INNER-CITY NEWS

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Financial Justice a Key Focus at 2016 NAACP Convention

Black, Latino, and Native American organizations form a consortium to address alcohol-related harm in the U.S. New Haven, Bridgeport

INNER-CITYNEWS

Volume 29 . No. 24543 Volume 21 No. 2194

"Community Cultivator" Ignore “Tough On Crime” Ignore “Tough On Crime” “DMC” Malloy Malloy To To Dems: Dems:

Award Blooms In Sharon Clemons' Memory

Color Struck?

SnowAspiring in July?

Teachers

StreetwearFOLLOW Star Has Designs On ON Cedar Hill US

OLIVIA CHARIS PHOTO Officials cut ribbon Tuesday at Mindless Clothing.

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Get $2M Boost

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Sisters' Journey Survivor of the Month/June

Veronica Spencer-Hughes

It was a normal mid-October morning and like all others my alarm clock went off at 6:30 a.m. I reach over, groan, hit the snooze button, and roll back over pulling the covers up tight over my head, not willing to give up that warm, snuggly feeling of a good deep sleep. My 10-minute grace period comes very quickly.

Again, I swear that I’m going to quit my day job and go live on a farm with goats and chickens along with a farm dog named Blue.

As I stretch and the morning light begins to trickle in through the curtains, my right hand ever so lightly brushes the outer right quadrant of my right breast. I know that’s where I felt the lump hiding because that’s what it said on my medical documents. I think, “Did I feel something?”

I feel again, but I must have changed my initial position because I don’t feel anything now. So, I turn back on my left side and feel again the

Right there, what is that? I feel a lump about the size of the end of my thumb. I try to recall if I had bumped into something. No, I don’t think so.

I get up and proceed with my morning routine of showering and getting dressed.

Again, I feel to see if just maybe I had made a mistake and it was nothing there.

Veronica Spencer-Hughes

My practitioner referred me immediately to have a biopsy. Fast forward to the results. About a week later it comes back positive. Then as most of us who have had the positive diagnosis understand, there is the uncontrolled out-ofbody experience you can have when you get such unexpected shocking news: You have breast cancer! At the age of 47, I was diagnosed with Stage 2A Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. My treatment as you

may suspect wasn’t easy. In fact, it was grueling. Five months of chemotherapy, a double bi-lateral partial mastectomy with a lumpectomy, followed by radiation.

Almost one year to the day of my diagnosis and with the help and support of my husband, my mother, and my then 8-yearold son and countless friends and family, I survived.

It has been six years since I have told my story or even thought about it in such detail. There are now days and even weeks that I don’t think about it as much. Just small reminders like the medication that I still take every day. I have now been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, perhaps from all the steroids I took during chemo. I still have joint pain. I even suffered a broken leg last fall playing with my son while riding dirt bikes. I was told my bones are probably becoming fragile from the medicine I am on. But I have survived.

I still have many things I want to do on my bucket list of life. My husband thinks I just sit around and come up with these crazy things to do. He’s probably right. I could dial it back a bit. The thing is, once you get on the other side of the rainbow after being told you have CANCER, all you can think of is making sure that you live every day of the rest of your life like it’s your last.

“180 Center” Opens New Home On East Street To Address Homelessness, Addiction

by JORDAN ASHBY

New Haven Independent

Over 50 people gathered to celebrate the opening and dedication of a new building for The 180 Center, a Christian nonprofit that provides services for addiction and homelessness in New Haven.

The music and prayer-filled event took place Thursday evening at the center’s new location at 438 East St. The organization made the move from its Grand Avenue previous home of 10 years two weeks ago; this celebration served as the official opening and blessing of the space.

Throughout the service, community members emphasized how far the organization and space has come. Pastor and center Co-Director Mike Caroleo talked about how since opening in 2009, the center had changed location four or five times while maintaining its mission to serve, providing breakfast seven days a week and serving as a city warming center for two years. When rent was raised at the Grand Avenue location, the organization raised thousands of dollars in donations to buy and restore the nearby East Street space .

Restoration was clearly needed. Marie Biondi, longtime volunteer preacher and teacher with The 180 Center, joked that when she first saw the building covered in trash and graffiti, all she wanted to do was throw a match on it. Now, at an estimated

JORDAN ASHBY PHOTO 180 Center leaders join in prayer at dedication of new building.

cost of $100,000, according to Pastor Ron Purificato, the clean and modern building looks like a different place.

Purificato talked about plans have 16 beds for homeless men, regardless of religious affiliation. Also under discussion are plans to offer free haircuts, resume help, health check-ups, and meals to people in need. These services would be provided in addition to the center’s cur-

rent regular programming for men battling addiction: an 18-month Discipleship Program, Christian 12-step program, and Sober Housing Initiative.

Christ-centered programming is at the heart of The 180 Center mission, speakers add. “It’s not the building,” Marie Biondi stated. “It’s the spirit of God that’s here.

The building it’s beautiful, it’s nice, but we’re the church.”

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10TH FREE MARKET AND HEALTH SYMPOSIUM

RETURNS TO DIXWELL AVENUE

The New Haven Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the Epsilon Iota Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. will host their 10th Free Market and Health Symposium on Saturday, June 11, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dixwell Community House (Q House), 197 Dixwell Avenue, New Haven.

The Free Market and Health Symposium is an annual community event where attendees can “shop” for clothing, shoes, and household items – all for free. The last free market was held in 2019 and attracted more than 750 people.

In addition to the shopping experience, attendees have access to free food, health education, health screening, and voter registration to support civic engagement.

The New Haven Alumnae Chapter started the market and symposium in 2009 and it has become a signature event. A few years later, we partnered with the Epsilon Iota Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Additional community partners include C.A.R.E., Cornell Scott – Hill Health Center, ELM City NAMI, Planned Parenthood, Pyramid Family Dental Care, The Green Peacock Corporation, WYBC 94.3, and Yale-New Haven Hiring Initiative.

Free Market and Health Symposium community sponsors include Bear’s Smokehouse, City of New Haven Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism, Delta Foundation of Greater New Haven, LEAP, Yale African American Affinity Group and Yale Office of Diversity & Inclusion.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. is one of the largest organizations of Black, college-educated women committed to public service with a principal focus on the Black community. The New Haven Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta has served the Elm City for over 60 years.

Contact: Katrina Rice programs@nhacdst.org 203-640-4872 (cell)

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

"Community Cultivator" Award Blooms In Sharon Clemons' Memory

by Lucy Gellman, Editor, The ARTS Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Sharon Clemons spent her life building community. Now artists, educators, neighborhood champions and Black business owners have joined her family in the effort to keep her memory alive.

That’s the idea behind the Sharon M. Clemons Community Cultivator Award, an initiative of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas and the Clemons family to honor the Clemons’ life, work, and enduring footprint in New Haven. Last Thursday, over 100 people gathered at the Westville-based business Bloom to celebrate Clemons’ legacy. The evening doubled as a kickoff to the award, which will be presented on the festival’s main stage on Juneteenth.

Erik Clemons, with whom Sharon built a life and family in New Haven, called it a testament to all who knew and loved his wife. A dedicated artist, life partner, mother of four and woman of fierce faith, Clemons passed away unexpectedly from Covid-19 in November 2020. She was 51 years old, and left behind a family and community reeling in her sudden absence.

It includes her four daughters, to whom she affectionately referred as her “butterflies,” and siblings with whom she was close. Before her death, she ran Sharon Joy Salon with her sister, Joy Brown. On any given day, flowers still sit by the window, pressing their faces toward the sun in her memory.

“I had this in my head, and what I’m seeing is exactly what I saw in my head and in my heart,” Clemons said, standing beside his daughters Nyle, Nia and Kai. “For all the people who I love and who Sharon loved and who loved me and Sharon, all of you are here. And I am just so overwhelmed and happy and experiencing deep joy and admiration and appreciation for each and every one of you.”

True to the spirit of the award and its namesake, Thursday’s gathering saw a cross section of New Haveners pulled together for an evening of community.

Images of butterflies appeared all over the boutique and patio, sprawling across one wall in a chalk mural by the artist Kwadwo Adae. Pitchers of honey and rosemary mocktails waited for attendees alongside chilled bottles of wine. Outside, attendees stood shoulder to shoulder, remembering the grace with which Clemons lived.

Inside, bouquets of flowers and notes to the family multiplied on a memorial table.

Throughout the night, friends pulled each other in close for sun-kissed hugs, their laughter floating skyward. Catering staff from Orchid Cafe at ConnCAT made their way through the space, carrying trays of small meatballs, marinated shrimp, scalloped fresh pasta in thick sauce. On a table inside, dozens of cocoa-dusted truffles from fellow Westvillian Tagan Engel waited in their paper sleeves.

At the end of the evening, people lingered before heading out into the cooling summer air.

The Community Cultivator Award, first presented during a hair show on Juneteenth last year, recognizes the work of a New Havener who embodies the same commitment to service, family, friends,

Aspiring Teachers Get $2M Boost

by JORDAN ASHBY

New Haven Independent

Over 50 people gathered to celebrate the opening and dedication of a new building for The 180 Center, a Christian nonprofit that provides services for addiction and homelessness in New Haven.

The music and prayer-filled event took place Thursday evening at the center’s new location at 438 East St. The organization made the move from its Grand Avenue previous home of 10 years two weeks ago; this celebration served as the official opening and blessing of the space.

Throughout the service, community members emphasized how far the organization and space has come. Pastor and center Co-Director Mike Caroleo talked about how since opening in 2009, the center had changed location four or five times while maintaining its mission to serve, providing breakfast seven days a week and serving as a city warming center for two years. When rent was raised at the Grand Avenue location, the organization raised thousands of dollars in donations to buy and restore the nearby East Street space .

Restoration was clearly needed. Marie Biondi, longtime volunteer preacher and teacher with The 180 Center, joked that

OLIVIA GROSS PHOTO Commissioner Russell-Tucker and State Rep. Toni Walker with Gov. Lamont at SCSU Thursday.

when she first saw the building covered in trash and graffiti, all she wanted to do was throw a match on it. Now, at an estimated cost of $100,000, according to Pastor Ron Purificato, the clean and modern building looks like a different place.

Purificato talked about plans have 16 beds for homeless men, regardless of religious affiliation. Also under discussion are plans to offer free haircuts, resume help, health check-ups, and meals to people in need. These services would be

provided in addition to the center’s current regular programming for men battling addiction: an 18-month Discipleship Program, Christian 12-step program, and Sober Housing Initiative.

Christ-centered programming is at the heart of The 180 Center mission, speakers add. “It’s not the building,” Marie Biondi stated. “It’s the spirit of God that’s here.

The building it’s beautiful, it’s nice, but we’re the church.”

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faith, and community with which Sharon Clemons lived her life each day. During her five decades on this earth, she cared deeply for the people around her, extending to her full wingspan in every area of her life. That included a younger generation of Black women who she mentored in New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford and New York.

“I want to welcome you all, I want to thank you, and just tell you how much I love you as we honor and think about my wife,” Erik Clemons said Thursday. “I just wouldn’t want to do it with anybody but this crew of people here.”

The award is the brainchild of Shamain McAllister, community programs manager at the Festival. While McAllister did not know Clemons before her death, she said she felt a connection to the way she lived her life. The more she learned, the more Clemons’ legacy stayed with her.

Like Clemons, McAllister is also a woman of deep faith; she told attendees Thursday that “It’s a blessing to be a blessing, and everyone has to do their part.” When the festival was planning an hours-long hair show last year, something clicked.

“I said, ‘Okay God, let’s do it,’” McAllister recalled. “So we’ve been doing it ever since.”

Last year, the inaugural Community Cultivator Award honored the Clemons family with an artwork from the artist Marsh and a video about the award and Clemons’ life. This year, Erik Clemons said, the family will announce the recipient shortly before artist Gregory Porter takes the Arts & Ideas stage to close out Juneteenth weekend. Attendees, who had

been hanging onto each word, burst into applause.

Each year, he also intends to uplift a Black-owned business in the city, starting with Bloom at 794 Edgewood Ave. Last year, owner and founder Alisha Crutchfield-McLean opened the shop as a lifestyle boutique, florist, cafe, aromatherapy space, and safe haven in the neighborhood. Clemons, who buys flowers each week in his wife’s memory, became a frequent customer.

Crutchfield-McLean told attendees that when she initially opened the store, she still wasn’t sure how to describe it to people, because it encompassed so many different things. She finally realized that it is “all the things”—including the community center Westville didn’t even know it needed. She has since been able to expand the space, filling each square inch with original art and plants that bloom in wild bursts of color. “​​When I think of legacy, I think of women like Sharon Clemons,” she said. “I’m inspired by women like Sharon Clemons.

These women don’t just work for a living.

They live with intention. They pour intention into people. They uplift the people that they’re around. And that is the legacy I want to leave through the work here at Bloom.”

The partnership is just one facet of remembering his wife’s legacy, Clemons said Thursday. Two years ago, he set up the Sharon M. Clemons “Butterflies” Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, in an effort to support young Black women on their academic journeys.

Each year, the fund supports multiple women headed to Smith College, Tuskegee University, Hampton University and Spelman College—the four schools from which the Clemons’ daughters graduated.

This year, the fund will award 10 scholarships of $5,000 each to 10 women. It has raised a total of $1.6 million since November 2020.

Shelley Quiala, executive director of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, said that she sees the award—and the chance to honor Clemons each year—as part of the festival’s growing work in and with the greater New Haven community.

She thanked both Clemons and McAllister for creating a space where the festival could step in.

“I hope that we get to spend time together at the festival this summer, and that we stay in community all year long,” she said. “This is not just about two weeks in June. This is really about relationships that last. We don’t ever stop being in relationship with each other.”

Learn more about the Sharon M. Clemons “Butterflies” Fund www.cfgnh.org/ articles/sharon-m-clemons-butterfliesfund Learn more about the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, including Juneteenth weekend performances, www. artidea.org

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Newhallville-Hamden Emerges Stronger

by PAUL BASS

New Haven Independent

Neighbors on both sides of the Newhallville-Newhall border turned a threat into an opportunity.

