INNER-CITY NEWS

In "Unbecoming Tragedy," An Artist's Life Journey

by Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

In one universe, a young Terrence Riggins is up against two school bullies, about to receive a beating when a miracle happens. From down the hall, his middle school crush comes running, begging them to stop. Her arms glide through the air, and even in a fog of fear, she is perfection. Riggins holds his breath. She's matter-of-fact: Don't beat up a kid who was good in the school play. He exhales. Back in the present, the light shifts, and Riggins steps forward. Around him are the bare bones of a solitary cell. "Acting didn't get me the girl, but it definitely saved my ass," he says. There's a beat. "Maybe it can save my life."

The sheer and persistent power of theater—and its ability to show up as a source of salvation—sits at the wildly beating heart of Unbecoming Tragedy, an autobiographical play from writer and performer Terrence Riggins that is now growing its roots in New Haven. In roughly 60 minutes, it tells the story of Riggins' life and long relationship with the stage, leaning into all the complexities of being human, Black, male, and an artist in a country that still has not made space for those intersecting identities to soar.

Last weekend, a workshopped performance from Collective Consciousness Theatre (CCT) and Long Wharf Theatre (LWT) landed at Bregamos Community Theater for two nights only. Directed by Cheyenne Barboza with assistance from Finn Wiggins-Henry and Valerie Badjan, the work doubled as a testament to not only Riggins' tight and affecting writing, but also the importance of theater as a form of healing and of education. Further

performances in the community have yet to be announced.

"I felt that I could not move forward in my theater career or my acting career if I did not write this play," Riggins said in a phone interview before hours of rehearsal. "I cast myself in the story of my life. I've done other people's plays, I've done other people's projects, but I've never done my own. I'm not afraid of serious catharsis and gravitas and pathos. And I had to use my life and my vulnerability in

order to achieve that."

"This is not a solo show," he added. "This is a play. It's also a ritual."

And it is. Conceived when Riggins was in solitary at the Cheshire Correctional Facility several years ago, the work begins and ends in a single cell, the playwright constantly blurring the lines between perception and reality, the way one's mind can bend sometimes, and

break at others. In between, he tells the story of his life in lyrical, sometimes raw and unflinching detail, allowing moments to shift in and out of focus so often that they melt into each other.

For instance: early in the show, his present becomes an affecting fade into his past, jumping between decades with quick, crisp rhythm. As the actor enters the cell and lays his body down, sleeping fitfully, he mutters in his sleep, drawing the audience in close to listen to his half-conscious ramblings. Around him, the set is minimal—a bed, sink, tube of toothpaste and floor where he works out fanatically. So when he wakes and begins speaking to a grayscale portrait of his mother, something falls right into place. Moving from the bed to the floor to a sink, he turns the clock back to a childhood in 1960s Los Angeles, where he spent his youth learning among Black nationalists. Riggins has a gift for clear language—"I was a boy, once," he says with the same weight that one might deliver a cancer diagnosis—and listers can see siblings dressed in dashikis, a young Terrence learning Swahili and West African dance as he moves through a world.

It's here that one can also feel a tension rising, between Riggins the will-be actor, the empathic artist, and Riggins as the threat the white world already perceives him to be (or in his words, "becoming tragedy"). Jump forward, and the Black revolutionaries he looked to are dead, leaving him grappling with a system that is broken. Forward again, and he's discovered Joe Turner's Come and Gone in an L.A. prison, suddenly aware of the mesmerizing power of August Wilson's words. Forward once more, and his daughter is born while he is playing Caesar Wilks in Gem Of The Ocean.

That his heartache and his joy live side by side is part of the performance. Often, he is rocketed back to the present, in dialogue with the cell. Each time, it brings the audience back to a sort of harsh reminder of the world that is (overly punitive, especially of those who are Black and male before they are human) rather than the world that could be (restorative and rehabilitative, rather than a literal cage).

It's this that makes the show so immediate, using theater as a vehicle to amplify both memory and the splintered system in which Riggins and his audience live.

"Well damn brick face!" he says at one point, and the audience can see the smallness of the cell, the way its design is meant to feel like it is closing in on a body. "You just became my fourth fucking wall!"

What makes Unbecoming Tragedy stand out is Riggins' ability to marry matter-offact storytelling with deep feeling, tight and cheeky lyricism, and a physically powerful performance. From L.A. to New York City, from parochial school to his father's passing, he works through vignettes of his life, always returning to theater as a level set and an unmatched balm.

Sometimes, he is Riggins but he is also Othello, wronged by both Iago and the world. Sometimes, he is Riggins but also Paul Robeson, collapsing decades of struggle in a few single verses of "Ol' Man River." Sometimes he is Riggins and also Herald Loomis, trying to find his way in a country built by stolen people on stolen land.

