moore. “In these uncertain
See DIVINE NEWS on page 31
D9 Harlem Votes Planning Committee poses with panelists and moderators. (Photos courtesy of D9 Harlem Votes Planning Committee)
D9 Harlem Votes holds “Rapid Fire Chat: Whose House?” panel discussion in partnership with Pace University during Social Justice Week.
Union Matters
Starbucks baristas take up union cause, threaten major strike at coffee company
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
A union representing 12,000 workers at Starbucks Corp. has announced plans to have its members conduct a nationwide strike during the upcoming holiday season.
Earlier this month, Starbucks Workers United (SWU) voted by an estimated 92% majority to authorize an open-ended strike over what they claim are the company’s unfair labor practices. “Starbucks is the biggest violator of labor law in modern history,” SWU said in a press statement, “with administrative law judges and the National Labor Relations Board finding that Starbucks has committed more than 500 labor law violations.”
To date, SWU has filed more than 1,000 unfair labor practice (ULP) complaints, including more than 125 since January 2025. More than 700 unresolved charges remain, including a set of national ULPs around bad-faith bargaining and unilateral policy changes, and specific ULPs around retaliatory firings and discipline.
SWU says efforts to secure better staffing levels, more consistent work hours, end unpredictable schedules, and increase wages have been met with unionbusting and retaliatory measures from Starbucks management.
“Union baristas mean business and are ready to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract and end Starbucks’ unfair labor practices,” SWU spokesperson Michelle Eisen said. “We want Starbucks to succeed, but turning the company around and bringing customers back begins with listening to and supporting the baristas who are responsible for the Starbucks experience. If Starbucks keeps stonewalling, they should expect to see their business grind to a halt. The ball is in Starbucks’ court.”
SWU plans to begin with a strike on November 13 — Starbucks’ “Red Cup Day,” the yearly event when the coffee chain gives customers a free, limited-edition reusable red holiday cup if they buy a handcrafted holiday drink. Union members say Red Cup Day has traditionally been a day of understaffing and challenges for workers, making it a perfect time for them to show store customers that they are still without a contract. If negotiations don’t move forward, SWU plans to escalate its actions by launching strikes in 25 cities initially, then expanding to more if management doesn’t respond. SWU calls this their “Red Cup Rebellion.”
SWU states it has organized Starbucks employees across the country, while management seems to be launching a retaliatory campaign by closing 400 stores nationwide. Fifty-nine of those closed locations were
where there had been union activity, according to the website Nation’s Restaurant News. The coffee and tea industry website, Fresh Cup, reports that Starbucks is responding to the threat of a SWU Red Cup Rebellion Day strike, with management stating that most stores will stay open and countering that it already offers competitive pay and benefits. In April, the company’s website stated
that, “At Starbucks, we offer equity grants to retail partners, and we were the first major retailer to provide health benefits for fulland part-time workers and cover 100% of tuition for partners pursuing a four-year degree. We recently invested over $3 billion in the partner experience, including wages and benefits. The average pay for hourly partners is now over $19, and with bene-
fits, it is worth over $30 per hour.”
“No other retailer offers such a comprehensive package. Starbucks is the industry leader in terms of total pay and benefits which far exceed retail industry norms. … Starbucks remains optimistic that, through productive compromise and respectful dialogue, we can finalize a contract that is fair and equitable.”
Red Cup Rebellion rally poster (Starbucks Workers United photo)
From the Brooklyn Bridge to the JPMorganChase Tower, we’ve invested in NYC for more than 225 years. And we’re proud to continue supporting the resiliency, creativity and drive that make this city and its people unstoppable.
Where We Live: New Yorkers helping shape the future
By AHMED TIGANI
Growing up in Sunset Park, I saw firsthand how essential it is that families like mine — who have benefited from effective government support — participate in the decisions that shape their communities and their city. From voting in local elections to shopping in neighborhood markets, the power and dignity of choice should belong to everyone. By being able to choose where we live, and influencing the strength and diversity of our neighborhoods, we can embody that power.
As a public servant working to create and preserve the city’s housing, it is my responsibility to give the power of choice to everyone: those who’ve lived in New York for generations or those who have just reached our shores, the college students returning from abroad to their elderly New York or nowhere grandparents, the teacher and the janitor who make the classroom beautiful. These New Yorkers, and many more, cherish and enrich their neighborhoods, and they should have a leading role in shaping how we protect, support, sustain, and enjoy our city.
This philosophy of participation should inform where we live. And it also informs Where We Live NYC, the city’s comprehensive roadmap to building a more inclusive, healthier, fairer city through housing
These New Yorkers, and many more, cherish and enrich their neighborhoods, and they should have a leading role in shaping how we protect, support, sustain, and enjoy our city.
access and community enrichment.
Last month, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) released the final version of the Where We Live NYC 2025 plan. This new plan — developed through a holistic, creative, and practical public engagement approach — updates Where We Live 2020 and reasserts the city’s commitment to creating and preserving housing in all neighborhoods with resources, support,
and amenities that allow them to thrive. Through this report, and the process that created it, the city recommits to the principles of equity, opportunity, and access.
While Where We Live NYC began as a federal mandate, based in the Civil Rights Act of 1968, New York has made the process its own. In 2023, the City Council cemented New York City’s commitment to affirmatively furthering fair housing by writing into local law a requirement that the city update
its fair housing framework every five years, no matter the federal requirements.
HPD embraces this task to ensure that engagement is robust, energetic, representative, and carried out in modes that encourage participation, including workshops, stakeholder briefings, a public engagement campaign at 21 local libraries, “office hours,” and an online questionnaire, gathering reflections that appear throughout the final plan.
The product reflects the city’s continued and unequivocal dedication to confronting segregation, fighting housing discrimination, and ensuring every New Yorker has access to a safe, affordable home in the neighborhood of their choice. Along with many of the original goals and strategies from Where We Live NYC 2020 (refined and updated to reflect social change and achievements), Where We Live NYC 2025 introduces new commitments that reflect today’s housing challenges.
First announced in August, these commitments include implementing a public awareness campaign for the Fair Chance for Housing Act, fighting for expanded access to rental assistance, exploring interventions to address rising operating and rehabilitation costs for multifamily housing, identifying solutions to improve
Sarah’s Oil: Why the obscure story of a Black girl who became incredibly wealthy is so important
By HERB BOYD
Thanks to my alert niece, I learned that one of my colleagues, Tonya Bolden, was on the brink of a significant literary event. A film based on her book, “Searching for Sarah Rector,” was released November 7 through Amazon’s MGM Studios. Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh (“10,000 Black Men
Named George”) and co-written with his wife Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, it was done in conjunction with several co-executive producers, including NFL quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara.
Who is Sarah Rector?
You would know the answer to this question if you were among the lucky few at the special screening of “Sarah’s Oil.” In 1913, Sarah was 11 years old when she became one of the nation’s first Black millionaires. I first heard about this incredible piece of fortune from Bolden’s book and published a review of it in the Amsterdam News in 2014. I was given additional impetus when I learned that Sarah was born in Taft, Okla., an all-Black town — and my wife’s birthplace. Bolden’s account is riveting, and it’s easy to see why her version was chosen as the guide to the film. Here is a portion of my account from 2014:
“Sarah was born in 1902 in Taft, then part of Indian Territory. She first gained national attention from an article published in the Chicago Defender. ‘The Richest Child of the Race Mysteriously Disappears,’ the article announced. ‘Where is Sarah Rector?’ is the question that pops up several times in the article, but it is only in the last paragraph that there is any indication of why she is the richest Black girl in America.”
“Apparently, Rector’s family received a land allotment as a member of the Creek Nation when Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Rector’s take in all this, eventually, was forty acres, and in 1911, the land was leased by a major oil company. She, or at least her guardians, received $160 an acre. Soon, there was another lease on the land, but only half as much as the previous one, Bolden noted. After oil wells sprang up around her property in Taft, it was only a matter of time before she, too, would experience a gusher. It came in 1913.”
A local newspaper reported that Rector’s well was producing 2,500 barrels of oil a day,
or 105,000 gallons. ‘With the price of crude oil about a buck a barrel, that was more than $300 a day for Sarah,’ Bolden wrote. The money was flowing in, but not until she was 18 would any of it be hers to spend. In fact, according to one story in the Defender in 1913, Rector was forced to live in a shack.
“The front-page story was also upset that Rector’s guardian was a white man; her family, too, was accused of being ‘ignorant.’ Fortunately, the court stepped in to protect her accumulating wealth, and her guardian built her a decent home. Meanwhile, she and her riches were the source of countless news stories, and she began receiving requests for donations and marriage proposals. The publicity became a burden, and this may have prompted her sudden disappearance.”
I will add to this account once I’ve seen the film and see how deeply it delves into her later years, particularly after she lost most of her wealth during the Great Depression. In 1934, she married William Crawford, a restaurant owner. They remained together until her death in 1967.
Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief
Madison Gray: Executive & Investigative Editor
Damaso Reyes: Editor at Large
Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor
Dems on shutdown: Compromise, Capitulation, or Collapse?
After more than five weeks of a government shutdown, there are signs that the gridlock will be lifted, pending the House vote and Trump’s signature. This is both good news and bad news, a compromise or capitulation, or total collapse, depending on the comments from some Democratic leaders.
A celebratory mood prevailed among Democrats after the recent election, with the party delivering a decisive blow to the Trump team; however, there now appears to be a return to the division that has hampered the Democrats for months.
On the one hand, the Senate, with the help of several Democrats, has agreed to a plan to fund the government through
the end of the year, with no intention of extending health care subsidies. For several months, the Democrats were determined to remain steadfast against caving in to the Republicans’ demand to enforce their “Big Ugly” bill without protective measures for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its subsidies, which are scheduled to expire in January. However, the recent
60-40 vote, with seven Democrats and an Independent siding with the Republicans, sends the bill to the Representatives. And that’s like having the fox guard the hen house.
Remember the old song and its lyrics: “You got to give a little, take a little, and let your poor heart break a little.” Well, that’s more than the story of love; it seems to be the swan song for the Democratic Party.
My father’s last days changed my mind on medical aid in dying
By Rev. AL TAYLOR
When I first arrived in Albany after being elected to the Assembly in 2017, I had a lot to learn. But as a member of the clergy, there was one belief on which I stood firm: the amount of time allotted to us on Earth was solely in God’s hands.
As a result, whenever I spotted medical aid-in-dying advocates in their signature yellow T-shirts in the Capitol hallways, I would make a beeline in the opposite direction. I was convinced that nothing they said could change my mind.
Then my dad got sick.
Over the next two and a half years, as my wife and I cared for him through terminal cancer, we spent countless hours together. In many ways, that time brought us even closer. But I also watched his quality of life steadily crumble under the weight of an unforgiving illness.
The first time he looked at me and said, “I can’t take this,” my heart sank. I knew deep down what he meant, but I struggled to accept it. I wasn’t ready to imagine my father choosing to leave this life on his own terms. As his suffering worsened, his pleas for relief grew more desperate. It broke my heart that despite all my love and care, I could do nothing to ease his pain.
Ultimately, he died at 84
in the same room where we had cared for him, and he was still in pain when he passed. Being in the trenches with someone you love as they struggle through their final days profoundly changes your perspective on what compassion truly means.
This past April, I proudly cast a “yes” vote for the Medical Aid in Dying Act, a bill I had once vehemently opposed but ultimately co-sponsored. It passed the Assembly for the first time nearly a decade after the legislation was first introduced. A month later, the state Senate followed suit.
Now the decision of whether to provide this compassionate end-oflife option to terminally ill New Yorkers rests with Gov. Kathy Hochul. I urge her to sign it without delay.
Over the past decade, too many advocates — people who hoped to use medical aid in dying themselves or to help a loved one do so — have lost their battles with illness while waiting for this law. Those who are still with us have no time left to wait.
Let’s be clear about what this bill does and does not do. It doesn’t force anyone to do anything, nor does it take anything away from anyone. It simply offers a choice for eligible terminally ill individuals to end their suffering on their own terms, at a time of their choosing.
Opponents sometimes
call the Medical Aid in Dying Act a “slippery slope.”
The fact is that the bill is built with extensive safeguards to prevent any fraud or abuse. It’s modeled on more than 25 years of data since Oregon passed and implemented the nation’s first aid-in-dying law. We know this approach works as intended. In the places where medical aid in dying is legal, currently 11 states and Washington, D.C., many people who obtain the medication never actually take it. Simply having that prescription in hand gives them comfort. It lets them live their final days to the fullest, free from the fear of unbearable suffering and judgment. Strict requirements are in place. The patient must be terminally ill and mentally capable, undergo evaluations, and be able to ingest the medication themselves. No one else can administer it for them. These protections ensure the decision remains with the patient, and only the patient. I am very clear on what medical aid in dying is; it is a choice that allows a dying person to exercise autonomy and dignity at the end of their life. Equally important, I am clear on what it is not: it is not “assisted suicide” and it is not euthanasia. It is an act of mercy for someone in excruciating pain who has decided they have endured all they can.
Remember the homeless and hungry this month
CHRISTINA GREER, PH.D.
Death is inevitable. It comes for all of us. The question is, are we prepared for it when it does?
As a pastor, I have sat with countless individuals and their families as they grapple with devastating diagnoses that abruptly alter the course of their lives. I have seen the anguish, the prayers for more time or less pain, and the heartbreaking decisions that follow.
My own family’s experience underscored this truth in the most personal way. Caring for my father through his final chapter left an indelible mark on me. The memory of his agony and of my helplessness to alleviate it still haunts me. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. No one should have to watch a loved one in such pain without the option of a merciful end.
Governor Hochul, the power is now in your hands to give New Yorkers something we all seek: the chance of a good death, one that is peaceful, in a place of our choosing and surrounded by those we love. All we ask is the ability to make that choice for ourselves.
Please sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law today.
The Rev. Al Taylor represents New York’s 71st state Assembly District, covering Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood, since 2017.
November is National Homelessness and Food Insecurity Awareness Month. Sadly, in a country with this many resources, we still have millions of Americans who are unhoused and food insecure. In a nation with an estimated 23 to 24 million millionaires — yes, you read that correctly, it is abhorrent to have people without a roof over their heads or food in their kitchens.
Ever since the president was sworn in, furloughs, layoffs, and flat-out firings have been a staple of his administration. It should not come as a surprise that Black women have been disproportionately affected by the draconian policies out of Washington, D.C.:
To date, more than 300,000 Black women have lost employment since Trump 2.0 commenced. Since so many Black women serve as the economic foundation of their families and communities, this sweeping unemployment has rippling effects for far more than just the individuals.
Thanksgiving is around the corner and prices at the grocery store seem to be higher than ever. There are countless stories of people eating one meal per day to try to save money and make sure the rest of their family members can eat. Roughly two-thirds of all Americans live paycheck to paycheck, which means a sudden job loss or quick change in economic status can render someone unable to pay their rent; afford groceries; or pay for transportation, medicine, or incidentals.
A recent report just exposed that one in seven New York City public school children — roughly 154,000 kids — experienced homelessness during the school
year. So many children stay in temporary housing or shelters, which makes the learning process even more difficult for young people who are expected to concentrate during the day while having uncertainty about where they will stay in the evening. What can we do? As the winter months approach, we must remember that people with transient housing are often unable to bring their belongings with them and consistently lose clothing items and other possessions with each move. Some among us are stepping up to help. Countless religious institutions have clothing drives and food pantries where people who have the capacity to donate can do so. I looked at several City Council members’ webpages and saw links for where people can donate food and clothes. We can also support Troop 6000, the Girl Scout Troop dedicated solely to girls who are in temporary housing in the NYC shelter system. For me, I like to clean out my closets a few times per year — same for my kitchen cabinets — to make donations. There are so many people in need right now, it is our duty to our larger communities to make sure that we use whatever resources we have in this moment. Before the month ends, do a little research and donate what you can.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “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 co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
Caribbean Update
Grenada stalls on allowing U.S. to set up military radar near Venezuela
By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews
In the coming weeks, the small Eastern Caribbean nation of Grenada, which the U.S. had invaded back in 1983, has an important decision to make as Washington has asked it for permission to establish a military radar station at its main airport to monitor nearby Venezuela.
In late August, the U.S. had formally approached the island nation to use its main Maurice Bishop International Airport to house military radar that could monitor both commercial and military flights in the Southern Caribbean with a particular eye on Venezuela about 100 miles to the south.