The threat: Plans by the APT Foundation to locate a new methadone clinic at a vacant school building at 794 Dixwell Ave. at the northern edge of New Haven’s Newhallville neighborhood, right before it crosses into Hamden’s Newhall neighborhood The opportunity: Outrage over those plans brought neighbors together to fight back — and created a longer-lasting organizing team that can work together to improve life in what’s in truth one community (despite what maps may say).

State Rep. Robyn Porter and family therapist Katurah Bryant see it that way.

They have played leading roles in the organizing against the planned APT clinic, through a coalition called NewhallvilleHamden Stronger Together. And they already see hope in the same group making more opportunities for kids and more support for families in challenging times.

“It’s been a spiritual awakening about how we need to come together,” Porter said during a joint appearance with Bryant on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Ha-

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PAUL BASS PHOTO State Rep. Robyn Porter and Katurah Bryant at WNHH FM. ven/Hamden” program.

“I can’t tell the difference between my ‘Hamden’ and ‘New Haven’ constituents,” said Porter, whose state legislative district includes both Newhallville and Newhall. “We are one. We are united.”

She and Bryant vowed to keep up the pressure on APT to locate its new clinic elsewhere — preferably in areas like the

Shoreline towns where no such clinics exist, but the customers do.

They said they support the idea of having a family “resilience” center move into 794 Dixwell, as proposed by the Clifford Beers Clinic in conjunction with Newhallville Rev. Boise Kimber. Bryant said she specifically supports that proposal, while Porter endorsed the concept while saying

she wants to learn more.

Looking ahead, they spoke of pushing local and state government to fund a community center in Newhallville as well as investing more in the Keefe Center over the Hamden line.

“We are in a drought for resources,” Bryant said.

Weed-preneur Lights Up Joint Venture

by JORDAN ASHBY

New Haven Independent

With the help of a $3 million investment, a leading medical cannabis entrepreneur in New Haven has plans to expand into recreational cannabis now that Connecticut has legalized it.

The business owner, Kebra Smith-Bolden, 45, has worked in the cannabis industry since 2017 when she opened her medical cannabis certification company, CannaHealth. CannaHealth has certified thousands of people primarily through PTSD diagnoses for medical cannabis cards.

Smith-Bolden has also advocated for equitable, recreational cannabis legislation, organizing with WomenGrow CT and serving as president of CT United for Reform and Advocacy, which helped convince the state to pass “An Act Concerning the Equitable and Responsible Regulation of Cannabis.”

The act legalizes cannabis use for adults 21 and older, expunges past records for cannabis-related charges, and reserves 50 percent of the licenses for equity applicants. SmithBolden also served on governor’s Social Equity Committee prior to the passage of the law to ensure that entrepreneurs of color have a chance to share in the business opportunities springing from legalization.

Now Smith-Bolden is seeking to be one of those entrepreneurs. She has launched NoirEnVerte, LLC, a cannabis manufacturing and distribution joint venture.

She announced this week that Acreage

Holdings, Inc, a Canadian-based cannabis operations company with operations in states across the U.S., has signed up as a partner for the company to seek to open both a cannabis cultivation site and cannabis dispensary in New Haven. She said Acreage has committed to invest $3 million to cover cost of the application fee as well as the upfront costs for the cultivation site and dispensary. Smith-Bolden will run the company and hold a 65 percent stake in the cultivation site and split the dispensary ownership 50 – 50. She brings the community knowledge to the table, while Acreage brings experience in the industry.

“Kebra’s community-based business model seamlessly aligns with Acreage’s values, and we are thrilled to partner with such a prominent and successful industry advocate,” Acreage CEO Peter Caldini stated in the company’s release announcing the joint venture. “As Acreage expands its operations in the Northeast, our team will continue to pursue meaningful opportunities to support entrepreneurs and areas affected by cannabis prohibition.”

The state Department of Consumer Protection oversees the licensing and regulation, including cultivation sites and dispensaries. NoirEnVerte has sought a license through the department-run Social Equity Council. For the cultivation site, she has applied for the Disproportionately Impacted Area Cultivator License; for the dispensary she plans to apply for an Equity Joint Venture license. As Equity licenses,

JORDAN ASHBY PHOTO Kebra Smith-Bolden: Pursuing state's equity promise.

these are approved directly by the Social Equity Council rather than through a lottery, the way other recreational cannabis licenses will be awarded. As of June 2, the Department of Consumer Protection has received 41 applications for both the Disproportionately Impacted Area Cultivator License and the Equity Joint Venture license and will be selecting approximately

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six applications over the next few months.

Smith-Bolden has been scoping out potential sites in town, with two as-yetundisclosed locations in mind. She hopes to locate both the cultivation site and the dispensary in New Haven, she said. Born and raised in the city, Smith-Bolden comes from a lineage of community leaders focused on giving back and uplifting the community. With the cannabis project, she said, that will mean providing 100 – 125 good jobs, medicinal cannabis, and opportunity, particularly for those who have been most affected by the War on Drugs and incarceration.

While she praised the creation of the Social Equity Council to include people of color in the new industry, Smith-Bolden said the overall evolving state plan for regulation is far from perfect. The lottery system for licenses perpetuate inequality, she said: a large corporation might have millions to put in as many applications as they like, increasing their chances of winning the lottery, unlike smaller local competitors. She also spoke of upfront costs that serve as a barrier for those from directlyimpacted communities.

“Even I, with all my skills, knowledge, and abilities, cannot engage in this industry without needing partners to bring millions of dollars,” she noted, “because I can’t get a loan from a bank, because it is cannabis

Con ‘t on page 18

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Justice Kavanaugh’s Classmates Rally For Roe

by LAURA GLESBY

New Haven Independent

Infuriated by the Supreme Court’s likely reversal of Roe v. Wade and striking down of abortion rights, hundreds of Yale alumni gathered on campus to send a message to their former classmate, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh: “Change your vote.”

That was the scene Saturday afternoon, during an alumni reunion-turned-protest held outside of Sterling Memorial Library in the heart of Yale’s campus downtown.

Waving signs that read “Brett lied… now, women will die!” and “Stop being a tool, Brett — Change Your Vote,” members of the Yale College Class of 1987 turned their 35th reunion into a hundreds-strong protest for the abortion rights that are now in the hands of a man some of them knew as a 20-year-old classmate.

Carrie Baker, a class of ’87 Yale alum who is now a Gender and Sexuality Studies professor at Smith College, noted that three former Yale students — Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas — are expected to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling that protected abortion in 1973.

“How are we producing people who think they can take our rights away like this?”

Baker said to the crowd of hundreds cir-

cling the Women’s Table, a fountain recording the number of women at Yale each year since the university’s inception.

“I knew him,” Baker said of Kavanaugh.

“The idea that he is prepared to take my rights away and the rights of our daughters and our sons and so many people is appalling.”

Kavanaugh, who graduated from Yale College in 1987 and from Yale Law School in 1990, is the conservative justice most likely among his colleagues to be the “swing vote” on abortion rights.

He has a history of voting to restrict abortion access. Recently, he voted to uphold the nation’s most restrictive abortion ban, a Texas law that empowers ordinary citizens to sue abortion providers.

During his confirmation hearings before the Senate in 2018, Kavanaugh stressed that Roe v. Wade was “settled as precedent.” Since then, however, he has suggested an openness to re-interpreting the constitutional basis for abortion rights, according to the New York Times.

The catalyst for Saturday’s protest was an article published in May in Politico that featured a leaked draft of a majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito striking down Roe v. Wade. The leak ignited fear

Shina Majeed, Ritika Arora, Anje Van Beickelaer, and Emee Pumarega.

and anger among abortion rights advocates across the nation — including Kathy Charlton.

Charlton, who now directs the New England Journal of Medicine Group, had been anticipating her Class of 1987 Yale reunion.

“I just didn’t feel like I could come on

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campus without doing something,” Charlton said. “We have access to somebody who’s casting a vote.”

Some of the signs waved at Saturday’s protest alluded to the sexual assault allegations that Kavanaugh faced during his confirmation process, one of which centered on

an undergraduate party at Yale.

Kavanaugh’s years at Yale came under scrutiny during the 2018 confirmation hearings for his nomination to the Supreme Court when a classmate, Deborah Ramirez, came forward with sexual assault allegations. Ramirez said that Kavanaugh shoved his penis in her face during a drinking game in their first year at Yale College.

Kavanaugh has denied that he exposed himself to Ramirez. No one at the party has directly confirmed the story, but other classmates of Ramirez recalled hearing about the incident in detail to the New Yorker.

The party in question took place inside an Old Campus dorm in Lawrance Hall, just across the street from Saturday’s protest.

Ramirez’ allegations followed a moment that caught the nation’s attention, when Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate that the then-Supreme-Court-nominee had sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school. (Kavanaugh also denied those allegations.)

Speaker after speaker at Saturday’s protest pointed out that abortion restrictions can make sexual assault all the more trauCon’t on page 18

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Gun Control Message Sent

Opinion:

How To Solve The Teacher Shortage

by IZZI GELLER

New Haven Independent

by OLIVIA CHARIS

New Haven Independent

In the wake of mass shootings in New York and Texas, 100 people “wore orange” in a downtown church Thursday evening to demand action on gun control.

The “Wear Orange 2022” rally, hosted

by Connecticut Against Gun Violence (CAGV), took place at United Church on the Green in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The event began with the ringing of a bell, 19 times, to honor the lives of children taken by the most recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde.

CAGV stressed their goal for the evening was to call citizens to action.

“We are strong when we are here together, but we are strongest when we … go out there and demand change,” said CAGV Chair Melissa Cane. Legislators, activists, and gun-violence victims alike spoke on the need to lobby for gun-control legislation — from more background checks to banning assault rifles and ghost guns — in the run-up of November’s elections.

The crowd included many young people, noted by speaker Kate Farrar, executive director of the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF).

Farrar noted that most Americans under 25 are used to the continual cycle of gun violence because it is all they have ever known.

Attendees at Thursday evening's rally.

“If you are not actively advocating for better gun control, then you are a part of the problem,” Farrar stated.

Youth activist Wilner Joseph advocated increasing funding for programs for young people, arguing that a lack of opportunities and activities for children of color creates a foundation for potential violence.

The crowd included people whose families have been directly touched by gun violence, including Nicole Matthews, founder of a group called Tears to Triumph, and activist Sean Reeves. Matthews founded her organization for victims of gun violence after losing her own son. She, too, called for the crowd to keep fighting for stricter gun laws for the sake of youth and their families.

“We should never have to bury our kids,” Matthews said. “They should be burying us.”

Legislators are put into power by the people and “they can be moved when we decide to move them,” Reeves noted.

Terra Volpe, CAGV director of community outreach, announced the launch of the “Pen Power Project” designed to cease the spread of gun violence by getting people to write letters and get the vote out. Their goal is to have 10,000 letters written and sent out before November.

The time for thoughts and prayers alone, Volpe said, has long passed. Letters can be texted to 72572.

(Opinion) Teacher departures are up across the country and the summer will bring even more resignations. With many New Haven teachers leaving the profession altogether or leaving our district after being recruited by higher-paying ones, the call for “stepped-up retention efforts” is important. Still, that focus should be coupled with efforts to recruit future educators who are already living in New Haven. We need creative solutions to address the barriers that stand in the way of New Haveners entering the teaching profession.

New Haven needs a Community Teacher Preparation Program to create an accessible path to certification for New Haven residents, especially current NHPS paraprofessionals, aides, and substitutes. This program, rooted within NHPS, would meet the needs of both teacher candidates and our district.

As a former NHPS student and current substitute teacher finishing up my certification, I’m familiar with the challenges of becoming a teacher. I paid over $4,000 for a certification program that consumed my evenings and weekends, demanded I spend over eight weeks student teaching without pay, and required that I pay $300 for Pearson’s money-making scheme of an assessment, otherwise known as edTPA. After all of this, I will almost certainly go into debt to fulfill the requirement of getting my master’s within six years of teaching.

On average, educators borrow $55,800 to complete their schooling and still owe $58,700. Two out of three young educators and more than half of Black educators had to take out loans (one in five of those Black educators still owe over $105,000.)

In over 30 states, including Connecticut, teachers need to pass the aforementioned edTPA in order to become licensed. This assessment has been shown to increase racial disparities in teaching. The current process creates significant barriers – especially for non-white, low-income community members. The path to certification is convoluted, expensive, and discriminatory.

School budget austerity helped create this crisis. Our schools have been underfunded, our teachers have taken pay freezes – morale is low and students are losing instructional time that cannot be made up. What’s more, the shortage of special education teachers means the required hours for students with individualized education plans are not being met, a violation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. We cannot afford to go on like this. If we want to address the growing shortage and the disparate education outcomes it will cause in our district, we need to invest in educators from our community now.

We have the money, infrastructure, and models to create a New Haven Community Teacher Preparation Program. Our city

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Izzi Geller: Familiar with challenges of gaining certification.

is home to an impressive community college at Gateway, an incredible teaching program at Southern, and Yale’s shortlived Urban Teaching Initiative, which covered tuition for all of its students and provided them each with an $18,000 stipend. The Connecticut Office of Higher Education (which currently operates an Alternative Route to Certification program), the State Department of Education, and New Haven City Hall could also extend their resources and support to this program. There’s $3.1 billion in Connecticut’s rainy day fund and $42.3 billion in Yale’s endowment. In a rich state and a city home to an elite university that refuses to pay property taxes, it’s high time these institutions invest in our city’s students, teachers, and future.

Yale’s Urban Teaching Initiative alternated between teaching courses and time in the classroom, giving students the opportunity to learn, practice, reflect, and improve. This model worked and could continue to work outside of Yale at the New Haven Community Teacher Preparation Program. This program could serve New Haven residents and especially NHPS graduates, pay them to attend, and place them in NHPS teaching residencies after their first year or sooner. The program could create tracks for current substitutes and paraprofessionals (jobs that are both essential to the functioning of our schools and yet abysmally underpaid), as well as a track for community members without college degrees to earn a BA and certification concurrently. It should center mentorship from current teachers, input from our students, and community-

engaged pedagogy.

In 2020, Connecticut’s General Assembly considered a similar solution, Senate Bill 390: An Act Concerning Minority Teacher Recruitment and Retention, which would have helped Black and Brown teacher candidates get certified, promoted the teaching profession in high schools, and created a task force on retention and sustainability. This bill did not pass, but we can pick up where they left off, convening our own community and potential partners to imagine and execute on this proposal.