Sometimes, he is just Riggins, and he is just surviving. It has the intended effect: his art and his life are often porous, flowing in and out of each other until they

HL: Highly praised absurdist singer, Joseph Keckler, to perform in New Haven

By Babz Rawls Ivy, Editor, The Inner-City News & Host, LoveBabz Lovetalk 103.5 WNHH Radio

A singer who defies musical boundaries by combining reality and fantasy, humor and the mundane with a mutating vibrato sound, is set to perform at Yale Schwarzman Center on Thursday, Oct. 5, in “An Evening with Joseph Keckler.”

“I consider myself a singer and a writer in an un-boundaried way. One thing I do is write these short vignettes often drawn from observation or nights of misadventure … and I might turn those into a faux Italian aria,” he explained.

It was an interesting journey for Keckler to get where he is today. He went to the University of Michigan, earning a degree in painting. Then, he headed to New York where he started experimenting in several different art forms: playwriting, monologuing, performing his music and opera

along with other areas of the arts sphere.

“I was working all sorts of weird jobs, doing a lot at once, so eventually I decided to synthesize all the different elements into one sort of performance,” Keckler shared.

His upcoming show on Thursday will feature songs that are comedic and some that are not. Keckler said audiences can expect the songs to display characters that are “outside” their own life.

Since he will be performing to an audience that has students in attendance, Keckler shared what he wants young, burgeoning artists to know.

“I think that people should try to follow their dreams, pursue their passion and their own vision, and also not necessarily be influenced by the increasingly sort of corporate culture that we're immersed in,” Keckler said. “And, especially when you're really young, you have a kind of freedom, so go for it.”

Keckler discussed how he feels like he is accomplishing all of his goals. He is a performer and also a published writer, where his work has been featured in VICE, McSweeney’s among others. Keckler explained how he is grateful for all his experiences.

“I'd love to have a bigger audience. I'd love to release some music. I'd love to do a bunch of things. We're getting some films. So in a way, I'm doing everything I wanted. I’ve performed for 20 people, I’ve performed to 200 people. No matter what, it’s all good. Never performed for 20,000 people, that might be too many,” he said, laughing.

His story and essay collection, Dragon at the Edge of a Flat World, was published in 2018. He currently tours with his production, Train With No Midnight. He wrote, composed and stars in a forthcoming film, directed by Laura Terruso, and is currently working on a new EP.

Riggins at Bregamos Community Theater. Lucy Gellman Photos.

The super talented Mr. Keckler was my guest Friday, 9/29/2023

Photo credit: Michael Sharkey

Armory Added To CT Freedom Trail

by THOMAS BREEN

Thousands of National Guardsmen gathered in the Goffe Street Armory, weapons of war in hand as they prepared to confront anti-war activists and Black Panther trial protesters on the Green.

But unlike at Kent State and Jackson State just a few days later, in New Haven, that violence didn’t come. A “conspiracy” of town and gown, Black and white, local and national players prevailed. The peace was kept, for the most part.

Fifty-three years later, the Armory used as the National Guard’s staging ground for the May Day rally of 1970, a potential wellspring for bloodshed on that tumultuous day was commemorated instead as a city landmark of the civil rights movement.

On Friday, local and state officials and historians and civil rights advocates gathered at Bethel AME Church on Goffe Street to officially designate the long-vacant armory at 290 Goffe St. as a site on the Connecticut Freedom Trail.

That’s the roughly three-decade-old map of 170-ish sites across Connecticut “that embody the struggle for freedom and human dignity” and celebrate the African American community, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Architectural Historian Todd Levine said at Friday’s ceremony.

New Haven already had 20 sites on the trail, including the 29th Colored Regiment Memorial in Criscuolo Park and the Amistad Memorial outside City Hall and

the Grove Street Cemetery and the William Lanson statue on the Farmington Canal Trail.

The armory now marks New Haven site number 21. And, as Levine and Connecticut Freedom Trail Chairman Charles Warner and Director Tammy Denease explained, it also represents the first of four sites that make up a “trail within a trail” focused on the history of the Black Panther Party case in New Haven. (Levine said these four sites will be added to the Freedom Trail in honor of the late Paul

Hammer, who advocated for their commemoration.)

As explained at Friday’s presser by Paul Bass, the co-author of Murder in the Model City: The Black Panthers, Yale, And the Redemption of a Killer (and the founding editor of the New Haven Independent), the armory had a momentary role in one of the watershed episodes of the Black Panther Party, in New Haven and across the country.

That was the May 1, 1970 rally on the Green in protest of the murder trial of

Mbedu never dreamt of being an entertainment figure. At a very young age, she wanted to be a dermatologist, but after taking a dramatic arts class in the 10th grade, she became interested in acting. Her acting career has earned her fame and fortune locally and internationally, rising to become one of the most sought after actresses from South Africa. At 27, she was named in the 2018 Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 List, and one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African Magazine.

Black Panther Party leaders Bobby Seale and Ericka Huggins. The federal government sought the death penalty against Seale and Huggins for the Orchard Street murder of Alex Rackley, a 19-year-old alleged (but not actual) informant who was indeed tortured and killed by Black Panther Party members but to whose murder there was little if any direct evidence to tie Seale and Huggins.