But strident opposition from some lawmakers and civil society groups has apparently slowed the decision-making process, with Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell telling parliament in recent days that his administration is working with an undisclosed deadline from the U.S., but won’t be hurried into deciding on such an important issue. In not being rushed, he appears to be cognisant of the simmering undercurrents that still persist regarding the 1983 invasion by the Reagan administration, allegedly back then to stop Russia and Cuba from gain-
ing influence in the region. For many on the island just north of Trinidad, the request is being seen as a major insult to national sensibilities and as the current generation of American politicians either has no regard for the open wounds from the 1983 invasion or they simply just don’t care.
Former Senate President Chester Humphrey is one of the key hardliners campaigning against any radar station on the island. He has vowed to lead national protests against the administration if it ever dares to grant permission. He says excuses about interdicting drugs are a pretext for more important issues, including an eye on Venezuela’s oil and other resources.
“Venezuela has not done us anything,” said Humphrey on a local television program. “Venezuela has helped us. On a state-to-state basis, Venezuela has probably provided more than the U.S. in recent years. Why must we join in somebody else’s war? It will be a grave strain on history against the memory of our forefathers for us to join a war against a state that has done us nothing, a state that has helped us tremendously. They have murdered Venezuelan citizens. The Americans have had a history of lying regarding
Prime Minister of Grenada Philip Dickon Mitchell addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
their intentions before going to war. Of recent vintage, it lies in respect of its invasion of Iraq, so America has a long history of lying. It lied when it invaded Grenada, but this one has taken all the prizes,” he said. Addressing parliament, Dickon, who faces elections in two years, gave an indication of his administration’s mindset as it ponders the request, noting that “the airport by its very history, is one that is of historic significance. Therefore, we understand clearly that the public will
want to opine on this matter.”
He says authorities would need expert technical advice on how to proceed as “the airport is a civilian airport and therefore it is not equipped to handle military… operations. Installing the radar would obviously disrupt the operations of the airport and therefore, we would need technical advice as to whether or not it was feasible or advisable to do so.”
The PM was also quick to point out that Grenada has no military.
Its links with the Florida-based U.S. Southern Command have much to do with police-type law enforcement matters than military-to-military cooperation and treaties.
“Our cooperation with the U.S. has therefore always been with that of law enforcement, and in the context of our own domestic law and in the context of international law, and therefore we would have enquired as to the legality of the basis upon which, given that this is a military request, the request was being made, and we have entered into discussions on those issues which are not settled. That is precisely what we have been doing. It is Important to point out that, and this is important for me to go on record to say that as PM of the country and the government we lead, we would not enter into any agreement which, from a Grenada perspective, has any possibility of violating any Grenadian or international law,” a relaxed-looking Mitchell stated from the house floor.
Other nations like Antigua, further to the north, have already stated their disinterest in hosting U.S. military facilities, with officials saying these cabinets are keen on staying away from superpower power, geopolitics.
The irony of history and New York’s last immigrant mayor
History, it seems, has a wicked sense of humor.
On November 3, 2025, Ugandan-born Zohran Kwame Mamdani made history as New York City’s first South Asian, African, Ugandaborn immigrant; Muslim; youngest; Democratic-Socialist mayor-elect in modern times — and the first immigrant since 1972 to become the Big Apple’s CEO.
Ironically, the last immigrant to do so was also a man whose identity stirred political and cultural fault lines of his time: Abraham David Beame, New York’s first Jewish mayor. While Beame’s Jewish identity once symbolized immigrant perseverance, Mamdani’s African and Muslim roots have become targets
for some Jews, who decry him as “antisemitic” for his vocal support of Palestinian human rights. History, as always, loves a full circle.
From London to the Lower East Side
Beame was born Abraham David Birnbaum in London in 1906 to Polish-Jewish immigrants who fled Russian pogroms. His parents, Philip and Esther Birnbaum, arrived in New York when he was just 3 months old. Raised on the Lower East Side, he was the embodiment of the immigrant dream — graduating from City College, co-founding an accounting firm, and teaching business law at Rutgers. A meticulous numbers man, Beame served as New York’s budget director in the 1950s, where he earned a reputation for cutting waste and negotiating labor contracts without a single strike. His
pragmatism was old-school — precise, cautious, unglamorous; a far cry from the swaggering political showmanship that would later define the city.
However, Beame was also a product of the old Brooklyn Democratic machine, a “clubhouse” politician loyal to party bosses like Irwin Steingut and the Madison Democratic Club. Ironically, that same club, with members like fundraiser Abraham “Bunny” Lindenbaum, often liaised with real estate developers — including Fred Trump, father of Donald Trump. Politics, like history, has a way of tying strange knots.
The fiscal storm
When Beame won the mayoralty in 1973, he inherited the city’s worst fiscal crisis in history — a $1.5 billion deficit that nearly bankrupted New York. He slashed payrolls, froze salaries, and begged Washington for help.
President Gerald Ford initially refused, inspiring the immortal Daily News headline: “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”
Yet, Beame persisted. With state help and eventual federal backing, he steadied the ship. When he left office in 1978, the city had a $200 million surplus. His tenure, although scarred by crisis, proved that immigrants, even those maligned or underestimated, could lead with discipline and grit when the city needed it most.
A new immigrant mayor for a new era
Now, half a century later, Zohran Mamdani will step into City Hall on Jan. 1, 2026 under vastly different — yet strangely familiar — conditions.
A Democratic Socialist, he faces federal skepticism, financial pressures, and the burden of being a symbol.
His rise marks a generational and ideological shift: from Beame’s immigrant modesty to Mamdani’s im-
migrant audacity — one rooted in global justice, anti-war activism, and economic equity. The same city that once questioned whether Jews belonged in the corridors of power now debates whether a Muslim from Uganda can lead it.
The irony is as thick as it is poetic. Both men, sons of immigrants fleeing oppression, rose to govern a city built by immigrants — and both faced backlash for who they are.
As Broadway’s “Hamilton” reminds us: “Immigrants, we get the job done.” And if history is any guide, Zohran Mamdani just might do exactly that. He already, after all, has come so far despite the doubters.
Felicia J. Persaud is the founder and publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, the only daily newswire and digital platform dedicated exclusively to Caribbean Diaspora and Black immigrant news across the Americas.
By GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA Associated Press
As Hurricane Melissa intensified to a Category 5 storm pointing right at Jamaica, Shaggy knew he had to help; he just wasn’t sure how. So he asked ChatGPT.
“I don’t know anything about relief and how to prepare for a storm,” the Grammy-winning reggae musician said. “I went to ChatGPT and looked at what we would need in a storm, and we just bought that. Luckily, that’s exactly what they needed.”
Orville Richard Burrell, known for pop-dancehall hits like “Boombastic” and “Angel,” was born and raised in Kingston until he moved to New York when he was 18.
He was in Miami when Melissa made landfall, but lives in Kingston. “That’s where the wife, kids, and dogs are,” he said. “It’s where I call home.”
After the devastating October storm that killed at least 75 people across the northern Caribbean, Shaggy, 57, mobilized relief immediately for Jamaica, shuttling supplies from Miami and hand-delivering them to the worst-hit areas.
He’s now made it a mission to bring attention to his country’s needs. “It’s urgent to get the word out and make sure people don’t forget.”
The needs are dire, he said. “I think Jamaica’s forever changed by this.”
Shaggy spoke with The Associated Press on Wednesday from New York City. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
International News
Shaggy recounts his relief mission to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa and shares how you can help
AP: What went through your mind as Melissa approached Jamaica?
Shaggy: When I heard that a Category 5 was coming, I was saying to myself, ‘Whoa, this is going to be catastrophic.’ I just started preparing myself, hoping I can get in there and be effective. I called my friend Dan Newlin. He has two planes, and I said, ‘Let’s load these planes up and we’ll just shoot down there.’ As soon as the airport opened, we hit the ground.
AP: Tell us about the impacted areas.
Shaggy: It took us about six hours to get to a place that normally would be about two-anda-half hours. There’s debris everywhere, there is sand and
mud, and some [roads] are still flooded, and power poles are in the road. I got there in the middle of the night, there was no electricity, it was pitch black, so all I could give out was just water. We drove six hours back to the city that night, and we put all the stuff into smaller vehicles...things like tarpaulins, female sanitary pads, Pampers for kids, flashlights, batteries. [The next day we] took another route, which took us about four hours this time. That’s the only way to do it.
Black River (St. Elizabeth Parish) looked like they dropped an atomic bomb there with how damaged it was. We pulled up right before the bridge, and they had just shut the whole town down because they said it was
transition
Continued from page 2
primary win, was appointed as his future chief of staff.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to lead the campaign that brought hope back to New York City. Now, with sleeves rolled up, I look forward to delivering on the Mayor-elect’s affordability agenda and demonstrating what a well-run City Hall can do for everyday New Yorkers,” said Bisgaard-Church in a statement. So far, Mamdani’s transition committee has raised about
$517,000 from individual small donors, said the team.
Meanwhile, Adams, 65, has offered to rehire employees fired for failing to comply with the COVID19 vaccine mandate in 2021, right before he was elected. This policy would apply to former City Hall staffers, public school staffers, and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) employees.
ground zero. And we just pulled up right there and opened the truck and said, “We’re gonna give it out right here.” We thought we were going to get chaos because we didn’t have much security. But the truck pulled up, and they just started to form a line by themselves. That’s how orderly it was.
AP: What did you see and hear from people impacted? Shaggy: No one could really prepare for that. No one has ever seen it. I feel for them. The psychological effects it’s going to have on these children. A couple of days ago, they were probably playing, and now they’re standing in a queue just trying to find some food for their tummies. We don’t just need to be rebuilding as far as food and shelter, but
Adams implemented a similar rehiring offer in 2023, resulting in about 450 former employees returning to work.
Adams has promised to “fully cooperate” with Mamdani’s transition team and seems thoroughly relieved that his time in office is coming to an end. He’s spoken on multiple occasions about an influx of job offers he’s weighing and look-
you’re also going to need some counseling.
AP: How can people help Jamaica?
Shaggy: If people can’t do cash or [in] kind [donations], one thing they can do is keep it on their socials, keep it trending. We’ve got to keep the awareness up, because we’re going to need the aid. These places aren’t going to be fixed until probably 10 years before this is back and running the right way.
I’m working closely with Global Empowerment Mission. They have an Amazon link where you can just click on the items, and Amazon will ship them straight to GEM, and because they have boots on the ground, they will get it straight into these neighborhoods. Food for the Poor is also well established. It’s a Jamaican charity organization. They’ve been helping Haiti and places like that. There’s also the Support Jamaica site that has been set up by the government.
AP: What would you want people who haven’t been to Jamaica to know about the culture and the people there?
Shaggy: We’re very resilient people. There’s a lot of love and a lot of kindness. I’ve seen this firsthand. Kingston now operates as a hub that can get food and supplies in and out. You’re seeing a lot of people, just regular Jamaicans, who are loading up their cars on the weekend and just going down there, and that really helps.
You’re feeling that community, camaraderie, within the Jamaican society. I love that.
ing forward to the opportunity to travel without constantly being surveilled by the media. He firmly stands by his record of lowering crime, upping jobs, and overall his handling of the city during a period of COVID-19 recovery.
While Adams congratulates Mamdani on his win, his overall sentiment toward him has been: “Don’t f*** it up.”
Shaggy welcomes fans at the 2014 Music Brings Life Blood Awareness Concert. (Ashley Richardson photo)
National Urban League opens dynamic new headquarters on 125th Street Harlem
By CYRIL JOSH BARKER Amsterdam News Staff
A host of elected officials, community leaders, and clergy gathered on Nov. 12 for the grand opening and dedication of the National Urban League (NUL) Empowerment Center in Harlem.
The $250 million, 414,000-square-foot, 17-story complex — located at West 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard — serves as the new national headquarters for the NUL. The building also includes the forthcoming Urban Civil Rights Museum in Harlem, scheduled to open in 2026, along with 171 affordable housing units, a conference center, and retail space.
Other tenants include One Hundred Black Men of America, the United Negro College Fund, administrative offices for the Studio Museum in Harlem, Jazzmobile, and Virginia Union University.
NUL President and CEO Marc Morial was joined at the ceremony by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rev. Al Sharpton, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Councilmember Yusef Salaam, and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
“This center represents not just a building but a beacon,” said Morial. “It embodies the resilience of Harlem, the strength of our movement, and the promise of economic and social justice for future generations. I am proud to see this dream realized in the very heart of our community.”
Construction on the building began in 2021. The NUL’s previous headquarters were located in Lower Manhattan, where the organization faced the end of its lease.
“This project is the most significant development built in Harlem in 50 years,” Morial told AmNews in 2021. “It will be Black-owned. We are not tenants. We wanted to demonstrate to people that you can complete a project with African American professionals and African American ownership.”
(Photos courtesy National Urban League)
Arts & Entertainment
Derrick Adams’ first monograph showcases fullness of Black life
By NADINE MATTHEWS Special to the AmNews
In July 2025, vaunted clothing and lifestyle brand Ralph Lauren launched an unprecedented campaign featuring models meant to evoke the residents of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts — a historic enclave on Martha’s Vineyard that has served as a summer haven for upper-class Black Americans since the 19th century. Though Black presence on the island dates back to the 1700s, the campaign sparked widespread media discussion and marked a turning point in the public visibility of the Black middle and upper class and in how Black leisure is depicted for mainstream audiences. 2025 also marks 61 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, yet Black Americans still often have to fight to be seen in the fullness of their humanity through the American cultural lens.
Derrick Adams is one of the most celebrated artists working today, precisely because his work offers vibrant, joyful, and expansive counter-narratives to these cultural omissions. In a media landscape that too often positions Black subjects as threats or trauma symbols, Adams provides glimpses of everyday Black life — unburdened, unguarded, and fully alive.
His just-published monograph (Monacelli in collaboration with Gagosian), “Derrick Adams,” arrives at a time when such representations feel especially urgent. Even as society has shifted towards more inclusion, recent political undercurrents have reversed much of that progress. Beginning with the first Trump administration and continuing into the present day, executive actions targeting diversity initiatives have taken aim at monuments, museums, hiring practices, public broadcasting, literature, and more. The goal is clear: to rewrite or erase the visibility of marginalized histories.
In this context, “Derrick Adams” feels like more than an art book. It is a form of resistance, a cultural artifact that affirms Black beauty, leisure, and presence.
The book gathers 150 works spanning Adams’ 25-year career. Born and raised in Baltimore, Adams earned his BFA at Pratt
fashion mogul Russell Simmons, who embraced a similar vision through his Phat Farm fashion line, fusing the streetwear energy of urban Black fashion with the codes of classic American prep. In both cases, aesthetic choices become cultural statements: declarations of identity and pride for some, aspiration for others.
The monograph is organized around three recurring themes in Adams’ work: Channeling, Signaling and Mirroring. Channeling refers to his use of pop culture, particularly television, to explore how Black life is represented and consumed. Signaling encompasses visual elements that affirm Black identity, including nods to Maasai sculpture, durags, cornrows, and other culturally resonant symbols. Mirroring is perhaps the most powerful, capturing everyday moments — family portraits, women admiring themselves, poolside leisure — as scenes as ordinary to Black life as to any other group, and to which Black people are equally entitled.
The monograph includes essays by Dexter Wimberly, Salamishah Tillet, and Hallie Ringle, as well as an in-depth interview by Sandra Jackson-Dumont and an introduction by Alyssa Alexander. Ringle does a too often overlooked formal analysis of Adams’ work; his structure, color, and compositional balance. Tillet situates Adams within a broader lineage of Black creativity and examines the emotional and cultural sources that shape his identity.
Wimberly argues that Adams is not merely an artist, but also a theorist, philosopher, and social commentator whose mediums include painting, collage, sculpture, installation, and performance.
Institute and MFA at Columbia University. His work has long challenged dominant representations of Black life, and this monograph cements his position as a key voice in American contemporary art. To behold the book is to hold Black joy in one’s hand. The candy-pink cloth cover, with a tippedon image of one of Adams’ collaged
portraits, invites touch as much as sight. With its signature collage effect — merging realism with geometric abstraction — Adams explores themes of Black “soft life” and “Black excellence.” The thick, broad, semi-gloss pages communicate quality, luxury, and leisure — an aesthetic choice that mirrors the values central to Adams’ work.
As the book’s introduction notes, Adams has said that while he recognizes the importance of depicting Black struggle, he has never been personally drawn to that theme. Instead, he insists on offering depictions of Black life beyond hardship.