We need teachers who reflect the diversity of our student population, especially Black and Brown NHPS graduates. Instead of making the teaching career more accessible amidst an unprecedented shortage we’re upholding the barriers of undergrad, grad school, certification programs, and backward assessments like edTPA. In many cases, the people who might be best suited for the many openings in our district are not yet certified, and if these barriers remain they may never be certified.

We’ve knowingly and unknowingly subscribed to the belief that these barriers to entry will ensure that only the best teachers come out certified – we’re wrong.

These barriers ensure that only those with the most resources can become teachers.

Pretty soon I will be a certified teacher and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. But the process was anything but easy. If we want to make it easier for future teachers, address barriers to entry, and end the teacher shortage, the New Haven Community Teacher Preparation Program is a great place to start.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Block Party Brings Students, Cyclists To The Sound

by OLIVIA GROSS

New Haven Independent

Fifty neighbors gathered in the sun on Sunday to celebrate the City Point and Hill communities with popsicles, bikes, and boats.

That was the scene at the Sound School at 60 Water St., where community members hosted a block party for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Some of the many groups to table at the event included student club, parent groups, food vendors, voter registration drives, city youth summer camps, and the Youth and Recreation Department.

Sound School students took adventurous attendees out on boat rides on the Sound, and Bradley Street Bike Co-op members offered free bicycle repairs.

The warm day called for ice pops and cupcakes — and the local vendors present were well-prepared.

Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez said that this was the first neighborhood event of the summer season.

The neighborhood’s block party ended up being on the same day as the Sound School’s Waterfront Festival – and with the way it turned out, they’ll be doing it like this from now on. “This is what New Haven is all about,” she said.

Cheers rang out from the annual Sound School alumni vs. students softball game.

Parent Advisory Council President Dina Secchiaroli explained that the funds raised at the festival will go towards three capstone scholarships for current Sound School seniors. The scholarship amount will entirely depend on how much student and parent booths made on Sunday.

The booth for the school’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance was especially colorful.

Jacob Smith and Jenae Epps, both juniors at Sound School, are rivals for president of the club next year. They were selling merchandise and baked goods on Sunday.

They said the club sponsors pride events like the day of silence and raises money for The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization. They said the funds they raised at Sunday’s event will go towards making their club bigger and will help them host an event modeled after one they attended called True Colors. “They had spoken-word poetry and a concert. It was a really safe place, where you get to be yourself with no worrying about who’s around,” Smith said about True Colors.

Epps hopes that the alliance will end homophobia at the school as they continue advocating for themselves.

Another student booth represented the Dive Club, which offers scuba licenses up to the rescue diver level. Savannah Klemenz, a fellow Sound School student, said that it is a very collaborative atmo-

OLIVIA GROSS PHOTO Sound School students Jacob Smith and Jenae Epps at Sunday's block party.

sphere, and she likes to play chess and Uno underwater. The money they make will go towards helping the club buy gear and cover the costs of field trips.

Many attendees arrived in style: on their

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bikes. The New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NHCAT) had miniature cones set up to guide riders through a practice course and practice starting and stopping. More experienced riders took

on the cones as a race.

Vice-chair of NHCAT and city parking authority director Doug Hausladen described the non-profit as having the mission to provide free bicycle education, and free helmets, to all New Haveners.

NHCAT is helping universities, businesses, and communities become bike-friendly by providing more safe bike storage areas and showers. They are also working to build a bike friendly culture throughout America, for example by rethinking the requirements of office attire.

The Bradley Street Bike Co-op cranked away at bikes needing a tune-up. Kai Addae, a bike mechanic, described the co-op as a “tool library”, where people are encouraged to fix their bikes on their own at a much cheaper rate than a full-service bike shop. They sell fully functional used bikes at around $200 – 300 and are always accepting donations and volunteers.

Four Sound School alumni were happy to be visiting for Sunday’s fest.

Jillian Vallejo, Mak Bethke, Julian Driebeek, and Kyle Driebeek agreed that coming back felt great. The four couldn’t stop smiling as they explained why they loved, and love, the people and town surrounding Sound School. “We know that whenever we return, the community will embrace us,” Vallejo said.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Streetwear Star Has Designs On Cedar Hill owned businesses.

Family, friends, and New Haven officials who gathered for Tuesday’s event noted the impact Moss’ business has had on the community.

“Thank you so much for choosing Cedar Hill,” said the neighborhood’s alder, Anna Festa. “This is a little diamond.”

Moss’ business has gained much traction since its first opening, with celebrities like Sojoua Boy, Iman Shumpert and Young M. A. wearing her line. What began as simple word of mouth and selling from her car is now a nationally recognized brand.

“Here I am right now living my dream, and it’s amazing,” Moss said.

After graduating from James Hillhouse High School, where she played on the basketball team, Moss originally had hopes of playing college ball. After incurring injuries, she decided to pursue

by OLIVIA CHARIS

New Haven Independent

Homegrown entrepreneur LaDrea Moss is putting her stamp on New Haven’s clothing — and on a neighborhood that also benefits from a fresh look.

City officials gathered Tuesday to cut a ceremonial ribbon in front of Moss’s “streetwear” store Mindless Thoughts Clothing at 1296 State St. in the commercial heart of the Cedar Hill neighborhood.

Mindless Thoughts specializes in custom “streetwear” items including hoodies, T‑shirts, shorts and hats. Moss developed the line online in 2012, attracting not just local customers but 10,000 Instagram followers. She bought and renovated the building at 1296 State to create a storefront last year, which she opened last year. Because of the pandemic, the ribbon-cutting was delayed to this week.

Before Moss, a city native and Hillhouse grad, purchased the building, it sat, dilapidated on the corner of State Street just across from the Ferry Street intersection. The deli that previously occupied the space burned down and left what city Economic Development Officer Carlos Eyzaguirre describe as

Drea Moss with city Alder Anna Festa and city small-business point person Cathy Graves.

a space that was not “a great use as far as attracting … positive business development.”

Eyzaguirre also noted that Moss’ business is located in a half of Cedar Hill

that would benefit from more businesses. “My hope,” said Eyzaguirre “is that [Mindless Thoughts Clothing] serves as an anchor” and a trailblazer in the city’s work to support Black and brown-

Dillon: No Tanks

by PAUL BASS

New Haven Independent

New Haven State Rep. Pat Dillon voted once to prevent cops from rolling an armored military tank onto the streets — and she’s prepared to vote no again, and debate the issue, if needed.

Dillon had cast one of only 15 Democratic dissenting votes this state legislative session against a bill that would allow West Haven to buy a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle. The town needed the bill to pass to get the permission, because a 2020 police accountability law banned the purchase of such equipment to restrain the militarization of local departments.

Although the West Haven-exemption law passed, Gov. Ned Lamont Wednesday vetoed it.

“If there’s an attempt to override the veto, I’m prepared for a robust debate on this policy,” Dillon said Thursday.

Supporters of the bill said West Haven needs the equipment to traverse local streets during super-storms.

“I understand the desire to help our towns, but militarizing our streets is not the way to do it,” Dillon stated. The bill to exempt West Haven “takes us in the wrong direction — more military grade equipment on our streets,” she said.

Dillon: Wrong direction.

Dillon cited the army’s description of MRAPs as “provid[ing] Soldiers with highly survivable multi-mission platforms capable of mitigating improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades, explosively formed penetrators, underbody mines and small arms fire threats which produce the greatest number of casualties in Overseas Contingency Operations.”

In his veto message, Lamont stated that he agreed with the legislature’s decision in 2020 to include MRAPs the list of

banned equipment for local departments to purchase. He called such equipment “inconsistent” with “the type of community-focused policing my administration supports.”

Lamont Wednesday also signed a bill Dillon cosponsored to ban the use of the chemical chlorphyrifos on golf courses.

Laura Cahn of New Haven’s Environmental Advisory Council had originally brought the issue to light for public discussion.

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another passion: clothing design. Moss said she hand-sews all of her logos onto the sweatshirts. These handcrafted items in particular are the store’s most popular item, with 500 products selling out within a single week.

Moss, who is 32, takes her success humbly: “People think I’m more than what I am,” she said. Still, she wants to inspire those around her to pursue their own endeavors.

Her sister and business partner Ciahna Battle works alongside LaDrea and was behind the original naming and branding for the store.

Her father, Troy Dixon, noted not only how much Moss has supported the community, but how much the community has been supporting her. He told the Independent he admires his daughter’s generation. “They really support each other,” he said.

City Plans Busy Summer For Kids

by OLIVIA GROSS

New Haven Independent

A new bestseller just dropped at Lighthouse Point – the mayor’s 2022 Summer Youth Guide.

Headed to all public school families’ households, the 50-page book is jampacked with information about events, camps, and experiences to keep young people busy this summer.

Mayor Justin Elicker and representatives from the New Haven Youth and Recreation Department (YARD), New Haven Public Schools, and the Police Activity League unveiled those summer plans at a press conference Friday held at Lighthouse Park.

There will be movies in the park, family fun days, academic enrichment programs, youth employment, organized sports, and a big concert in August, among other activities. Many of these are open to children with disabilities.In addition to these day activities, ten city camps will run from June 27-Aug. 12.

Older kids have plenty to do this summer as well. Youth@Work continues to employ 14 – 21 year-olds in New Haven with a range of jobs including most of these camps. The Police Activity League will continue this summer, meant to create steady relationships between campers and the New Haven police force. Officer Gene Trotman said that this program has been successful in recent years; he said that he wants kids to see him and other officers as human, as people who want to have fun with them.

The Youth Connect program aims to help students who may need assistance engaging in school and will focus on social justice, providing topics that students can get excited about and relate to on a personal level.

OLIVIA GROSS PHOTO Youth and Recreation Department Director Gwendolyn Williams and Olaf at the press conference.

Family activities include open swim at Hillhouse High School from June 27Aug. 5 and at Lighthouse Point Park weekdays beginning June 18 from 7 a.m. to sunset.

This will be a summer of firsts for some groups. The pilot Footsteps2Brilliance reading program will help students develop literacy skills digitally in both English and Spanish. An inaugural Youth Summit is planned for August, to enable students to engage with each other and talk about how they are doing with the state of the current political and social world.

School system Chief of Youth, Family, and Community Gemma Joseph Lumpkin looked proud as she listened to all that will be offered this summer. “No one can say there is nothing for our kids in New Haven,” she said. “Let’s get out there and get connected.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS & IDEAS AND YALE SCHWARZMAN CENTER ANNOUNCE OCTAVIA E. BUTLER’S PARABLE OF THE SOWER BY TOSHI REAGON AND BERNICE JOHNSON REAGON Opera co-directed by Eric Ting & Signe Harriday to be a capstone of One City, One Read Citywide Programming June 21-22, 2022

The International Festival of Arts & Ideas, and Yale Schwarzman Center (YSC), will co-present the operatic adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s “Parable of the Sower” this summer as one of its highlighted programs and the capstone of the citywide One City, One Read program devoted to exploring the themes of Butler’s classic science fiction novel. The production will be June 21 and 22 at New Haven’s Shubert Theatre.

“Parable of the Sower” is a mesmerizing work of rare power and beauty that illuminates deep insights on gender, race, and the future of civilization. A prescient science fiction masterwork, Parable of the Sower is the story of Lauren Olamina, a 15-year-old Black girl in a not-toodistant future of climate catastrophe and economic devastation. Butler’s novel received a 1995 Nebula Award and was a New York Times Bestseller in 2020.

Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon’s fully staged congregational opera brings together more than 30 original anthems drawn from 200 years of Black music to recreate Butler’s sci-fi, Afrofuturist masterpiece live on stage.

“One of the most appealing things about Parable of the Sower is its story weaving power, into compelling narrative. The

music will leave you breathless, with dinner topics for days,” remarks, the Festival’s Director of Programming and Community Impact, Malakhi Eason.

Accessibility is a priority for this production, ensuring that income is not a barrier to acquiring tickets, which will be priced from $20 to $100, which will include an invitation to a special event in conjunction with the performance. The Festival Box Office will work with individuals for whom cost is a barrier. Tickets go on sale April 29.

The Festival’s Executive Director Shelley Quiala notes, “the power of Parable

is its focus on empathy, self-determination, and creativity as the tools we need to change the world. We all have access to these things—they are inside us, as the heroine demonstrates with her forethought and intense dedication to community-building throughout the novel. In this way, the book and the opera serve as a powerful invitation to the communities in which it is shared to look within and embrace change and each other.”

Spurred by Butler’s work, artistic, religious, educational, literary, and human service organizations across the Elm City are fully immersed in exploring and ex-

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pressing the themes from the Parable.

These collaborative partnerships will present more than 20 different community-building events over the course of the Spring and Summer. Some of the additional partners include the New Haven Free Public Library, Artspace New Haven, Best Video Film & Cultural Center, Yale Schwarzman Center, Elm City LIT Fest, Albertus Magnus College, Bethesda Lutheran Church, New Haven Public Schools, Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, Gateway Community College, Inner City News, and more.

YSC Associate Artistic Director Jenni-

fer Harrison Newman commented, “Reagon’s work does not begin or end at the performance date. The extensive experience and knowledge that Toshi brings not only as an artist and performer but as a producer, organizer, and activist provides opportunities for institutions within communities to work together in ways they may have never done before, challenging the ‘how things are normally done’ mindset.”

As an artist-in-residence, Reagon will continue to engage with New Haven organizations beyond the opera throughout the summer as the community continues to tackle some of the themes raised in the book and opera.

This production represents the first major partnership between the Festival and YSC, Yale’s newest center for student life and the arts.

More information can be found on the Arts & Ideas website at artidea.org/parable, with tickets going on sale April 29.

Festival 2022, CONNECT, will take place May 4 - June 26, 2022, in and around New Haven, Conn., featuring more than 200 events, 85 percent of which are free, and many also livestreamed. Connect with the Festival and Connect it all in 2022.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Stetson Library Celebrated At Dixwell Fest

by JORDAN ASHBY

New Haven Independent

Lance Legion looked out on a Dixwell Avenue bustling with dance, music, art, and laughter — all in front of a reborn “Q” House community center and a relocated and expanded Stetson Library.

