THE INNER-CITY NEWS

Schools Report Steady Math, Reading Progress

by MAYA MCFADDEN

The new haven independent

A year after picking a new K‑5 reading curriculum, New Haven Pub lic Schools (NHPS) is seeing steady growth in K‑12 math and literacy as sessment scores. The district is still keeping its foot on the gas to catch up students who are more than three grade levels behind.

Those were among the takeaways from a midyear math and literacy re port presented to the Board of Educa tion Monday evening. The data showed student growth from fall to winter.

The presentation followed NHPS’s decision to adopt a new curriculum during the 2022 – 23 school year: the core K‑5 literacy programs known as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s (HMH) Into Reading and ¡Arriba la Lectura!. The district also implemented a new math curriculum, i‑Ready, for K‑8. Click here to read the full presentation. The literacy presentation was given by Supervisor of Elementary Reading and Language Arts Jennifer Tousignant and Supervisor of Secondary English Lan guage Arts Jennifer Sinal Swingler.

For overall grade level growth from fall to winter for grades 3 – 8, 2,707 students who were behind two or more grade levels (or 38 percent) decreased to 2,124 students (or 30 percent). Data also showed that 1,131 (or 16 percent of) 3 – 8th grade students were on grade level in the fall and that number increased to 1,502 (21 percent) in the winter assessment.

The overall growth for 3rd 8th graders showed that 34.72 percent of students had growth.

Tousignant pointed out that 522 3rd 8th graders were one grade level be hind in the fall, but on the second winter administration of the reading assessments, those students grew to be on grade level.

High schools saw a total of 120 stu dents who tested one grade level be hind in the fall reach grade level in the winter assessment. Ninety one high schoolers who were on grade level in the fall dropped to being one year be hind in the winter assessment.

“We know that students need some thing different within core classroom practice,” Sinal Swingler said. “I as sure you with commitment that we will be seeing small targeted group work in tier 1 in all grade levels K‑12.”

The Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Dy namic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment, which tests students’ reading fluency rate for grades one and two, saw growth in

proficiency. Grade three saw a decline from fall to winter. Tousignant, how ever, pointed out that “the benchmark changes with each administration” and while grade three saw a decline with the fluency assessment, it saw increases in comprehension and language assess ment data.

“We also look forward to seeing how the K‑5 HMH program is currently being implemented, and also what are the needs within the 6 – 12 curriculum as we engage in a review of practice,” Sinal Swingler said.

To conclude the literacy update, Su perintendent Madeline Negrón told the board, “There is a positive trend in our literacy data from fall to win ter according to our internal assess ments. We have to be very cautious to get overly excited about the progress

because these outcomes do not neces sarily mean that it’s going to translate into the outcomes that we hope to see in our high stakes assessment, which is Smarter Balanced.”

The math presentation by Supervisor of Mathematics Monica Joyner followed.

“For math, we are also trending in the right direction,” Joyner began.

NHPS uses the i‑Ready curriculum, a computer based program taught by K‑8 educators. This is the third year of implementation for K‑5 and the first year of implementation for 6th 8th grades. Last year the district did a math pilot for 6 – 8 and i‑Ready was selected. Joyner’s presentation was broken down as student typical growth which is the average annual growth goal of one year— and stretch growth, which is an nual growth that is more than one year

of students three or more grade levels behind, as data shows second grade went from 64 percent in the fall to 40 percent in the winter.

For personalized instruction, the dis trict’s goal is for students to be on Read’s MyPath for personalized in struction 50 minutes a week with a 80 percent passing rate. All grades but Kindergarten and eighth grade have not yet reached that goal, but all are pass ing Read’s passing rate of 70 percent and 30 – 49 minutes.

Joyner pointed out that for total growth from fall to winter, data shows that some students on or above grade level in 1st, 3rd, and 4th grades have made very little growth.

“What that says to me is that those stu dents have not necessarily gotten the attention that they need in order for them to move further. We kind of take it for granted when kids are at or above grade level. ‘Oh they’re fine,’ ” Joyner said. “So that lets me know that we need to do some work to tighten up our tier 1 instruction so our kids who start on grade level are given the attention that they need so that they can excel and move beyond.”

To help support schools as a whole who have lower growth strides, Joyner said the district has identified the five schools who demonstrated the least amount of growth on the mid year as sessment and plans to offer them each extra supports.

Those supports will look like hav ing i‑Ready consultants coming into schools to do lessons and plan with teachers, offering personal interven tion for students without growth, and by building up a library of videos of NHPS educators teaching to show oth ers how they are achieving good gains in their classrooms.

to reach proficiency.

The math department’s goal is to have 35 percent of students reach stretch growth goals. Last year the district had 23 percent of students reach stretch growth. “If you go for stretch growth you’ll end up with your typical growth,” Joyner added.

The K‑8 math data showed that out of 10,757 students who took both the fall and winter assessments, the 4 percent of students who tested on or above grade level grew to 15 percent of stu dents. And the 34 percent of students who tested three or more grade levels behind decreased to 26 percent of stu dents more than 3 grades behind. Since the fall, kindergarten classes have had no students more than one year behind in math. Second graders saw the biggest decline in the number

Negrón added that fourth grade stu dents were significantly impacted be cause their kindergarten year was inter rupted by the Covid pandemic.

“We are not complacent. We have a lot more work to do,” Assistant Super intendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Keisha Redd Han nans concluded.

Board members thanked the team for paying attention to the students in the “middle” who can often be overlooked because they are on grade level but not making as much growth. Members sug gested the district consider implement ing an i‑Ready equivalent program for K‑8 social studies, and emphasized the impact of funded mandates which al lowed the district to bring in the new math and literacy curriculums.

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTO

Math supervisor Monica Joyner: Moving in the right direction.

New Haven's First Poet Laureate Has Influence

By Abiba Biao, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

Sharmont “Influence” Little wears a lot of hats. He’s a teaching artist, nurse and father who founded his personal brand Influence A Life LLC, a multi purpose company that creates curriculums for so cial emotional learning using the founda tion of poetry through writing workshops, poetry performances and philanthropic work. He also now wears a new hat – a historic first hat – as New Haven’s first poet laureate.

Little was officially inducted at City Hall Tuesday in a heartfelt ceremony in front of his friends, family and fellow poets. The poet, known as much for his spitfire spoken word as height and stature, held back his emotions as he received ac colades and kind words from his brother poets and a mounted proclamation from Mayor Justin Elicker.

The occasion of Little’s induction also was the debut for Elm City Flow, a monthly open mic event sponsored by the New Haven’s Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism that will be held at City Hall. Fellow poet, Jason Dorsey, who performs as J Sun, said at the induction ceremony that he remembers when Little was a kid growing up in the former Farnam Courts housing projects. He also remembered that in Little’s early career as a slam poet, he performed under the moniker “Bad In fluence.” Dorsey said he watched Little perform a piece about New Haven youth that he found so inspirational that he told him he should remove bad from the name.

“Drop the bad,” Dorsey said he told Lit tle. “Your name is just Influence.”

A Mighty Long Way

Little’s official term as poet laureate started Jan. 1 after he was selected for the newly created role in the summer of 2023. The search for a poet laureate first started with an idea brought by IfeMichelle Gar din, the executive director of Kulturally LIT and founder of Elm City LIT Fest to New Haven’s Director of Cultural Affairs Adriane Jefferson.

They put out a call for poets to sub mit a piece they'd already written along with a new piece about the city. Finalists performed at the Elm City LIT Fest last summer, where Little was crowned the winner.

“My goal has always been to push the art forward,” he said. “Spoken word is one of them things where if you have something to say…you can get on stage or get in front of people and everyone's attention is yours.”

Little has always had a way with words. His affinity for poetry started at Nathan Hale Elementary School, where he said he was inspired by his third grade Eng lish teacher Mrs. Vernon who nurtured his love for writing.

Growing up in a strict household, he said writing served as a creative outlet. He

began diving deeper into the art form in sixth grade following his family’s move to Windsor, CT., but stopped during his teen years after graduating high school in 1995. He said it wasn’t until he paid a visit to his younger brother who was studying at Western Connecticut State University that he returned to his calling. “I’m checking in his drawers to make sure there’s no drugs, making sure he’s staying in line, and I come across a book, and I found out he’s writing poetry too,” Little said in an interview with Paul Bass on Dateline New Haven. “Then the flood gates opened and I started writing poetry.”

A Healing Power

Little said he’s able to write about any thing but he likes to take on subjects that challenge him. He’s been known to per form about Blackness, manhood and fa

therhood. At his induction Tuesday, as his mother and wife watched, he performed a poem about his dad who passed away from cancer. He said he has a passion for spoken word poetry and finds the practice healing.

“I write almost anything– anything that's going to challenge me, [all] types of poetry, but my heart, my passion, and what drives me is spoken word,” he said. That healing power follows Little throughout his poetry, he said, because the more he becomes attuned to his emo tions, the more the prose serves as a gate way to do a little check on himself, allow ing him a chance to peer into his soul.

“I tell everybody the poetry is for me,” he said. “It's my answers [and] my questions. It hugs my pain, my joys and everything. It just so happens to entertain other peo

preciation from media and post second ary institutions alike, proper compensa tion can be a hard thing for spoken word artists to fight for, with many people underestimating the amount of time and work that goes into the creative process, especially when creating works on sensi tive and triggering matters.

Little highlighted that there is a balance to writing, performance, with some venues and institutions giving spoken word atten tion for the wrong intentions.

“I've always thought anytime it's allowed to walk through the door by hands that are not our own, it’s because it wants to be in a word in any way or misused. There's a monetary game behind it.”

Big Honor, Bigger Responsibility

ple, and that's the plus, but the poetry is for me, for my healing.”