Born on July 8, 1991, at the Midlands Medical Center in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, to a Zulu mother and Xhosa and Sotho father, she never enjoyed the care of her parents who died when she was barely four years old. She was raised by her grandmother, a very strict school principal in school and at home. Her name reflected the multicultural tribes of her parents – Thuso is a Sotho name, Nokwanda is a Zulu name, and Mbedu is Xhosa.

As civil rights and anti-war activists rallied by the thousands on the Green, the National Guard got ready at the armory on Goffe Street. They had grenades and other weapons, Bass said, and were given an order: that if they shot and killed someone on the Green, they would not be prosecuted.

American could get a fair trial in our city, in our country.”

The murder cases against Seale and Huggins were ultimately thrown out.

Dori Dumas, the president of the Greater New Haven NAACP, spoke during Friday’s presser not just from her perspective as a local civil rights leader, but also as someone who grew up in New Haven during the civil rights movement, during the time of the Black Panther Party.

“We have to continue to tell the stories: the good, the bad, and everything in between,” she said.

Mbedu went to Pelham Primary School and Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School and graduated from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa in 2013, where she studied Physical Theatre and Performing Arts Management. Earlier in 2012, she took a summer course at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City.

Thanks to secret meetings being held at that very same time at the Yale president’s house among local Black activists, New Haven police, white activists from out of town, and others, “that day, besides tear gas in the air, was a non-event.”

Unlike at Kent State on May 4, 1970, when National Guardsmen shot and killed four unarmed student protesters in Ohio. Unlike at Jackson State on May 15, 1970, when police shot and killed two unarmed student protesters in Mississippi.

Career

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

“We were the city that held it together,” Bass said.

Mayor Justin Elicker said that the Black Panther trial in New Haven posed a fundamental question that still resonates these decades later: “whether a Black

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

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

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

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

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

Outside of the tragedy of Rackley’s murder, she said, her experience of the Black Panther Party was that “the Black Panthers addressed and advocated for children, spoke out against horrible housing conditions and policies, advocated for health clinics” in New Haven, and ran a “free hot breakfast program of which I personally benefited from.”

“I have fine memories of the Black Panthers,” Dumas said. “I recall them teaching us as children positive affirmatios, like: Black is beautiful.”

‘Black Reel Awards’ (Outstanding Actress – TV Movie / Limited Series), the ‘Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards’ (Best Actress in a Limited Series, Anthropology Series or Television Movie), the ‘Gotham Awards’ (Outstanding Performance in New Series), the ‘Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards’ (TV Breakout Star), and the ‘Critics Choice Television Awards’ (Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie), all for her role ‘Cora Randall’ in the 2021 TV series ‘The Underground Railroad.’

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

She also spoke about how the armory was a “gathering place for events like the Black Expo” of 1972.

As he presented the mayor with the plaque officially designating the armory as a Connecticut Freedom Trail site, Warner spoke about the importance of “telling the stories that are maybe controversial,” but that are true, and that should and must be remembered.

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

er Women Summit, Thuso Mbedu tearfully spoke of how she overcame the loss of her dear parents, grandmother, and aunt. But her role in Amanda Lane’s ‘IS’THUNZI’

da Lane happened in 2016. The role that Amanda Lane gave me was the difference ing that audition brief, I told myself that tion. I gave it the last of everything that I had, that at the time I got the callback, I had nothing left. I secretly made the decision ing left to give. But fortunately, I received cause the role was mine. I had given up. I was in a very dark place at the time, and the character, the role, the opportunity, was a much needed light. And I told myself that I will act as if it was the last character that I will play. And through a great script and tional Emmy Awards for that role…”

Thuso Mbedu. Photo -IOL

CT Freedom Trail Director Tammy Denease (center) at Friday's presser.

The new haven independent

Sisters’ Journey October Survivor Of The Month- Cheryl Paige

Hello, my name is Cheryl. My cancer journey began towards the end of March 2001 when I was 43 years old. I was always one to do self-examinations. One day while doing so I felt an unusual formation in my left breast. Iasked my fiancé to feel the area and he agreed he felt something different too. My annual GYN appointment was scheduled, so I was anxious to see if my doctor would feel what I had felt. After my doctor completed the pap smear and breast exam, he asked if I had any questions. I told him “Yes, would he be so kind as to reexamine my left breast as I had felt something in that area.” He redid the examination and scheduled me for a mammogram to be on the safe side.

When I went to my mammogram appointment, I had several pictures taken at different angles. They agreed that there was a mass and I would need an ultrasound done to get a better observation. All the while, I was praying to God that whatever the results were, I was going to be alright and to give me peace at this moment. The ultrasound showed a lump on my breast. I was referred to Dr. Michael O’Brien for a biopsy. I met with Dr. O’Brien and he performed the procedure and advised me that his office would call once the results were received. A few days later, April 1, 2001, my fiancé and I went into Dr. O'Brien's office where we were told I had Invasive Ductal Carcinoma breast cancer. My fiancé had a lot of questions. I was thankful to God that he was there with me. He was and still is very supportive.