“I’m really happy about the changes they made,” he said with a smile, holding his son in the afternoon sunshine.

“Growing up, I’ve always wanted to come to the ‘Q’ House, so it’s nice to see it’s open and that they’re finally giving back to the community.”

Legion was one of the hundreds of New Haveners to turn out to the “Q” House Plaza at 197 Dixwell Ave. Saturday for a neighborhood festival hosted by the New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL) and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

The event marked the official opening of the Stetson Public Library in its new home at the “Q” House community center. It also brought hundreds of neighbors together for over four hours of speeches, music, art, dance, fashion, and community building.

The festival had two sections, a main stage MC’d by Juan Castillo and DJ Platinum of WYBC FM radio, and a vendor section with tables manned by artists, community organizations, authors, and local businesspeople .

The festival was a grand celebration appropriate for the immense community effort that the opening of the “Q” House and new Stetson Library entailed. The “Q” House had been closed since 2003. Led by Black women, as NHFPL Foundation President Mike Morand said on Saturday, the “Next Stetson” campaign raised over $2 million dollars in donations to help renovate and reopen the space.

Mayor Justin Elicker singled out for praise Stetson Library Branch Manager Diane Brown for her efforts to help move the Stetson Library from its long-time home across the street and Dixwell Plaza to its new, expanded and renovated home at the “Q” House.

He praised her tireless dedication and work on the project. Former Mayor Toni Harp and the Concerned Citizens for the Greater New Haven Dixwell Community House were also all recognized by Saturday’s lineup of speakers for their role in the opening of the library. During the event, they all received awards for their dedication.

Amid the celebration and thanks was constant recognition of the late City Librarian John Jessen, whom Saturday’s speakers also praised for playing

Members of the Concerned Citizens for the Greater New Haven Dixwell Community House.

Jasmine Nikole: Library has been "dynamic" in her artistic career.

Models in Donald Carter's runway show.

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a crucial role in the re-opening of the “Q” House and Stetson Library. His memory will continue to live on, Morand said, every time any person looks at Stetson library.

“John and I are both very much librarians that like to be out in the community,” Brown said about her late longtime colleague. “If John was here, he would love this festival.”

In a part to honor Jessen’s memory, Brown said it was vital that the festival was just not filled with speeches by leaders and politicians; instead, just as “public libraries belong to the people,” so did this festival.

While the event opened with few speeches, it quickly shifted into participatory activities, such as zumba led

by Chaila Gilliam and line dancing led

by Scheri Walker.

The work of fashion designer Donald Carter wowed the crowds as models of all ages walked the runaway in his beautiful creations.

At the vendor booths, everything from clothing to make-up to paintings to jewelry to wellness products were sold.

Painter Jasmine Nikole talked about how the Stetson library and Diane Brown have been “dynamic” in helping her get her work out. She got involved with the library through teaching workshops and has found a community of support in the space, she said.

Black Haven, an artist collective that aims to activate art justice through movement building events, initiatives and programming also had a booth, advertising the work of Black creatives and their upcoming film festival.

Inside the Stetson, librarian Brooke Jones discussed her plans to bring in the community through teen programming and the “maker space,” a multipurpose room that houses 3D printers, sewing machines, and computers.

Beyond the community spaces, the library is also unique in that 75 percent of its book collection is from the African diaspora.

Throughout the entire festival, people of all ages were smiling, singing, dancing, and laughing.

Lacretia Watts smiled as she watched as her children hula hooped with , martial arts instructor and “hood hula” artist Diamond Tree.

“I brought the babies out so they can have a good time because I don’t think they’ve ever really been to a big festival like this,” Watts said. “But it’s nice, it’s really nice and I feel like it’s supporting the community.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

COMMENTARY:

What Can America Do to Ease Its Fears?

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has long examined America’s hatred toward African Americans, recently noting a profound new rendering of the struggle

by African Americans for equality after the Civil War and the violent counterrevolution that re-subjugated them, as seen through the prism of the war of images and ideas that have left an enduring stain on the American psyche.

“The story of the abolition of slavery in the aftermath of the Civil War is familiar, as is the civil rights revolution that transformed the nation after World War II,” Gates wrote in a white paper.

“But the century in between remains a mystery,” he noted. “If emancipation

came in Lincoln’s America, why was it necessary to march in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s America?”

Further, 54 years after King’s assassination, white supremacy remains on the rise with the merciless Tops supermarket murders of 10 African Americans and even the heartless killings of 19 predominantly Latino students at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

HIT Strategies, Washington D.C.’s leading millennial and minority-owned public opinion research company, issued its latest survey of Black Americans, “Reducing Racism and Discrimination.”

The company said reducing racism and discrimination counts as the “number two” issue for Black voters, behind only inflation and, previously, COVID-19.

HIT officials noted that reducing racism

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consistently ranks among the top three priorities. Black voters want their elected leaders to address this. “[The Topps Supermarket] shooting represented racism in its most violent and craven form,” added Terrance Woodbury, founding partner at HIT Strategies.

“However, Black voters have long recognized how the culture-war politics and its racist rhetoric fuels animus toward Black Americans. Black voters want their elected leaders to respond to racism headon, not just in reaction to tragedies. This is a political and moral imperative.”

One African American male told HIT researchers that “underneath the insurrection, which was the actual event, it was just white backlash. This was the same as the burning of Tulsa. This was the same as all the things.”

An unidentified Black woman added: “I think with Donald Trump coming in and leaving, it woke up a lot of things that were buried, like racism, it’s still alive.”

Jeremy Clifford, founder, and CEO of Router CTRL, a fast-growing website in the technology market, insisted that America’s hate problem remains deeprooted and complex.

“Several factors contribute to it, including our history, culture, and politics,” Clifford stated. “America has a long history of hate. From the days of slavery to the Jim Crow era, from the Civil Rights Movement to today, America has seen its fair share of hate. And while we like to think that we’ve come a long way since then, the truth is that much of our history is still with us today.”

Clifford continued, noting that “we live in a culture that is built on competition and individualism. We are a nation of winners and losers, and we often see others as threats to our success. This can lead

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to fear and suspicion, which can turn into hate.”

“Finally, our politics also contribute to our hate problem. Our political system is based on a winner-take-all. We are a country divided between red and blue, and we often see those on the other side as our enemies. This division can lead to anger and hate.”

TEDx speaker Milagros Phillips said she believes America repeatedly looks in the wrong areas to solve its hate history.

“Whenever something racially charged happens, everyone turns to people of color to solve it. Racism is a problem for people of color. It is not the problem of people of color,” Phillips asserted.

“Hundreds of years of racial conditioning, through violence, scapegoating, and the dehumanization of Black and Brown people have led to the anger, hatred, and dysfunction we experience today.

“But don’t be fooled. That hatred is not today. It’s hundreds of years in the making and practice. Proof of that is the lynching and burnings that have continued.”

Author and human rights activist Tara Teng suggested that America has not solved its hate problem because the nation hasn’t learned how to reconnect with humanity.

“We crave power more than we crave connection to our fellow humans, and this same misalignment of priorities is what America was built upon,” Teng determined.

“It is our origin story. From colonization and genocide to slavery, segregation, and Jim Crow, America has taken every opportunity to use the body as justification for oppression and cruelty.”

Teng continued: “In the name of power and supremacy,

we look to ‘the good old days,’ an idealized past in which tradition and nostalgia were built on the backs of body-based oppression – legislating racism, ableism, and homophobia against anyone who was not powerful and white.

“These power struggles are why Critical Race Theory is banned in schools, legislation is debated in the halls, and bodies are targeted by gun violence in the streets.

Our hate has become embodied within us and because some benefit from it, we refuse to spit the poison out of our mouths.”

What can America do to ease its fears?

Phillips, the TEDx speaker, said treating the trauma would help.

“These horrific things happen to people of color, but no one moves in with the cadre of psychiatrists to treat the trauma,” Phillips remarked.

“We should also treat for justice. White perpetrators of violence are treated differently than perpetrators of color. A white mass shooter can be captured alive and not even handcuffed. Soon after they are captured, the news quickly announces they have a mental health condition.

“Meanwhile, a perpetrator of color is more likely to end up shot dead in a confrontation, and rarely is their mental health part of their defense.”

Phillips concluded that self-care could help Black Americans in particular.

“Because there is very little treatment for Black people’s continual trauma, we will have to learn to self-care,” Phillips maintained.

“There are some wonderful exercises to help with anxiety, fear, and coming down from trauma.”

!

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

HBCU’s Law Enforcement Academy is a first in the nation

By Nicole D. Batey, Special to The Inner-City News, courtesy of the AFRO.com

The Lincoln University Law Enforcement Training Academy (LULETA) is the first of its kind in the nation at an HBCU, where recruits are trained to be community-oriented police officers.

Since January 2021, the academy has been averaging about nine students per semester, most of whom are predominantly African-American. This consistency is unusual, considering other law enforcement agencies in Missouri, which are predominately white, are struggling with minority recruitment. Chief Gary Hill attributes this to the academy’s location on an HBCU campus, as well as having a diverse group of instructors training recruits.

Hill, who is African American and oversees the academy, has been in law enforcement for 26 years and chief of the university’s police department for five years.

“People tend to go where they are going to be comfortable or made to feel welcome, where they see others who look like them,” says Hill. “Our whole goal was to increase a minority footprint within law enforcement around the Missouri area. We had no idea that it was going to be as big as it turned out to be. We have graduated more minorities out of our academy than any of the other 19 academies throughout the state.”

Located in Jefferson City, MO, Lincoln University (LU) was founded in 1866 by African-American veterans of the American Civil War. In addition to the police academy, the university offers 50 undergraduate degree programs, as well as, Master’s degree programs in education, business and social sciences.

Although LU’s academy does not work in conjunction with the university’s police department, their program is comparable to that of other police academies. The minimum hours required by the state of Missouri for certification in qualifying for a police officer is 600+ hours.

LU’s program consists of 650 hours,

including: a 40-hour CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) course, with much of it centered around de-escalation training; 16 hours of shoot, don’t shoot scenarios, where recruits are taught under what circumstances to draw their service weapons; 26 hours of response training to domestic violence, including eight hours of how to handle aggressive behavior; and about another six hours of recognizing and responding to mental health issues; totaling more than 80 hours of de-escalation and subduing aggressive behavior tactics, which is more than what the state requires.

Most unique to LU’s program, is the

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open and safe space in which recruits have to talk with instructors about race matters, both within law enforcement agencies and communities. These conversations are necessary for fostering better relationships between police officers and minorities, especially in a country, where relations have been strained due to police brutality and unfair treatment of minorities.

“The conversations we have in our first class allow students to ask those uncomfortable questions about where we are as a society, before we start doing any police work,” says Hill.

“The biggest difference now between

recruits who are coming through our program versus when I was a recruit for law enforcement is the high number of minorities we now have. In my recruiting class, there were 26 of us and only two of us were Black.”

Also, the program boasts a 98% placement rate of recruits with law enforcement agencies. There has been positive feedback from students who graduate and go on to other law enforcement agencies.

At least several have gone back to their hometowns in St. Louis. Saint Louis has a high crime rate. Former recruits of the program, now police officers, often comment on how what they learned through their CIT training and de-escalation training has properly prepared them for what they face on the streets.

“I’ve grown so much just in those six months. I have gained so much knowledge, confidence in myself, and more to the point where I can say this career is for me. I’m willing to take on every obstacle that comes my way,” says Ti’aja Fairlee (LULETA 2021 graduate from East St. Louis, MO) The last two weeks of the Academy are all practical exercises. Role players create disturbances and various scenarios requiring police response throughout the campus, including the university’s farm which consists of ten cabins and set up like a city. Recruits receive a radio and are dispatched from their classes to their vehicles to investigate “disturbances” and the simulated calls that come in. They are then graded on their responses and handling of these situations. “We want to make sure that our recruits can practically apply what they’ve learned in their books and training,” says Hill.

One positive outcome from the academy has been the statewide recognition they are receiving from other law enforcement agencies in Missouri, regarding their recruitment and retention of minorities. According to Hill, “These agencies have been struggling to recruit minorities, and it’s often because of the lack of representation of minorities within the departments and higher ranks. They are reaching out to us about what we’re doing, and that allows us to have conversation with them and ask questions like, ‘What does your department currently look like?

What are you doing to actively recruit minorities? If minorities from your agency transferred, did you ask them why?’ That for us alone is a big win at the academy.”

Time will tell what kind of long-term impact the academy will have on the face of law enforcement in Missouri. The hope of the academy is to be known for producing community-oriented police officers, who with confidence, are able to best serve every community.

“Our HBCUs need all the recognition we can get for all the work that we do and the great people that are here,” says Hill.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

COMMENTARY:

Racist ‘Replacement’ Rhetoric is Deadly and Republicans Must Stop Using It

By Ben Jealous The young man who murdered 10 people in Buffalo, New York on May 14, was out to kill Black people. He chose a grocery store because he wanted to leave the local Black community in fear of going about their daily lives.

These evil actions were motivated by a racist ideology known as the Great Replacement Theory. That should cause some serious reflection among Republicans who are trying to build power with their own versions of racist “replacement” rhetoric.

Replacement rhetoric is meant to tap into a very old fear: that the survival and dominance of white Americans is threatened by others — whether by the freedom and empowerment of Black people or immigra-

tion by people of color.

Frederick Douglass, one of the great Americans of all time, denounced that ideology shortly after the end of the Civil War. Born into slavery, Douglass became a great anti-slavery speaker and organizer.

He gave a series of important anti-slavery speeches in Buffalo, near where he lived in Rochester, and where a statue of him in his hometown has been repeatedly vandalized.

In 1869, this Black Republican gave a speech called “Our Composite Nation.”

He promoted a vision of a country that welcomed and was strengthened by diversity. And he denounced fears that were being stirred up against Chinese immigrants.

He said that the idea that “the Caucasian race may not be able to hold their own” against immigrants “does not seem entitled to much respect.”

Truth.

Replacement ideology is still not wor-

thy of respect. It is toxic. And it promotes violence.