No Crystal Stair

While spoken word has helped Little heal, being a spoken word artist hasn’t been an easy vocation. Little said it re quires a certain amount of self transpar ency and candidness that many may not be comfortable with. Some people want the title of being a spoken word artist, he said, without going through the work of being one.

“There's pain in this, it becomes dif ficult,” he said. “You have to sit with yourself and unravel yourself and see how much of a liar you've been to your self in everything from social to family. You have to unravel your hurt and put it on pages and relive it again to try to get through it.”

Throughout his middle and high school years, Little kept his interest in writing poetry a secret to avoid being bullied, with the practice being seen by his peers at the time as “ feminine” and “gay.” Now decades later, spoken word has been embraced in schools especially amongst colleges and universities, implementing it in their curriculum. It was these same places that Little said scorned the me dium because it was seen as having “no structure,” because it is free written and doesn’t always abide by specific patterns. “Now they [universities] realize we use metaphor, simile, double entendre we use all these tools of poetry to formulate our poems,” he said. “So now some of our poems are being called some of the greatest of our time right now. It's always been that.” Despite this newfound attention and ap

As a son of New Haven, Little said it is a “privilege” and “honor” to tour other cities and perform on behalf of his home town. Much of his work is driven by a deep passion and respect for his family members and his immense pride in the city and as the city’s first power laureate, Mayor Justin Elicker said Tuesday that Little has taken on a “huge responsibil ity.”

There’s a lot of pressure,” Elicker said in his remarks as he prepared to induct Little. “People expect you to perform and I’m not talking just about up here, but out there when you speak to our community, when you represent our values and the values of people who are often unheard.”

Friend and fellow poet, Jamal Jimerson, called Little a prolific man and urged the crowd gathered to witness the historic in duction to recognize that Little exempli fied homegrown, living greatness.

“This is a brother I have known who has not just written the word, he has lived it,” he said at the induction. “This man writes it and lives it; he does it for me, for you and for us.”

To Little, he said, “Tear ish up.” In other words, put on for your family and the Elm City. To, which Little effectively said, while delivering two poems to open the inaugural Elm City Flow open mic: say less.

“My grandmother migrated here from the South. My mother is here as well. My family can hold their head high and say that their cousin, their brother, their son is the poet laureate, the first ever for this city. It’s like I became a trivia question overnight.”

But he’s clear that there’s nothing trivial about the historic honor of being the first, but not the last.

“As my dad said, when he passed away… ‘Make sure you show the world how great you are,’” he said. “So that's been my mantra the whole time, like, to everybody: Show the world your great ness.”

Markeshia Ricks contributed to this re port.

Sharmont "Influence" Little was inducted as New Haven's first poet laureate during a ceremony at Cit y Hall. Markeshia Ricks Photo.

Little credits his mother and his wife, pictured above from left to right, as being among those who keep him going. Markeshia Ricks Photo.

Deltas Recognize Five For Their 'Lighthouse Effect'

By Markeshia Ricks Arts Council of greater New Haven

The members of the New Haven Alum nae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta So rority Inc. staged a lighthouse themed brunch based on Steve Pemberton's book

The Lighthouse Effect: How Ordinary People Can Have Extraordinary Impact in the World to honor five organizations that serve as beacons of light in their com munity.

With the smooth sounds of Dexter’s Lab providing the soundtrack, a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ in New Haven filled a room at Birchwoods Banquet Facility in Wood bridge Saturday to affirm their support for the everyday heroes that help others. Necks were hugged, cheeks were kissed, and chair dancing and singing were en couraged, all in the name of showcasing the people and organization dedicated to serving others. Service is a hallmark of the sorority, which staged its first public act of service by marching in a women's suffrage parade in Washington D.C. in 1913.

“The Lighthouse Awards are recogni tions bestowed upon organizations for

their outstanding contributions and guid ance in promoting equality, empower ment, and progress,” New Haven Alum nae Chapter President Paula Irvin, said in an email promoting the event. “The award aims to honor organizations who serve as beacons of hope, guiding others towards a more inclusive and equitable society.”

This year’s recipients of the Lighthouse Awards were Community Baptist Church, Connecticut Community Outreach Revi talization Program (ConnCORP), Leader ship, Education & Athletics in Partnership (LEAP), Sisters’ Journey Inc. and Total Joy Are You (TJAY) Autism Foundation.

The event was a bit of a full circle mo ment for LEAP Executive Director Henry Fernandez who recalled his high school self learning to dance the minuet and don ning a white tuxedo, red bowtie and cum merbund while serving as an escort for a debutante cotillion put on by the members of Delta Sigma Theta in his hometown of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

He said the investment in such novel ex periences for young people, as that was for him at the time, informs a great deal of what LEAP does and its paid off. When he asked those in the room who had some

connection to LEAP to stand, nearly ev eryone came to their feet.

Being a connector to resources and a lifeline to others was a through line in Saturday’s brunch celebration: Commu nity Baptist’s food pantry has gone from serving just 10 families to thousands over the years while TJAY Autism Foundation and Sisters’ Journey provide support to those faced with the realities of navigat ing unexpected diagnoses while Black. Meanwhile, ConnCorp is reinvigorating the historic Dixwell community with a transformative development across the street from the Dixwell Community Q House, where LEAP serves as an anchor.

ConnCORP CEO Erik Clemon's used an analogy about a stand of Aspen trees and how they help each other during times of sickness among them to sum up the why and what of his organization and the others being recognized in the room.

He said the trees use their roots their shared connection to deliver nutrients to the sick and in need among them un til they are well, reminding everyone that people must be better than trees because there are those who need them to be.

Newhallville Celebrates Community Organizing Win

by LAURA GLESBY

An all boys charter school is gearing up to open this fall in a stately Dixwell Avenue building that neighbors stopped from becoming a methadone clinic two years ago.

Over 30 neighborhood residents from both sides of the New Haven Hamden town line gathered inside Albertus Mag nus College’s student center Thursday evening to celebrate that new vision for 794 Dixwell Ave., a stately building that up until recently housed another charter school, Elm City College Preparatory. Attendees enjoyed ample food, mov ing musical performances, and a trivia raffle while honoring a renewed sense of community power and momentum that came out of advocacy around 794 Dix well Ave.

“How can we be empowered as a com munity to have a voice in where we live?” asked Newhallville organizer Katurah Bryant, who co hosted the event with Jea nette Sykes.

In early 2022, the APT Foundation had purchased the building by the border of Newhallville and Hamden, intending to operate addiction treatment and other healthcare services there.

Newhallville and Hamden residents joined together in opposition, convening elected officials, gathering petition sig natures, and organizing protests and press conferences. Among their concerns were APT’s rocky track record maintaining the

environment outside its Hill location and the fact that the organization had not con ducted any community outreach before purchasing the building; neighbors found out about the purchase from the Indepen dent.

Two years later, APT is now planning to relocate to a future Long Wharf location as part of Mayor Justin Elicker’s revital

ization efforts in that neighborhood, and mental healthcare provider Clifford Beers is in the process of purchasing 794 Dix well Ave.

“You not only stopped something you were concerned about,” said Elicker. “You set the groundwork for so much more good to come from this community.”

Clifford Beers now plans to lease the

building’s second floor to Rev. Boise Kimber of Newhallville’s First Cavalry Baptist Church, who plans to operate the Edmonds Cofield Preparatory Academy for Young Men. Kimber is already recruit ing an initial class of fifth graders for the 2024 – 2025 school year. (He wasn’t pres ent at the gathering.)

As for the rest of the building, Clifford

Beers’ Alice Forrester said that the organi zation will eventually seek zoning relief to operate other kinds of mental health and community services out of the building, based on neighborhood input.

Forrester noted that the roof needs to be replaced and some of the walls need re pairs— “hopefully by April.” She eventu ally envisions renovating the gymnasium and highlighting the building’s architec tural features with an outdoor lighting sys tem.

The gathering also highlighted the abun dance of other community initiatives in Newhallville with an open mic for attend ees to share forthcoming events and gath erings, including:

• A revived Newhallville Community Development Corporation, which plans to present at the neighborhood’s March man agement team.

• A series of town halls, clean ups, and job fairs convened by Ward 20 Alder Brittiany Mabery Niblack, starting with a meeting at Lincoln Bassett on March 21 at 6 p.m.

• A jazz concert at 6 p.m. on April 5 at the Q House to fundraise for Wexler Grant School’s music program.

• A Dixwell Newhallville Community Economic Development Summit on April 13.

• Black Wall Street 4 Kids, organized by Inspired Communities Inc at the Stetson Library on April 17 along with a whole 92 other events and landmarks compiled in a “Destination Newhallville 2024” guide.

New Haven Alumnae First Vice President Katrina Rice and President Paula Irvin with a Community Baptist Church trustee.

Clifford Beers leadership and Mayor Justin Elicker were among the presenters.

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Committee Co-Chairs Focusing On Election Workers’ Safety, Misinformation From AI

by Izetta Asikainen and Coral Aponte CTNewsJunkie

HARTFORD, CT – In an effort to se cure Connecticut’s elections, Rep. Matt Blumenthal and Sen. Mae Flexer want to make sure election workers are safe and that the information provided to the pub lic is accurate.

That’s why the co chairs of the Gov ernment Administration and Elections Committee are proposing two pieces of legislation, the first seeks to protect elec tion workers by prohibiting firearms or other deadly weapons within 1,000 feet of a voting location during its time of use. That proposal had supporters of the Sec ond Amendment up in arms Wednesday.

One way the bill intends to protect elec tion workers is prohibiting firearms and any deadly weapons within 1,000 ft of an election related location during its time of use, which has second amendment rights advocates opposed to the bill, saying it is an infringement on their gun rights.