Dr. O'Brien explained the possible treatment plan – a lumpectomy to remove the mass, then chemotherapy and radiation to

kill the remaining cancer cells. He performed a successful lumpectomy. He then referred me to my current oncologist, Dr. Johanna Lasala. Dr. Lasala reviewed my case and explained the suggested steps to eradicate this disease. She recommended eight sessions of aggressive chemotherapy and four weeks of radiation. Wow! I experienced severe nausea, hair loss, and fatigue! At the end of all my treatments, I was now cancer free. To God be the Glory!

When April 1, 2021 rolled around, I said to my husband, “I am a 20-year breast cancer survivor. Isn’t God good!" I continued to self-exam and go for my mammograms each year. I had yearly visits with Dr. Lasala. In August 2021, I scheduled my mammogram appointment. I went in looking forward to the same results it had been for the last 20 years. They said I was scheduled for an ultrasound because they saw something on my left breast again. Lord, I have been down this road before! You were with me then, and I know you are with me now! Yes, I am going through the same steps as I did 20 years ago.

Ultrasound...biopsy...and the results –positive! It was back. But because I had gone through this before, and the faith I have in the God I serve had grown even more over the years, I knew I was going to be alright. My oncologist advised since I had radiation before, I probably would not be a likely candidate for another round as my breast tissue would not hold up. She wanted to be confident in her recommendations. Therefore, she had my case reviewed by the Tumor Board. Their recommendation was the same – no more radiation and either a bilateral or partial

mastectomy. Since this was a second occurrence, I opted for a bilateral (double) mastectomy with a Diep Flap reconstructive surgery. The surgery was on December 1 and lasted about 10 hours. The surgery was a success. I was up and walking around the hospital halls the next day (I love to walk). I recovered from the surgery within the expected time frame with no issues. I am currently on Anastrozole hormone based therapy.

One of my favorite scripture verses is: "The joy of the Lord is my strength." I find solace in lifting His holy name and giving Him all the praise that He is due, no matter what I may be going through. I will bless the Lord at all times, for He has done so much for me. I am truly grateful for the folks he has placed in my life.

Kenny, my loving and adoring husband, has been my rock and best friend! To our son Austin and daughter Fallon, thank you so much for stepping up and helping (shout out to nurse Fallon!). To my niece in Atlanta, Alicia, who is a nurse and mom, for calling each day to check on me and seeing that I had everything medically to make my recovery smooth. To my brother Joe, my sister-in-law Brenda and my other two nieces, Jade and Jasmine, thank you all for the many phone calls and visits. I appreciate each one!

Thank you to my sisters in Christ who prayed fervently on my behalf. And lastly, I must acknowledge my late mother, Mary Thomas, for all the prayers that were prayed and for every day she sat with me while I received my chemo treatments. I love and miss you, Mother. To God be all the glory!

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Adam Joseph to Depart Lamont’s Communications Team Thursday for New Role as CSCU Vice Chancellor

by Hugh McQuaid

Adam Joseph, communications director for Gov. Ned Lamont, will leave his position as the governor’s chief spokesman on Thursday and begin a new role Friday as a vice chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system.

Joseph, who will depart the gubernatorial communications job about nine months after he assumed the role, has long helped to craft the messaging of Connecticut Democrats. He previously served as chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz after stints as spokesman for Senate Democrats, Senate President Martin Looney, and former New Haven Mayor John DeStafano, Jr among others. He will be the first to serve in the new position — called vice chancellor for external affairs — under CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng. On Monday, Joseph described the new job as including overseeing the system’s government relations and communications teams while managing outreach to the state legislature and its federal congressional delegation.

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asset to CSCU as it continues on its mission of providing services that contribute to the education of our residents and the economic growth of our state.”

Joseph’s transition to the CSCU system was first reported back in September by columnist Kevin Rennie on his Daily Ructions blog.

The new position comes after a contentious budget cycle for the troubled university system. In April, Cheng and other CSCU officials clashed with Lamont and legislative leaders over funding levels, which they argued would necessitate tuition hikes and layoffs.

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In a statement Monday, the governor praised his outgoing spokesman as a passionate public servant.

“Adam has been a senior member of this administration from day one and a

trusted advisor to several elected officials for many years before that,” Lamont said. “His significant experience with state and local government, work ethic, and reliably good judgment will be a tremendous

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Connecticut as a member of the Lamont/Bysiewicz administration,” Joseph said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue in public service and work with Chancellor Cheng and the incredible team over at the CSCU system.”

Joseph will receive about $218,000 in the new position, a step up from the $148,000 salary he earned as the gover-

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Cheryl Paige

Gov. Ned Lamont and his communications director Adam Joseph on May 25, 2023. Credit: Hugh McQuaid / CTNewsjunkie

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City Awards Artists, Arts Orgs Over $675,000 In Federal Funding

by lucy Gellman, Editor The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

An expanded arts education program that recognizes the power of spoken word. A parade that returns each year to Westville with the first bursts of fall foliage, bringing dozens of dancing puppets into Edgewood Park. A creative arts program that operates out of a corner store in Dwight, arts collective for Afghan moms, and pottery studio that is still just getting off the ground.