The man arrested for the killings in Buffalo reportedly claimed that he picked up his anti-Semitic and racist beliefs from some of the unsavory corners of the internet. He decided to kill Black people in Buffalo. Others who have been twisted by the same racist ideas chose to kill Latinos in El Paso, Jews in Pittsburgh, Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Unfortunately, millions of Americans are hearing variations of the replacement rhetoric from irresponsible politicians and cable TV personalities. They falsely claim that Democrats want “open borders” so they can replace American voters with what Tucker Carlson called “more obedient voters from the Third World.”

Carlson has used that kind of rhetoric more than 400 times on his highly rated show. And this year at least half a dozen Republican Senate candidates have been running their reelection campaigns on the idea.

It seems that the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln, is acting more like the old Democratic Party did after the Civil War. It is becoming a party defined by its willingness to use the ideology of violent white supremacists to try to stir up voters and win elections.

This is playing with fire. And if it continues, we will all get burned, again and again.

There is a more honorable path for the Republican Party. I believe national Republicans should go to Buffalo. They should reflect on the killings that were motivated by racist ideas. They should reflect on the legacy of Frederick Douglass. And they should consider the life of a more recent Republican, the late Jack Kemp.

Kemp had been a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. Then he became a Republican congressman representing western New York. And he ran for president as both a Republican and a card-carrying member of the NAACP. “I can’t help but care about the rights of the people I used to shower

with,” Kemp said.

We urgently need more of our national leaders to embrace Douglass’s broad vision of a strong and diverse America, and Jack Kemp’s recognition of our shared humanity. And we need more people, both politicians and regular folks, to have the courage to consistently call out bigotry when we hear it and to hold accountable those who spread it.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People for the American Way and professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

A New York Times best-selling author, his next book “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free” will be published by Harper Collins in December, 2022.

The post COMMENTARY: Racist ‘Replacement’ Rhetoric is Deadly and Republicans Must Stop Using It first appeared on Post News Group. This article originally appeared in Post News Group.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND ANNOUNCES DR. NANCY L. STANWOOD AS CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

As CMO, Dr. Stanwood will lead, oversee, and participate in PPSNE’s clinical care services, ensuring high-quality, safe, and patient-centered health care across the 15 health centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) announces that effective June 1, 2022, Nancy L. Stanwood, MD, MPH, joined the organization as the inaugural full-time Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Stanwood is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist with over 20 years of experience in clinical practice, medical education, and reproductive health and rights advocacy—with a long-standing relationship with Planned Parenthood.

In her new role, she will lead, oversee, and participate in PPSNE’s clinical care services, ensuring high-quality, safe, and patient-centered health care across the 15 health centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Dr. Stanwood will lead the organization’s strategic efforts to advance health equity, focusing on improving health outcomes and reducing disparities in PPSNE

patient communities.

“As a leader in sexual and reproductive health care, clinical practice, teaching, and advocacy, Dr. Stanwood brings immeasurable experience that embodies our commitment to provide care- no matter what,” said Amanda Skinner, President and CEO of PPSNE. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Stanwood’s leadership, clinical expertise, and commitment to our patients, our mission, our communities, and the reproductive health and rights movement at such a profoundly critical moment.”

Since 1998, she has worked as an abortion provider at Planned Parenthood health centers. And for the past eleven years, she has served dual roles: at Yale School of Medicine as the Section Chief of Family Planning and director of the Complex Family Planning fellowship while also serving part-time as PPSNE’s Associate Medical Director.

In reflecting on this new chapter in her career, Dr. Stanwood says, “I first walked into a Planned Parenthood health center

Nancy L. Stanwood, as a patient seeking contraception when I was in medical school. This care allowed me to focus on becoming a physician so

that when I next walked into a Planned Parenthood health center, it was as an abortion care provider.” She continues, “In this critical time, with the erosion of almost 50 years of legal protection for reproductive rights and with growing health disparities due to systemic racism, I am committing myself fully to the mission and work of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. All people deserve access to the care they need to live their lives with dignity and to thrive. I am thrilled to join the vibrant PPSNE team as we work to bring high-quality health care to the communities we serve.”

A Connecticut native, Dr. Stanwood received her undergraduate degree from Brown University, a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency training at the University of Michigan and her fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Stanwood has been awarded

notable distinctions for her work in sexual and reproductive health and medical education. She is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecologists and of the Society of Family Planning.

A determined advocate for reproductive health policies that center patients’ needs and sound science, she previously served on the board of directors and as board chair for the Physicians for Reproductive Health. Dr. Stanwood brings this deep experience to her new role at PPSNE. “Dr. Stanwood is no stranger to Planned Parenthood. Her long-tenured commitment to sexual and reproductive health care brings the leadership and expertise necessary to ensure our patients continue to receive high-quality health care – care that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, equitable, and accessible,” comments Chief Operating Officer, Zari Watkins. “We look forward to working with Dr. Stanwood to continue providing our valued clinical teams with the support necessary to gain the best outcomes possible for our patients.”

Civil rights groups to work through the summer on the national agenda to combat White supremacy

By Deborah Bailey, AFRO D.C. Editor

After meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland, representatives from the nation’s civil rights community are developing their own action plans to address the spread of White supremacy.

The plan for a concerted effort to address White supremacy come after the racially motivated attack on Black residents on May 14 in Buffalo, N.Y. A total of ten African Americans were

killed in a local shopping center and an additional three victims were injured.

The N.A.A.C.P. and National Urban League are preparing to take action on their respective plans to fight White supremacy at their conventions this summer.

“How many more events like the massacre in Buffalo do we need to see before we take action to finally address White supremacy and domestic terrorism in this nation?,” asked NAACP President Derrick Johnson after the meeting with Garland.

The N.A.A.C.P. has released a “Buffalo Response Plan” this week with specific proposals addressing (1) social and corporate responsibility (2) gun violence prevention and (3) police reform.

The organization’s convention is scheduled to start July 14 in Atlantic City, N.J. where the plan will be a primary agenda item that organization officials expect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamila Harris to respond to when each addresses the organization this summer.

15

The National Urban League will address a response to the Buffalo shootings at their upcoming National Policy Conference in Washington DC on June 7-8. Democratic Majority Leader Charles ‘Chuck’ Schumer (D-NY), Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and others will be invited to discuss Congress’ role in moving forward on legislation protecting Black lives.

The National Urban League has also called on the Biden administration to host a national summit on hate crimes.

“Our commitment is doing some-

thing about it, beginning with calling on President Biden to hold a national summit on hate crimes to elevate the national consciousness around the rising danger of White supremacy and online extremism.

“We need a whole of nation approach,” Morial continued, “to eliminate this threat to our national security.”

Read the plan here: https://naacp. org/articles/naacp-releases-plan-address-spread-domestic-terrorism

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Black, Latino, and Native American organizations form a consortium to address alcohol-related harm in the U.S.

Multicultural consortium launched with the support of Diageo North America aims to educate and increase awareness on the effects of alcohol and the impact of impaired driving.

The Multicultural Consortium for Responsible Drinking (MCRD), a working group focused on increasing awareness on the risks of alcohol-related harm and providing education in diverse communities across the country, launched with the support of Diageo North America and leading Black, Latino, and Native American organizations. In its initial phase, members of the MCRD met in Washington, DC, to establish a framework aimed at developing a national public awareness program to reduce the impact of alcohol misuse in communities of color.

Educating people on the effects of alcohol and the impact of impaired driving –including the debunking of myths and misconceptions across these communities– is a key priority for this unique group. The MCRD will combine knowledge and expertise of member organizations, along with Diageo North America’s educational resources, including: Wrong Side of the Road, an interactive digital experience featuring real stories of impaired drivers who share their consequences (https://drinkdriving.drinkiq. com/); and DRINKiQ.com (also available in Spanish language at DRINKiQ.com/espanol), a platform that helps people understand the effects of alcohol and empowers them to make responsible choices around alcohol.

“The Black Church has always been at the forefront of important social issues that impact people of African heritage.

Leaders meet to discuss Responsible Drinking in Washington D.C. — Lorenzo Lopez, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Diageo North America, Alvaro Gurdián, President & CEO, National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP, Inc.), Sam Tatum, VP, Integrated Market and Partnership, Radio One, Ricardo Hurtado, National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP, Inc.), Debra Crew, President, Diageo North America, Stephanie Childs, Executive Vice President, Corporate Relations, Diageo North America, Jean Wells, Editor, The Positive Community Magazine, Ron Burke, National Marketing and Constituency Development Director, National Newspaper Publishers Association, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., President & CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association, and Adrian Council, Sr., Publisher, Positive Community Magazine. Photo Credit: Elijah Sanchez/MCRD.

Alcohol misuse is a fundamental problem that requires sustainable collaboration and immediate action,” said Reverend Anthony Evans, President, National Black Church Initiative (NBCI). “NBCI is proud to be a member of the MCRD to help stamp out this problem in communities of color and create new strategies to impart this difficult problem,” continued Evans.

“I am thankful for the collaboration with Diageo within our communities of color, especially with the company’s education-

al platforms, to help raise public awareness and prevent misuse,” said civil rights icon, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr, President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) representing over 230 Black-owned community newspapers.

“We welcome the opportunity to be a part of the MCRD and use Latino platforms to educate the Latino community about responsible drinking,” said Alvaro Gurdian, President and CEO, National Association of Hispanic Publications

16

(NAHP) reaching over 23 million people of Hispanic heritage in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

“Essentially, every culture shares the joy of music, food, and celebrating responsibly with families and loved ones.”, said Luis Belen, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved. “As a Latino, I have seen our communities struggle throughout the COVID19 pandemic with mental health challenges and substance misuse. ‘Now’ is always the best time to

take action, and NHIT is deeply honored to help launch this consortium. We hope the NHIT Data Fusion Center will provide the foundation for the consortium’s data-driven approach. Through the data, we seek to understand the social circumstances of our communities better and use that knowledge to guide our educational content and outreach strategies. At the same time, we work purposefully and collaboratively toward meaningful change,” stated Belen.

Diageo North America has a longstanding record of working to change the way the world drinks for the better by encouraging moderation and continuing to address alcohol-related harm, expanding its programs that tackle impaired driving and binge drinking. The MCRD initiative furthers Diageo’s commitment in this space as part of its Society 2030 action plan to promote a positive drinking agenda.

“Providing educational tools and information about alcohol will help communities make informed decisions and prevent misuse,” said Stephanie Childs, Executive Vice President, Corporate Relations, Diageo North America. “We are honored to join forces with such distinguished leaders representing diverse communities to reach even more people.”

In addition to the founding members of the MCRD, the group aspires to grow in representation and reach across Black, Latino, and Native American law enforcement, community, faith-based and media organizations.

About the Multicultural Consortium for Responsible Drinking (MCRD) The Multicultural Consortium for Responsible Drinking (MCRD) is a collaborative partnership of key representatives from the faith based, law enforcement, media, non-profit organizations and corporations collectively and strategically working to change attitudes in communities of color to promote positive drinking and increase awareness of the risks of misuse through advocacy, education, and innovative social impact programs.

About Diageo North America Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Casamigos, DeLeon and Don Julio tequilas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and their products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world.

For more information about Diageo, their people, brands, and performance, visit www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow at Twitter and Instagram for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Black Music Month:

47 Best Songs To Keep You Moving

by Aria Ellise, BDO Special Contributor June is Black Music Month, where many celebrate the contribution we have made and continue to make in the music industry. As we all know, music brings people together at parties, events, and even family reunions. Bringing together family for food, fun and music is a great way to have healthy conversations and to get your family moving with physical activity. For June and the rest of the summer, here are some of the best songs for your family to shake a thing or two: 1. Earth, Wind & Fire, “Let’s Groove” 2. Womack & Womack, “Baby, I’m Scared of You” 3. The Spinners, “It’s A Shame” 4. LTD, “Back In Love Again” 5. Roy Ayers, “Love Will Bring Us Back Together” 6. Marvin Gaye, “Got To Give It Up” 7. Shalamar, “A Night To Remember” 8. Earth, Wind & Fire, “Shining Star” 9. Cameo, “Word Up” 10. Roy Ayers, “Running Away” 11. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, “Before I Let Go” 12. The Whispers, “And The Beat Goes On” 13. The Commodores, “Brickhouse” 14. Kool & The Gang, “Get Down On It” 15. The Spinners, “I’ll Be Around” 16. Bobby Byrd, “I Know You Got Soul” 17. The Gap Band, “Outstanding” 18. First Choice, “Let No Man Put Asunder” 19. Stevie Wonder, “Do I Do” 20. Sly and the Family Stone, “Family Affair” 21. Cameo, “Single Life” 22. Mtume, “Juicy Fruit” 23. Cherrell featuring Alexander O’Neal, “Saturday Love” 24. Frankie Smith, “The Double Dutch Bus” 25. Taste of Honey, “Boogie Oogie Oogie” 26. Kool & the Gang, “Celebration” 27. Parliament, “Flashlight” 28. Patrice Rushen, “Forget-Me-Nots” 29. Luther Vandross, “Never Too Much” 30. Diana Ross, “Upside Down” 31. Cheryl Lyn, “Got To Be Real” 32. Evelyn Champagne King, “Love Come Down” 33. Alicia Myers, “I Want To Thank You” 34. Carl Carlton, “Bad Mama Jama” 35. The O’Jays, “Love Train” 36. McFadden & Whitehead, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” 37. Earth, Wind & Fire, “September” 38. Sister Sledge, “We Are Family” 39. Chic, “Good Times” 40. Heatwave, “The Groove Line” 41. Michael Jackson, “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” 42. Chic, “Le Freak” 43. Cameo, “Candy” 44. The Gap Band, “You Dropped A Bomb On Me” 45. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, “Joy and Pain” 46. Stevie Wonder, “All I Do” 47. James Brown, “Say It Loud” and of course…

O’Jays “Family Reunion”

Chris Rock Inducted into Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame Superstar comedian is the 37th inductee

Before his fourth sold-out show at Mohegan Sun Arena, Chris Rock was inducted into the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame.

Tom Cantone, President of Sports and Entertainment Worldwide for Mohegan, presented Rock with the honor in a private ceremony backstage. The Grammy and Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor, director, writer, and producer is the 37th inductee into the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame.

“In a world that needs more laughter, how timely is it to induct Chris Rock, who is now forever enshrined into the Mohegan Sun Entertainment family,” said Tom Cantone, President of Sports and Entertainment Worldwide for Mohegan.