The proposal would make it a class D felony if you are in possession of a deadly weapon in any of these locations: any polling place, early voting location, same day election registration location, place for counting ballots, location where recanvass is being conducted, and drop box locations.

Many Connecticut citizens testified that even though they abide by gun laws, this proposal would make them a felon.

“We definitely support the spirit of this provision but the 1,000 foot radius might be too far and encompass, lets say, private property,” Secretary of the State’s Direc tor of Elections Kristin Sullivan said.

Sen. Rob Sampson agreed with Sullivan, saying he lives within 500 feet of town hall, making him a felon even though his firearms are locked away at home.

Many polling places are held in schools where a voter would already have to abide by the gun laws within that certain build ing but there is no specific law to election related buildings, said Blumenthal.

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said there needs to be exemptions to ad dress locations that aren’t schools but to also protect those on private property, like Sampson, who have their firearms safely located in their home.

While Thomas believes amendments need to be made to this proposal she ap plauded the efforts to protect these work ers.

She said she has heard from registrars, as well as poll and election workers, about existing harassment but also about the fear they hold about potential threats.

“There’s the fear of something happen ing, and I certainly hear that a lot, in part based on what has actually happened in other places around the country,” Thomas said.

The bill outlines two other proposals to try and mitigate these threats: one uses the Freedom of Information Act to allow election workers to request to have their personal information be exempt from dis

closure, the other creates a class C felony against anyone who threatens or harrasses an election worker while performing their duties.

Flexer stated that they have seen elec tion workers not return because of this instilled fear. She said this bill is intended to help them feel safe and protect them while doing their job.

At the press conference, Flexer said, “We feel the need to put forward this proposal to help allay some of those con cerns and help election workers know that we’re gonna stand and have the strongest laws as we can to protect them and the critical work that they do and the execu tion of our democracy.”

A second bill seeks to prevent the spread of misinformation 90 days before an elec tion.

According to Blumenthal, the bill at tempts to deter and punish those who use deepfakes with the intention of interfer ing in elections by taking an approach of “banning the distribution of deep fakes and other artificial intelligence or tech nologically created videos, audio, or im

ages, in the period of 90 days before an election.”

Earlier this year, a deepfake recording sought to deter Democratic voters from voting in the presidential primary in New Hampshire.

“Deep fakes in the days and hours and time immediately before an elec tion could have serious consequences in impairing voters’ informedness and their ability to tell what’s actually happening,” Blumenthal said.

To ensure voters are confident in the information they receive, the bill prohib its anyone from distributing a communi cation of an individual during the 90 day period preceding an election or primary if: “Such person knows or should rea sonably know that such image, audio or video is deceptive synthetic media; the communication containing such decep tive synthetic media is distributed without the consent of such individual; and such distribution is intended to injure a candi date or influence the result of such elec tion or primary,” the bill states.

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Any person who violates those provi sions will be guilty of a class C misde meanor, but protections for certain cir cumstances are provided within the bill. A person may distribute a communication containing deceptive synthetic media dur ing the 90 day period prior to an election or primary if there is a clear disclaimer present, indicating that it is in fact ma nipulated media.

According to Blumenthal, the bill “cre ates safe harbors for our news media to be able to report on deep fakes, provided that they make clear that they are manipu lated… It also provides mechanisms for both candidates, individuals who may be depicted, or the Attorney General, to take measures to prevent the spread of deep fakes.”

“We believe that this is vitally important to the security of our elections, to the transparency of our elections, and mak ing sure the public is not misled, to ensure that wrongdoers are not able to interfere in our electoral process,” Blumenthal said.

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Sen. Mae Flexer speaks to reporters during a news conference about election legislation before the General Government and Elections Committee on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Flexer and Rep. Matt Blumenthal, left, are co-chairs of the committee. Credit: Izetta Asikainen / CTNewsJunkie

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas and Kristin Sullivan, director of Elections for the Secretary of the State, testify before the Government Administration and Elections Committee on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Credit: Izetta Asikainen / CTNewsJunkie

Anything More Than Doom and Gloom?

By Kapp Singer, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

Four elderly women sit in a quaint Eng‑ lish garden, making small talk.

Then, out of nowhere, a piercing ring, a low rumble, a blinding flash of lights, and darkness. Mrs. Jarrett, the newcomer to the quartet, stands in a spotlight and nar‑ rates an apocalypse.

“Four hundred thousand tons of rock paid for by senior executives split off the hillside to smash through the roofs, each fragment onto the designated child’s head,” she says. She goes on to describe food shortages, birth defects, and societal collapse.

As quickly as the prophetic scene ar‑ rived, it’s gone. The lights blink back on. Mrs. Jarrett returns to her former, regular self. The women start nattering on again.

Over the course of Caryl Churchill’s 55‑minute play Escaped Alone—which began previews last Friday at the Yale Repertory Theatre and officially opens March 14—Mrs. Jarrett (played by La‑ Tonya Borsay) declaims seven such monologues. She tells of flood, famine, fire, drought, disease, and war, among other climate catastrophes. Between these glimpses of disaster, the four women con‑ tinue talking in the garden.

Directed by Yale Repertory Theatre Resident Director Liz Diamond, Escaped Alone attempts to highlight the contrast and convergence of everyday life and utter devastation. As the production un‑ folds, Mrs. Jarrett announces ever‑more‑ dramatic crises. The audience also learns of more quotidian chaos in the lives of the four women. It is revealed—in overlap‑ ping, sometimes nonsensical dialogue— that Vi (Mary Lou Rosato) spent time in prison, that Sally (Sandra Shipley) is ter‑

rified of cats, and that Lena (Rita Wolf) hates her job and is depressed.

Escaped Alone premiered in 2016 at London’s Royal Court Theatre. On the surface, it aptly characterizes the current moment. The crises it foretells—global zoonotic disease outbreaks and unavoid‑ able toxins, rising ecofascism and corpo‑ rate greed—are those which plague our world.

Diamond, the director, called the show “weirdly prescient.”

“I suppose I find it more timely than ever,” she said.

Eric, an audience member who chose not to give his last name, said after the show that “there’s a lot to think about— the juxtaposition of the catastrophe with the four women sitting in the garden is thought‑provoking.”

For some, however, Escaped Alone didn’t quite hit home. Several people walked out of the theater during the performance. Others expressed confusion about or dis‑ taste for the show's experimental nature.

“It was different—I kind of lost track,” Suzy Krawczyk said after the show. “I think it was the apocalypse?”

“I could have found a better way to spend the evening,” said Jacques Gauth‑ ier. “[It was] forgettable—I don’t even

remember the name of it. But there were some amusing things in there.”

The Yale Rep’s production of Escaped Alone also raises more fundamental ques‑ tions about whether, in 2024, apocalyptic prophecy has run out of steam. Is it still worth hitting us over the head with the threat of disaster?

When the play debuted over eight years ago, the British and American left both had hope that change was on the hori‑ zon. Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders had momentum, and a Green New Deal seemed like a real possibility. Escaped Alone makes sense as a piece of art emerging from that political moment. The play’s insistence on the fact that things are

going to get really bad if nothing chang‑ es was a rallying cry. Critics at the time reviewed the show positively, and com‑ mented on its political relevance.

Today, however—after a global pandem‑ ic, a global shift rightwards, worsening wildfires, war in Gaza and Ukraine—the hopelessness of Escaped Alone doesn’t seem to strike the right note.

This is not to say that wildfires, hur‑ ricanes, and floods aren’t bad, but that dark, portentous storytelling as a form of climate activism has not delivered on its promises. As it stands, climate anxiety, particularly among young people, is al‑ ready widespread; Escaped Alone deliv‑ ers a warning to an audience already pain‑ fully aware.

Foretelling a terrible future also seems to elide the fact that climate change is already happening. Mrs. Jarrett’s dra‑ matic pronouncements disguise the fact that global warming often manifests in what the scholar Rob Nixon calls “slow violence”—a process that is “incremental and accretive” rather than dramatic and eye‑catching. (Critics found similar prob‑ lems in Adam McKay’s 2021 film Don’t Look Up and Scott Z. Burns’ 2023 mini‑ series Extrapolations; Daniel Goldhaber’s 2022 film How to Blow Up a Pipeline, for one, takes a different storytelling tack.)

In the final monologue of Escaped Alone, Mrs. Jarrett repeats, over and over, “terrible rage, terrible rage, terrible rage.” It’s striking, and off‑putting, and she’s right that we should be angry—we are. But perhaps now is the time to instead tell a story about what we might do with that anger.

Escaped Alone runs March 8 to March 30 at the Yale Repertory Theatre, located at 1120 Chapel Street. Tickets are avail‑ able here.

Mayor Ganim and Superintendent Dr. Levy-David Announce Facilities Study for Bridgeport Public Schools

Bridgeport, CT – This past Friday, Mayor Ganim met with the Bridgeport Superintendent of schools, Dr. Levy‑ David, to discuss the outcomes of the recent community forums that took place regarding the plan to close six Bridgeport elementary schools. During this follow‑ up meeting, the Mayor agreed to funding a comprehensive facility study of these six schools which will provide a more in‑ depth review before their reconstruction or closure. The facility study will also be heavily influenced by parent, teacher, and public input shared at previous com‑ munity forums prior to any decision be‑ ing made to reconstruct or close these schools.

“It’s shown that we need to make changes and improvements to create the safest and most enhanced environment for the thousands of children that attend Bridgeport Public Schools,” stated Mayor

Ganim. “We’re going to partner with the Bridgeport Board of Education to fund a facilities master plan to compliment the input that was received regarding the repurposing and/or closing of six of our Bridgeport Schools. This will go a long way to consider the input that’s been re‑ ceived and to address the concerns raised by the public.”