Perhaps that outlook runs in the family. Adams’ cousin is music and
“Derrick Adams” arrives at a moment of dizzying political retrenchment and cultural erasure. But it offers something steadier: a beautiful, fuller, and necessary documentation of Black life, hope, creativity, and joy. It is both a source of pride and a tool of cultural memory. And it reminds us visually, materially, and symbolically that Black lives are worthy not just of surviving, but of being seen, adorned, and celebrated. Visit phaidon.com and gagosianshop.com for more info.
Cover of Derrick Adams’ first monograph “Derrick Adams.” (Image via Gagosian website)
Sunday Supper #006, hosted by Creative Africa, serves up African food, art, traditions
By BRENIKA BANKS Special to the AmNews
“Napoleon’s Jewels” served as the theme for Sunday Supper #006, powered by Creative Africa in Brooklyn, NY. This edition of Sunday Supper, held on October 26 in a Black-owned Brownstone, firmly reflected African traditions, Black art, and food. The event explored how African ingredients, enslaved cooks, and colonial trade routes established the foundation of European luxury.
Attendees walked in and instantly observed a live artist painting an image of a curvy brown-skinned woman, which boldly led the way for immediate ice-breaker conversations. The artist behind it, Lili Rochelle, allows painting to guide her through calmness and life’s frustrating moments. “Whatever emotions I have, I pour them directly onto the canvas,” said Rochelle. She referred to her paintings of curvy women as “beautiful goddesses.”
Creative Africa describes itself as a cultural platform dedicated to celebrating and advancing the voices of the African diaspora through art, fashion, and community-driven experiences. Sunday Supper #006 exhibited passions about food and art transparently. This Sunday Supper’s theme of “Napoleon’s Jewels” was based on a song produced by artist Marc Andre. The Paris native, along with Nigerian artist Dapo Davinci, oversees 1-800-Art-Dept, a “multidisciplinary collective that seamlessly blends art, culture, and commerce to create innovative solutions across industries,” accord-
ing to its website.
“Creative Africa is an umbrella and a base ground for African visitors, housing 1-800-Art-Dept,” said Davinci. Their art department partnered with Jamaican and Nigerian Chef London Chase to curate Sunday Supper #006. Andre and Davinci had their separate works on display, as well as their collaborative piece called “Untitled,” which mainly showed shades of blue and three figures, including the middle one with red glasses on holding a yellow phone to its ear. “It means something to the [1800] Art-Dept,” said Andre. The vital element in their painting is the yellow phone. It is paramount — everything else painted,
followed.
“When we pick up that phone, when people hit us up, we’re ready to work on art, we’re ready to attack an art project,” said Andre.
Davinci was very satisfied with the evening’s turnout and pleased with everyone who supported it. He was also happy to see artists connecting and networking over dinner. He praised the quality of the delicious food made by Chef London and his crew. Post dinner, Chef London described feeling “content and grateful.”
“When [1-800] Art-Dept initially created this concept, they created this concept which features community,” said Chef London. Understanding he wouldn’t
make a profit from the event, he emphasized the importance of building community outside of monetary value. Chef London, Andre, and Davinci all contributed to the art and dinner event as a safe space for Black people. The goal was for Black people to relax while enjoying food and art. “I think it’s important for us to create the dialogue behind being able to sit down and commune,” said Chef London. Chef London spent over 10 years in hospitality and studying culinary. His representation as a head chef and Black man with locs is untraditional. His awareness of African herbs and spices traditionally used within cooking is fitting. According to the Journal of Functional Foods via sciencedirect.com, “flavoring meals with herbs and spices has health, nutritional, and functional benefits.” This Functional Foods edition also highlighted that herbs and spices contain valuable naturally occurring phytochemical components with bioactive effects and medicinal and functional properties.
Chef London believes spices were taken from Africans as they were robbed of their strength. He stated spices and herbs hold spiritual meanings. “Spices are something that represents who we are as people,” said Chef London. He is proficient in using shadow benni, or culantro, and star anise when cooking. “In the space of curating something like this, I want us to remember our resilience – remember all the strength that the Most High gave us.” For more information, visit creativeafrica.us and 1800artdept.net.
Artworks and 1-800-Art-Dept. merchandise at Sunday Supper #006 powered by Creative Africa. (Brenika Banks photos)
Artist Lili Rochelle (right) with Adrielle Nicole after purchasing Rochelle’s blue painting at Sunday Supper #006.
(from left to right) Chef London Chase, AmNews journalist Brenika Banks, artists Dapo Davinci and Marc Andre at Sunday Supper #006 in Brooklyn, NY.
Dinner is served during Sunday Supper #006 powered by Creative Africa.
Artist Lili Rochelle’s curvy women paintings at Sunday Supper #006 in Brooklyn, NY.
Chef London Chase speaking to attendees at Sunday Supper #006 prior to serving dinner.
Guests and artists socializing and networking at Sunday Supper #006 powered by Creative Africa in Brooklyn, NY.
Artworks by artists Marc Andre and Dapo Davinci at Sunday Supper #006. (Brenika Banks photos)
(from left to right) Chef London Chase, painter Lili Rochelle, artists Marc Andre and Dapo Davinci at Sunday Supper #006 in Brooklyn, NY.
Studio Museum
Continued from page 7
As federal policies take aim at the nation’s well-known and well-documented history with enslaved and marginalized peoples, and actively work to defund, push out, and rewrite
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
the social and artistic experiences of Black people, the Studio Museum stands firm that art — and Black art in particular — and all the debate, collaboration and creation that it sparks, is worth the public’s investment. And they’ll persist, with or without federal dollars.
“In our 58 years, we really have been a model of what it means to imagine
‘museum,’ in broad ways. Not just as an institution that collects and presents art, but also an institution that embeds it in important ways,” said Golden. “Our ability to raise the money for this project was really a testament to not only the vision that our founders left us with, but the ongoing ways in which many have understood the role of this insti-
tution and wanted to join us in this journey to create our first purpose-built home.”
The Studio Museum reopens to the public for free on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with tours of the museum and a variety of exhibitions based on the museum’s permanent collection. For more info, visit studiomuseum.org.
Among those who spoke at a Nov. 6 press opening were (L-R) curator Connie H. Choi; chief program officer, Natasha Logan; chairman of the museum’s trustees, Raymond J. McGuire; and current director and chief curator Thelma Golden. (Marielle Argueza photos)
On Nov. 15, when the museum reopens with a their impressive permanent collection in an exhibition From Now: A Collection in Context. The exhibition will be displayed as gallery walls, and will span multiple galleries within the museum.
There are new places to create art too. The Studio Museum includes an adaptive Workshop space that can be reconfigured smaller or bigger depending on the group size and activity. The well-known Expanding the Walls program, which engages, teens through photography, also get their very own room next door.
The top floor of the museum houses the archives, which includes a timeline of the Studio Museum’s life, and programming accomplishments. Since its closure, staff have been working diligently to archive, digitize, and catalog the museum’s work.
members walk through what will soon be a dedicated studio space for their artists-inresidence program. The wall marked “5” is a false wall, and can move, depending on the needs of the next cohort. This space will be closed to the public during the duration of the programming.
Media
‘Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story’ — 60 years of taking pictures at DOC NYC
By MAGRIRA Special to the AmNews
Yemi Bamiro’s “Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story” tries to be two films at once — one about the meaning and legacy of “Black is Beautiful,” and another about Kwame Brathwaite, who gave that phrase its visual soul. Somewhere between these threads, the film loses focus, resulting in a documentary that’s visually arresting yet narratively adrift, leaving the audience longing for a deeper, more personal story behind the lens.
The film would have benefited from centering on Brathwaite himself, told through the archives of his work. His images are everywhere, capturing the beauty of African American life and fueling the “Black is Beautiful” movement, but the documentary offers little insight into the man behind the camera. Brathwaite’s photos didn’t just document change — they sparked it. Yet the film rarely explores his creative process or personal journey.
By emphasizing broader political themes and celebrity commentary, the narrative often feels split, with style overshadowing substance and missed opportunities for emotional depth.
The cast of interviewees includes Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Gabrielle Union, Jesse Williams, and Tyler Mitchell. Each lends personal perspective and emotional weight to the documentary, but their contributions add sheen rather than genuine insight.
There’s an extraordinary portrait waiting in Brathwaite’s archives — a vision that could have captured the quiet genius who dignified Black beauty before it was widely acknowledged. Instead, broader social commentary and fragments of biography compete for the spotlight. The audience is left with stunning visuals and fleeting glimpses of the man himself, never fully immersed in his creative world.
Bamiro attempts to explain Brathwaite’s origins, highlighting his activism in Harlem, his role in founding the “Black is Beautiful” movement, and the rediscovery
of his archive by his family in the 2010s. Some of Brathwaite’s photographs include never-before-seen images of historic figures like Muhammad Ali, Nina Simone, and the Jackson Five.
At 98 minutes, the film moves more like a music video than a well-focused documentary, missing much of the needed emotional
impact. It’s instructional, not inspirational. It’s ironic that this film lacks focus when the need for focus is essential for a photographer — something Kwame Brathwaite demonstrated in 60 years of uncompromising photography.
After six decades of shaping how we see African American life, he deserves a documentary with its lens trained solely on him.
“Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story” will have its North American premiere at DOC NYC Thursday, Nov. 13, following its debut at the BFI London Film Festival.
DOC NYC Premiere details: SVA Theatre — 333 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Doors open at 8:45 p.m.; Screening begins promptly at 9:15 p.m.
Run Time: 98 minutes
Directed by Yemi Bamiro | DOC NYC Premiere at SVA Theatre From the producers of “Will & Harper” and “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”
DOC NYC presents world premiere of ‘Traces of Home’
By MAGRIRA Special to the AmNews
The documentary “Traces of Home” by Colette Ghunim is a tender, fearless debut that unfolds like a mirror held up to memory itself. Blending vérité filmmaking, animation, and archival materials, the documentary traces Ghunim’s deeply personal journey to reconnect her parents with the homes they were forced to leave as children — her mother from Mexico, fleeing domestic violence, and her father from Palestine, displaced from his ancestral land.
This premiere, part of the 2025 U.S. Competition lineup at DOC NYC, screens during the festival’s November 12–30 run at Village East by Angelika, one of New York’s most intimate and storied documentary venues.
Filmed over five years, “Traces of Home” unpacks not only a family’s history of uprooting but also the intergenerational echoes of exile and resilience. Ghunim, who grew up in suburban Schaumburg, Illinois, unearths the quiet survival mechanisms her parents built as they navigated a new life in America. Beneath birthday candles and school photos lies the haunting absence of “the home that was,” a silence her camera gently, courageously breaks. Through VHS home movies, unguarded interviews, and moments of raw intimacy, Ghunim documents her parents’ hesitant decision to return to the places of their past. Confronting what was taken and what remains, “Traces of Home” becomes more than a documentary — it becomes an act of reconciliation. As their journeys unfold in Pal-
estine and Mexico, Ghunim draws a bridge between two continents and two histories of forced migration, suggesting that the search for home is never singular but shared.
Ghunim began this project in 2016, amid the growing vilification of Arab and Latinx communities under discriminatory U.S. immigration policies. The film’s emotional pulse lies in her willingness to expose her family’s vulnerability — and her own. At one point, she admits through tears, “I have a very strong wall against Mom.” That confession becomes the film’s emotional hinge, illuminating the moment we all eventually face: when we see our parents not as heroes or villains, but as fragile human beings who might be shaped by cir-
cumstances beyond their control.
What emerges is something exquisitely human. Beneath layers of inherited pain and rage lie deep roots of love — roots that refuse to be severed. “Traces of Home” offers no tidy resolution; instead, it offers healing in progress. The honesty of that process — the mess and the tenderness of it — is what makes Ghunim’s voice so compelling.
This film is, at its heart, about hope. Not the pristine kind, but the kind that comes covered in life’s dust — hope that mends rather than erases. Watching “Traces of Home,” one feels both the ache and the possibility of going back, of forgiving, of truly seeing where we come from.
It’s a stunning debut for filmmaker Co-
lette Ghunim, a Palestinian-MexicanAmerican director who brings both urgency and grace to her storytelling. With this first feature-length documentary, she cements herself as a talent to watch — someone with a profound grasp of what it means to belong, to remember, and to heal.
“Traces of Home” (USA, 2025, 89 min.) is directed by Colette Ghunim and produced by Sara Maamouri, Dan Rybicky, and Capella Fahoome, with executive producers Keith Wilson and Dena Takruri. Cinematography is by Hosni Ghunim, Monica Wise, and Rafic Saadeh; edited by Sara Maamouri, Loulwa Khoury, and Laura Moya; the original score is by Omar Fadel. A co-founder of the Mezcla Media Collective, which supports more than 700 women and non-binary filmmakers of color, Ghunim has long used storytelling as an instrument of representation and healing. Her previous short, “The People’s Girls” (2016), received international recognition for its bold depiction of street harassment in Egypt. A 2023 Obama Foundation USA Leader and 2024 Sundance Institute x ISF Fellow, she continues to embody the belief that film can both bear witness and bridge divides.
Review: “Traces of Home” by Colette Ghunim
World Premiere – U.S. Competition, DOC NYC 2025
Friday, Nov. 14, 7:15 p.m. at Village East by Angelika
In person: Saturday, Nov. 15, 4 p.m. at Village East by Angelika Online: Saturday, Nov. 15–Sunday, Nov. 30
Colette Ghunim’s father, visiting Palestine, his homeland. (Photo courtesy of DOC NYC)
Nokio, founding member of Dru Hill, talks upcoming Bronx performance Nov. 15
By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to the AmNews
R&B group Dru Hill will bust out a slew of slow jams and classics at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx on Saturday Nov 15. The group, which produced hits like “In My Bed,” “How Deep is Your Love,” and “Never Make a Promise,” features founder-producer Tamir “Nokio” Ruffin as well as original members Mark “Sisqo” Andrews and Larry “Jazz” Anthony, alongside Playa members Smoke and Black, rounding out the latest lineup of the Baltimore vocal group. They will be joined by R&B singer Christopher Williams.
“There’s so many things that connect us to New York,” Nokio told the Amsterdam News in an interview via telephone ahead of the show as he reminisced about the early days of Dru Hill, where they took a trip to the city to make a deal with Island Records. “We recorded ‘Tell Me’ at the Hit Factory … and even before we had a deal we were performing at the Apollo – performing for the ‘Showtime
Big Apple Circus returns to NYC through Jan. 4
By JOHNNY KNOLLWOOD Special to the AmNews
A New York City staple and undeniable spectacle, The Big Apple Circus, featuring acrobats, contortionists, magic, and more, returns to Manhattan at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park from November 7, 2025 to January 4, 2025. There are several ways for veterans, first responders, and others to score discounts to the event that has wowed New Yorkers for nearly five decades.
The circus first launched in 1977 and has often participated in community outreach, producing programs like “Clown Care,” which placed clown performers in hospital settings, and hosting special performances sensitive to those with special needs. This year, the show, which has travelled around the world and held its first performance at Damrosch Park in 1982, features “an allnew production that will enthrall audiences of all ages with daring stunts, comedy bits, and classic thrills,” according to their website.
at the Apollo’ contests where we ended up winning first place – we have a lot of history in New York.” Dru Hill has brought their smooth stylings and remarkable vocal blend to audiences for roughly three decades. “One of the biggest things we want people to walk away from the show with, besides having a great time, it’s the chance to see some guys from Baltimore and Kentucky … who just really have a tight brotherhood, who love and respect each other, and who come together to bring that feeling to the people whenever we get a chance to,” Nokio said. “We’re ready to bring the love.”
More information about this show and others can be found at the Lehman Center website at lehmancenter.org. Lehman College students and staff can receive $5 off their tickets in person at the box office with ID, and everyone else can save on select seats through Groupon. As for Dru Hill, Nokio said there are some exciting plans to celebrate the group’s 30th anniversary, but details are yet to be revealed, so be sure to stay up to date with Dru Hill on social media.
a storm of martial arts mastery fused with fearless acrobatics”; and the Flying Maluendas, “gravity-defying daredevils” from Chile, among a slew of other performers (some of them with four legs).
Tickets start at $26 on select dates. Veterans and first responders can receive a 10% off admission by showing their ID at the door. Veterans can also receive a special 50% discounted rate for Veteran’s Day on Tuesday November 11 by entering promo code VETERANS at the ticketing website at eventim.com. People with disabilities or special needs can attend a performance on November 9 through Lincoln Center’s Passport to the Arts Program, which “provides a welcoming, accessible, and cost-free introduction to the performing arts at Lincoln Center,” according to their website. Everyone else can score a 20% discount for select dates through Groupon.