Rock performed for a sold-out crowd on Friday evening as part of his Ego Death World Tour. It was his fourth show at Mohegan Sun Arena since making his debut in 2008. All four of his shows at Mohegan Sun Arena have sold out.

Rock has won four Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards and is a New York Times Best-Selling Author. In addition, he received two nominations at the 2016 Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Director for a Variety Special” for Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo and “Outstanding Special Class Program” for the 88th annual Academy Awards.

The Walk of Fame hosts names like Bon Jovi, Kevin Hart, KISS, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and so many more long-time sell-out acts who are enshrined outside of the Mohegan Sun Box Office forecourt. Mohegan Sun’s Walk of Fame awards seek to recognize individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the success of Mohegan Sun as the Northeast’s premier entertain-

ment destination. All the inductees into the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame have their name engraved on a plaque that will be permanently placed at the entrance to Mohegan Sun Arena. Award-winning Rock band Shinedown was most recently inducted into the Walk of Fame in April.

Mohegan Sun Arena is one of the busiest Arenas in the U.S. and is ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena finished 2021 with its first “#1 Indoor Arena” ranking for its capacity in the world according to Pollstar and VenuesNow, ranked among the top 10 venues in the U.S. regardless of size based on ticket sales, and was named “2021 Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency. In recent years, the award-winning venue has also been the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven – time national award – winner for “Casino of the Year – Arena” by the Academy of Country Music. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.

Meet the 11-Year Old Pool-Playing/ Billiards Champion From PG County, Maryland

BlackNews.com D’Angelo Spain is an 11-year-old African American boy from Bowie, Maryland that has already established himself as a professional pool player. He now plays in billiards tournaments all over the country and is already the top-ranked player in the 13 and under division of the Junior International Championship (JIC).

His parents say that it all started one day when the family went to buy a karaoke machine and D'Angelo asked if they

17

could buy a pool table instead. After negotiating about where they would put the pool table, they decided to go ahead and buy it but they knew they'd have to rearrange some furniture.

In an interview with Fox5DC, D'Angelo, an honor roll student whom his dad has nicknamed 'Jawz', said that he plays pool for 5 to 6 hours every single day. Even more, his 9-year-old sister, Franki, is also making a name for herself as a talented pool player. Their passion for billiards has them spending a lot of time practicing to

perfect their craft.

The next big tournament for D'Angelo is the International Open in Norfolk Virginia in November 2022. However, to compete at such a high level, the expenses are costly. So, the family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the expenses associated with traveling, lodging, and also tournament fees.

D'Angelo playfully says that of all his accomplishments so far, he is most proud that he can beat his dad. "He is good," D'Angelo says. "But not good enough."

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022 Con’t from page 05

Classmates

New Haven Public Schools

We are Accepting Applications!

Early Childhood Programs

How to Apply

Parents of 3 and 4 year olds are encouraged to apply.

Application begins with a phone call

Contact the Head Start Program or School Readiness Program at 475-220-1462/1463.

What you will submit with your Application 1) Proof of Age Child’s Birth Certificate OR Legal Custody/Guardianship Papers

FREE and Sliding Scale 6-hour Programs for 3 and 4 Year Olds of low-income New Haven families

2) Proof of Address Current utility bill (Gas, Electric, Phone, Cable) in your name

Available in the following New Haven Public Schools:

• Benjamin Jepson Multi-Age School • Dr. Mayo Early Childhood School • Fair Haven School • John Martinez Sea & Sky STEM School • Lincoln-Bassett Community School • Truman School • Additional community locations also participate in the program.

3) Proof of Income • 2 months of Current & Consecutive pay stubs OR W-2 or 1040 Tax Return • Budget Statement from the CT Department of Social Services or Social Security Office or Child Enforcement Bureau • Notarized Statement indicating Parent is unemployed • Additional forms may be requested

Contact: Esther Pearson-Pinckney, Head Start Social Service Coordinator at 475-220-1462/1463 or email: esther.pearson-pinckney@nhboe.net

4) Proof of a Physical (within one year-to-date) • CT Department of Education Early Childhood Health Assessment Record • Anemia and lead level test results • TB assessment • Immunizations records • Seasonal flu vaccination • Health insurance card 5) Proof of a Dental Exam (within 6-months-to-date) Dental Exam record

NEW HAVEN

HeadStartNewHaven.com 475-220-1462 / 475-220-1463

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matizing for survivors who discover they are pregnant.

They noted that even with Roe v. Wade still intact, Black and Brown people, immigrants, and those without health insurance or a financial safety net remain more likely to face barriers to abortion.

And a few speakers argued that the logic underpinning Alito’s leaked draft — that abortion rights’ absence in the Constitution makes them unprotected — could be used to overturn rights to gay marriage, contraceptive access, and affirmative action.

For some protestors, the day was a reminder of the healthcare access — from abortions to contraceptives — that enabled women to succeed at institutions like Yale.

The university began accepting women as students in 1969.

“I was able to graduate from Yale because of reproductive rights,” said alumna Emee Pumarega.

Pumarega’s classmate Ritika Arora recalled traveling to D.C. during her undergraduate years to protest for reproductive rights in 1992. “I can’t believe women have fewer rights now,” she said.

Kavanaugh was not present at the protest.

No one that the Independent spoke to saw him at the reunion that preceded the protest.

Con’t from page 04

Weed-preneur

and I’m black and I’m a woman.” Still, she said, she recognizes the opportunities she has been provided through the state legislation and hopes that “those that can take advantage of the limited opportunities will expand and create opportunities for the greater community.”

Smith-Bolden, a certified nurse by training, developed her belief in the medicinal power of cannabis from her own experience treating her wheelchair-bound grandmother. Thanks to cannabis, her grandmother began to be able to walk again with a walker and communicate in ways she has previously been unable. This experience led Smith-Bolden to formally study the medicinal powers of cannabis at the Northeast Institute of Cannabis.

“What most engaged me was putting together prohibition and the history of cannabis and the War on Drugs and seeing it become legal, and knowing that people I knew were in prison for it,” Smith-Bolden said. “I felt it was really important to bring all that information back to my hometown … and tell people about it as medicine.”

While she works on launching her new enterprise, Kebra Smith-Bolden is continuing to spread awareness and education around cannabis through a Northeast Cannabis Nursing Conference scheduled to take place at the Omni Hotel on June 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The conference will include speaker panels, a “Cannabiz Pitch Contest” with a $1,000 first prize and $500 second prize, and free medical certifications for up to 30 qualified applicants. Find more info about the event and register here.

THE INNER-CITYNEWS NEWS -July June , 2022 - June02, 14,2016 2022 INNER-CITY 27,082016 - August

Construction

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valWe offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits id drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621Contact: Tom Dunay VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE 1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Phone: 860- 243-2300 HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom this develAffiatrmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to applyapartments Drug Free Workforce opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven.

Maximum income limitations apAffirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer ply. 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 reGarrity Asphalt Incduring seeks: CT Fence quest by calling HOMEReclaiming, INC at 203-562-4663 those hours.Large Completed pre- Company looking for an individual for our Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing PVC Fence Production Shop. Experience preferred but will applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northtrain the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. east & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits & 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 poContact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 sition. Duties include building fence panels, posts, gates and Email: rick.touMust have a valid CT driver’s license & be able to obtain signant@garrityasphalt.com VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDESmore.

DISPONIBLES a Drivers Medical Card. Must be able to pass a physical and Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply drug test. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com.

Affirmative Action/deEqual Opportunity HOME INC, en nombre la Columbus House y Employer de la New Haven Housing Authority, está AA/EOE-MF 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 Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipjulio,Must 2016have hastaacuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes ment.

CDL License, clean driving record, capable of (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas porSeeking correo atopetición operating heavyde equipment; be willing to travel throughout the employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberánand remitirse Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits operator teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT personal 06510 . transportation and a valid drivers license reReliable

NOTICE

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

NOTICIA

Union Company seeks:

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Construction

quired. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to:

POLICE OFFICER Competitive examinations will be held for the position of Police Officer in selected departments in South Central Connecticut.

Candidates may register for the testing process at www.policeapp.com/southcentral.

Application deadline is

Monday, June 20, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.

The written and oral board exams will be administered by the South Central Criminal Justice Administration.

All candidates must possess a valid CHIP card as of July 1, 2022.

THE DEPARTMENTS PARTICIPATING IN THIS RECRUITMENT DRIVE ARE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS.

TOWN OF EAST HAVEN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATOR

Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

The Town of East Haven seeks a qualified candidate to serve in the position of Information Technology Administrator. This is a highly responsible position that oversees the development, implementation and use of technology throughout the town. Qualified Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V candidates should possess a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or a related field Drug Free Workforce an accredited college or university and five (5) years of progressively responsible Invitationfrom to Bid: information technology experience including at least 4 years in a supervisory capacity, nd 242-258 Fairmont Ave State of Connecticut 2 Notice or an equivalent combination of training and qualifying experience substituting on a Office of Policy year-for-year basis. Must have valid class 3 Connecticut Driver's License. The salary 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA and Management for this position is $75,235/year, 35 hours per week (flex hours) and the Town offers All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 Old Saybrook, CT benefit package. Applications are available online at https://www.townofean excellent highways, near bus stop & shopping center Please return (4ofBuildings,asthavenct.org/civil-service-commission/pages/job-notices-and-tests.

17 Units) The State of Connecticut, Office application along with a cover letter and resume to: Town of East Haven, Michelle Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 Policy and Management is recruiting Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project Benivegna, Human Resource Department, 250 Main Street, East Haven, CT 06512 or for a Research Analyst.

MBenivegna@townofeasthavenct.org. Deadline June 23, 2022. The Town of East HaFurther informationWood regarding the Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, CastCT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s New Construction, Framed, ven is committed to building a work force of diverse individuals. Minorities, females, duties, eligibility requirements and Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates handicapped and Siding, veterans are encouraged to apply. The Town of East Haven is an equal in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30application instructions for this 3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. opportunity employer. position are available at:

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

NEW HAVEN

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

(203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= This contract is subject to state set-asideHeavy and contractEquipment compliance requirements.

Operator & Skilled Laborer 220512&R2=6855AR&R3=001

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.

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.

Our growing construction company currently has a few open positions available.

The State of Connecticut is an equal Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 opportunity/affirmative action employer All work is 1st shift and we work only in the State of Connecticut. and strongly encourages the Anticipated applications Start: August 15, 2016 of women, minorities, and persons Project documents available via ftp link below: with disabilities.

Ideal candidate will have experience operating all types of heavy equipment on large

Heavy Equipment Operator

http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage municipal construction jobsites. A minimum of 3 years’ experience required.

Skilled Construction Laborer

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 In needdawnlang@haynesconstruction.com of a skilled construction laborer who has experience prepping, forming, DRIVER CDLtheCLASS HCC encourages participation of A all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses pouring and finishing concrete sidewalks. Additional labor skills a plus.

Company, 32 Progress Seymour, CT 06483 Full Time –Haynes All Construction Shifts Top Both Ave, positions require current OSHA 10 Certificate (Hazwoper Certificate a plus).

Positions require taking and passing a drug test / background check.

Pay-Full BenefitsAA/EEO EMPLOYER Apply by emailing your resume to TradeMarkLLC@att.net or fax to 860-314-1428.

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

EOE Please apply in person: 1425 Honeyspot Rd. Ext. Stratford, CT 06615

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

19

Women & Minority applicants are encouraged to apply.

An Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer

21 - October , 2021 - August 02, 12 2016

me, CT -1. Apgas and benefits. ox 388,

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INNER-CITY 27, 08 2016 - August THE INNER-CITYNEWS NEWS July - June , 2022 - June02, 14,2016 2022

Town of Greenwich, Connecticut

Police Officer NOTICE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE 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 VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Do You Want A Job That Makes A Difference?

HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está Become A Town of Greenwich cer. aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de unPolice dormitorio Offi en este desarrollo

Candidates fulfillStreet, several including: ubicado en la callemust 109 Frank New basic Haven. requirements 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• hanBe recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) a U.S. Citizen en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición Be at leastdurante 20 esas years of age deberán remitirse llamando a HOME• INC al 203-562-4663 horas.Pre-solicitudes a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven 06510 .

• Possess 45 college credits, or 2 years of, CT active

military service or equivalent

Current Salary: $69,701 plus benefits.

To view detailed information and apply online visit: www.governmentjobs. com/careers/greenwichct *Application Deadline: 11/01/21 06/13/224:00 4:00 PM pm

NEW HAVEN

Invitation to Bid: nd The Town of Greenwich is242-258 dedicated to Fairmont Diversity & Equal AveOpportunity Employment icut 2 Notice

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

TREASURER/PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 Old Saybrook, CT The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport highways, near bus stop & shopping center (4 Buildings,The 17 Units) Policy City of Milford is seeking candidate the position of Request fora qualifi Proposal (RFP) Pet under 40lb allowed.

Interested partiesed contact Maria @for 860-985-8258 an &And Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project Treasurer/Payroll Administrator to handle receipts and disbursements Green Physical Needs Assessment egic and investment of cash in accordance with state statutes and y.

Solicitation Number: 190-MD-21-Scity investCT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s med, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castment policy as well as oversee the preparation maintenance of muCertificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in theand intellectual formation of Candidates uties, in response Vinyl to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30rete, Asphaltnicipal Shingles, Siding, payrolls.

For details about qualifi cations and how to apply, email ation The Authority ofJoe the CityM.S., of B.S. Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities 3:30Housing Contact: Chairman, Deacon J. Davis, (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, Pastor of Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 a Brewster 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, HRrecruit@milfordct.gov or go toD.D. www.ci.milford.ct.us/hr/pages/jobs.

(PCC) is currently seeking proposals from qualifi edPitts consultants to conduct Green m/ St. New Physical Needs Assessment (GPNA), an Energy Audit and UPCS/REAC inspecctrical, Plumbing andHaven, FireCTProtection. tions of PCC’s development portfolio, in accordance with applicable regulations is1te set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Construction

sued by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD’s

ual regulations require that the GPNA incorporate the recommended Energy ConservaSeeking to employ individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamoyer ded, Due Date: August 5, 2016 experienced tion theoutside Energywork Audit.

All of the information must be provided inaa tions ster Measures trades for afrom heavy statewide.