“My team and I would like to thank Mayor Ganim for the trust and support provided to us during this process. We want to continue to partner with our City leaders and state delegation for the bet‑ terment of our students in Bridgeport,” stated Dr. Levy‑David. “The community forums have been tremendously engaging and it’s clear that all parents want their children to be in facilities that are safe, have a great learning environment, and are equipped with all proper resources necessary for our students to thrive. Our

goal is to build upon our vision for what a 21st century Bridgeport learner should be able to experience.”

Dr. Levy‑David has agreed that the June date that was previously proposed for the beginning of the closure and reconstruc‑ tion process will be tentative and may need to be pushed back due to the time needed to conduct the additional study.

Mayor Ganim added, “I want to thank Dr. Levy‑David for her leadership. I have the utmost confidence that with her background and expertise, her vision will only enhance the result of what’s being planned for Bridgeport Public Schools.”

To view a recording of the brief announcement made from Mayor Ganim and Dr. Levy-David, visit the City of Bridgeport Facebook page to view the full video.

Left to right: Vi (Mary Lou Rosato), Sally (Sandra Shipley), Lena (Rita Wolf), and Mrs. Jarrett (LaTonya Borsay) in the Yale Repertory Theatre's production of Caryl Churchill's Escaped Alone. Joan Marcus photo, courtesy of Yale Repertory Theatre.

Early Ed Center Rebounds From Pandemic

by THOMAS BREEN

The new haven independent

Wearing a unicorn decorated shirt bear ing the message “Kindness Is Pure Magic,” 3‑year old Chloe danced through the ribbon cutting for a reopened toddler classroom on Olive Street as a leading childcare pro vider recovered from a pandemic imposed setback.

The ribbon cutting, tour, and press confer ence Friday morning at the Hope Child De velopment Center at 81 Olive St. Chloe is one of five students in a newly reopened classroom for toddlers at the Wooster Square early education hub.

The classroom had been closed since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic four years ago to the week, said Georgia Goldburn, the site’s founder and executive director and a citywide advocate for quality affordable childcare.

The toddler classroom, with its warm blue carpet and wooden blocks and box of handheld musical instruments, is the last of the Olive Street site’s eight classrooms to reopen since Covid.

It’s been a long path to getting back to Hope’s full pre pandemic capacity, Gold burn said as she led Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Mayor Justin Elicker, state Office of Early Childhood Commis sioner Beth Bye, and New Haven Public Schools Asst. Supt. Keisha Redd Hannans from brightly colored room to room filled with playing children and mindful teachers.

That path has been beset by the public health hazards and initial government im posed classroom restrictions that followed the onset of the pandemic, which reduced Hope’s number of open classrooms from eight to three and dropped its student enroll

ment from 73 to 19. Hope has also faced the headwinds of teacher shortages and a na tionwide crisis around the funding and af fordability of childcare.

With Friday’s ribbon cutting, all eight classrooms at Hope which serves kids between the ages of 6 weeks and 13 years old are now open. This latest toddler classroom, focusing on 3 and 4‑year olds, has five students to start. Goldburn hopes to enroll another five soon.

Hope currently has 11 teachers, whose pay corresponds to a state set salary scale that ranges from $17.50 an hour for educators with high school degrees to more than $31 an hour for those with master’s degrees.

Goldburn said her organization was re cently able to hire a 12th full time creden tialed teacher, thereby allowing this final classroom for toddlers to reopen. She plans to hire another two teachers to help the center serve more than the 66 students cur

rently enrolled.

As Goldburn told Lamont and Elicker and Bye and reporter after reporter throughout Friday’s event, Hope has faced the early education teacher shortage head on find ing ways to build up the workforce and get qualified, credentialed early ed teachers into (re)opened classrooms. She spoke about partnerships her organiza tion has forged with the New Haven Public Schools district to train high schoolers to

work in the early education field. They’ve also partnered with the refugee and immi grant women job training organization Ha venly.

All of these teacher training and creden tialing efforts have helped Hope “achieve a vision of having a multiracial, multilin gual, multigenerational workforce,” Gold burn said.

“Georgia, you are an inspiration to all of us who work on childcare issues,” DeLauro said during Friday’s press conference, held outside in the middle of Hope’s playground. “Childcare is essential to the success of this country.”

Goldburn cautioned the local, state, and federal officials that government at all lev els needs to continue to invest in childcare in order to make the industry viable for workers, parents, and students alike. It cur rently costs $340 per week for infants, $320 per week for toddlers, $260 per week for preschoolers, and $130 per week for after school students to attend Hope, Goldburn said. But those prices have been in place for some time, and will almost certainly be going up soon as some state and federal pandemic era subsidies expire, she added. Amid ongoing funding and teacher short age challenges, the joy of having a reopened toddler classroom was on full display on Friday as Chloe and her classmates took turns dancing in a circle as teacher Lauren Safady and site director Michelle Reyes led the kids in song.

“Good morning, Chloe. Good morning, Chloe. Good morning, Chloe, we’re glad you came to school,” the group sang to the sounds of maracas and clapping hands. “Chloe came to school today, school today, school today, Chloe came to school today, and God loves you.”

Early In-Person Voting Begins Next Week In Connecticut

by Jamil Ragland

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas discusses early, in person voting that’s about to begin in Connecticut for the first time during a news conference at her of fice in Hartford on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Credit: Screengrab / CT N

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas announced Tuesday that early in person voting – which was approved via consti tutional amendment in 2022 and again by the legislature in 2023 – is starting in Con necticut next week.

“It feels great,” Thomas said as she de scribed her anticipation to begin early vot ing. “I’ve spoken with every conceivable type of person who is happy to have early voting. From parents of young children to senior citizens who don’t know when they’ll have their good days or bad days, to college students and commuters and on and on. So I’m excited we’re just a week away from the rollout.”

The first election to allow early voting

will be the Presidential Preference Pri mary on Tuesday, April 2. Voters will cast their ballots for which candidate they wish to see as the nominee for the Demo cratic or Republican parties. Connecticut is a closed primary state, so only voters registered with one of the parties can par ticipate in the primary elections. Unaffiliated voters who wish to partici pate may still register with a party to vote in the primary election, but the deadline to switch parties for this year has already passed.

Early voting takes place in person, but not at typical polling locations. Voters will have to look up the locations for early voting in their towns. Polls are open be tween 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and for the up coming vote they will be open on March 26, 27, 28 and 30. Polls will be closed March 29 in observance of Good Friday.

The availability of early voting varies depending on the type of election. Early voting is available four days before the election date for special elections and

presidential primaries; seven days for regular state primaries; and 14 days for general elections.

Thomas said events like the news con ference she was conducting were impor tant to let Connecticut voters know about their new options when it comes to elec tions.

“We’re hoping to get the word out so people understand that early voting is starting in just one week from today,” Thomas said. “I am still hopeful that we will receive some public education mon ey this legislative session that will help us do a broader campaign in advance of the August primary and the November gener al election. We have a request in for $2.5 million, which is not just for early voting but all general election related education as well.”

Voters approved a constitutional amend ment in 2022 to allow early voting in the state, with over 60% voting yes on the ballot initiative. The Connecticut General Assembly passed early voter legislation

in 2023, and Gov. Ned Lamont signed the bill into law.

“When I go out and speak to people around the state, people are still con fused. They ask, ‘What is early voting?'”

Thomas said. “Remember, this is a new form of voting, so we need to have new expectations. This is our first time doing it here in Connecticut, so people will have to remember to look up their early polling locations. There may also be lines, as it is a slightly longer voting process than nor mal because every voter has to be looked up individually.”

Connecticut joins 49 other states and provinces in allowing early in person vot ing, including Guam, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The amount of time that different states allow for early in person voting varies greatly. For instance, Kentucky opens early voting the Thurs day before an election, whereas Virginia allows for early voting to begin 45 days before an election is held.

Further information can be found here.

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas discusses early, in-person voting that’s about to begin in Connecticut for the first time during a news conference at her office in Hartford on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Credit: Screengrab / CT-N

Chloe (bottom right) with site director Michelle Reyes and teacher Lauren Safady at Friday's classroom reopening.

Black Entrepreneurs Share Wisdom, Passion for Business

Danielle Campbell, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.com

The chance to break bread and share collective wisdom drew Black business owners and future entrepreneurs to Whit neyville Cultural Commons for thought ful conversations about running one’s own enterprise.

Black Corner Investment Inc. organized the All Black Women and Men's panel discussion in Hamden on the last Sunday of Black History month as a forum for those conversations and an opportunity for small business owners to share their passion.

Kenia Massey, one of the entrepreneurs behind Black Corner Investment Inc., organized the panel discussion which included panelists Desiree Aidoo of De siree's Delightful Treats LLC: Michael Martin Jr. of M&M Photography LLC; Sean Reeves of Printz On Deck; Michael Massey of the Black Corner Store and Black Corner Investments Inc.; Casey Ogman of Kittys Missey; and Devonne Canady of Elephant In The Room (EIR)

Boxing Gym.

The discussion was rich with inspiring stories of how each panelist started their ventures. They also talked about some of the setbacks they faced on their journey. When asked if they had any regrets about going into business, Martin of M&M Photography said he had none because his experience so far made him who he is today.

Devonne Canady didn’t have any re grets but she had some cautions as some one who’s been in business since 2012.

“As a Black business owner, you must and I repeat, you must be careful who you trust. Right?” she said. “Because some times and let's be honest here, sometimes people are not always supportive, or they may not be the person you think they are. And sometimes things happen.”