Those are just some of the arts organizations, grassroots collectives, and individual artists to receive a total of $677,121 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from the city’s Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism this year. Friday, city officials and grantees outlined some of those projects from the roof of 70 Audubon St., a building that now houses the New Haven Ballet, Long Wharf Theatre, Arts Council of Greater New Haven, and classes from the Educational Center for the Arts.

Grantees range from the long-running New Haven Ballet, Westville Village Renaissance Alliance, CT Folk Fest and others to new creative undertakings in every corner of the city. View a full list of grantees, with funding amounts, on the city’s website here.

"We wanted to make sure that we are centering people in this community who are doing the work of cultural equity,” said Cultural Affairs Director Adriane Jefferson. “We have to remember that we are bouncing back, still, from the pandemic. Our hope is that some of this funding has allowed businesses to thrive a little bit more, the organizations to be supported a little bit more, and to really help mitigate the economic impact and the damage that was done during the pandemic."

“It’s really about the history, the culture, the arts that make New Haven such a desirable place to be, and you all are the roots of that,” added Courtney Walker Hendricson, deputy director of economic development for the city. “We are working hard to ensure that all of our American Rescue Plan supports meaningful projects, events and organizations in New Haven.”

In all, $199,020 has gone to a total of 35 individual artists, many of whom are representing small businesses and collectives, and the remaining $478,101 to over 20 arts organizations based in the city of New Haven. Funding for artists will be administered by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven; funding for organizations will come directly from the city. For the sake of full transparency, the Arts Paper is a program of the Arts Council, but is editorially independent from it.

The money comes out of a total $1.2 million in ARPA dollars that the department received last year, and does not include the $350,647 that the city allocated to Arts & Culture this year in its $662.7 million general fund budget. Grant fund-

ing is divided into six programs: summer partnerships, communal holiday celebrations, arts gathering and networking events, expanded arts education, creative arts advancement, and citywide arts and culture.

Both Jefferson and Community Outreach Coordinator Thabisa Rich noted that it dovetails directly with the department’s vision for cultural equity, which has been at the forefront of Jefferson’s work since her arrival in February 2020. Both also pointed to the grants as part of the city’s Cultural Equity Plan, which is just over a year and a half old.

“Everybody said: ‘Hey, we want to be represented. We want change to be visible. We don't just want a pat on the back, but we want to see you go down in your pockets and affect change with your dollars,’” Rich said. “And this is exactly what we're doing right now.”

Recipients reflect that commitment in spades, Rich added—including a number of returning grantees who have used city and federal funds to boost creative endeavors, and new grantees who have never qualified for or received funding from the city before. Artists’ projects, which netted between $2,000 and $10,000 each, range from new podcast initiatives (listen here, for instance, to hear host Jamarr Jabari talk to musician Ashley Hamel) and ceramic studio practices to music festivals by and for artists of color.

Some artists, like Alisha Crutchfield of BLOOM and Angel Dahfay of Sweets & Sounds Con, have already established themselves as cultural connectors in the city. Others, like author Colleen Marie Olinski and art therapist Rita Charles, will be kicking off new initiatives from a grassroots publishing project to an art therapy studio on wheels. Many grantees, such as Marianna Apostolakis of East Rock House and Shayla Streater of

the Elements of Abundance, are working directly with grassroots collectives to build intentional and safe affinity spaces in the city.

Many are also lifelong or longtime New Haveners who have historically been boxed out of funding. Kenia and Michael Massey, who run the Black Corner Store on Edgewood Avenue, will be able to reach beyond their own pockets for a creative teen program that they’ve dreamed about launching for years. Artist Manny James Sorrels, who grew up in the Hill and leads the nonprofit Creative Hearts, Inc., is taking the grant to learn more about music himself, so he can pass it on to the young people he works with every day out of his Shelton Avenue studio.

“I am thankful and excited to receive the funding because it gives me the opportunity to further my musical education, which will enhance my artistry and help me provide a higher level of service to the young people of Creative Hearts!” he said via text message after Friday’s

Arts for Learning Connecticut, for instance, will be able to extend its “Emerge” initiative for teaching artists into a second year. Music Haven will be able to support its after-school programming in Fair Haven, and keep its student concerts free to the community. Elm Shakespeare Company, which has been growing its footprint in the New Haven Public Schools and with the youth anti-violence group Ice The Beef, will be also able to keep all of its performances free and open to the public.

“The heartbeat is something that we hold really near and dear in Shakespeare,” said Rebecca Goodheart, artistic director of Elm Shakespeare. “It’s the life force that goes through everything we do. And really, just the way that rhythm is a life force, we want to be a life force in this community.”