Reliable personal transportation and ns ated Start: format August as 15,prescribed 2016

by HUD (i.e., using the HUD GPNA Tool). Solicitation pack-

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Sealed bidslicense are invited byTotheapply Housing of the Town of resume Seymour valid drivers required. pleaseAuthority call (860) 621-1720 or send to: age will be link available onDepartment, October 04,P.O. to368, obtain electronic of the RFP ments available via3:00 ftp below: Personnel CT06410. until pm on Tuesday, August2021, 2,Box 2016 atCheshire, itsanoffice at 28copy Smith Street, you must send your Affi request bids@parkcitycommunities.org., please reference rmative to Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V m/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Seymour, CTnumber 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at will the the solicitation and title on the subject line.

A Pre-proposal conference Drug Free Workforce TION beSmithfield Gardens call Assisted Living19,Facility, Smith Seymour. held via conference on October 2021 @26 10:00 a.m.Street Although attendance

W!

Fence Installers:

awn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com is not mandatory, submitting a proposal without attending the pre-proposal confern of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking ence may not be in the will best be interest of the the Housing Offeror. Additional questions should A pre-bid conference held at Authority Office 28 Smith Company, 32 Progress Ave,Installation Seymour, CT 06483 for Fence Crews. Crews must at least 5 years of experiencenoinstallbe emailed only to Caroline Sanchez at have bids@parkcitycommunities.org later Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

Welders AA/EEO EMPLOYER ing link, 26, wood, PVC ornamental iron fencing.

Work availablewill 10-12 thanchain October 2021 @and 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions be months posted Health per year, highest labor rates paid. All necessary equipment provided. holiday, on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org.

Proposals shallMedical, be emailed, or ay. vacation & documents otherbybenefi ts Must be the able to to pass physical andChief drug Bidding areincluded. available from Seymour Housing Authority Ofhand delivered November 8, 2021 @ 3:00 p.m., Ms.required Caroline Sanchez, test.

An OSHAOffi 10 cer, Certifi cation is required.

ABridgeport, valid CT driver's licenseLate is required and Procurement 150 Highland Ave, CT 06604. proposals fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. ord, CT must get DOT Medical Card. We are an AA/EOE company. Send resumes/inquiries to: PLOYER will not be accepted. rhauer@atlasoutdoor.com.

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

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Request for Proposals Youth Development Program Services – Eastview Terrace Elm City Communities is currently seeking proposals for youth development program services at Eastview Terrace. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, May 23, 2022 at 3:00PM.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

DELIVERY PERSON

NEEDED Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested call

Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

(203) 435-1387

Request for Proposals Youth Development Program Services – West Rock Elm City Communities is currently seeking proposals for youth development program services at West Rock. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, May 23, 2022 at 3:00PM.

POLICE OFFICER

NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR BID HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY

City of Bristol $70,915 - $86,200/yr.

Boiler Preventative Maintenance and Repair Services IFB No. B22002

Required testing, registration info, and apply online: www.bristolct.gov DEADLINE: 06-29-22 EOE

SCOPE:

The Housing Authority of the City of Danbury hereby issues this Invitation for Bid to provide Boiler Services Invitation to Bid:

2nd Notice

BID SUBMITTAL RETURN: SAYEBROOKEHousing VILLAGE Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 SENIOR ADMINITRATIVE Old Saybrook, CT Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No.B22002, Boiler Services (4 Buildings, 17 Units) SUBMITTAL DEADLINE Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project July 13, 2022 at 10:30am (EST) Full-time position

ASSISTANT

Newto Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, CastGo www.portlandct.

CONTACT PERSON FOR IFB DOCUMENT: in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles,Lisa VinylGilchrist, Siding, Purchasing Agent Telephone: 203-744-2500 x1421 org for details

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, E-Mail: lgilchrist@hacdct.org Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

State of Connecticut [Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond] This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Office of Policy and Management

TOWN OF EAST HAVEN

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management Anticipated is recruiting Start: August 15, 2016 for a Research Analyst.

Project documents available via ftp link below:

Further information regarding the http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions for this Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: position are available at:Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

DEPUTY TAX ASSESSOR-$33,181 19.5 hours/week DEPUTY TAX COLLECTOR-$59,556 35 hours/week HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses

https://www.jobapscloud.com/ Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= Applications are available online at https://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-service220512&R2=6855AR&R3=001 AA/EEO EMPLOYER commission/pages/job-notices-and-tests. Please send application, cover letter and The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

20

resume to: Town of East Haven, Michelle Benivegna, Human Resource Department, 250 Main Street, East Haven, CT 06512 or MBenivegna@townofeasthavenct.org. The Town of East Haven is committed to building a work force of diverse individuals. Minorities, females, handicapped and veterans are encouraged to apply. The Town of East Haven is an equal opportunity employer.

INNER-CITY 27,08 2016 - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITYNEWS NEWS July - June , 2022 - June 14, 2022 INNER-CITY 27,252016 - August THE INNER-CITYNEWS NEWS July - May , 2022 - May02, 31,2016 2022

NOTICE NOTICE

Invitation to Bid: VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSINGPREPRE-APPLICATIONS APPLICATIONSAVAILABLE AVAILABLE VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING

LASCANA HOMES

HOME INC, INC, on on behalf behalf of of Columbus ColumbusHouse Houseand andthe theNew NewHaven HavenHousing HousingAuthority, Authority, HOME 329 Smith Farm Road CT 06477atatthis is accepting accepting pre-applications forstudio studio andOrange, one-bedroom apartments thisdeveldevelis pre-applications for and one-bedroom apartments opment located located at at 108 108 Frank FrankStreet, Street,New NewHaven.

Haven.Maximum Maximumincome incomelimitations limitationsapapopment ply. Pre-applications Pre-applications will be be available available from 9AMTO TO5PM 5PM beginning MondayJu;y Ju;y ply. will 9AM Monday New Construction of 6 Res.from Buildings & 1 beginning CB, 46 Units, 25, 2016 2016 and and ending ending when when sufficient sufficient pre-applications pre-applications (approximately (approximately100) 100)have have 25, Approximately 62,573 sf. This is our project. been received received at at the the offices offices of of HOME HOME INC. INC.Applications Applicationswill willbe bemailied mailiedupon uponrerebeen No Wage Rates, Taxable on materials. questNote: by calling calling HOME INC atalso, 203-562-4663 duringthose those hours.

Completed prequest by HOME INC 203-562-4663 during Please review andat price bid alternates spec.hours. sectionCompleted 01230. preapplications must must be be returned returned to toHOME HOMEINC’s INC’soffices officesatat171 171Orange OrangeStreet, Street,Third Third applications Floor, New New Haven, Haven, CT CT 06510.

06510.

Floor,

Project documents include but not limited to:

Site-work, landscaping, paving, gypsum underlayment, concrete, rough & finish carpentry labor & material, wood trusses, waterproofing, insulation, asphalt shingles, vinyl siding labor & material, gutters & downspouts, doors, frames & hardware, windows, drywall, flooring, painting, signage, toilet & bath accessories, residential appliances, casework & countertops, floor mats and frames, horizontal louver blinds, fire suppression, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, VALENTINA DE DISPONIBLES VALENTINAMACRI MACRIVIVIENDAS VIVIENDAS DEALQUILER ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES final cleaning and sanitaryPRE-SOLICITUDES facilities.

NOTICIA NOTICIA

Bid Due Date: June 9, 2022 @ 5pm

HOME HOME INC, INC,en ennombre nombrede delalaColumbus ColumbusHouse Houseyyde delalaNew NewHaven HavenHousing HousingAuthority, Authority,está está To:para dlang@haynesct.com aceptando estudios aceptando pre-solicitudes pre-solicitudes para estudiosyyapartamentos apartamentosde deun undormitorio dormitorioeneneste estedesarrollo desarrollo ubicado ubicado en en lala calle calle 109 109 Frank Frank Street, Street, New New Haven.

Haven. Se Se aplican aplicanlimitaciones limitacionesdedeingresos ingresos máximos.

Las máximos. http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=lascanahomesoforange Las pre-solicitudes pre-solicitudes estarán estarán disponibles disponibles09 09a.m.-5 a.m.-5p.m. p.m.comenzando comenzandoMartes Martes2525 julio, cuando se suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) julio, 2016 2016 hasta cuando sehan hantorecibido recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) Thishasta contract is subject state set-aside and contract compliance requirements en en las las oficinas oficinas de de HOME HOME INC. INC. Las Las pre-solicitudes pre-solicitudesserán seránenviadas enviadaspor porcorreo correoaapetición petición All questions must be INC in written form and directed to the appropriate estimator: Facllamando aaHOME durante esas deberán remitirse llamando HOME submitted INCalal203-562-4663 203-562-4663 durante esashoras.Pre-solicitudes horas.Pre-solicitudes deberánEric remitirse chini - efacchini@haynesct.com for Site, Concrete, Masonry and MEPs trades. Dan Holt - dholt@ . aa las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 las oficinas de HOME INC en for 171allOrange tercer piso, New haynesct.com trades inStreet, Divisions 6 through 14. Haven , CT 06510 .

Project documents available via ftp link below:

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

NEW HAVEN NEW HAVEN ELM CITY COMMUNITIES 242-258 Fairmont Ave

Invitation for Bids 242-258 Fairmont Ave 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 11 level Scattered Site Home Exterior and Interior Renovations – Group C 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, level,,1BA 1BA

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 AllCommunities new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close I-91Exterior & I-95 and Elm City is currently bids& for Scattered Site to Home highways, nearseeking bus stop shopping center bus stop & shopping center may be obtained Interior Renovations highways, – Group C.near A complete copy of the requirement PetCity underCommunities’ 40lb allowed. Vendor Interested parties contact Mariahttps://newhavenhousing. @ 860-985-8258 from Elm Collaboration Portal Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate is a 10 month program to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates CT. UnifiedProgram.

Deacon’sThis Association is pleased to designed offer a Deacon’s in responseProgram. to the Church’s needs.

The designed cost is $125.

Classes start Saturday,formation August 20, 1:30Certificate This is aMinistry 10 month program to assist in the intellectual of 2016 Candidates 3:30 Contact:to Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis,The M.S., B.S.is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30in response the Church’s Ministry needs. cost (203) 996-4517Chairman, Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, 3:30 Contact: Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S.,D.D. B.S.Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster , Inc. seeks experienced PROJECT St. New Haven, CT St. New Haven,toCThandle multiple large projects in the field of Electrical ConstrucMANAGER

Monday, June 6, 2022 at 3:00PM.

Ducci Electrical Contractors

State of Connecticut

tion. Full-time position.

10+ of yearsPolicy experience in the following types of projects is Office and Management preferred: Health care, Data centers, Educational, Industrial, Commercial, DOT, & Railroad. E-1 license REQUIRED. Excellent compensation and benefits package.

SendThe resume Electrical Contractors, Scott Swamp Rd. Farmington, StatetoofDucci Connecticut, Office of Policy Inc. and 74 Management is recruiting for an CT Sealed bids are invited byProgram the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour OPM Information Manager (State Program Manager) and a 06032 or Public via email at humanresources@duccielectrical.com.

SEYMOUR SEYMOUR HOUSING HOUSING AUTHORITY AUTHORITY

Sealed bidspmareon

by August the Housing Authority of theatTown of Seymour Staff3:00 Attorney 1 invited (Confidential). until Tuesday, 2, 2016 at its office 28 Smith Street, until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application AnCT affirmative action equal opportunity employer.and EOE/M/F/D/V. Seymour, 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs Replacement Street, at the instructions are06483 available Seymour, CT for at: Concrete Replacement Smithfield Gardens Assisted LivingSidewalk Facility, Repairs 26 Smithand Street Seymour. at the https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.

Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

The Housingasp?R1=220414&R2=4799MP&R3=001 Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT. A pre-bidseeking conference willqualified be held at the Housing Authority Office Service 28 Smith is currently bids from electrical companies for Electrical Latand eral at CT Leroy Downs Apartments, 26 Monroe Street, Norwalk, CTSmith 06854 AReplacement pre-bid conference beam, heldonatWednesday, the Housing Authority Office 28 Street Seymour, atwill 10:00 July 20, 2016. https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.

Copies of Seymour, bidding documents including & specifications purchased starting asp?R1=220413&R2=1637CR&R3=001 Street CT at 10:00 am, plans on Wednesday, July can 20, be 2016.

05/07/2022 from Technical Reproductions Inc., 326 Main Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851 The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative actionAuthority employer OfBidding documents areMonday available from the Seymour Housing from 8:00and AM to 5:00encourages PM Friday. proposal are due strongly thethrough applications of Bid women, minorities, andat 2:00 PM Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. persons with disabilities. on 06/08/2022 fice, 28The Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer Adam D. Bovilsky, Executive Director 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, anyto The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or rejectand anytoorwaive all bids, informalities in the bidding, actions are infunding, the bestand interest of the reduce the scope of the projectif tosuch reflect available to waive any

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES CITY OF MILFORD

DRIVER CDL CLASS A Full Time – All Shifts Top

Seeking qualified condidates to Pay-Full Benefits fill numerous vacancies to inEOE Please apply in person: clude, Deputy Assessor, Mechanic 1425 Honeyspot Rd. Ext. Experienced Commercial Property/Facilities Manager Stratford, CT 06615 Sewer Line, Public Health Nurse Fusco Management Company is seeking a qualified Property/Facilities and more. For information and Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids with for pest control services.

Manager a minimum of 3 to 5 years of experience managing comdetailed application instructions, QSR STEEL CORPORATION mercial properties.

Excellent organizational and communication skills are A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Commuvisit www.ci.milford.ct.us required. Responsibilities include: nities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesysClick on SERVICES, JOBS on and tems.com/gateway beginning Budgeting and forecasting of expenses - timely approval of invoices, prepJOB TITLE. Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Invitation for Bids Pest Control Services

aration of client bill packages

APPLY NOW!

Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Oversight of maintenance staff and subcontractors - prioritizing and scheduling project work, reviewing work order requests, oversight and Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT coordination of subcontractors to minimizeAFFIRMATIVE disruption to the property ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 3:00PM.