In adjacent spaces to the main hall ven dors like Trecia Martin, creator of Ray of Rye Scents, were selling their wares but also listening intently to the panelists. Martin’s business is named after her two daughters whom she counts as her biggest inspiration. She specializes in candles,

body butter, body scrubs, bath melts, wax melts, and more.

While several vendors focused on prod ucts that add a bit of scent or a sparkle to one’s life, James Belin Jr. 's business focused on practical matters of estate planning.

He is the creator of a legacy planning workbook that he said features an “easy to follow framework designed to aid in the planning stages of meeting with and finalizing your estate with an attorney.”

Belin said that everyone should be planning their last wishes and wants, re gardless of age, because “tomorrow isn’t promised.”

Massey said the event went as she had hoped it would, offering friends, family, and community members the opportunity to learn about different ways their neigh bors and kin are invested in business.

“The event did exactly what it was sup posed to do [bringing] like minded in dividuals together in one place to see and understand the different industries,” Massey said. “It's a great networking event to help with different resources.”

Democrats Want To ‘Ban the Box’ Asking About School Disciplinary History On College Applications

by Coral Aponte CTNewsJunkie

Based on the recent trend of colleges and universities asking prospective stu dents about their school disciplinary his tories on their applications, a group of Democrats is supporting a “ban the box” bill to prohibit the practice during college admissions.

The bill, HB 5339, is up for a second year after failing to pass in 2023. It would prohibit higher education institutions from asking for students’ school disciplin ary history during the admissions process. In the bill, “school disciplinary history” refers to any record of a violation against a student in any secondary or postsecond ary institution. The bill is currently before the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee.

Rep. Robyn Porter, a New Haven Dem ocrat who co chairs the Juvenile Justice Oversight and Policy Committee, advo cated for the bill during a news confer ence with the Connecticut Justice Alli ance on Tuesday at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

Porter said the “ban the box” concept originated as an effort to promote fair employment opportunities for those with criminal records. By instituting the policy through the higher education sector, stu dents with criminal or school disciplin ary histories won’t have to disclose that information.

While colleges and universities appar ently are asking the question based on safety concerns, advocates for banning the question say its presence on applica tions prevents school admissions officials

from being able to holistically review prospectives students who have faced problems elsewhere.

“Unfortunately there is a disproportion ate impact that occurs, especially when we talk about school discipline,” Por ter said Tuesday. “There’s no surprise or there should be no surprise that this disproportionate impact falls on com munities of color and students who are black and brown or identify as black and brown.”

Porter said prohibiting the question in the application process will encour age more students to apply. She said the school disciplinary history question cre ates a roadblock for some students, mak ing them think they won’t get in, and then

they choose not to complete their applica tion. Porter said that banning the question will get more individuals, especially mi norities, to apply.

Tanya Hughes, Executive Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, supported the bill and echoed Porter’s comments. She men tioned a study by the Connecticut Board of Education that highlighted the dispro portionality of school discipline.

The study was conducted in the 2021 22 school year and researched the trends in student disciplinary behaviors in the Con necticut public school system.

Researchers found that Black/African American students are three times more likely, and Hispanic/Latino students are

more than twice as likely, to be suspended or expelled than white students. They also found a higher likelihood of suspension for students of color, especially Black/ African American students, compared to their white counterparts. Common App, a widely used online col lege application, no longer asks the crimi nal history question but continues to ask about school disciplinary history, as of 2019, according to its website.

“The change to the criminal history question was made to provide members with the greatest flexibility to determine how best to comply with their local re quirements and institutional policies,” Common App’s Jen Davis wrote.

Porter recognized the colleges’ concerns

over the safety on their campuses. She said that campuses will be safe because of other checks and balances already built into the admissions process.

“We want students to have the opportu nity to present on merit, what they know, what they bring to the table, and we’re not talking about their past mistakes. We want to offer them an opportunity for re demption,” Porter said.

Connecticut Conference of Indepen dent Colleges (CCIC) President Jennfier Widness wrote in her testimony that they are more concerned about the effect that banning the question would have on her member institutions’ ability to take a ho listic approach to someone’s application.

Widness said that the majority of CCIC schools use Common App in their admis sions process, and that CCIC opposes any legislation that would interfere with their members’ admissions and their ability to conduct review prospective students.

Rep. Gary Turco, D Newington, is con sidering the bill as a member of the Higher Education and Employment Com mittee. He is a former college admissions counselor.

He responded to testimony in a public hearing about the bill last Tuesday and of fered remarks similar to the CCIC’s, stat ing that when they review an application they take the holistic approach.

“You’re looking at everything about an individual that’s included in their applica tion besides GPA, and class rank,” Turco said. “Seeing areas where they may have gotten into some trouble, gives a full pic ture of the individual and how they maybe overcome from that and learned their les sons.”

Caleb Harris of Choosing Your Freedom is an author and sex addiction recovery coach with his children's book.

Rep. Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, speaks to reporters during a news conference Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. Along with Porter, from L to R, are Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, Connecticut Justice Alliance Executive Director Christina Quaranta, and Rep. Gillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford. Credit: Coral Aponte / CTNewsJunkie

- March 21, 2023

Born on July 8, 1991, at the Midlands

From a 4-year-old orphan to an international award-winning actress The inspiring story of Thuso Nokwanda Mbedu

watersrand in South Africa in 2013, where she studied Physical Theatre and Performing Arts Management. Earlier in 2012, she took a summer course at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City. Career

Her acting career began in 2014 when she played a minor role of ‘Nosisa’ in the popular South African Soap Opera ‘Isibaya’ from Mzansi Magic. In 2015, she played a guest role as ‘Kheti’ in the Second Season of the SABC 2 youth drama series ‘Snake Park.’

She got her first starring role in the teen drama television series ‘IS’THUNZI’ from Mzansi Magic where she played ‘Winnie.’ Her international debut was in ‘The Underground Railroad’ an American fantasy historical drama series based on the novel ‘The Underground Railroad’ written by Colson Whitehead.

In 2022, she starred in her first film ‘The Woman King’ an epic historical drama about Agosie, where an entire female warrior unit protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 17 – 19th century. She played ‘Nawi’, a zealous recruit in the military unit.

In 2017, Mbedu was nominated for the ‘DSTV Viewers Choice Awards’ and the ‘International Emmy Awards for the ‘Best Performance by an Actress’ for her role ‘Winnie Bhengu’ in the 2016 -2017 television drama series ‘IS’THUNZI.’

tion TV Awards’ (TV Breakout Star), and the ‘Critics Choice Television Awards’ (Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie), all for her role ‘Cora Randall’ in the 2021 TV series ‘The Underground Railroad.’

She won the ‘TV Breakout Star’ award from the Hollywood Critics Association TV and won the ‘Outstanding Performance in New Series’ award from the Gotham Awards.

In 2022, Mbedu was nominated for the ‘Independent Spirit Awards (Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series), for her role ‘Cora Randall’ in the 2021 television series ‘The Underground Railroad.’ She won the ‘Critics Choice Television Awards’ for ‘Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie’ for her role ‘Cora Randall’ in ‘The Underground Railroad.’

In her keynote speech at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit, Thuso Mbedu tearfully spoke of how she overcame the loss of her dear parents, grandmother, and aunt. But her role in Amanda Lane’s ‘IS’THUNZI’ gradually renewed her hope in life.

In 2018, she won the ‘South African Film and Television Awards’ for ‘ Best Actress – TV Drama’ for her role ‘Winnie Bhengu’ in the 2016 -2017 television drama series ‘IS’THUNZI.’ She was also nominated for the ‘International Emmy Awards for ‘Best Performance by an Actress’ for her role ‘Winnie Bhengu’ in the television drama series ‘IS’THUNZI.’

In 2021, she was nominated for the ‘Television Critics Association Award’ (Individual Achievement in Drama), the

“…my world was that blur, until Amanda Lane happened in 2016. The role that Amanda Lane gave me was the difference between life and death for me. Receiving that audition brief, I told myself that tion. I gave it the last of everything that I had, that at the time I got the callback, I had nothing left. I secretly made the decision ing left to give. But fortunately, I received the callback. So I didn’t do the callback because the role was mine. I had given up. I was in a very dark place at the time, and the character, the role, the opportunity, was a much needed light. And I told

it was

National Links Trust Celebrates Black Golfers With ‘Uneven Fairways’ Documentary Screening

By Amber D. Dodd | Special to the AFROadodd@afro.com

The National Links Trust (NLT), a non‑ profit organization created to protect and promote municipal golf courses, showed the documentary “Uneven Fairways” on Feb. 20. The screening took place at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capi‑ tol Hill.

“The legends of Black golf have forged for inclusion at the highest levels of golf competition for all people,” said Damian Cosby, executive director of NLT.

Released in 2009, Uneven Fairways is narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, an avid golfer whose activism and work in Black communities stretches back to be‑ ing a student at Morehouse College in the 1960s.

The film highlights the pantheon of Blacks–from Pete Brown, the first Black golfer to win a PGA Tour event at the 1965 Waco Open, to Jim Thorpe, a 75‑year‑old golfer and Morgan State University graduate with 21 professional wins–who reflect the vanguard of Black golfers who were barred from the pro‑ fessional ranks but persisted in the sport until the PGA’s racial barriers ceased in 1961.

Peggy White, the daughter of Ted Rhodes appeared in the documentary, too; Rhodes was widely considered to be the greatest Black golf player before Ti‑ ger Woods’ emergence.

Rhodes did not get a chance to compete on the PGA Tour.

“I don’t think my father was aware of the trailblazer he was,” White said. “He had a dream that he would be the finest golfer in the world, but I don’t think he realized he accomplished that goal.”