“The reality is that for arts organizations, financial support is a life force,” she continued. “That’s something we need to stay healthy and to function and to do what we do. That makes the Office of Arts, Culture and Tourism the heart of this city.”

There’s also the chance for New Haveners to feel the echoes of that funding: several ARPA-supported events are coming up as New Haven heads into fall, and each brings with it the opportunity to grow community. In addition to concerts and performances that will unfold across the next months, Wine Down CT Founders Thema Haida and Loren Jefferson will hold their next event, meant to bring together creatives of color, on September 23 at Bear’s Smokehouse.

press conference.

“We are about connection, collaboration, and really restoring the love,” said Hafeeza Turé, “Wind” of the Elements of Abundance. Already, the group has established a relationship with Accra, Ghana, and with New Haven Sister Cities to promote cultural awareness in and beyond New Haven—work that they’ve been doing for free up to this point. “Everywhere we go, we want to plant those sorts of seeds.”

Meanwhile, the remaining chunk of funding has gone largely to arts organizations that are helping build crosscultural understanding and grow equity through their programming. In addition to free citywide arts events like the annual Puerto Rican Festival, Black Wall Street New Haven, Westville-based Seeing Sounds Festival, annual Juneteenth celebration on the New Haven Green and growing growing Apizza Fest, there are several community-centered and educational projects that can continue in part because of the city’s support.

Jamal Robinson, director of sales and marketing at New England Brewing Company and the co-founder and president of the Change In the Air Festival and eponymous foundation, pointed to how ARPA dollars distributed by the city can help undo centuries of economic harm and exclusion that have fallen disproportionately on Black people and non-Black people of color.

Currently, he said, craft brewing is an $85 billion industry—and yet Black brewers represent less than one percent (brewers of color represent under five percent).

The Change In The Air Foundation seeks to change that through its annual craft beer festival, a growing scholarship fund at Sacred Heart University, and awareness among Black consumers who have never felt that craft beer is for them. The foundation will be using $20,000 from the city to throw its third annual festival at Bear’s Smokehouse in October.

“The new spaces aspect of that is vital,” he said. “If we are going to diversify that space, this allows us to do it in a way that really builds community and builds culture. This grand funding allows us to take the idea … and turn it into a reality that involves community and culture in a meaningful, impactful way that everyone benefits from.”

" You all know my motto," said Alisha Crutchfield. "Let's Grow!"

Thabisa Rich. Behind her are Courtney Walker Hendricson, artist Raheem Nelson, Elm Shakespeare's Rebecca Goodheart, Mayor Justin Elicker, Jamal Robinson, and Joe Rodriguez.

"Hope On, Dixwell!" As Rev. Streets Preaches Final Sermon,

By Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Streets looked out over Dixwell UCC, studying the sea of faces that smiled back at him. Behind him, a half-moon of congregants over 80 sat and stood, soaking in the moment. Before him, pint-sized parishioners made their way to the front in a rush of tiny tweed and tulle dresses and suits. The strains of "We've Come This Far By Faith" still hung low in the air. He took a deep breath.

"This is the current and future of the church," he said. In the pews, some people linked hands; others murmured back as if to say yes. And it was: even in the endless gray of a rainy fall morning, the path forward seemed bright.

Sunday, Rev. Dr. Frederick "Jerry" Streets preached his final sermon as the senior pastor at Dixwell United Congregational Church of Christ (Dixwell UCC), where he has occupied the position since October 2013 and been in relationship with the church since August 1972. This fall, he joins the Yale Divinity School (YDS) as the coordinator of its new joint degree program in Divinity and Social Work.

In a service filled with song, impassioned speeches, legislative proclamations and tear-filled memories, congregants wished him a fond and loving farewell after 11 faithful years of service. "The record of what I have done here, what I have attempted to do here, or what ways by which I have failed lies in your hands, and for your interpretation and appraisal," Streets said as he stood at the pulpit for the last time. "Today I leave you with this sermonic hug, a reflection on the hope of the gospel."

The story of Streets' relationship with Dixwell UCC, which last year celebrated over two centuries of history in New Haven, stretches out over five decades. After graduating from Ottawa University in 1972, Streets and his wife, Annette, moved to New Haven to pursue his graduate studies at the Yale Divinity School. It was August 20, 1972—the day after his wife's birthday—when he and his family walked into the church for the first time. He never completely left. At the time, the Rev. Dr. Edwin R. Edmonds, then the pastor at Dixwell UCC, took Streets under his wing. As a graduate student, Streets served as an intern in the church, getting to know a spiritual community that aligned with his values as both a Christian and an advocate for justice. Sunday, many congregants remembered meeting him over 50 years ago for the first time, and feeling overjoyed to have him in their orbit for decades thereafter.

After graduating from YDS, Streets served as the senior pastor at Mount Aery Baptist Church in Bridgeport, and later University Chaplain and Senior Pastor of the Church of Christ in Yale. His spiritual

work, and his belief that it can and should be tied to service, led him to a career in not just the clergy but also social work and education, including as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Outside of New Haven, he has held positions in the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma and at Yeshiva University in New York, and served as a fellow at the Connecticut Health Foundation.