For more info about the Circus, performers, and dates, visit bigapplecircus.com.
Performers include the Bone Breakers, contortionists from Guinea, Africa, with “limbs that twist, snap, and spiral in ways that defy the laws of nature”; the Kung Fu Boys, who will “unleash
Dru Hill (Image via lehmancenter.org)
The Bone Breakers. (Photo via bigapplecircus.com)
Influential drummer Jack DeJohnette dies at 83
Jack DeJohnette, the visionary drummer whose piano stylings became a force later in his career, died on October 26 at HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston, N.Y. He was 83. The cause was congestive heart failure, Lydia DeJohnette, his wife and manager, toldNPR.
DeJohnette was an inventive drummer who extended the boundaries of modern jazz. His sound was a combination of jazz traditions and abandoned avant garde influences. His flowing drum approach was influenced by jazz icons Roy Haynes and Rashied Ali, devising what he called a multidirectional style. As the house drummer for two contrasting jazz labels, ECM and CTI, DeJohnette’s spontaneous command of funk and jazz made him one of the most sought-after drummers for studio sessions and live performances.
Multi-Grammy Award winner and NEA Jazz Master, DeJohnette composed soundtracks for television and videos. He released more than 50 albums as a bandleader and appeared on hundreds of recordings as a sideman — with everyone, including milestone sessions with Wayne Shorter on “Super Nova,” and Keith Jarrett on “Standards,” to saxophonist Sonny Rollins, guitarist Pat Mehtheny, and harpist and keyboardist Alice Coltrane. He composed soundtracks for both television and video.
Trio Gateway was one of his earlier groups, which he co-led with guitarist John Abercrombie and bassist Dave Holland. His band Directions also featured Abercrombie playing in a fusion arena. His most acclaimed ensemble was Special Edition innovative collaborators like multi-reed-man David Murray and tubaist Howard Johnson.
DeJohnette launched Golden Beams Productions, an independent record label, to record his many creative projects. The label earned him a Grammy Award for “Peace Time,” on which he is both featured artist and co-producer.
The Jack DeJohnette Group, which he formed in 2010, explored fusion with alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa and the inventive guitarist David Fiuczynski. He led another intergenerational combo, with saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and electric bassist Matthew Garrison, on the album “In Movement” (ECM, 2016).
“Jack has taught me many things, mostly to keep an open mind and remain fearless in my rhythmic expressions,” said Grammy-winning drummer/composer Will Calhoun. “He loved and supported Living Colour and all of my solo recordings, mix media art shows, research in West Africa, and my visual rhythmic art work.”
(Personal archive photo via .jackdejohnette.com)
DeJohnette was born on Aug. 9, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, to Jack DeJohnette, Sr. and Eva Jeanette DeJohnette. Raised by his mother and maternal grandmother, he studied classical piano for 10 years before switching to drums. As a student attending Chicago Vocational School [in 1961], he played rock & roll and sang in a doo wop group. The jazz sound caught his ear after hearing pianist Ahmad Jamal’s 1958 live album “At the Pershing: But Not for Me.” DeJohnette’s uncle Roy Wood, Sr., a legendary Chicago jazz radio personality, often took him to local live music spots in the city that influenced his jazz passion. In the early 1960s, DeJohnette played various genres in local clubs. He became entrenched in avant garde as an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), where he explored boundless expression playing with co-founders Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, and Joseph Jarman. He later assisted in organizing a tribute to AACM with Mitchell, multireedist Henry Threadgill, and bassist Larry Gray that produced the album “Made in Chicago.” On the advice of Abrahms, DeJohnette moved to New York in 1966.
When the drummer arrived in NYC in 1966, he was creatively equipped to join the Charles Lloyd Quartet, playing alongside pianist Keith Jarrett and bassist Cecil McBee. DeJohnette joined Miles Davis’s band during his fusion conversion, recording on such groundbreaking albums as “Bitches Brew” (Columbia, 1970), “Jack Johnson” (Columbia, 1971), and “On the Corner” (1972). Davis noted in his memoir that DeJohnette “gave me a certain deep groove that I just loved to play over.”
The New York Times said the recordings he had made with Miles Davis “helped to change the direction of modern jazz and launched a new style of funk-inflected jazz-rock.” In 1970, he fueled the group that performed at the Isle of Wight Festival, for a crowd estimated at over half a million people. His work with Miles led to collaborations with Miles alumni Chick Corea, Dave Holland, John McLaughlin, and Keith Jarrett from his time with Lloyd’s band.
In the midst of leading his own groups, DeJohnette was a member of the celebrated Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette trio. He continued to record and perform on keyboards, releasing albums such as “Zebra,” a trumpet duo with Lester Bowie featuring shades of African music. He extended his interest in African music in a 2005 duet with noted Gambian kora player Foday Musa Suso. In 2012, DeJohnette released “Sound Travels,” which included appearances by Bobby McFerrin, Quintero, Bruce Hornsby, Esperanza Spalding, Lionel Loueke, and Jason Moran. DeJohnette is survived by Lydia, his wife of 57 years, and their two daughters, Farah and Minya.
Jack DeJohnette.
Jack DeJohnette. (Fanny Delsol photo)
Overdose
drugs in the community and to clean up needles. “We know that this is something that is necessary in our community and for our community,” she said.
Street outreach also plays a significant role, advocates say. Shaun Willis, director of recovery services and community outreach at service provider Phoenix House NY|LI, recalled a certain urgency among Black New Yorkers who grew up during the 1980s crack era. Through the organization’s naloxone training in Brooklyn, community members often lead the charge in distributing Narcan in historically-Black neighborhoods like Brownsville and East New York.
“Having Black and Brown people doing this work in Black and Brown communities gets rid of the ‘white knight’ stigma,” said Willis. He credits easy access to naloxone from the city toward reducing overdose deaths in what he calls “flooding the zone”: putting the lifesaving medication — which can rapidly reverse overdoses often through a nasal spray — in the hands of hundreds of people to ultimately trickle down to those who need it.
Councilmember Chi Ossé long championed naloxone training through legislation and encouraged New Yorkers to seek out the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s online overdose prevention tutorials.
“Losses to overdose hit Black communities the hardest, and I refuse to accept these
preventable deaths as the status quo,” said Ossé over email. “That’s why I fought so hard to pass our bill to provide Narcan and training to bars and nightlife establishments. The racial gap between Black and white overdose deaths is a preventable crisis, and we must close that gap.”
Of course, more work remains ahead.
Last week, Smith unveiled DPA’s report on the first three years of the state’s opioid settlement funds. The findings also boasted data maps based on publicly available information of where settlement-funded service providers were located and what help they provide. This information comes in light of federal cuts to Medicaid, which bankrolls overdose prevention services and substance use-based medical care.
“New York City is doing a number of the things that we recommend in our report on a statewide level,” said Smith. “I do see New York City providing funding to community-based organizations; perhaps that can be expanded to include additional community-based organizations that are providing services that are maybe not included right now. I think New York City does have a plan, unlike the state.”
Beyond what city government and nonprofit providers are doing well, Rivera also credits the people who use drugs by seeking out services like OnPoint NYC. “They value their lives,” he said. “And we’re seeing that shift in the way they see themselves and the investment they’re making in themselves.”
NYC voters
subsidized” or “affordable” housing, referring to proposal 2.
“When it comes to modest increases in density [of housing],” said Bagga, referring to proposal 3, “City Hall, the Mayor, city government in general, is not going to have a direct impact on how many units get proposed. That will really be communities working with housing organizations as well as developers to determine where such housing can be built and what that looks like.”
Bagga said, most importantly, he expects that Mamdani’s incoming administration will take on the responsibility of oversight to make sure that housing is indeed being built in 12 community districts across the city that produce the least amount of affordable housing.
“Every New Yorker from the Bronx to Brooklyn knows that our housing affordability crisis is a house on fire and we just elected a Mayor, both in the [democratic] primary as a candidate as well as in the general with a record number of voters, to elect a man that has made housing affordability the centerpiece of his agenda,” said Bagga. “New Yorkers have not only sent Zohran Mamdani to City Hall with a mandate, they have also sent him with a mandate to solve this problem as top of the list.
So we fully expect a Mamdani administration to utilize the tools in its toolbox and take aggressive action.”
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and many city council members had slammed the housing ballot proposals as “misleading” and refused to support them going into the general election. They also doubled down, stating that the charter revision process, a series of public hearings that produced the proposals, was misused by Mayor Eric Adams to block ballot access and weaken democracy.
“New Yorkers desperately need more housing that is affordable to them, but the solution isn’t to take away communities’ power to secure more affordability and essential public goods from developers and the City. These misleading ballot proposals permanently change the City’s constitution to weaken democracy, lasting beyond the next mayor when we inevitably have a mayor who is bad on housing, equity, and justice for communities,” said council spokesperson Benjamin Fang-Estrada in a statement on Election Night. “This will leave our city without the checks and balances of democracy to protect New Yorkers and ensure outcomes that prioritize them, not simply profits.”
Mamdani acknowledged that there were plenty of council members in opposition to the housing ballot proposals, promising to work with them to deliver for their respective communities once in office.
Education
Black youth in Venezuela exposed to new technologies in special robotics program
By JESÚS CHUCHO GARCIA
Special to the AmNews
Translated by KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff
Afro-Venezuelan kids are getting the chance to learn new technologies through programs launched by their country’s Ministry of Science and Technology. In the predominantly Black San José de Barlovento region, the government, last year, opened the Cimarrón Guillermo Rivas Mega Robotics Center, a community center where kids are taught basic STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts.
The Cimarrón Guillermo Rivas Mega Robotics Center serves as a community hub; it is designed to empower local youth by providing them with a space where they can learn science and technological skills and use them for tasks relevant to their lives.
“Our programs go beyond robotics,” said Adriany Guaramato, the center’s coordinator. “We also teach basic electronics, 3D printing, office automation, social media for education, and other ICT (information and communication technologies) skills. These initiatives are designed to improve digital literacy and technological abilities among local youth.”
Guaramato told the AmNews that since July 2024, over 870 young people — ranging from children to young adults — have participated in its programs, with the majority aged 7 to 18. She said that the center offers a diverse curriculum.
Named after Guillermo Rivas — an AfroVenezuelan who freed himself from slavery in the 1700s and founded the Cumbe de Ocoyta, a maroon society that was located in what is now Barlovento — the center is named in honor of a legacy of resistance and cultural pride. Its mission is to inspire youth of African descent by fostering technical competence while strengthening Afro-Venezuelan identity.
Venezuela has one of the largest populations of people of African descent in South America, behind only Brazil and Colombia. According to the 2011 national census, nearly 51% of the Venezuelan population identifies as Afro-Venezuelan, and around 30% of the nation’s total population is under 15 years of age.
That age group has been a successful focus for the Rivas Center, Garamonto says.
“The center serves a diverse demographic, including children, young adults, and older community members, but most participants are between 7 and 18 years old,”
she explained. “From July 2024 to now, a total of 426 young women and 445 young men have participated in our programs.”
To increase interest in science and technology, the government has established around 900 educational robotics hubs across the country, many within Afro-descendant neighborhoods. As part of the broader National Scientific Seedbeds Program (Programa Nacional Semilleros Científicos), the goal is to promote early engagement in science, innovation, engineering, and technology — key areas for national development — and to bridge the digital divide.
Guaramato explained that the center’s work not only develops technical abilities but also reinforces cultural identity and pride among Afro-Venezuelan youth. Special efforts are directed toward empowering girls and women of African descent and addressing gender gaps in STEM fields. She believes the Robotic Center’s initiatives help build confidence, sovereignty, and a sense of ownership for Barlovento’s children over their technological and cultural futures.
The Venezuelan government has a goal of establishing 3,000 of these kinds of technology hubs nationwide. They are meant to symbolize a commitment to inclusive development — where cultural identity and technological progress go hand-in-hand — ensuring that AfroVenezuelan youth are not left behind in the country’s technological future.
“In addition to skillbuilding, the center’s work helps strengthen Afro-descendant identity by raising awareness and promoting the inclusion of Afro-descendant communities in the technological future,” said Guaramato. “The programs build confidence, sovereignty, and cultural pride. Special efforts focus on empowering girls and women of African descent and addressing gender gaps in STEM fields.”
Venezuela’s government is promoting robotics and new tech programs for youth at locations like Barlovento’s Cimarrón Guillermo Rivas Mega Robotics Center. Classes at the Cimarrón Guillermo Rivas Mega Robotics Center help bridge the digital divide. (Guillermo Rivas Mega Robotics Center photos)
He likes to incorporate real life and current affairs in his sermons while connecting to the word of God. Rev. Ray Singleton serves as associate pastor.
“Preaching should be bringing God into real life. And so I have to talk about the streets, the community, relationships, and things that we go through as real people,” Sullivan said of his style. He says he had to find his authentic preaching and communication style that is true to him, having grown up in the hip hop era of the 1970s and 1980s.
Growing up in Amityville on Long Island, he says he never saw himself as a public speaker but always had hip hop as important in his life. He recalls, like many kids, having to go to church because of his parents and being disconnected, as he did not understand what the pastors spoke about. He later graduated from Hampton University.
In 1993, Sullivan began attending Christian Parish, which was where Mariama was a member. She came from the Rowe family, which had longstanding roots in the congregation. He says he was warmly welcomed to the point where it made him nervous.
Early on, he became one of the only men who would sing in the choir. After leading his first prayer, he became more involved in the ministry, being put in charge of the youth division by Callendar.
Sullivan eventually found his calling as a minister after years of struggling to find his path after one member, Deleen Carr, referred to him as “Rev Ron” – a play on Run DMC’s Rev Run. It was in a discussion in a car ride with Mariama, now his wife, when he asked whether he should go into ministry after years of working as a banker. After getting the nod from Mariama, concerned about remaining authentic to his preaching style, he asked, “I don’t have to stop listening to Biggie, do I?”
He attended Union Theological Seminary and studied under Dr. Wynn Wright and Dr. James Cone, and initially served as the second minister to Callender, filling in every now and then.
In 2002, Callender’s time as pastor at Christian Parish came to an end when he went to St. James, who called on him as a Presbyterian pastor to join them fulltime. Sullivan was officially chosen by the Council and installed in December.
“It was overwhelming and humbling because there are no classes on how to become a pastor.” Sullivan said he had to learn on the job but eventually found his identity, voice, and teaching style. “It kind of came out of nowhere. I was not in preparation to become the pastor. And, now it’s go.”
It was the support of late Renee Callender, the former pastor’s daughter, that gave Sullivan a lot of confidence. Even after the departure of her father, Renee declared Ron was “her pastor.” He asked himself,
“What would I pay attention to? “ he an swered, “It’s got to connect to real life.”
Some initiatives that developed in his time include the P.L.A.Y.A.S Club (Pre paring Leaders as Young Adults) and the Praise Dance Ministry, among others.
In sermons, Sullivan often speaks on the importance of being “people first," welcoming and being inclusive of all.“I think we stand on a fantastic founda tion,” Sullivan said. “People who visit here talk about how nurturing, how loving, how warm it feels. I think it’s because we are full of family.”
While attendance has not looked like it once was before the pandemic, Sullivan says the outreach is greater than it has ever been through live stream and finan cial support digitally, beyond collecting the offering physically during service.
Sullivan, who has emphasized voting and civic involvement, does not shy away from calling out political leaders in Washington. “When you can’t eat, that’s an attack,” Sullivan said in this Sunday’s sermon in response to the ongoing issues of SNAP benefits being potentially cut and the government shutdown. He reaffirmed the need for churches to show up in helping out the community, as he says the Christian Parish will provide meals on Thanks giving, as they do every year.
Sullivan has now held the role of head pastor at Christian Parish longer than any other minister. According to Sul livan, churches have lost the role they once held in communities and must now speak up and be present for their people.
“People are now being introduced to other forms of spirituality. So even on that aspect, the church is not in the place of prominence it once was,” Sullivan said. “Now more than ever, the church has got to show itself. And I think for the first time, we actual ly have to prove ourselves to the com munity, prove that we care, prove that we’re present, prove that we’re open.”
“I think what has sustained our church is being a loving church that cares,” Sul livan said. “When we talk about those churches that are considered cold or people don’t want to go to it’s because people don’t see that they care.”
In addition to ministry, he serves as a certified John Maxwell Speaker, often traveling across the country and work ing with companies to develop lead ership strategies and is a specialist trainer for Madison Square Garden En tertainment Corp. He serves on sever al boards, including Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E., Co-Founded by his aunt-inlaw, Jackie Rowe-Adams.