Throughout the film, golfers detail how the PGA’s color barrier was upheld by a longstanding clause in the PGA. From 1929 to 1961, Article III Section I of the PGA’s handbook stated that, “Male pro‑ fessional golfers of the Caucasian race, over the age of eighteen (18) years, re‑ siding in North or South America, who can qualify under the terms and condition hereinafter specified, shall be eligible for membership.”

While the documentary tells the story of the individual experience of being Black in golf, Uneven Fairways also highlights the founding of the United Golf Asso‑ ciation, commonly known as the Chitlin Circuit, which provided Black golfers opportunities to compete.

“Black people, being very resourceful, wanted to play, and so in 1925, a group of Black businessmen met in a YMCA in Washington, D.C. and basically said ‘Well, PGA won’t let us play on their tour, so we’ll start our own tour,’” said Pete McDaniel, author of Uneven Lines: The Heroic Story of African‑Americans in Golf.

Later that year, the first National Negro Open was contested.

Speaking to the documentary’s name, golfers talked about the conditions of golf courses that UGA players conduct‑ ed golf tournaments on, citing shoddy

landscapes and uneven grounds, usually played on municipal golf courses.

“One of the reasons why I love munici‑ pal golf is that it brings people together,” Cosby said. “It’s the easy way to get a young Black kid who’s probably never seen as much green grass on a golf course to keep them out there. That’s what I love about it; it connects people to the game and brings people to the game.”

Inclusivity was no question for the UGA. Black women were automatically members of the association. Renee Pow‑ ell, the second Black woman to partici‑ pate in the LPGA tour, who spoke about her admission into UGA as a teenage golfer, was mentioned in the documen‑ tary.

“All the young Black golfers, that’s where they played,” Albert Green, a UGA/PGA player, explained. “Lee Al‑ der, Charlie Sifford, Calvin Peete, Teddy Rhodes, that’s where those guys got their start.”

Ron Terry called the Chitlin Circuit a family affair, “It was a tour where you got to know everybody,” he said. “It was more like a fraternity than anything.” Many mentioned how players support‑ ed one another in efforts on and off the course.

“We all traveled together anyway, so we helped each other…if you were hun‑ gry, we’re going to feed you, we weren’t

Continue on page 13

WE WELCOME THE CURIOUS

Edward A. Bouchet was the valedictorian of the Hopkins class of 1870, the first African-American to graduate from Yale College, and the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in physics. His intellectual drive and dedication to his studies remain hallmarks of a Hopkins student today.

Since 1660, Hopkins School has provided students with an exceptional education and the skills required to succeed in the world.

To learn more, please visit us at hopkins.edu.

The Chitlin Circuit served as an incuba‑ tor for many of golf’s first popular Black players and served as fertile ground for future golf giants.

Continue from page 12

Black Golfers

going to let go around hungry,” Leonard James explained.

Members often paid for and provided their own resources, which they were happy to share with others.

“They were going to eat because I always carried electric pots with me and a frying pan,” James Black joked back.

Although an alternative league was cre‑ ated, it was still very clear that the color line imposed barriers that didn’t impact White athletes.

“It was a joy to be around but it was separate, totally separate and not equal,” said John Merchant, a former USGA ex‑ ecutive committee member.

Though golfers made their own ef‑ forts to break the color barrier of the golf world, the documentary shed light on how Joe Louis, the former heavyweight champion broke the color barrier in the PGA‑sanctioned tournament in 1952 San Diego Open. Louis spoke against the PGA as they would become the final major American sports corporation to in‑ tegrate Black athletes.

Louis’ son, Joe Louis Barrow Jr., spoke on behalf of his father’s racial contribu‑ tions in both boxing and golf. “If you ask any of those older golfers, the reasons they’re playing golf today, or throughout their career is because of Joe Louis,” Bar‑ row said.

Along with streaming Uneven Fair‑ ways, NLT specializes in restoration of municipal golf courses, including the Langston Golf Course in Northeast D.C. which highlights their mission of expos‑ ing more youth of color to the game of golf via public golf courses.

“For us at NLT, we personally have a special connection to this story, Langston was built for Black players in the age of segregation,” Cosby explained. “It opened in 1939 and is one of the oldest Black golf clubs in the country.”

In light of Black female golfers, mem‑ bers of the Wake‑Robin Golf Club were in attendance. Founded in 1937 in Lan‑ ham, Md., it is America’s oldest African American women’s golf club. Debbie Tyner, president of the Wake‑Robin Golf Club, said the legacy of Powell and those alike set examples of newer generations of Black female golfers.

“This club is 87 years old this coming year and we continue this work by bring‑ ing on members and amateurs,” Tyner said. “They pass on the legacy of Black women in golf…and I want to see the club change with the times. We’re part‑ nering with Howard University who have a very strong women’s golf team, and we work with them to provide them with scholarship and mentorship, so in turn, it becomes an intergenerational thing.”

The post National Links Trust cel‑ ebrates Black golfers with ‘Uneven Fair‑ ways’ documentary screening appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

Gain hands-on work experience

Take community college classes

Participate in clubs and sports

Get involved with community projects

Develop friendships and connections

Receive nutritious meals and basic medical care

AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA PARA

NOTICE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

DE AVC (PLAN ADMIN)

THE ELM CITYCOMMUNITIES, AUTORIDAD DE VIVIENDA DE NEW HAVEN (ECC/HANH) PROPUESTA DE ENMIENDA AL PLAN ADMINISTRATIVO

Elm City Communities, la Autoridad de Vivienda de la Ciudad de New Haven (ECC/ HANH) propone modificar secciones de su Plan Administrativo de Vales de Elección de Vivienda (HCV) (Plan Administrativo).

Las copias de la enmienda al Plan Administrativo estarán disponibles el lunes 25 de marzo de 2024 en el sitio web de la agencia www.elmcitycommunities.org o vía Twitter, www.twitter.com/ECCommunities o vía Facebook www.facebook.com/Elm CityCommunities o vía Instagram, @elmcitycommunities_hanh.

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

NOTICIA

Le invitamos a proporcionar comentarios por escrito dirigidos a: ECC/HANH, Revi siones del plan administrativo; A la atención de: Evelise Ribeiro, 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 o por correo electrónico a: eribeiro@elmcitycommunities.org.

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Elm

of the City of New Haven (ECC/ HANH) is proposing to amend sections of its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Ad ministrative Plan (Admin Plan).

Copies of the amendment to the Administrative Plan will be made available on Monday, March 25, 2024 on the agency website www.elmcitycommunities.org or via Twitter, www.twitter.com/ECCommunities or via Facebook www.facebook.com/ ElmCityCommunities or via Instagram, @elmcitycommunities_hanh.

You are invited to provide written comments addressed to: ECC/HANH, Admin Plan Revisions; Attn: Evelise Ribeiro, 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511 or via email to: eribeiro@elmcitycommunities.org.

Una audiencia pública donde se aceptarán y grabarán los comentarios públicos está programada para el lunes 22 de abril de 2024 a las 4:00 p. m. a través de RingCentral:

https://v.ringcentral.com/join/307751545?pw=8265 ba3239c2e37a306d11180624e736

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510

ID de reunión: 307751545

Contraseña: vTft9zu5Mh

NEW HAVEN

Cualquier persona que requiera una Adaptación Razonable para participar en la audiencia puede llamar al Gerente de Adaptación Razonable (203) 498 8800, ext. 1507 o al Número TDD (203) 497 8434.

242-258 Fairmont Ave

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the

A public hearing where public comments will be accepted and recorded is scheduled for Monday, April 22, 2024 at 4:00pm via RingCentral:

https://v.ringcentral.com/join/307751545?pw=8265ba3239c2e37a306d11180624e736

Meeting ID: 307751545

Password: vTft9zu5Mh

Any individual requiring a Reasonable Accommodation to participate in the hearing may call the Reasonable Accommodation Manager (203) 498-8800, ext. 1507 or at the TDD Number (203) 497-8434.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing

NOTICE

Town of Greenwich, Connecticut Firefighter

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

VALENTINA

MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Do You Want A Job That Makes A Difference? Become a Town of Greenwich Firefighter.

Salary Range: $87,727 to $136,071

Deputy Finance Director/Controller

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE.

For Details go to  www.bloomfieldct.org

Human Resources Assistant

The Town of Wallingford is seeking a highly motivated individual to perform a variety of confidential human resources support activities. Requires a H.S. diploma or equivalent and 3 years’ responsible office experience that includes performing human resources work. $24.82 to $29.72 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefits package. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be faxed or mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov by the closing date of March 6, 2024. Phone: (203) 294‑2080; Fax: (203) 294‑2084. EOE

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol

Invitation for Bids (IFB)

Relocation and Moving Services at Cambridge Park

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol (BHA) is seeking proposals from profes‑ sional and qualified firms interested in providing Relocation and Moving Services for the residents at Cambridge Park Development located on Davis Drive, Bristol, CT. Proposals are due by 2:00 PM on Apr. 3, 2024

Scope and proposal requirements will be available starting Mar. 13, 2024. A copy of the IFB documents can be obtained by contacting Luis Velazquez, Director of Capital Funds, at 860‑585‑2028 or lvelazquez@bristolhousing.org. Interested parties are invited to a pre‑ bid conference at 18 Davis Drive, Bristol, CT on Mar 20, 2024, at 11:00 AM.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an Equal Opportunity/Affirma‑ tive Action Employer. SBE, MBE, W/DBE, and Section 3 businesses are encour‑ aged to respond.

Candidates must fulfill several basic requirements including:

°Be legally authorized to work in the United States

°Be at least 18 years of age

°Possess a High School Diploma or State Approved G.E.D.

Current Salary: $62,189-$85,980 Annually, plus benefits To view detailed information and apply online visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/greenwichct

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 NEW HAVEN

MONROE HOUSING AUTHORITY/FAIRWAY ACRES IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR ELDERLY HOUSING!