But New Haven, and specifically Dixwell UCC’s history of activism and abolition, always had a way of calling him back (he has for years also been on adjunct faculty at the Yale Divinity School). In 2011, he returned to Dixwell UCC as its acting pastor, following the retirement of Rev. Dr. John Henry Scott, III. He became the church’s senior pastor in 2013, ultimately carrying Dixwell UCC through not just the life transitions of its congregants, but the existential and spiritual crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since he began his tenure, he has worked to grow the church’s relationship with the Yale Divinity School, the Institute of Sacred Music, and the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine—while also welcoming new babies and children, presiding over marriages and homegoing services, and providing grief counseling and end-of-life spiritual care.

With the help of both legislators and individual members, he has secured over $3 million in aid for the church, helping sustain Dixwell UCC for its next two centuries. Last year, he and the church also spearheaded a survey and report on the wellbeing of clergy members, documenting self-care (or lack thereof) among spiritual leaders.

"There's still much work to be done to

promote the mission of this church, which includes being a voice for justice in our society today," he said. "I assumed the responsibility of being your senior pastor 11 years ago and release it today with profound gratitude for the love and support of my family."

Sunday, several congregants said that they have been grateful for his guidance. Speaking during the service, Judge Clifton Graves thanked Streets for his leadership, which has remained unflagging “in the midst of crisis and controversy.” Fifty-five years ago, Graves became a member of the church when his parents first moved to New Haven from North Carolina, partly at Edmonds’ request. For years, “this church has been very supportive,” Graves said. After his family relocated to New Haven, he met Streets in 1972. He remembered watching Edmonds wrap his arms around the then-young, bespectacled graduate student in their family home, and call Streets his son. Years later, it had felt fitting for Streets to return to the church as a spiritual leader. He remains forever grateful on a personal level, he added: when Graves’ parents passed away, it was Streets who handled their funeral services.

“We come today to say thank you,” Graves said before handing the podium over to those awarding Streets with proclamations from State Rep. Rosa DeLauro, members of the New Haven legislative delegation, and the New Haven Board of Alders.

Carroll E. Brown, founder of the West Haven Black Coalition, remembered Streets’ constant care and guidance—particularly during her own illness in 2020, and as she faced the death of her late husband, 82-year-old Ralph “Teddy” Brown, in March of this year. Three years ago, Brown remembered, she and Teddy were both hospitalized and afraid—and Streets remained a steady and calming presence. So when Teddy became ill again this year, Brown knew who to call on. In midMarch, Streets remained in their home for hours, ultimately holding his right hand as she held his left. It was and is profound, Brown said, to watch that display of care. She added that she feels held by the entire church community, including those who have dropped off food, checked in, and offered to take her out to lunch to make sure she is eating.

“We couldn’t have found a better church family,” she said. “Reverend Streets, you are the best.”

State Rep. Toni Walker—who has lived and breathed decades of Dixwell UCC as Edmonds’ adoring daughter, and a proudly self-described PK—said that she was finding the day bittersweet. Through her dad, she met Streets 50 years ago, in the breakfast room of their New Haven home. The two have been close since.

Con ‘t on next pape

Streets on Sunday morning. Lucy Gellman Photos.

Streets on Sunday morning. Lucy Gellman Photos.

Streets and Carroll E. Brown.

She thanked Streets’ wife, Annette Streets, as well as his children and children in-law for their years of sacrifice and service. Then she turned back towards Streets.

“This is just one stepping stone for you, sir,” she said. “God knows what he’s doing.”

"Hope On, Dixwell!"

Nowhere, perhaps, was that message clearer than during Streets' sermon on “The Hope of the Gospel,” delivered in a fiery, applause- and awe-filled 30 minutes from the pulpit. From the well-loved pews, generations of congregants looked back at him, soaking in the words. Some fell to a hush; others murmured back with each line. At the front of the church, musician Markel Greene sat ready to hop on the keys if the spirit called for it. Speaking with a soft, then soaring and poetic lilt, Streets pointed to the gospel as a source of spiritual and moral fortitude and liberation, through which those who believe in it are able to draw strength. He turned the clock back centuries, looking to how Christian teachings and gospel music helped sustain millions of enslaved Black people who were stolen from their homelands and forced into labor in what is now recognized as the U.S. "Because of the hope of the gospel, they were undaunted by contradictions," he preached, his voice rising. "They birthed new songs from the music that was in their souls. A melodic bridge connected them with who they were, with who they would become."

He traced the power of the gospel to songwriter and pianist Thomas Dorsey, often called "the father of gospel music," to performances from the Dixie Hummingbirds and Mahalia Jackson, who stunned and moved an audience of thousands when she sang "How I Got Over" at the March on Washington in 1963. He followed it to jazz, rhythm and blues, funk

and the collaborative beats and layering that built the backbone of hip hop in the 1980s.