Ron and Mariama have three chil dren: Akil, 25, who is currently a Sports Business and Analytics Master’s pro gram at Clemson University, Malik, 23, who works at the NBA in the Global Partner Management Department, and Alake, 18, who is a high school senior.
Fossil fuels are poisoning Black America
By WILLY BLACKMORE Word in Black
It’s by no means new news that there are myriad ways that extracting and burning fossil fuels — or making them into other products, like plastics — is bad for public health, and particularly so for Black and Brown Americans. But we still continue to burn methane, gasoline, and even coal, so the point bears being made again (and again).
The latest to do so is a broad coalition of medical and health organizations that released a new report last week titled “Fueling Sickness: The Hidden Health Costs of Fossil Fuel Pollution.” It makes the case that society’s ongoing reliance on fossil fuels is severely damaging public health already — particularly demographics overburdened by such pollutions, including Black and Brown Americans — and it will only get worse as the effects of climate change get worse.
“Fossil fuels harm our health in more ways than most people realize,” said Dr. Mark Vossler, board president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, one of the organizations that put out the report, in a statement. “This report makes it clear that every stage of the fossil fuel process, from extraction, to transportation, to burning for energy causes widespread damage to the heart, lungs, brain, and other organs. Rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels is not just an environmental necessity; it’s a public health imperative.”
“Fueling Sickness” shows that fossil fuel pollution is everyone’s problem, while also making it clear that it is even more of a problem for some groups, including Black Americans.
“A complex array of interconnected factors (including but not limited to historical redlining, lending discrimination, exclusionary land use policies, disinvestment, and urban renewal projects) have resulted in low-income [communities] and communities of color disproportionally living in areas with a greater concentration of polluting sources, like high-
ways and factories, and thus have greater exposure to multiple pollutants from multiple sources,” the report reads. “As a result, a higher percentage of racial minorities are exposed to particulate matter and ozone, contributing to a greater incidence of childhood asthma and other respiratory conditions.”
As the report notes, fossil fuels harm public health at every point of their production and use cycle, from extraction to refining to transportation to combustion — and the waste products made along the way, like coal ash, can also make people sick.
The effects of breathing polluted air
Respiratory diseases like asthma are some of the most obvious effects of breathing polluted air. Fine particulate matter and other emissions generated by extracting and burning fossil fuels can damage other parts of the body, too, including the cardiovascular system and the brain, increasing the risk of neurological diseases.
Like so many of the negative consequences of fossil fuel pollution, the neurodegenerative effects are not evenly felt. “The neurocognitive harms of fossil fuel pollution disproportionately impact children, older adults, and communities already facing environmental and health inequities,” according to the report. “People living near busy roadways, diesel truck routes, or polluting industries are exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 and other air pollutants. These communities are more likely to be low-income or communities of color, compounding the risks.”
Air pollution and birth outcomes
Similarly, mental health, kidney health, hormonal health, and reproductive health are all also negatively affected by fossil fuel pollution. According to the report, “One of the strongest associations between air pollution and negative birth outcomes like low birth weight and preterm birth are with power plants and petrochemical industries” — facilities that Black Americans
are much more likely to live alongside than other people are.
Physicians for Social Responsibility collaborated with a number of organizations on the report: the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Children’s Environmental Health Network, Climate Psychiatry Alliance, Climate Psychology Alliance North America, International Society for Environmental Epidemiology North America Chapter, Medical Society Consortium on Climate
& Health, Medical Student for a Sustainable Future, National Medical Association, Oncology Advocates United for Climate and Health, and Public Health Institute.
There is at least some good news about the damage to public health caused by fossil fuel pollution, including in Black and Brown communities: We know how to stop it. As the report puts it, “The most powerful health protection strategy is to reduce climate pollution by transitioning away from fossil fuels.”
(Pexels/Ron Lach)
Religion &
Small but mighty: Harlem’s Christian Parish For Spiritual Renewal celebrates 70 years
By JASON PONTEROTTO Special to the AmNews
Every Sunday morning, at 122nd and Seventh Avenue, the doors of the Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal open for all to walk in and experience service.
But this past Sunday was special. The pastor, Rev. Ron Sullivan, 59, delivered the final sermon ahead of the church’s 70th anniversary gala celebration.
“I can say trust in God because I’ve seen people in this church trust in God,” Sullivan said to the congregation. “This little church has gone through a lot. Our doors have faced closing several times, but instead of looking at what we don’t have, we looked at who we did have, and his name has always been Jesus.”
Unlike the larger churches of Harlem, Christian Parish may appear unassuming, but for seven decades has remained an institution. The front doors bear bullet wounds, something members acknowledge is a reflection of how much it has endured.
“It’s a little small church but it’s a dynamic church. You just come in and feel the love,” said Linda Adams, who has been a member since 1961, when she was just eight years old. Located in the heart of Harlem on Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., the non-denominational church has hosted several celebratory events throughout the year in honor of the anniversary, and will culminate with the gala celebration on Nov. 14 at the Harlem School of the Arts.
Known as a “family church,” four of the legacy families in the church’s history — Rowe, Cunningham, Feimster, and Moses — will be honored at the celebration, as each was instrumental from the early years and continues to have a presence in the church today. Former City Councilmember Inez Dickens, one of the many Harlem leaders who has spoken at the church, will also be honored.
Church foundation
Under the leadership of the legendary Harlem pastor and civil rights activist Rev. Eugene Callender, the Christian Parish was founded in 1955 as a Harlem denomination of the Dutch Christian Reformed Church (CRC), headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was then known as the Mid Harlem Community Parish and the Manhattan Christian Reformed Church (MCRC). It was formed after leaders noticed an unusually heavy response to the “Back to God Hour,” radio program they hosted.
After arriving in Harlem in the 1950s, Callender began his ministry organizing bible
classes in homes and the local YMCA. He initially only served at MCRC for four years before moving to Church of the Master, where he would spend decades before returning to Christian Parish in 1991, but in that short time, he left a lasting mark on the legacy of service and activism that endured after his departure. Organizations that were founded out of the church and its members include the Addicts Rehabilitation Center (ARC), created by Rev. James Allen in collaboration with Callender, Harlem Mothers & Fathers SAVE from Jackie Rowe Adams, and the Taylor Moses Institute, pioneered by Mirian Moses and Marlene Taylor.
“We’re standing because we’ve been a church of service. We’ve never let our size deter us from having impact,” said Sullivan, who took over for Callender in 2002, during Sunday sermon. He emphasized the importance of churches like Christian Parish showing up to support their community during the current period of SNAP cuts and the lengthy government shutdown. On Thanksgiving, as they do every year, members of the congregation plan to serve meals
for the hungry in the dining room downstairs of the building. He further encouraged members to share with him privately if they need food or have been impacted so that they can be provided with resources.
“How are we going to go to Harlem School of the Arts dressed up, having a catered party, and then ignoring that people are hungry right around our church. We can’t,” Sullivan said. “I won’t.”
In the spirit of Harlem preachers like Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and churches in Harlem, Callender had established the foundation for speaking out on important issues and encouraging the congregation to be involved in the community, according to Sullivan.
Callender, who had worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders, brought the same mindset to MCRC, as the church organized rent strikes to fight for fair housing.
The lasting imprint of service from church members can be seen on the street corner where it is located, renamed after the late Hermena Rowe, who was heavily involved
in the Ladies Service Guild, one of the longest-running ministries of Christian Parish, as well as other communal organizations including HARYOU-ACT, Neighborhood Board No. 4, and ARC. She also worked closely with former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton.
Hermena and her husband, Clarence, along with their nine children, became one of the early families in the church in 1955, after being recruited by Callender. Because the ministry owned the building at the time, Callender offered Clarence a job as superintendent of the building, which he accepted. He then moved his family into a larger apartment upstairs on the building’s fifth floor.
One of the Rowe children, Harlem leader and gun violence prevention advocate, Jackie Rowe-Adams, 77, carried on her mother’s work and continues to sing in the senior choir. She founded Harlem Mothers and later Fathers SAVE after the gun-related deaths of two of her sons.
“I realized I couldn’t bring them back, See CHURCH ANNIVERSARY on page 30
Church member, Nalaikah Ingram, walking in front of the Christian Parish after the final Sunday service before the 70th anniversary Celebration. November 9, 2025. (Photo by Jason Ponterotto)
Church anniversary
so I could help another mother, another family, from feeling that pain and hurt that we felt,” Rowe-Adams said. It was at Christian Parish that she learned about values like love, giving, and saving lives. “Staying involved with our church for 70 years has saved my life.”
The eldest of the nine, Carolyn, and her husband, Clinton Ingram, have also remained heavily involved in the church. Ingram has led the senior choir since the early 1980s. The two met while in education and were married in 1971. Earlier this year, the two recently shared a marriage anniversary with a congratulatory reception. They are the parents of daughter Mariama Sullivan, wife of pastor Sullivan, and son Chinyelu, the lead pianist for the service, who both sing in the senior and gospel choirs.
“When you come in, you come as you are,” Carolyn said about the church, calling it a “close-knit family.”
Carolyn is a graduate of Calvin College, a Christian university in Michigan established by the leaders of the CRC, which several young people from the church had been able to attend through that connection. After Callender returned in 1991, the congregation withdrew from the CRC, becoming the non-denominational People’s Parish, and then finally, the Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal. Being non-denominational and welcom-
ing to all is one of the qualities longtime member Mirian Moses appreciates most about the church, where she first came with her husband Johnnie when they moved to Harlem from North Carolina in the early 1960s.
“You don’t have anybody standing at the door to tell you that you’re not dressed properly or you’re not of the right ilk,” Moses said about the church. She recalls making early bonds with James Allen, who was an officer of the church, and his wife, as well as Carrie Godwyn. She soon became a member of the Ladies Guild and has been involved for more than 60 years. Her husband also served on the church Consistory, now known as the Council, serving a prominent role in its leadership before his passing in the 1980s.
Other auxiliary groups over the years have included the Men’s Fellowship, a children’s baseball team, the PLAYAS youth group formed by Sullivan, a junior choir, a praise dance team, and the Rowettes — a singing group made up of Hermena Rowe along with daughters Carolyn and Jackie — who hosted concerts to raise money for church programs.
Looking ahead
As with many churches in Harlem, factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, gentrification, and the changing neighborhood have impacted attendance and membership over the last few years. Additional challenges included multiple floods that forced the
church to temporarily close its doors.
The church built out its online presence during quarantine and began streaming service weekly, which has continued regularly ever since. The weekly livestream has become a major element in both maintaining and expanding the ministry, and reaching thousands. Jay Smith, 28, grew up in the church and is responsible for helping to build out the church’s online and social media presence, which he now manages now regularly. He and his father, Frank, both operate the audio and tech.
“I’ve been a part of this for basically a quarter of a century now,” Smith said. “I never thought I would be in this position to where I can actually give back to the same church that I grew up in.”
“Somehow I landed back here, yeah, in serving God and doing what I can to push out our media presence,” Smith said after a few years of being away from church.
Smith’s family is one of the legacy families through the Feimster name. Listening to Rev. Sullivan’s sermons has been particularly helpful in his life
“It’s a very enlightening experience to me in my own spiritual and emotional growth,” Smith said. “This church has definitely been that place of refuge and safety when I needed it, and so because of that, I want to give back [in] equal measure, if not more.”
Smith is now at a place where he likes coming to church and has felt it has had an impact on his life for the better. He says he understands young adults who may have a
“jaded” view of church, especially when their parents made them go, but believes it is part of the process that they go through to eventually want to come back on their own. He is hopeful to see more younger kids in service, as well as participation from members in bettering both the church and the community.
The church has remained active, organizing a Health Street Fair on the last Saturday of June every year for the last 20 years.
“We have been a people-first congregation and that will always resonate with people of any age and any generation,” Sullivan said. “I think that has always and will always keep our doors open.”
One church member recently created a GoFundMe page to support the church in getting new repairs, including a new sign. In the meantime, the anniversary committee, made up of dozens of members, is looking ahead toward the gala celebration.
The event will take place in Dorothy Maynor Hall from 7-11p.m. More information can be found on the church’s social media.
“It’s a great time to reflect and look back, but it’s an exciting time to humbly look forward and be excited about what God’s getting ready to do while we thank God for what God has already done.”
Christian Parish for Spiritual Renewal celebrates its 70th anniversary Nov. 14 at the Harlem School of the Arts Dorothy Maynor Hall from 7-11 p.m. More information can be found on the church’s social media channels.
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terrorist organization that is brutalizing Israeli and Jewish people, and at the same time, say that a genocide is happening that is brutally taking the lives of Palestinians. We all deserve to live.”
Dalourny Nemorin, a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society, is also planning on campaigning against Torres in the congressional race.
Brooklynite U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, and even House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, aren’t safe from challengers either.
Amid the longest government shutdown in history, Democrats were holding the line to save Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Schumer drew outrage for “orchestrating” a Senate bill this Monday, Nov. 10, to end the shutdown. Eight Democrats ended up voting with Republicans to make the deal work. The uproar has voters and organizers calling for Schumer to leave office or be replaced.
It was rumored that Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) would run against him in 2026, but she has denied planning to do so.
“With Donald Trump and the Republican Party doubling health care premi -
Divine News
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times, we must continue to stand together to speak out against injustices and to uphold our civic duty. Our civil and voting rights are under attack, so let’s continue to fight and resist to impact change.”
Emphasizing the importance of this event, panelist Juanita O. Lewis, executive director of Community Voices Heard and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., said, “All of the resources that come into our communities would not have happened and wouldn’t be able to exist if organizing did not happen. If you don’t have people who are going to Albany, going to
New York
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accessibility in existing buildings, and ensuring the city’s climate adaptation efforts are shaped by fair housing principles. Over the next year, we will carry this work forward through the development and release of an equity framework that identifies key barriers to advancing fair housing, a long-term housing needs assessment, and citywide and community district-level housing production targets. The city puts forth these new goals and strategies not only in response to the demands of the moment, but also to the success of the recent past. Where We Live NYC 2020 established six goals, 19 strategies, and
ums, weaponizing our military against us, and ripping food away from children, MoveOn members cannot accept weak leadership at the helm of the Democratic Party,” said MoveOn Political Action Executive Director Katie Bethell in a statement. “Inexplicably, some Senate Democrats, under Leader Schumer’s watch, decided to surrender. It is time for Senator Schumer to step aside as minority leader to make room for those who are willing to fight fire with fire when the basic needs of working people are on the line.”
Brooklyn Councilmember Chi Ossé, a 27-year-old progressive, has made his intentions to primary Jeffries known but hasn’t officially announced just yet. It’s long been projected that Jeffries is to become the first Black Speaker of the House, should Dems succeed in flipping enough seats to gain control. It’s unclear how a high stakes congressional race might impact that.
Meanwhile, Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District Congressmember Jerrold Nadler decided not to seek re-election in 2026, leaving his seat wide open to potential challengers. So far, Assemblymember Alex Bores, spotted on the campaign trail with Mamdani, is a favorite in a growing list of candidates.
D.C., and going to City Hall on a consistent basis, talking to elected officials, saying why these things matter, then they won’t exist. Next steps to move us forward [are] being informed and showing up to forums like this on a consistent basis, and bringing your friends, family, and neighbors to these meetings, because that’s where most of the decisions get made.”
According to Kercena A. Dozier, member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and social justice ministry leader at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, “Coming together at Pace University to honor the life of Danroy Henry and to give voice to the issues impacting college students today during one of the most important elections in our city’s history is not just
81 actions to advance fair housing, while also changing the housing policy agenda, broadening the focus on quantity to include access, quality, and location. Through five years of collaboration and dedication, the city has completed 50 percent of those actions and advanced 90 percent, embedding fair housing principles across housing and neighborhood development, preservation, and policy.
Where We Live 2025 also profiles the fair housing experiences of different groups of New Yorkers, such as immigrants and people with disabilities in greater detail than Where We Live 2020. To shed more light on the fair housing challenges New Yorkers face, the city released five new reports exploring how race, gender, income, and other factors shape the housing con-
necessary but transformational for all involved. Truly, knowledge is power. May we go forward more knowledgeable, committed, and hopeful for the change we can be and achieve collectively.”
According to panelist Dr. Jermaine Meadows, Bronx and Manhattan director of governmental affairs at the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, “Our next steps would include (1) everyone staying informed by knowing what’s on the ballot; (2) being curious, asking questions, and figuring out what’s important to you and why it matters; and lastly (3) execute, vote, get involved, and consider running for office. Be a part of the community board and figure out how things work.”