242-258 Fairmont Ave

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

*Application Deadline: 5/20/2024 4:00 p.m.

The Town of Greenwich is dedicated to Diversity & Equal Opportunity Employment

Secretary: The Town of East Haven

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM FEBRUARY 1st, 2024 – MAY 1st, 2024. APPLICATIONS RECEIVED OR POSTMARKED AFTER MAY 1st, 2024, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Eligible applicants must be 62+ OR 18+ if disabled. Rent calculation is based on 30% of your income. Tenants cannot pay lower than the base rent: $420/efficiency, $430/one ‑bedroom and ADA. Applications can be picked up at the office Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9‑2 pm at: 358 Wheeler Road, Monroe, CT 06468, or by email at: housing@monroect.gov. Those that need assistance with obtaining the application and/or applying can call 203‑261‑7685. As‑ sistance in another language will be made available to those that need it. Eligible applications will be chosen by lottery system and subject to background checking. The Monroe Housing Authority does not determine eligibility based on age, ancestry, color, sex, race, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, law‑ ful source of income, familial status, learning disability, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or veteran status.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

is currently conducting an examination for the position of Secretary I, Grade Level 9‑$19.98 per hour for 31.25 hours per week. Qualified candidates must possess a High School Diploma or GED and two (2) years of secretarial or related experience. Prior experience in a school system or related work with children preferred. The deadline to apply is April 12, 2024 and applications are available at http://www.townofeast‑ havenct.org/civiltest.shtml or The Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven CT. The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Em‑ ployer. Minorities, Females, Veterans and Handicapped are encouraged to apply.

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

Invitation for Bids

Moving Services for Elm City Communities/Housing

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

HCC

Authority

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Moving Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhaven‑ housing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Andrea M. Liquori Chief Examiner Civil Service Commission 250 Main Street East Haven  CT

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

06512

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

Monday, March 18, 2024, at 3:00PM.

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

NOTICE

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

Construction

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Contact: Tom Dunay

Phone: 860- 243-2300

Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the North east & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 6211720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

TOWN OF BLOOMFIELD

Council-Manager Government Since 1941

Deputy Building Official

Pursuant to UPSEU Collective Bargaining Unit the starting hiring rate is. $48.38 hourly / $88,052.00 annually (35 hours weekly)

NOTICIA

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Union Company seeks:

Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

Large CT Fence Company looking for an individual for our PVC Fence Production Shop. Experience preferred but will train the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand & power tools and be able to read a CAD drawing and tape measure. Use of CNC Router machine a plus but not required, will train the right person. This is an in shop production po sition. Duties include building fence panels, posts, gates and more. Must have a valid CT driver’s license & be able to obtain a Drivers Medical Card. Must be able to pass a physical and drug test. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com.

AA/EOE MF

This position has a 6-step hourly salary range ($48.38 to $60.47)

The Town of Bloomfield’s Building Official is reinvesting in the Building Department and looking to fill the vacancy for Deputy Building Official. The Town understands the importance of the office and is motivated to hire experienced and knowledgeable staff. This full-time benefited position includes – High Deductible Health Plan, Life and AD&D Insurance, Long Term Disability Plan and Defined Contribution Plan (401a). We offer 12 paid holidays, 15 sick days per year, pro-rated personal days, and vacation.

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

CT.

Full Time Administrative assistant position for a steel & misc metals fabrication shop who will oversee the daily operations of clerical duties such as answering phones, ac counts payable purchase orders/invoicing and certified payroll. Email resumes to jillherbert@gwfabrication.com

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

242-258 Fairmont Ave

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stop & shopping center

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

The Milford Redevelopment & Housing Partnership (MRHP) is seeking sealed bids for the following Bathroom Renova tions at Alan Jepson Manor in Milford CT. Sealed bids will be received until April 11, 2024 at 2:00 pm at the Milford Redevelopment & Housing Partnership offices located at 75 DeMaio Drive, Milford, CT 06460. All bids will be opened and read aloud. A pre bid walk thru will be held on March 25, 2024 at 2:00 pm at 156 176 Harrison Avenue, Milford, CT, Alan Jepson Manor – Community Room. Contract documents including plans & specifications can be viewed on line and purchased from Digiprint’s website beginning on March 18, 2024. Visit www.digiprintplanroom.com. 5% Bid Security (Over $25K ONLY) and 100% Performance/Payment Bonds (Over $100K ONLY) are required. Bidders will note require ments of minimum wage rates, nondiscrimination/equal opportunity rules (Executive Order 11246) and related provisions in the General Conditions. No bid shall be withdrawn for sixty (60) days. Complete bidding requirements are noted in the Contract Documents. This project is federally assisted. Therefore, bidders must comply with the following requirements: Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968; Equal Opportunity provisions of Executive Order 11246; Non Discrimina tion provision of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Labor Standards provisions of the Davis Bacon Act and related acts and Contract Work Hours Standards Act; prevailing wage determinations as issued by the United States Department of Labor; and all applicable provisions under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. MRHP is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and Housing Provider. Any individual with a disability who needs special assistance to participate should contact Cheryl Giers at cgiers@mrhp. org at least five (5) days before the bid opening.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Anthony J. Vasiliou, Executive Director

Milford Redevelopment & Housing Partnership

75 DeMaio Drive

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

Milford, CT 06460 203-877-3223

The Deputy Building Official position ensures the safe construction and occupancy of structures and protects investments in real property, confirming that structures meet or exceed building code requirements and related standards. The Deputy Building Official administers the CT State Building Code and applicable ordinances, statutes, and regulations to ensure public safety, health and welfare and minimize hazardous incidences in or near occupied buildings and structures. The position enforces municipal ordinances to ensure safe, clean, and habitable housing. This position acts as liaison to the Health Department and other departments in accordance with the housing and property maintenance codes. The Deputy Building Official under the direction of the Building Official, is responsible to help plan, organize, implement, and supervise a comprehensive building inspection program within the Building and Land Use Department and is responsible for maintaining and improving upon the efficiency and effectiveness of all areas under his/her direction and control.

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Minimum Qualifications

High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED) and have four (4) years of experience in supervising the construction or design of buildings or any equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience to meet state certification requirements. Must be a licensed State of Connecticut Certified Building Official and have a valid CT Driver’s License.

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Selection Process

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

All appointments and promotions shall be made according to merit and fitness for performing the functions of the position, including factors such as education, experience, aptitude, knowledge, character, ethics, or other qualifications that would determine the best candidate for the position. Examinations may include written, oral, physical, or performance tests or any combination of the various types of examinations. Offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory results on a background check, pre-employment physical, drug screening and verification of information on the employment application.

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

Applications

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER

To apply visit www.governmentjobs.com/careers/bloomfieldct or applications are available in the Human Resources Department located in Town Hall at 800 Bloomfield Avenue. Applications must include a resume. Applications accepted until position is filled.

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if

Town of Bloomfield is an affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer. Minorities, women & persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Persons with a disability who may need this information in an alternative format or who may need accommodations during the testing procedure should contact HR Department at 860-769-3544 or at rmatias@loomfieldct.org.

Study reveals soaring successes and lingering struggles for women, especially women of color, in music

A new report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reflected on the strides forward and the persistent obstacles women’s professionals in the music industry face.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

With the observance of Women’s His tory Month in full swing, the music world has finally begun to recognize female art ists’ vast contributions.

The latest report from the USC An nenberg Inclusion Initiative reflected on the strides forward and the persistent ob stacles women professionals in the music industry face.

The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initia tive and associate professor of commu nication Stacy L. Smith conducted the study, which included 1,200 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 Year End Charts and provided a detailed analysis span ning 12 years. Its scope encompassed the roles of artists, songwriters and producers while delving into Grammy Award nomi nations across six major categories.

The study’s findings painted a nuanced picture of progress and disparities within the industry. Notably, there has been a marked increase in the representation of women artists, reaching a 12 year high of 35 percent. Researchers said this surge, particularly evident in the rise of indi

March is Women's History Month

vidual female artists claiming over 40 percent of spots on the Billboard Hot 100 Year End Chart in 2023, signaled a posi tive shift.

However, despite the gains, the study authors noted that it’s crucial to recognize that women still occupy less than a quar ter of artist roles overall, underscoring the need for sustained efforts toward greater inclusivity.

Behind the scenes, there have also been advancements. The study revealed a sig nificant rise in the percentage of female songwriters, climbing from 14.1 percent to 19.5 percent in 2023. The increase is largely attributed to the contributions of women of color. Similarly, while the number of women producers reached a modest high, significant challenges re main in achieving equitable representa tion in these roles.

The study’s key findings center on the crucial role that women of color have played in advancing change within the sector. Accounting for a staggering 65 percent of female artists on the charts in 2023 and making significant gains in songwriting roles, women of color have been instrumental in shaping the indus

try’s trajectory. Jay Z’s Grammy speech, in which he questioned why his wife, Beyonce hadn’t won Album of the Year honors despite being arguably the most successful female music star in history, underscored the lack of recognition for women, particularly in prestigious award nominations.

The study authors wrote that efforts such as “She Is The Music,” “Spotify Equal” and “Girls Make Beats” have been crucial in fostering inclusivity and pro viding platforms for women, including women of color, to showcase their talent. However, they said there remains a need for collective action to dismantle system ic barriers and biases that hinder women’s progress, particularly those from margin alized communities.

“As the industry continues to evolve, it must strive to amplify women’s voices, focusing on women of color and ensuring that diversity and representation remain at the forefront of its agenda,” the authors concluded. “Only then can the industry truly reflect the richness and diversity of talent within its ranks and pave the way for a more inclusive future.”