DELIVERY PERSON

Listing: Part Time Summer Help

NEEDED

Town of Bloomfield tinual follow upSeptember with subcontractors optimum performance Petroleum company has an immediate need until 2022 forto ensure Family & Youth Engagement temporary part time help. Attention to detail and following directions Assists in developing specifications for biddingSpecialist work and purchasing with– Full Time required.

Sendcallresume to: HR Manager, Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested in guidelines. $29.78 hourly 388, CT. 06437 or email at: Part Time DeliveryP.O. NeededBox One/Two Day aGuilford, Week, Pre-employment drug testing.

Maintaining positive tenant and client relations - responding to tenant rehrdept@eastriverenergy.com For more details, visit our website – Oversight of janitorial, landscaping, and other vendors inspections - con-

(203) 435-1387 quests, follow up to ensure completion ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

DRIVER CDL CLASS A

www.bloomfieldct.org

Deadline: Applications will be accepted

Excel, Word and Outlook computer skills would be helpful

until position is filled.

Yard Worker: Full Time – All Shifts Top

Company will make best efforts to have the managed properties within counties in reasonable proximity to candidates home. Medical and dental Large CT Fence Company is looking for individuts, 401k.

Equal warehouse Employment rmative Action Emals for our stock yard. We are looking for benefi individuals with previous ship-Opportunity/Affi Senior Administrative Assistant ployer. submit to openjobs.group@fusco.com.

Phone calls ping, receiving and forklift experience. Must have aPlease minimum of 3resumes years of material to the Town Manager – Full Time will be accepted. handling experience. Duties include: Loading & not unloading trucks, Fulfilling orders for $72,254 to $111,522 EOE Please apply in sales, person: installation & retail counter Maintaining a clean & organized environment, Man(expected starting pay maximum is aging inventory control & delivering fence panels & products.

Qualifications: High 1425 Honeyspot Rd. Ext. mid-range) School diploma or CT equivalent, Must be abletotoBid: read/write English, demonstrate good Invitation Stratford, 06615 Pre-employment drug testing. to Bid: have the ability to lift 70 pounds. time management skills, able to readInvitation a nd tape measure, 2 ndNotice For more details, visit our website NoticeDOT Medical Card, and pass company Must have a valid CT Driver’s License,2Obtain – www.bloomfieldct.org physical and drug test. Class A CDL & Class B CDL license a plus. We are an AA/EOE company. Send resumes/inquiries to: pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com Old Saybrook, CT Deadline: June 30, 2022

Town of Bloomfield

Pay-Full Benefits

SAYEBROOKE SENIOR ADMINITRATIVE SAYEBROOKEVILLAGE VILLAGE

ASSISTANT

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units) (4 Buildings, 17 Units) QSRTax STEEL Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project Tax Exempt & Not Wage Rate Project The Town of East Haven is seeking CORPORATION Full-time position Prevailing a qualified candidate to fill the position of Assessment Clerk II. This is a highly reNewto Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective position Demolition, Site-work, Go www.portlandct. involving the Castprocessing, recording and reporting of properties and New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing,sponsible Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, exemptions for the Town's assessment and balances grand list to the same. Considorg for details in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, erable degree of responsibility and thoroughness required of the position. Qualified Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential candidates should possess Casework, a high school diploma or equivalent and 2 years of experiSteelFlooring, Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. ence in office work of a responsible nature requiring arithmetic computations. Must be State of Connecticut Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

Top for top performers.

Health Thispay contract isMechanical, subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Office of Policy computer literate and have a valid class 3 Connecticut Driver's License. The salary for Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay.set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

This contract isManagement subject to state and this position is $52,278/year, 35 hours per week.

APPLY NOW!

Assessment Clerk II:

Bid Extended, Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford,Due CT Date: August 5, 2016 LEGAL NOTICE Applications AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016are available online at https://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-serviceRequest for Proposals (RFP) for Services commission/pages/job-notices-and-tests. Please send application to: Town of East Ha-

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Anticipated Start: August 15,link 2016 Project documents ftp below: The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Man- available ven,via Michelle Benivegna, Human Resource Department, 250 Main Street, East Haven, agement, is seeking proposals to providedocuments certain serProject available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage CT 06512 or MBenivegna@townofeasthavenct.org.

The deadline to apply is June 17, vices related to a Housing and Segregation Study. http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage 2022. The Town of East Haven is committed to building a work force of diverse indiThe intent of the request is to identify individuals

Portland

or firms with the necessary expertise to provide viduals. dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Minorities, females, handicapped and veterans Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 analysis of the impact of federal and state housing Town of&East Haven is an equal opportunity employer. programs within Connecticut on economic racial encourages the of allLang Veteran, S/W/MBE Section 3 Certified Businesses FaxHCC or Email Questions &participation Bids to:and Dawn @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com segregation within a stated timeframe.

Director of Public Works full-time

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

are encouraged to apply. The

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF NORWALK, CT IS REQUESTING PROPOSALS FROM CONSULTANTS OR ARCHITECTURAL/ENGINEERING FIRMS FOR AN UPDATED PHYSICAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF 12 FEDERAL FINANCED HOUSING PROPERTIES. TO OBTAIN A COMPLETE COPY OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS, CONTACT GUILLERMO BENDANA, PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST AT GBENDA@NORWALKHA.OGR NORWALK AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. ADAM BOVILSKY, EXECUPLOYER. ADAMHOUSING BOVILSKY, IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. TIVE DIRECTOR.

The RFP is available online at: https://portal.

Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/BidBoard and https:// THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF NORWALK, CT IS REQUESTING PROPOSALS FROM portal.ct.gov/OPM/Root/RFP/Request-ForAA/EEO EMPLOYER Proposals or from Pauline Zaldonis, Office of PolCONSULTANTS OR ARCHITECTURAL/ENGINEERING FIRMS FOR AN UPDATED PHYSICAL NEEDS icy and Management, Data and Policy Analytics ASSESSMENT OF 12 FEDERAL FINANCED HOUSING PROPERTIES. TO OBTAIN A COMPLETE COPY Division, 450 Capitol Ave., MS#52DPA, Hartford, Connecticut 06106-1379. E-mail: dapa@ct.gov.

OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS, CONTACT GUILLERMO BENDANA, PROCUREMENT Telephone (860) 418-6304. Deadline for response SPECIALIST AT GBENDA@NORWALKHA.OGR NORWALK HOUSING IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMsubmission is 3:00 P.M., April 29, 2022.

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

21 21

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Racism Continues to Block the Escape of Many Africans from Ukraine. Here’s Why

By Legrand H. Clegg II, BlackNews.com Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on February 24, 2022, word has spread that, while millions of Ukrainians and other Europeans have sought refuge in neighboring countries, Africans have faced discrimination in their efforts to leave Ukraine.

It appears that most Black students, migrant workers, and professionals have met the same fate. According to the New York Times, Chineye Mbagwu, a 24-year-old doctor from Nigeria who lived in the Western Ukrainian town of Ivano – Frankivsk, reported that “The Ukrainian border guards were not letting us through… They were beating people up with sticks… They would slap them, beat them and push them to the end of the queue. It was awful.”

Emmanuel Nwulu, 30, a Nigerian student of electronics at Kharkiv National University, said that when he tried to board a train in Ukraine going west toward the border, Ukrainian officials told him, “Blacks could not board the train.”

In other cases, Polish officials have denied Black people escaping Ukraine entry into that country. Reportedly, other foreigners have not faced such discrimination in Ukraine or Poland. The African Union has stated: “Reports that Africans are singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment would be shockingly racist,” and violate international law.

Over the past few weeks conditions have changed. Ukrainian officials have condemned all forms of discrimination against refugees. The Global Black Coalition has assisted some Africans in leaving Ukraine. Furthermore, certain African nations have sent planes to Eastern Europe to rescue their citizens.

Yet, the question remains: Why have Ukrainians singled out people of African descent for special discrimination?

The standard answers are that Europeans are xenophobic in general; that Africans were once enslaved in parts of Europe and this stigma persists, or that Africans are viewed as primitives, and therefore disrespected.

I believe that there is another reason that has not been considered by scholars and scientists. Ukrainians are not unique among white Europeans in their collective attitude toward Black people. On a global level (in Europe, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, the United States, etc.) white people have a deep-seated, visceral, reflexive loathing of Black people that appears to defy all logic and has

persisted for centuries.

I believe that on a deep, subconscious level the white collective has inherited from its ancient and medieval ancestors an ingrained resentment of Black people that was originally caused by three thousand years of Black armies raiding, invading, conquering, dominating, colonizing, oppressing, enslaving and, ironically, in some cases, civilizing various European and Western Asian populations.

Ukraine is a case in point. In antiquity, this country was called Scythia. According to the Greek historians Herodetus, Diodorius, Plutarch, Strabo, and Josephus, around 1,900 B.C., an Egyptian army, led by the Black, “world conquering pharaoh,” Senwosret, marched through Southern Russia. Historian Richard Poe, citing the scholar Martin Bernal, states

that the pharaoh left in his wake a “wide band of burnt, plundered, and deserted cities throughout” Scythia and what is today Anatolia, Armenia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia. This was a time, Poe writes, when “highly civilized Africans once colonized a primitive Europe still seething with head hunters and cannibals.”

I believe that over the centuries, memories of the horrendous invasions of Senwosret (Scholars are not certain as to which of the Pharaohs, Senwosret I, II or III conducted these rampages) survived in Eastern European folklore, especially since he appears to have left a large colony of Black Africans in Colchis, now the former Soviet republic of Georgia. These memories were undoubtedly rekindled when later Black generals, including Ah-

mose, Thutmose I, Thutmose III, Ramesis II, Nimrod, Taharka, Batricus and Hannibal also invaded and colonized large swaths of territory in Europe and Western Asia.

The last group of Africans to conquer parts of Europe was the Moors or “Blackamoors,” who ruled Spain and held sway over much of the Mediterranean World for 781 years. The Moors civilized southern Europe and launched the continent into the Renaissance period. Nevertheless, this unwelcome Black dominance was met with resistance until the liberation of Spain in 1492.

When the tables were turned and the Portuguese and Spanish began enslaving Africans, whom they first called Moors, the longstanding European hatred and resentment of their former African masters morphed into contempt, animosity, and vengeance toward Black people in general. This sentiment became institutionalized and spread throughout Western Europe, crossed the Atlantic, and reached the New World during the African slave trade.

Africans first entered Europe not as slaves, but as masters, and the ramifications of their dominance survive today as a subconscious, retributive impulse that manifests itself in Ukraine and elsewhere as white racism toward people of African descent.

Legrand H. Clegg II is the City Attorney emeritus for Compton, California, former president of the Western Region of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations, and producer of the documentary, “When Black People Ruled The World.” He may be contacted at legrandclegg44@gmail.com or at his Long Beach, CA office: Tel: (562) 624-2857 or Fax: (562) 624-2850.

#WordinBlack: Juneteenth Ice Cream: Black exploitation or cultural celebration?

By Laura Onyeneh, Word in Black By now you would have thought corporations would have learned their lesson about exploiting Black pain for capital gain after the killing of George Floyd. Well… guess not.

Walmart recalled its Juneteenth ice cream commemorating the holiday after it received heavy backlash on social media.

The ice cream which consisted of a swirl of red velvet and cheesecake flavors, had critics calling out the company for using the Juneteenth for market strategy.

Understandably, there were some people who didn’t understand what the fuss was about. Who doesn’t love ice cream, especially during these heat waves across the country?

nated it in law as an officially paid state holiday. Like any national holiday, the country will find ways to celebrate it.

Have you seen Easter? Thanksgiving?

Christmas? 4th of July?

This is a capitalist country and companies will always find ways to make money. Can you honestly be shocked at yet another recall and a generic apology? How many times do Black people have to be on the defense?

Fair arguments have been made on both sides. The best thing to do as suggested on Twitter is to continue to support Black-owned brands. Instead of focusing on the negative, let’s invest our energy into having real conversations about our history while uplifting Black companies who put in the hard work day in and day out.

Take a look at the design of the product and you decide.

The one-pint jar was decorated with pan African colors, sprinkles of yellow, with two Black hands giving a high-five with the message that said “Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation, and enduring hope.” Let’s not forget that Great Value logo to top it all off.

Juneteenth, on June 19, 1865, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.

Union soldiers announced the news of freedom to Black slaves in Galveston, Texas 2 ½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in Southern states.

It was just last year; President Joe Biden signed a bill to make it a national holiday. Several states have desig-

22

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

JOIN THE INNER-CITY NEWS AS WE CELEBRATE

JUNETEENTH! Known to some as the country's “second Independence Day,” Juneteenth celebrates the freedom of enslaved people in the United States at the end of the Civil War.

For more than 150 years, African American communities across the country have observed this holiday. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.

We invite you to join us in this national celebration of American history and Black Culture.

Let us showcase and highlight your brand messaging in The Juneteenth Special Editions!

For more information contact our advertising sale department (203) 387-0354

Circulation Breakdown

Circulation Breakdown Inner-City News Market GET THE FACTS

CIRCULATION BREAKDOWN

Connecticut has 16.5% non-white population. The figure

Published: weekly / circulation: 25,000 / Readership:

for the inner city newspaper coverage area is an overwhelm-

100,000

ing 44%.

Where: over 750+ racks throughout the New Haven and Bridgeport area.

Within the inner city distribution area, the cities with the largest non-white populations are:

New haven 60% Bridgeport 40%

Bridgeport 53.1% New haven 49.3%

New Haven, Westhaven, Hamden, North Haven, Bridgeport,

This represents a vital consumer base and an important seg-

Orange, Ansonia, Milford, Waterbury

ment of the population that cannot be ignored! Media market research (MRI) reported that 30.3% of the black popu-

Here are some quick facts about our readers.

lation have household incomes of over $40,000 a year!

Age: 35–78 College educated: 53%

10% of this population have incomes of 70,000 or more!

Male / Female: 46%–

54% Home owners: 34%

Place your message where people place their trust.

The

Inner-City Penfield Communications inc.

News

Connecticut’s first choice for urban news since 1990.

5 0 Fi t c h S t r e e t , N e w H a v e n , C T 0 6 5 1 5 | P h o n e : 2 0 3 . 3 8 7 . 0 3 5 4 w w w. i n n e r c i t y o n l i n e . c o m

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 08, 2022 - June 14, 2022

Arnar Geirsson, MD

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