Members of the D9 Harlem Votes plan-
ditions of people with disabilities, immigrants, families with children, and older adults. A new short film, “Where We Live NYC: Voices from the Fight for Fair Housing,” captures powerful, real-life stories of New Yorkers who have overcome significant challenges to secure housing.
Their stories reveal how discrimination persists in our city and highlight ways New Yorkers are pushing back and advocating for change.
This release comes at a time of intense pressure in New York City’s housing market; too many New Yorkers struggle to find housing in the neighborhoods they prefer or to stay in the communities they’ve long called home. That’s exactly why we must stay committed to ensuring that every New Yorker — regardless of race, disabili-
ning committee are Delta Kercena A. Dozier; AKA Shana Harmongoff; Delta Erika Ewing; Alpha Drew Gabriel; AKA Athena Moore; AKA Effie McCartney-Donaldson; AKA Lisa White-Tingling; Delta Pascale Bernard; Delta Kim Dennis-Walker; Delta Gilda Gillim; Alpha Nakiim Bey; Alpha Thomas Donaldson; Alpha Jamel Vanderburg; Zeta TaShana Pace; Zeta Monica Seale; Kappa Keith Tubbs; Omega Donnell Bolden; Omega Stephen Davis; Omega Darrick Robinson; Phi Beta Sigma Muhammed Bilal; Phi Beta Sigma Harry Watson III; Phi Beta Sigma Michael Daley; and Sigma Gamma Rho Hope Maddox.
Shana Harmongoff is a founding member of D9 Harlem Votes.
ty, age, or any other protected characteristic — can live in a home and neighborhood where they can truly thrive.
As HPD Acting Commissioner, I am fortunate to serve alongside the many networks of professionals, civic leaders, government officials, housing advocates, urban planners, and visionaries working to keep New York a diverse, vibrant, and equitable city where all families can thrive. Our Where We Live NYC fair housing plan is one of the key roadmaps guiding us toward that goal of a city where every New Yorker has the option to live in a community of choice and opportunity.
Ahmed Tigani is the Acting Commissioner of New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
Photo of Michael Blake’s campaign for congressional district 15. (Photo contributed by Blake’s campaign.)
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NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Plaintiff ‑against‑ CAROL M. KAGANOV INDI VIDUALLY AND AS TRUSTEE OF THE KAGANOV FAMILY REVOCABLE TRUST OF OCT 16, 2002 AS AMENDED AND RESTATED DEC 18, 2007, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem ises 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 0.00986400000% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on own ership 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 re corded 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 $13,878.65 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850077/2024.
CLARK WHITSETT, ESQ., Ref eree
DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
DLG# 39637 {* AMSTERDAM*}
Nooka Management LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/20/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 455 Main St, Apt 12A, New York, NY 10044. Purpose: Any lawful act.
THE Y3 COLLECTIVE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/01/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 188 LUDLOW STREET, APT. 20J, NEW YORK, NY, 10002, USA. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK. BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE 130 WEST 30TH STREET CONDOMINIUM, SUING ON BEHALF OF THE UNIT OWNERS, Plaintiff -against- DAVID M. SIMON a/k/a DAVID SIMON; LISA D. GOODMAN a/k/a LISA GOODMAN, et al Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated December 3, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 252 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street New York, NY on December 3, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan and County of New York, City and State of New York, known as Residential Unit No. 16A in the building known as 130 West 30th Street Condominium located at 130 West 30th Street together with an undivided 2.241% interest in the Common Elements. Block: 805 Lot: 1043
Said premises known 130 West 30th Street, Unit 16A, New York, NY 10001.
situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan and County of New York, City and State of New York, known as Storage Unit No. 11 in the building known as 130 West 30th Street Condominium located at 130 West 30th Street together with an undivided 0.079% interest in the common elements.
Block: 805 Lot: 1060
Said premises known as 130 WEST 30TH STREET, STORAGE UNIT NO. 11, NEW YORK, NY 10001
Approximate amount of lien $113,708.03 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850614/2023.
ROBERTA E. ASHKIN, ESQ., Referee
Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 444 Madison Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022
{* AMSTERDAM*}
American Insight Operations LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/10/2025. Office location: 45 Rockefeller Plaza Floor 20 New York New York 10111 County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to:
American Insight Operations 45 Rockefeller Plaza Floor 20, New York New York 10111 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Canaan Farms Entertainment LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/27/2016. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: P.O. Box 322086, New York, NY 10032. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
JG FUNDING CORP., Plaintiff -against- 1363 FIRST OWNER LLC; et al., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale dated October 4, 2024 and entered on October 15, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 at the portico of the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 3, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., the premises known as 1363 1ST AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10021; Block 1448, Lot 24 and 453 E 83RD STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10028; Block 1563, Lot 121 as more fully described in the complaint and Judgment. Approximate amount of lien $7,490,500.00 plus interest and costs
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850430/2023
ELAINE SHAY, ESQ., Referee MENASHE AND LAPA LLP, ATTORNEY(S) FOR PLAINTIFF
400 RELLA BLVD., SUITE 190, SUFFERN, NY 10901
DATED: October 30, 2025
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK 21ST MORTGAGE CORPORATION AS MASTER SERVICER FOR CHRISTIANA TRUST, A DIVISION OF WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB AS TRUSTEE FOR KNOXVILLE 2012 TRUST, Plaintiff AGAINST JIN HUA LIN, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered September 19, 2023, 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 December 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 44-46 Market Street, Unit 10A, New York, NY 10002. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, Block 274, Lot 1216. Approximate amount of judgment $831,930.17 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850085/2018. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 19-002279 87701
Bonds Pilates, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on October 10, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 370 E 79th Street Apt C909, New York, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. THE MURRAY HILL TER RACE CONDOMINIUM, BY ITS BOARD OF MANAGERS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ NICHOLAS M. CORITSIDIS, et al Defen dant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated July 25, 2025 and entered on October 6, 2025, I, the under signed Referee will sell at public auction in Room 252 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County, City and State of New York, in the Build ing designated and described as Unit No. 12F in the Building known as "The Murray Hill Ter race Condominium" together with an undivided 0.684% per cent interest in the common elements. Block: 917 Lot: 1076 Said premises known as 201 EAST 36TH STREET, UNIT 12F, NEW YORK, NY
Approximate amount of lien $67,486.72 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 159055/2024. ALLISON FURMAN, ESQ., Ref eree
Schwartz Sladkus Reich Green berg Atlas LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 444 Madison Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022
{* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NEW YORK COUNTY. WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE HOLDERS OF CD 2019-CD8 MORTGAGE TRUST COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2019-CD8, Pltf. vs. 63 SPRING LAFAYETTE, LLC, et al Deft. Index# 850042/2022. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered April 23, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 3, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem. k/a 63 Spring Street, New York, NY a/k/a Block 496, Lot 34. Approximate amount of judgment is $28,125,967.56 plus cost and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. ELAINE SHAY, Referee. BALLARD SPAHR LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 1675 Broadway, 19 Floor, New York, NY. #102567
CAXBYTE STUDIOS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/15/2025. Office location: New York County County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1171 2nd Ave, Apt 3S, New York, NY 10065. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Loan Funder LLC, Series 31312 , Plaintiff, vs . 236 West One Enterprises Inc. , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on September 17, 2024 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 236 West 136th 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 1941 and Lot 49. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,541,954.90 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850683/2023. Clark Whitsett, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff
NOTICE OF LEGAL POSTPONEMENT OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, not in its individual capacity but solely as Owner Trustee of CSMC 2018-SP3 Trust, Plaintiff AGAINST Sreeram Mallikarjun; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered April 23, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction in room 130 at the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on November 19, 2025, at 2:15PM, premises known as 350 West 42nd Street Apartment 53C, New York, NY 10036. The Condominium Unit (the "Unit") in the premises known as Orion Condominium and by the street number 350 West 42nd Street, Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York, Block 1032 Lot 1484. Approximate amount of judgment $1,206,958.02 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 850224/2021. Original sale date: November 5, 2025 Doron Leiby, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: October 23, 2025 87880
Brand Mystique LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/07/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 251 W81 St 7E, NY, NY 10024 Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUMMONS Index No. 850218/2025 STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF NEW YORK SPECTRUM MORTGAGE HOLDINGS, LLC, Plaintiff, -vs- THE HEIRS AT LARGE OF MARY THOMPKINS, deceased, and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienors, heirs, devisees, distributees, successors in interest of such of them as may be dead, and their husbands and wives, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors of interest of all of whom and whose names and places are unknown to Plaintiff; CHARLENE THOMPKINS; SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBORHOODS LLC; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; THE CITY OF NEW YORK, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION ACTING BY AND THROUGH ITS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT; Defendants. Mortgaged Premises: 233 EAST 115TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10029 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S): YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. Your failure to appear or answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you, unless the Defendant obtained a bankruptcy discharge and such other or further relief as may be just and equitable. 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 to the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. NEW YORK County is designated as the place of trial. The basis of venue is the location of the mortgaged premises. Dated: September 30, 2024 Mark K. Broyles, Esq. FEIN SUCH & CRANE, LLP
Attorneys for Plaintiff Office and P.O. Address 28 East Main Street, Suite 1800 Rochester, New York 14614 Telephone No. (585) 232-7400 Block: 1665 Lot: 16 NATURE AND OBJECT OF ACTION The object of the above action is to foreclose a mortgage held by the Plaintiff recorded in the County of NEW
Street, Suite 1800 Rochester, New York 14614 Telephone No. (585) 232-7400 Block: 1665
AND OBJECT OF ACTION The object of the above action is to foreclose a mortgage held by the Plaintiff recorded in the County of NEW YORK, State of New York as more particularly described in the Complaint herein. TO THE DEFENDANT, the plaintiff makes no personal claim against you in this action. To the above named defendants: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of HON. Francis A. Kahn, III Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, dated October 22, 2025 and filed along with the supporting papers in the NEW YORK County Clerk’s Office. This is an action to foreclose a Mortgage. ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land together with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York Mortgaged Premises: 233 EAST 115TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10029 Tax Map/ Parcel ID No.: Block: 1665 Lot: 16 of the BOROUGH of NEW YORK, NY 10029 87886
SUPREME COURT-NEW YORK COUNTY- HILTON RESORTS CORP., Pltf. v. SCOTT MOORE, KATHRYN MARIE MOORE, NEW YORK SUPREME COURT, NY STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, NYC ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD, NYC TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU, INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, Defts. - Index # 850370/2024. Pursuant to Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 8, 2025, I will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the NY County Courthouse located 60 Centre Street, NY, NY on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 2:15 pm, an interest of an undivided 5,000/28,402,100 tenant in common interest in the timeshare known as Phase I of HNY CLUB SUITES located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Approximate amount of judgment is $21,915.96 plus costs and interest as of June 27, 2025. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale which includes annual maintenance fees and charges. Ronald V. Zezima, Esq., Referee. Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston, & Zimet LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 341 Conklin Street, Farmingdale, NY.
Woven Audiobooks Llc Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/29/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 712 W 176th St, New York NY 10033 Purpose: Any lawful act.
DANIEL SOULAS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/14/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 11 CONCORD COURT, WARREN NJ, 07059. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NH PROPERTY SERVICES LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/16/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 28 W 38TH STREET, SUITE 8W, NEW YORK, NY, 10018. Purpose: Any lawful act.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK
WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF RESIDENTIAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES TRUST II, -against-
NORTHWARD ESTATES LLC, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of New York on September 29, 2025 , wherein WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF RESIDENTIAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES TRUST II is the Plaintiff and NORTHWARD ESTATES LLC , ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the THE ROTUNDA OF THE CIVIL SUPREME COURTHOUSE 60 CENTRE STREET, , NEW YORK, NY 10007, on 12/10/2025 at 2:15PM, premises known as 2573 FREDERICK DOUGLASS BLVD, UNIT A , NEW YORK , New York 10030 ; and the following tax map identification, -2041-1119 .
THE UNIT KNOWN AS UNIT A, LOCATED IN ST. CHARLES CONDOMINIUM IV, BEING IN THE COUNTY, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 850647/2023 . Paul R Sklar , 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 - COUNTY OF NEW YORK
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., Plaintiff -against- MARINERS GATE, LLC, et al. Defendants. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated October 10, 2025 and entered on October 27, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 252 at the New York County Courthouse located at 60 Centre Street, New York on December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., the premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhattan, County of New York, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 699 and Lot 5 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map. A more complete description of premises is attached to the Judgment. Said premises known as 547553 WEST 27TH STREET, New York, NY, 10001.
Approximate amount of lien $40,906,865.06 plus interest & attorney’s fees as provided in the Judgment. Premises will be sold subject to terms and conditions of filed Judgment and the Terms of Sale to be read at the auction. Index Number: 850355/2024.
CLARK WHITSETT, ESQ., Referee MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP
Counsel for Plaintiff 250 W. 55th Street, New York, NY 10019
Courtney Lemon Curd LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/07/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 303 E 37th St 5F, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful act.
MTA REAL ESTATE Request for Proposals
RFP No. JO110525: Opportunity for Broadband Communications License along the MNR and LIRR ROW, New York. For info on this RFP, please go to https://rfponline.nymta.info/
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK INDEX NO. 850098/2025 COUNTY OF NEW YORK
U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST,
Plaintiff, vs.
WONWOO CHANG, if living, and if she/he 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; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; HSBC BANK USA, N.A.; FIFTH PARTNERS LLC; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
"JOHN DOE #1" through "JOHN DOE #12," the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, Defendants.
Plaintiff designates NEW YORK as the place of trial situs of the real property
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE VERUS SECURITIZATION TRUST 2019-INV3, Plaintiff, vs. JOSEPH QUASHIE, ET AL., Defendant (s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 21, 2024 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 December 3, 2025 at 2:15 PM, premises known as 255 E 49TH ST, 16F, NEW YORK CITY, NY 10017. 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, Block: 1323, Lot: 1080 together with an undivided .0035010123000% interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $572,847.96 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 850060/2023. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee's attorney, or the Referee.
SOFIA BALILE, Esq., Referee
Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff
Lumina Next LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/1/2025. 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 #286218 , New York, NY 10003. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Mortgaged Premises:
189 EAST 7TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10009
Block: 390, Lot: 61
To the above named Defendants
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff ’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you.
NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $3,400,000.00 and interest, recorded on October 10, 2019 , in CRFN: 2019000330101 , of the Public Records of NEW YORK County, New York. , covering premises known as 189 EAST 7TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10009. 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. NEW YORK County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county.
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 the mortgage company will not stop the 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: October 10 th , 2025
ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff Matthew Rothstein, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590 516-280-7675
NOTICE OF SALE
WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF WELLS FARGO COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE TRUST 2016-C34, COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2016C34, BY AND THROUGH ITS SPECIAL SERVICER, LNR PARTNERS, LLC, Plaintiff v. 153 ELIZABETH STREET, LLC, 153 ELIZABETH HOTEL LLC, 30 KENMARE MASTER, LLC, EDMOND LI, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, THE CITY OF NEW YORK, and PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Defendants, Index No. 850275/2021. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision and Order on Motion dated August 8, 2024, which was duly entered in the above-entitled action and filed in the Office of the New York County Clerk on August 12, 2024 and December 26, 2024, as amended by the Decision & Order on Motion dated September 24, 2024, which was duly entered in the above-entitled action and filed in the Office of the New York County Clerk on September 26, 2024 (the “Judgment”), I the undersigned Referee in said Judgment named, will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at Room 130 of the Courthouse, located at 60 Centre Street, New York, New York, the premises directed by said Judgment to be sold. The premises will be offered for sale, as one parcel, on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. The premises therein described are located at 153 Elizabeth Street, New York, New York 10023, also known as Block 479, Lot 29 on the Tax Map for the County of New York, together with the buildings, improvements, fixtures, machinery, equipment, personalty and other rights or interests of any kind or nature located thereon, and more particularly described in the Judgment.
The premises will be sold subject to the provisions of the filed Judgment, Index No. 850275/2021, and the Terms of Sale , all of which are available from plaintiff’s counsel upon request.
The approximate amount of the Judgment, for the property referred to therein, is $35,312,720.52, plus interest and costs, as provided in the Judgment. The successful bidder will be required to deposit 10% of the bid by certified or official bank check, unendorsed, made payable to the Referee.