Misty Copeland: A life in motion

Copeland

firsthand what it’s like to struggle to fit in the predomi nately white world of ballet. She fought against being criticized for having a curvy body and pushed back on being told to lighten her skin for a dance role.

Despite those struggles, Copeland, who became the first Black female principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre in 2015, said ballet has allowed her to be “seen and heard.”

During an appearance at the Enoch Pratt Free Library last year, she explained that becoming a ballerina was an identity that she fully embraced.

“Coming from a single parent… didn’t always feel like there was a lot of hope… always made me feel like an individual,” she told the audience. “It was something that I worked for. It became my own.”

Copeland said she grew up as a “very shy, introverted” person, but dance pro vided a way out of her shell.

“It just always made me feel like I was an individual,” she recalled.

She also found inspiration from Arthur Mitchell, the first Black principal dancer at the New York City Ballet and the co founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

“I often think of…what he created in or der for so many Black and Brown dancers to have a space where they could thrive,” she said.

Since taking on her historic role with the American Ballet Theatre, Copeland, 41, has also used her platform to open the doors of the art form to a diverse group of people.

For example, The Misty Copeland Foundation, with the support of various partners, offers free, after school bal let classes for girls and boys in under resourced communities. Copeland de veloped the curriculum, which aims to make ballet “accessible, affordable and fun,” according to her foundation’s web site. Called the BE (Ballet Explorations) BOLD (Ballet Offers Leadership Devel opment) program, it focuses on five com ponents: introductory ballet, health and wellness, music for ballet, mentoring and tutoring.

Her foundation reflects the opportuni ties Copeland was fortunate to receive throughout her childhood. While growing up, Copeland benefited from local com munity programs, starting ballet lessons at a Boys and Girls Club in San Pedro, Calif. She was initially nervous about tak ing the lessons because she didn’t have the money for the proper attire. But she pressed on with the encouragement of a local coach, Cindy Bradley.

“It was as if I’d learned the movements in a past life, and it all came back to me when I was in Cindy’s class,” Copeland

wrote in her book, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina” released

While she ascended the ballet world in those early years, Copeland’s home life was fraught with instability as her moth

er, a single parent, moved from place to place with her and her siblings. Amid a chaotic upbringing, ballet offered Cope land a respite.

After winning a ballet competition in Los Angeles at age 15, she caught the attention of acclaimed dancer Debbie Al len, who cast her in the lead role in the

production of the “Hot Chocolate Nut cracker.”

In 2012, Copeland would dance in her most famous performance as the lead in “Firebird” for the American Ballet The atre. Leading up to the performance, she practiced frequently, failing to get enough rest, leading to six stress fractures in her tibia (also called the shinbone, it is the weight bearing larger of two bones in the lower leg below the knee — among danc ers, injuries to the tibia can be extremely painful and career threatening).

In 2015, Time Magazine named her as one of the most influential people in the world. And last year, she received TheGrio Awards Trailblazer Icon ac colade. Grio Awards are bestowed by theGrio.com, a news website, and honors those who are “shaping America’s future today” in categories ranging from the arts and culture, business, sports, health, edu cation and the environment.

In 2016, Copeland married Olu Evans, an attorney, and they are parents to a son, Jackson, who was born in 2022. The fam ily lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. These days, Copeland is known by many titles: dancer, stage actor, author and ce lebrity speaker.

Copeland’s latest book is available in stores internationally including Barnes and Noble in addition to Amazon.

Misty Copeland the first Black woman to be named a principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre.

Credit: AFRO Photo/ James Fields

Misty

knows

in 2014. A prodigy, it took Copeland just three months to dance en pointe (when all of the body weight is supported on the toes).

Why Experts Say Keep Land in Your Family if You Can

With Black families losing their land at alarming rates, splitting property among relatives can build wealth when done right.

By Bria Overs, WordInBlack.com

Will Edmond, vegan chef and travel con tent creator, had had enough. After spend ing 13 years living in Atlanta and a couple of years in Louisiana, he decided it was time for a change. It was time to return to his roots.

“Cities are becoming more stressful,” Edmond, 39, tells Word In Black. The appeal of urban living has declined for some due to the traffic, crime, and the ris ing cost of living. “I know my family has land back in East Texas. I can go back, clean it up, get it together, and build some unique structures on it. And that’s what led me here.”

In 2022, Edmond and his partner, Aus tyn Rich, moved back to Edmond’s ances tral hometown in East Texas, also known as Piney Woods. It’s a rural area known for its beauty, pine trees, lakes, and nature trails. And it’s here that Edmond’s fam ily land — a whole 45 acres passed down through generations — is located.

But this experience, where Black folks keep land in the family, is rare.

Financial experts frequently laud home ownership as the key to wealth building.

Yet, the Black homeownership rate has never been above 50% — a level other ethnic and racial groups have reached and surpassed. For the Black community, the loss of land and property contributes to the widening homeownership gap and the even wider racial wealth gap.

“The immediate cause of home loss is the lack of estate planning,” says Nketiah “Ink” Berko, an equal justice works fel low at the National Consumer Law Cen ter. “Either someone didn’t write a will, or maybe they did, but in the will, they left the home to five or six people. And by do ing that, they’ve fractured the homeown ership interests in the property.”

According to a 2022 Consumer Reports survey, one in three Americans has a will, but 77% of Black Americans lack one.

Estimates vary on the exact amount of Black owned land lost. The Land Trust Alliance, a land conservation advocacy organization, estimates that between 1865 and 1919, Black folks in the South owned 15 million acres of land. By 2015, Black Americans had lost 97% of their land.

The American Bar Association offers a similar statistic: between 1910 and 1997, Black farmers and families lost more than 90% of the 16 million acres they owned and the organization considers

that to be a conservative estimate.

Splitting Land Between Family

Berko says that land initially divided by a few children can become further di vided by several grandchildren and even more so by subsequent generations. This division, known as “heirs property” or “tangled title,” creates challenges and dif ficulties in maintaining and keeping the property within the family.

This phenomenon also affected Ed mond’s family. “My family, we own

about six acres, and then my cousins up the street own some of the land as well,” he says. “We have all of the land still in our family to this day.”

On his father’s side of the family — which also owns a lot of land — a relative sold off their portion. Selling is one way to lose land, but other ways are incredibly burdensome to families.

A National Consumer Law Center report co authored by Berko highlights laws and policies that could protect, resolve, or

prevent heirs property. According to the report, heirs property owners are at great er risk of property tax lien foreclosure and frequently miss out on benefits or disaster relief.

Or, mortgage companies may refuse payments from “people who are not the borrower, refuse to provide information about how much is owed, and refuse to consider heirs for loan modifications or other foreclosure avoidance options,” ac cording to the report.

“A lot of people lose their land for $4,000 because nobody in the family can agree to even pay anything on it, and then they lose it,” Edmond says. “Well, you only owe that much on it, and the land was worth $100,000. Now somebody else has it. I see that a lot around here.”

Tax and mortgage foreclosures leave families vulnerable to investors who of fer to purchase the property for much less than it is worth, adding to the racial wealth gap.

Keeping it in the Family

In 2023, Edmond, Rich, and their fam ily members turned the abandoned land into a homestead and “glamping” destina tion called Glamping Remote. When the project was complete, they shared their story publicly.

Edmond says it was important for him to share his journey and his family’s story because it can serve as an example of what’s possible for Black people. With it being unlikely that houses and prop erty will get cheaper, Edmond believes if people can work with the property in their family or help pay the property taxes, they should.

“If people want to have any type of wealth or to hold on to land that’s been passed down from generation to gen eration, they need to come back to their grandfather’s and uncle’s land,” he says. “Land is something that’s only made one time.”

Breaking News: Schumer Calls for New Elections in Israel, Criticizing Netanyahu’s Leadership

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schum er, the highest ranking Jewish official in the U.S., has delivered a scathing critique of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Ne tanyahu, calling for new elections in Is rael amidst ongoing conflict with Hamas. Speaking from the Senate floor, Schumer emphasized that Netanyahu’s leadership no longer serves Israel’s best interests.

“The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7,” Schumer proclaimed in a scathing takedown of Is rael’s leader.

Schumer’s declaration marks a significant departure from traditional U.S. support for Israel’s government and highlights a pivotal moment in American Israeli rela tions.

As the highest ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history, Schumer’s call for Netanyahu’s ouster carries substantial weight, signaling a notable shift in the Democratic Party’s stance toward Israeli politics.

“The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past,” Schum er declared as he noted the urgency for change in Israel’s leadership.

Accusing Netanyahu of prioritizing his political survival over Israel’s best inter ests, Schumer condemned the Prime Min ister’s alignment with “far right extrem ists” within his government, warning that such alliances risk isolating Israel on the global stage.

“Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah,” Schumer demanded, stressing the need for Israel to recalibrate its ap proach to the conflict with Hamas and prioritize the protection of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Highlighting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Schumer voiced support for a tem porary cease fire, echoing President Joe Biden’s efforts to alleviate suffering in the

region. However, he cautioned against a permanent cease fire, citing concerns that it could encourage Hamas to launch fur ther attacks on Israeli civilians.

“There can never be a two state solu tion if Hamas has any significant power,” Schumer emphasized while reiterating the importance of safeguarding Israel’s security.

Political watchers noted that Schumer’s bold stance underscores the complex dy namics at play in the Israeli Palestinian conflict and marks a pivotal moment in U.S. foreign policy as American law makers grapple with how best to support Israel while advocating for the rights of Palestinians.

Will Edmond (left) and Austyn Rich (right) left Atlanta to move back to Edmond's ancestral land in East Texas with the goal of creating a homestead and "glamping" destination. Credit: Will Edmond

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

(Photo: Senate Democrats)

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