Scott H. Siller , Esq., Referee ( 516) 644-6769
Herrick, Feinstein LLP, Attorneys for Plaintiff, Two Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016, (212) 592-1461, Attention: Scott T. Tross, Esq.
Ka Ming Gordon Ngai, MD PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 06/04/2025. Office location: Manhattan County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 333 W 56th St, 2B, New York, NY 10019. 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 ‑against‑ CHARLES SANIDA, et al De fendant(s). Pursuant to a Judg ment of Foreclosure and Sale dated August 12, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Court house, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 3, 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 owner ship interest as tenant‑in‑com mon with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the build ing located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivid ed 0.01972800000% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership inter est in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declara tions. 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 $22,613.73 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850184/2023.
SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
DLG# 39295 {* AMSTERDAM*}
SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK.
NYCTL 1998‑2 TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiffs ‑against‑ JACOB & JERRY INVESTMENTS LLC, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on July 15, 2025, I, the undersigned Ref eree will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on De cember 10, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and be ing in the Borough of Manhat tan, County of New York, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 1905 and Lot 158 on the New York County Tax Assessment Map. Said premises known as 160 WEST 121ST STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10027
Approximate amount of lien $83,731.15 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 157503/2018. THOMAS KLEINBERGER, ESQ., Referee Phillips Lytle LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs
100 S. Clinton Avenue, Suite 2900, Rochester, NY 14604
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ JEFFREY L. BROWNELL, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 10, 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 owner ship interest as tenant‑in‑com mon with other owners in the Timeshare Unit in the build ing located at 102 West 57th Street, New York, NY. Together with an appurtenant undivided .015838% common interest per centage. This is a foreclosure on ownership interest in a time share unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declarations. Decla ration 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 $16,215.93 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 850230/2023.
JEFFREY MILLER, ESQ., Ref eree DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39147 {* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , NYCTL 1998-2 Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 19982 Trust , Plaintiff, vs . East 115th Street Associates , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion dated June 26, 2025 and duly entered on August 27, 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 December 10, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 75 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 1621 and Lot 32. Approximate amount of judgment is $450,870.47 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #651512/2017.
Lorraine Coyle, Esq., Referee Bronster, LLP, 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH ST. VACATION OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ ZORAN DJUMIC, DINA DJUMIC, BISERKA PLEVKO DUMIC, et al Defendant(s). Pur suant to a Judgment of Foreclo sure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auc tion in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 10, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Manhat tan, 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 inter est in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declara tions. 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 $25,032.17 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850328/2023. SOFIA BALILE, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 DLG# 39177 {* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee for the Registered Holders of Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Securities, Inc., Multifamily Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2017-SB34 , Plaintiff, vs . RH 532 West 159 Street LP , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on June 3, 2025 , I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007 on December 3, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 532 West 159th Street, New York, NY 10032. 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 2117 and Lot 20. Approximate amount of judgment is $3,174,348.32 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850547/2023. Christy M. Demelfi, Esq., Referee
McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT ‑ COUNTY OF NEW YORK. 57TH. ST VACATION OWNERS ASSOICATION, INC., BY AND THROUGH ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Plaintiff ‑against‑ CHARLES STANLEY LEE, DEBORAH SHIRLEY LEE, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated September 3, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 130 of the New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, New York, NY on December 17, 2025 at 2:15 p.m. prem ises 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 .015171% common interest percentage. This is a foreclosure on ownership inter est in a timeshare unit, a studio penthouse on a floating use basis every year, in accordance with and subject to declara tions. 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 $21,690.45 plus interest & costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.
Index Number 850270/2023.
ALLISON M. FURMAN, ESQ., Referee DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP
PLLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 242 Drexel Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
DLG# 39168 {* AMSTERDAM*}
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York, Nationstar Mortgage LLC, Plaintiff, vs. Steve Vassi, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order on Motion duly entered on January 15, 2025 and a Decision + Order on Motion duly entered September 5, 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 December 3, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 520 East 81st Street, Apt 2M, New York, NY 10028. 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 1577 and Lot 1024 together with an undivided 0.433094 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $663,856.43 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #810060/2012. Elaine Shay, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 254207-1
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF New York , Loancore Capital Credit Reit LLC , Plaintiff, vs . CF 1 Whitehall LLC , ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on October 9, 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 December 3, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 1 Whitehall Street, New York, NY 10004. 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 10 and Lot 23. Approximate amount of judgment is $80,000,000.00 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850394/2024.
Gregory Thomas Cerchione, Esq., Referee McCarter & English, LLP, 250 W 55th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NEW YORK, U.S. BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS LEGAL TITLE TRUSTEE FOR TRUMAN 2016 SC6 TITLE TRUST, PLAINTIFF, VS. MOSHE RAHIMI, ET AL., DEFENDANT(S).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and Decision + Order On Motion entered on February 15, 2024 and a Decision + Order on Motion entered on September 5, 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 December 3, 2025 at 2:15 p.m., premises known as 635 West 42nd Street, Unit 15J a/k/a 627635 West 42nd Street, Unit 15J, New York, NY 10036. 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 1090 and Lot 1351 together with an undivided 0.12612 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $570,028.95 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #850111/2020. Paul R. Sklar, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 201235-1
Simpler Eats LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/03/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 200 Rector Pl, 26H, New York, New York, 10280. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Valura LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/7/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 2825 Snyder Ave, Apt 4B, Brooklyn, NY 11226. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Qualification of 22ND STREET 9DE LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/29/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/28/25. 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 19608. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Corps. Divs., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of 408 BWAY REALTY MEMBER, LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/21/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to United American Land, LLC, 73 Spring St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10012. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of 419 MM MEMBER, LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/21/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to United American Land, LLC, 73 Spring St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10012. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of ARRAS LIHTC OWNER, LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/24/25. 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 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of JOSEPHINE TOWERS PRESERVATION GP, LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of ARRAS OWNER, LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/24/25. 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 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of ASPEN DOBBIN BORROWER LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/12/25. 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. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of Avery Whitehead Strategies LLC. Certificate of Authority filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/03/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). Limited Liability Company (LLC) formed on 04/01/2025. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Daniel Reeves: 649 East Capitol St SE #4. Articles of Organization originally filed with Secretary of State (SOS), 2112 8th Street Washington, D.C. 20001 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of formation of Bluestone Mani LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to UNITED STATES CORPORATION AGENTS, INC. : 7014 13th Avenue Suite 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Brooklyn Point 47 LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect'y of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/2/2025. 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 Ke Song Revocable Trust, 369 Lexington Ave, #3114, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: any lawful act.
NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION of Derventio UW LLC. App. for Auth. filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/06/25. LLC formed in California on 01/31/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 33 Raven Rd. San Anselmo, CA 94960. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
Notice of Qualification of HANAOLIVIA LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/15/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Florida (FL) on 04/28/25. Princ. office and FL addr. of LLC is: 2895 Collins Ave., Ste. B, Miami Beach, FL 33140. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. Cert. of Form. filed with Cord Byrd, State of FL at Tallahassee, the Capital, 500 South Brough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399. Purpose: Adminstrative entity.
Notice of Qualification of MT 35HY LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/25/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/17/25. 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 Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice is hereby given that a license, serial #NA-0370-25134375 for beer, wine & liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine & liquor at retail in a Legitimate Theater under the ABC Law at 308 W. 46th St., New York, NY 10036 for on-premises consumption; Out of the Box Theatrics Inc.
Wing & Root Management
Consulting LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/01/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 50 Park Terrace E Apt 4L, New York, NY 10034. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Lucy's Hot Dogs LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 5/29/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 10228. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Notice of Formation of JOSEPHINE TOWERS PRESERVATION, L.P.
Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2125. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of MARGARET NELL LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/26/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 325 East 79th St., Apt. 2A, NY, NY 10075. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Emily M. Bromley at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of MOTEK FLATIRON LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/21/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Florida (FL) on 04/01/25. Princ. office of LLC: 2895 Collins Ave., Ste. B, Miami Beach, FL 33140. 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. Cert. of Form. filed with Cord Byrd, State of FL at Tallahassee, the Capital, 500 South Brough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of MT 35HY HOTEL LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/25/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/17/25. 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 Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of FARNER NARNER, LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/29/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 200 Park Ave. South, 8th Fl., NY, NY 10003. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of HEED HEALTH LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/13/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/20/20. Princ. office of LLC: 52 Wooster St., Ste. 2, NY, NY 10013. 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: Resident Agents Inc., 8 The Green, Ste. R, Dover, DE 19901. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Meg Barber Basketball LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 18th Of June, 2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 115 Broadway Suite 1602, New York, New York 10006. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Pendenza LLC. App. for Authority filed with the SSNY on 9/26/2025. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: The LLC, 445 Park Ave., Ste. 967, NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NEUTRALSMATTER LLC
Limited Liability Company Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/01/2025. Office location: NEW YORK County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 301 WEST 110TH STREET, Ste 6U, New York, NY 10026 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Due Processors LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/26/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 41 State St, Ste 112, Albany, NY 12207 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Gilded City Creations LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/10/25. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 255 W 108 St. 10A, New York, NY 10025. Purpose: Any lawful act.
Hunting Ridge Capital LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 6/23/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 144 E 24th Street. APT 1A, New York, NY 10010. Purpose: Any lawful act.
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF JOSEPH C. DANILCZYK, ESQ. PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/23/2025. Office Location New York County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. Post Office address to which SSNY shall mail copy of any process against PLLC served is: JOSEPH C. DANILCZYK, ESQ. PLLC 43 W 43rd Street, Suite 236 New York, NY, 10036, USA. Principal business address of JOSEPH C. DANILCZYK, ESQ. PLLC is 43 W 43rd Street, Suite 236, New York, NY 10036 USA. Dissolution date: PERPETUAL. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF HEATHER STEPANEK PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/16/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail a copy to 165 Broadway, FL 23, New York, NY 10006. The principal business address of the PLLC is 165 Broadway, FL 23, New York, NY 10006. Purpose: the practice of law.
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice of formation of Limited Liability Company ("LLC"). Name: Rangel PACT JV, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State ofthe State ofNew York (SSNY) on August 29, 2025. N.Y. office location: New York County. The SSNY has been designated as agent ofthe LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to Rangel PACT JV, LLC, c/o Genesis Companies, 745 Fifth Avenue, Suite 500, New York, New York 10151.
Purpose/character ofLLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.
Notice of Qualification of SKYTON BEAUTY LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/03/25. 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 Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
M/WBE bids sought for 2-65 Watjean Court Queens, NY construction project. A scope meeting will be held on November 17 Contact bidding@taxaceny.com for details
This is to announce that the next open meeting of the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy I Charter School Board of Trustees will be held on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 4:30 pm. The meeting will take place at 245 West 129th St, NY, NY.
J AND J WARRIOR LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/27/25. 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, 872 Madison Avenue, #2A, New York, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of DD GANSEVOORT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/29/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 7 Penn Plaza, Ste. 600, 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of SQUIRE VILLAGE PRESERVATION, L.P. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2125. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of 3DR Entertainment LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/19/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to James Kuhn: 125 Park Avenue, New York NY, 10017. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Qualification of IRC AIRBEL VENTURES LLC
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/24/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/20/23. Princ. office of LLC: 122 East 42nd St., NY, NY 10168. 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, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of TCB JV MEMBER LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/13/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 1411 Broadway, 34th Fl., NY, NY 10018. 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of VISUALIZING HERBALISM, LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/14/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: Attn: Lillian Luu, 222 Riverside Dr., 3F, NY, NY 10025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of 1313 SIGN COMPANY LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/16/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 450 Seventh Ave., 45th Fl., NY, NY 11418. 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
101 E 9 DEVELOPER LLC.
Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/16/25. 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 Peraino Malinowski LLP, 152 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of 130 W 19th 8D LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 9/3/25. Office location: New York County. NY Sec. of State designated agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served, and shall mail process to 130 West 19th St, Apt 8D, New York, NY 10011. Purpose: any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of WEQUONNOC VILLAGE PRESERVATION, L.P.
Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LP: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Latest date on which the LP may dissolve is 12/31/2125. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of WEQUONNOC VILLAGE PRESERVATION GP, LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/27/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., NY, NY 10001. 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
ABINGTON VILLAGE LLC. App. for Auth. filed with the SSNY on 10/24/25. Originally filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on 10/22/25. 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 Borah, Goldstein, Altschuler, Nahins & Goidel, P.C., 377 Broadway. New York, NY 10013. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of ASBURY PARK DEVELOPER, LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of Wellbeeings LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/18/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to United States Corporation Agents, Inc.: 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228, USA. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of MELISSA STANGER LCSW, PLLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/25. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 5 East 16th St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10003. Purpose: Licensed clinical social work.
Notice of Qualification of WASABI ROLLOVER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/30/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/06/24. 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, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of PIERRE AMOUR LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/20/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to PIERRE AMOUR LLC: 200 W 20th street, #212, New York NY 10011. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of LITTLE EGG PRODUCTIONS LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 321 President St., Apt. 3, Brooklyn, NY 11231. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Rose Gendelman at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of ASBURY PARK PRESERVATION GP, LLC
Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 30 Hudson Yards, 72nd Fl., 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. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of Papilio Strategies LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 9/12/25. Office located in NY County. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC at 7 Park Ave #116, NY NY 10016. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
SOLLEVARE MONARCH LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/05/25. 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, 445 Park Avenue, Floor 7, New York, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Ave Bronx NY. construction project. A scope meeting will be held on November 17. Contact bidding@taxaceny. com for details
Notice of formation of Stahl Solutions LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/10/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Harry Stahl: 88 Lexington Avenue, Apt 804. 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 of Qualification of HMG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT 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 TANAKA NYC LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/13/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/10/25. Princ. office of LLC: 428 Greenwich St., NY, NY 10013. 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 of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
PURPLE ARROW PRODUCTIONS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/08/25. 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, 8333 Braesmain Drive, Apartment 1459, Houston, TX 77025. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/14/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/12/25. 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 Secy. of State of DE, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of AP CREDIT SOLUTIONS HOLDINGS (AIV) II, L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/08/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/26/24. Princ. office of LP: Attn: General Counsel, 9 W. 57th St., 43rd Fl., NY, NY 10019. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the Partnership at the princ. office of the LP. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with The Secy. of State of the State of DE, Dept. of State, Div. of Corps., John Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of formation of Endo Exo Studio LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/24/2025. Office location: New York County (Manhattan). SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to United States Corporation Agents, Inc.: 7014 13th avenue, suite 202, brooklyn, ny, 11218. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of ThrillHouse LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/14/25. 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 122072543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Occupational ority Bronx. hour) conditions; implement Demonstrate help Evaluate ress on givers of clients otjobs@prioritycarestaffing. com.
Zeanie B. LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/1/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 261 West 136 Street, New York,NY 10030. Purpose: Any lawful act.
This is to announce that the next open meeting of the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy II Charter School Board of Trustees will be held on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 4:30 pm. The meeting will take place at 245 West 129th St, NY, NY.
Daniel Adam Goldstein LCSW PLLC filed w/ SSNY 8/26/25. Off. in NY Co. Process served to SSNY - desig. as agt. of PLLC & mailed to the PLLC, 424 E. 52nd St, #5C, NY, NY 10022. Any lawful purpose.
O'Rielly & Roche LLP Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/27/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as an agent upon whom process against it may be served & shall mail to: 1330 Ave. Of The Americas, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10019 Purpose: Any lawful act.
Softball player Olivia Madkins breaks barriers at Columbia University
By TYRESE ALLEYNE-DAVIS Special to the AmNews
Los Angeles native and Columbia University outfielder Olivia Madkins made history last year as the first Black softball player in the school’s history. The achievement has served as a roadmap for Columbia’s Black players who have come after her.
Madkins, who attended Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, California, and was there with famous alumni basketball players Bronny James and Juju Watkins, was raised in a sports-loving family. Her father, Gerald Madkins, was a standout UCLA hooper who played professionally in the 1990s for nearly a full decade and is a former assistant general manager for the New York Knicks. He encouraged Olivia to partake in multiple sports. It was softball that she fell in love with, becoming a diehard fan of the UCLA Bruins and looking up to players such as standout outfielder B.B. Bates and pitcher Aleah Macon. Very early on, Olivia came face-toface with the reality that although her play on the field spoke for itself,
the color of her skin subjected her to prejudice and comments aimed at diminishing her confidence.
“The first time I experienced an overtly racist comment from a teammate, I was 14, living on the East Coast, and playing for a competitive softball organization,” she recalled. “I was the only Black girl on this particular team, and I felt singled out when a racially charged comment was made. At that moment, I felt angry, sad that I did not have support from the coaching staff. If I had the chance, I would grab my younger self’s hand and tell her that she is more than the people around her. Columbia has been a transformative experience for me in this way, as I feel like I can share the full breadth of my experiences as a Black woman with my teammates, and be heard and supported.”
After graduating from Sierra Canyon, Madkins wanted a rigorous academic environment that would challenge her while still allowing her to excel as an athlete. She committed to Columbia University, joining the women’s softball team under coach Jennifer
Teague, a veteran in the sport with more than 25 years of coaching experience, including 11 at Columbia.
“When I came on my official visit to Columbia, Coach Teague told me that I would be the first Black woman to play on Columbia’s softball team if I were to accept my offer. This moment was one that I think I will look back on as the most significant in my life. I told Coach Teague that it was a non-negotiable for me to ensure that I was not the only one for long, and that there be a commitment to diversifying our program. In my time here, I have had the opportunity to be joined by three other Black women, and it is incredible to know that we have been able to trailblaze with one another.”
As her time on the team has grown, Madkins has improved consistently. This past season, she started in 36 games, hit 17 home runs, and drove in 18 runs. At one point, she led the team in stolen bases with nine and was named Ivy League Player of the Week after hitting .700 and leading the Lions to a defeat over Dartmouth.
Now a junior, one of Madkins’s most memorable moments came this past May during a road victory against Harvard University, when she hit her first career home run to give Columbia a 3–2 lead, which they held. That game marked
the first time the seniors had ever beaten Harvard, and celebrating around the pitcher’s mound was something Madkins said she will never forget.
Bobsledder Sylvia Hoffman aims for a return to the Olympic podium
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
At the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, Sylvia Hoffman realized the long-held dream of winning an Olympic medal. She served as brakeman for pilot Elana Meyers Taylor, and the duo won the bronze in the two-woman bobsled. Shortly afterward, Hoffman turned her attention to becoming a pilot, competing in both the monobob and twowoman events.
“Monobob is more on the individual side, and through weightlifting, I learned I actually like individual sports,” Hoffman said. “I was still able to do two-woman, which gave me more of the team aspect, and I enjoyed it a lot.” Despite strong results over the past three seasons, Hoffman was not named by USA Bobsled-Skeleton as one of the pilots for the upcoming World Cup season. (The three pilots selected are fivetime Olympic medalist Meyers Taylor; four-time Olympic medalist Kaillie Humphries, winner of the monobob in Beijing; and Kaysha Love, 2025 World Cham-
pion in monobob.) Hoffman has returned to the brakeman position and is aiming to become the first U.S. female brakeman to win back-to-back Olympic medals.
“Just because you’re favored doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed; you have to work for it,” said Hoffman. “You have to put forth all the effort and energy.”
Bobsled is an expensive sport in terms of training, preparation, travel, and competition, most of which happens in Europe. Hoffman admits it has been a financial strain. Last week, Cane’s restaurants in Colorado Springs held an Olympic fundraiser at
four locations, contributing a portion of sales to Project Push to Gold. Hoffman also has a GoFundMe to help fund her path to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina.
“The work that has to be put in is extraordinary,” said Hoffman. “I have the pushing capabilities and the experience. Teammates, athletes, coaches, staff … know what I can produce because of my track record of producing results in races, competitions, and push championships. I have to let them know; I have to readjust from being a pilot these last three years.”
The adjustment involves timing and physical skills because the brakeman continues to push after the pilot enters the sled. “I’m pushing and allowing the time for the pilot to get adjusted while also continuing accelerating the sled, getting in and getting down, making sure the velocity is high,” she explained. Hoffman is now in Europe, where there will be seven World Cup races leading up to the selection of the U.S. Olympic team in January.
Columbia University’s Olivia Madkins is first Black softball player in program’s history. (Columbia University Athletics Department)
U.S. Olympic bobsledder Sylvia Hoffman is returning to the role of brakeman. (James Reed photos)
The Knicks establish an early season home court advantage
By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor
Teams with realistic championship aspirations have to be sturdy on their homecourt. The Knicks, who had the fourth-best odds set by sports gaming entities to win the title entering this season, have fortified Madison Square Garden early in the campaign.
They went into last night’s game versus the Orlando Magic undefeated at 7-0 at MSG coming off of a 133-120 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. The Knicks were 7-3 overall and will conclude their stretch of seven straight home games tomorrow versus the Miami Heat.
They will play the Heat again on Monday in South Florida, beginning a slate of five games away from the Garden where thus far the Knicks are winless. Led by point guard Jalen Brunson’s 32 points and 10 assists, and forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns’ 21 points and 13 rebounds, the Knicks, in holding off a late Grizzlies surge, set a franchise record for scoring 130 or more points in three straight games.
“Yeah, we’re clicking,” said Brunson after raising his season average to 27.7 points per game, eighth best in the league. “Most importantly, we got
to finish the games better. Whenever we’re subbing on offense, there’re going to be times we’re not making shots and so we’ve got to be better defensively, no matter what. That just has to be our focus moving forward.”
Better would mean the Knicks moving closer to being top five in overall defensive rating; they were eighth (113.4) before playing the Magic and fifth in points allowed at 112.7. With a 122.6 offensive rating,
the Knicks were third only behind the Denver Nuggets (123.4) and Houston Rockets (123.2). Fundamentally, an offensive rating is determined by how many points a team scores per 100 possessions.
On Tuesday before tipoff, the Knicks honored two basketball greats who recently passed away. Manhattan-born and Brooklyn-raised Lenny Wilkens, a Boys High (now Boys and Girls High) alum who coached the
Knicks between 2004 and 2005, died on Sunday at the age of 88 in Medina, Washington. Wilkens is a Naismith Hall of Fame inductee as a player and coach. He was a nine-time AllStar and third on the all-time coaching wins list with 1,332.
Former Knicks first-round pick Michael Ray Richardson, who Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas have said was the most challenging player they ever faced,
succumbed to prostate cancer on Monday in Lawton, Oklahoma, at the age of 70. Sugar Ray, as he was known, played for the Knicks from 1978 to 1982 and the then New Jersey Nets from 1983 to 1986. At 6-5, he was one of the most talented guards to ever grace basketball courts. The four-time All-Star was banned by the NBA in 1986 for violating the league’s drug policy for the third time.
The Nets aspire for incremental gains in the midst of a rocky start
By DERREL JOHNSON Special to the AmNews
Coming into this season, the Nets’ outlook was a young squad lacking the necessities to compete on a nightly basis with the NBA’s upper echelon teams. This would be another year of roster and culture reconstruction after finishing last season with a 26-56 record, 12th in the Eastern Conference.
Undoubtedly, Nets second-year head coach Jordi Fernandez didn’t envision having just one win in the opening three weeks, which was the circumstance after Brooklyn fell to 1-10 in losing to the Toronto Raptors 119-109 Tuesday night at home at the Barclays Center. The Nets’ only victory (112-103) came against the Indiana Pacers on November 5 on the road. The injury-ravaged defending Eastern Conference champions, as well as the Washington Wizards, were also 1-10 when the league’s schedule began last night, sharing the bottom spot of the standings
with the Nets. Brooklyn’s struggles are likely to continue with the second leading scorer (21.4), Cam Thomas,
out with a left hamstring strain sustained against the Pacers in their lone victory. The 24-yearold guard, in his fifth season with
the Nets and now injury-plagued during his pro career, will be reevaluated in two weeks. Thomas played in only 25 games last season
due to left hamstring issues. So, with Michael Porter Jr. acquired in a trade with the Denver Nuggets last July, currently topping the Nets at 23.1 points per game, and center Nic Claxton at 15.2 as the next highest active scorer, a solid but modest average, the Nets will be hard-pressed to generate enough points to gain wins consistently.
Still, Fernandez is charged with developing the team’s young talent and making incremental progress. Brooklyn’s 19-year-old rookie guard Egor Dëmin, who was selected with the eighth overall pick in last June’s draft, scored a career-high 16 points versus the Raptors on Tuesday and has set a franchise rookie record with 18 three-pointers made, the most through the first 10 games of a season.
The Nets will face the Orlando Magic on the road tomorrow, and then the Wizards in Washington, D.C., on Sunday before hosting the Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center next Tuesday.
Nets guard Cam Thomas, the team’s second leading scorer, is currently out of the lineup with a left hamstring strain. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (black hat) sat out Tuesday’s 133-120 win versus the Memphis Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden due to left ankle management. (Bill Moore photos)
Kouevi and Homawoo build momentum heading into their third U.S. Championships
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
It has been a busy few months for U.S. ice dancers Anaelle Kouevi and Yann Homawoo.
After impressive performances at a summer competition in Upstate New York’s Lake Placid, they were selected for their first international competition — an ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Turkey. Soon after, they earned a second Junior Grand Prix assignment, this one in Azerbaijan. Last week, they wrapped up their 2025 competitions at the U.S. Ice Dance Final, securing a spot in the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships to be held in St. Louis in January.
“I made a lot of good memories and new friends, and I also had a lot of big learning experiences,” said Kouevi, 14, of the international travel. “It was really cool because we got to be part of a big and supportive team … It almost felt like we had the country behind us.”
“It was very interesting to see different countries and experi-
ence different rinks,” said Homawoo, 16. “You have the team leaders — all these people are there for you, so it felt very heartwarming and a supportive environment.”
Kouevi said the international competitions gave her more confidence. Homawoo said they taught him many lessons about
how to improve mental and physical preparation for competition. The duo has chosen to do online schooling this season, which gives them greater flexibility in their
schedules and allows for increased training time. “It kind of creates a motivation,” said Kouevi. Both see their performance levels improving, and they are becoming stronger competitors. “The more we skate, the more run-throughs we do, the better you feel as a partner and a skater, and the more prepared you feel in general for competition,” said Homawoo. “It’s been a very helpful change for the two of us.”
The upcoming nationals will be the third trip to the U.S. Championships for Kouevi and Homawoo. They won the bronze medal in the novice division in 2024 and finished ninth in the junior division in 2025. Their goal is to improve their finish and set themselves up to be contenders for the podium in 2027.
“It’s evolving for me as time goes on, because I feel really honored to go, but I know that we worked really hard to get these nationals,” said Kouevi. Added Homawoo, “Our programs are evolving quite nicely to get to where they need to be for the U.S. Championships.”
Iona University hosts Women in Sports Media panel with captive audience
By LOIS ELFMAN Special to the AmNews
Ajah Hawley-Alexander, clinical lecturer in the media & strategic communication (MSC) department at Iona University, wants to create opportunities for students to learn directly from the professionals they hope to become. Prior to joining the faculty at Iona, Hawley-Alexander worked in sports media, including nine years with Madison Square Garden (Knicks and Liberty).
“My thing has been to ensure that students are able to network, talk with professionals, understand the various verticals within this very diverse and dynamic field and hear firsthand accounts,” said Hawley-Alexander. “It enables the students to ask questions and take in the information in a way that I think is instrumental.”
sideline reporting and those types of things. It gave more depth to the opportunities that are out there.”
When Hawley-Alexander was an undergraduate and graduate student at Fairleigh Dickinson University, she at times created internship opportunities for herself. With the panel, she wanted students to hear firsthand how these professionals achieved their current positions. “Trying to find that balance of a professional that can lend their experience in a way that students understand and feel inspired by but not intimidated by,” she said.
Ana Mejia-Valdez, who is pursuing a master’s degree in sports communication and media, was among the event’s attendees. Her goal is to work in the field of digital content for either the NBA, WNBA or Unrivaled. She was particularly interested in hearing from Edwards.
“When you think about the popularity and the growth of women’s sports, think about the
On Oct. 22, MSC presented the panel discussion Women in Sports and Media, which featured six-time Emmy winner Emilie Deutsch; author, TV personality and executive director of Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program Katrina Adams; CBS Sports social media producer and director Liz Edwards; CBS Sports producer and director Suzanne Smith; and award-winning documentary producers Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern, founders Lookalike Productions.
people who are behind that,” Hawley-Alexander said. “Also, women can cover any sport and the various ways that they can do that. Whether it’s in production, live events, social media,
“I do a lot of video content and … I try to add my own creative flair,” said Valdez. “This panel really allowed me to see the broad aspect and range that women in sports can go into.”
Ice dancers Anaelle Kouevi and Yann Homawoo
The Women in Sports Media panel held at Iona University included (l-r) Katrina Adams, Nancy Stern Winters, Lisa Lax, Emilie Deutsch, Suzanne Smith, and Liz Edwards. (Mia Valle photo)
The Giants bounce coach Brian Daboll after dropping to 2-8 Sports
By JAIME C. HARRIS
AmNews Sports Editor
Whichever side of the debate fans and media are on regarding the firing of now former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, the argument is moot.
The Giants’ owners, John Mara and Steve Tisch, have moved on from Daboll after terminating the 50-year-old on Monday. It came less than 24 hours following another Giants collapse after clutching a late-game lead. This time, a 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears.
The Giants held a 20-10 advantage for most of the fourth quarter. But as they have done for too many games this season, Daboll and company became excessively charitable and gifted the Bears a win. Chicago scored two touchdowns in the last 3:56 of the abomination to walk away with a victory that never should have been. It was the fourth time this season the Giants have held double-digit leads and given them up.
The most memorable took place on October 19 in Week 7 in Denver, where the Giants were ahead 26-8 against the Broncos with 14:03 remaining, a seemingly insurmountable margin. Yet they ultimately allowed the Broncos to score all 33 of their points in the last quarter alone and fell 33-32 as Will Lutz kicked a 39yard field goal as time expired.
The Giants left Denver 2-5, and in retrospect, it was the beginning of the end for Daboll. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who was also Daboll’s assistant head coach, will now take the helm for the remainder of the season. The 2-8 Giants, who have lost four straight games and four of their last five, will host the 5-3-1 Green Bay Packers this Sunday (1 p.m.) at MetLife Stadium.
“The past few seasons have been nothing short of disappointing and we have not met our expectations for this franchise,” said Mara, who is valiantly undergoing treatment for cancer, which he made public
in late September, and Tisch in a joint statement. “We understand the frustrations of our fans, and we will work to deliver a significantly improved product.”
General manager Joe Schoen, who, along with Daboll, was hired by Mara and Tisch in January of 2022, will be retained for the time being. They were brought on to revive the Giants, replacing former GM Dave Gettleman (2018-21) and head coach Joe Judge (2020-21). Prior to being named to their positions with the Giants, Schoen was the assistant general manager for the Buffalo Bills (2017-21) and Daboll the Bills’ offensive coordinator (2018-21).
When they arrived from Upstate New York, the Giants had made the playoffs just once in the previous five seasons. The duo immediately stopped that futili-
ty streak, going 9-7-1 in the 2022 campaign and winning a wildcard game versus the Minnesota Vikings. Daboll was honored as the 2022 AP Coach of the Year. It was their apex because since the start of the 2023 season, the Giants are 11-33 going into this weekend’s game.
The premise put forth by those opposed to Daboll’s firing — that it was logical to afford him the opportunity to continue developing promising rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart — is sound.
Daboll identified the 22-year-old from Ole Miss (University of Mississippi), the alma mater of Eli Manning — a two-time Giants Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP (2007, 2011) — as the team’s future franchise QB.
Daboll convinced Schoen and ownership to trade their 2025 No. 34 and No. 99 picks, and a 2026
third-round pick to the Houston Texans for the No. 25 first-round pick to draft Dart. The youngster has looked the part of a potentially elite signal caller since taking over the QB1 spot from erstwhile starter Russell Wilson in Week 4. That’s the 5,000-foot view.
Conversely, the larger panorama of Daboll’s tenure isn’t pretty. The collective team has been riddled with mistakes and underperformance. The defense, directed by coordinator Shane Bowen, is ranked 29th out of the NFL’s 32 teams and Dart has been evaluated for concussions four times this year, including the preseason. He exited Sunday’s game versus the Bears in the third quarter and did not return. Before going out, Dart was balling, throwing for 242
yards and rushing for 66 and two touchdowns. He was replaced by Wilson to start the fourth quarter. The cumulative failures of Daboll’s Giants, one playoff appearance and a 3-14 record last season, with little quantitative or empirical improvement this season, left Mara and Tisch dismissing the illusion of choice and making the wise decision, really the only decision, that made sense. Daboll, deservedly, will land on his feet with another team, college or pro. But it was evident he wasn’t the man to lift the Giants from the abyss.
The Giants moved on from former head coach Brian Daboll on Monday, pictured on the sidelines on Sunday, after a dejecting 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