"The hope of the gospel is that each of us experiences its power to heal and to strengthen us and to discover how we can give our lives a deep and abiding sense of purpose emotionally and spiritually," he said. By then, Greene had begun to follow along on the keys. "The hope of the gospel, Dixwell and friends, lies in its ability to give those who believe in it strength for today and hope for tomorrow. For these are the attributes of our resilience in the face of life's difficulties."

It's that same hope, he continued, that lets him know that Dixwell UCC will survive and thrive as he departs. Through December, the church will welcome a series of guest ministers, many from the Yale Divinity School. Then in January, an interim pastor will take over, as the United Church of Christ begins its search for a replacement.

"My friends, the hope of the gospel is not just for our own strength and courage," he said, his voice smooth. "It is to be active in our community and world which faces daunting and sometimes frightening challenges. Dixwell Church, this time of transition is creating a space in which something new and wonderful can be created for the glory of God."

The best, he promised the congregation, is still to come. After weeks of reflection, in which he has asked God if he is leaving the position too early or has stayed too long, he has realized that Dixwell UCC will be fine without him—just as it has with so many spiritual leaders in the past. He pointed to the leadership already embedded in the church, including a deacon board and emerging church committee.

"I leave you with the promise of our savior. I am with you, always," he said. "The Lord … the Lord … the Lord! will make a way somehow."

"My prayer as we leave this place is that our only savior so dwelled within us that we cay go forth with the light of hope

in our eyes and the fire and inspiration on our lips, God's words on our tongues, God's love in our hearts," he continued, the words sailing over the congregation. "Dixwell Church, for 203 years, you have witnessed the hope of the gospel, the hope and love of God. Hope on, Dixwell! You pray for me, and I will continue to pray for you."

In the bursts of music, song and applause that followed, congregants surrounded Streets with warmth, sending him on his way with several gifts, embraces, whispered secrets and fond utterances of “thank you.” Throughout, Streets’ still-youthful smile rarely faded, filling the church with light.

Agnes Farrar, who turned 101 in May, said that she will miss Streets, “a wonderful person and pastor” who she’s known for roughly half of her life. Because mobility is sometimes difficult for her, she doesn’t always come to Sunday services—but wasn’t going to miss her final chance to see Streets at the pulpit.

Sunday, she attended with her daughter Verna Carr, who drives over two hours from New York to make services as often as she can. “It’s a miracle to be able to sit here,” she said.

“This is how I start my week,” Carr chimed in as she stood beside her mother. “I’m looking to be uplifted. He is going to be very, very missed”

As she made her way towards a postservice lunch in Streets’ honor, longtime member and educator Sharon Esdaile said that she too will miss Streets, who with the onset of Covid-19 carried the church through some of its most difficult years in recent history. After moving from Alabama to Connecticut in 1963, she became close with the Edmonds family, and met Streets early in his time in New Haven.

“The church has always been a center of activism and ideas and possibility, and he has a similar way of thinking,” she said. “He’s very inspirational and without limit himself.”

"The record of what I have done here, what I have attempted to do here, or what ways by which I have failed lies in your hands, and for your interpretation and appraisal," Streets said as he stood at the pulpit for the last time. "Today I leave you with this sermonic hug, a reflection on the hope of the gospel."

Bears-Bulldogs Match Kicks Off HBCU Conversation

by LISA REISMAN

A door opened for high school senior Devin James at The Lab at ConnCORP. The occasion was a Friday evening conversation, moderated by ESPN’s Michael Eaves, on “Athletics & Academics at HBCUs” with Dena Freeman-Patton, the first female athletic director at Morgan State University.

Freeman-Patton was in town for Saturday’s NAACP Harmony Classic between her Maryland-based school’s Bears and Yale’s Bulldogs. Yale would prevail 45 – 3.

Organized by the Connecticut NAACP “to inspire peace, fellowship, and harmony on college campuses,” and hosted by the Connecticut and Greater New Haven Chapters of the NAACP, the Harmony Classic is in its 10th year, with Yale marking its second year of participation.

Toward the end of Friday’s conversation, James, a student at Highville Charter School who specializes in shot put, discus, and javelin for Hillhouse Track and Field, asked for advice on how to get recruited for both academic and athletic ability.

“I got this one,” said Greg Jones, host of the event, founder of the Legacy Foundation of Hartford, and among the small but fiery band of orange-and-blue-clad Morgan State alums, including Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison, who ventured out to the Morse Street institution in Friday night’s monsoon-like conditions.

That was when Devin James learned about the Pennington Fellowship, which was announced by Yale last December to support New Haven high school graduates who attend HBCUs with up to $20,000 toward tuition and fees for each of the four years.

“College coaches love the good academic student,” said Freeman-Patton, a Baltimore native who played basketball while studying sports management at Liberty University.

“Now I see I was doing what I do now even when I was in high school,” she said. “I was always getting on the basketball and football players about doing their work so they could get to college.”

At first, she said, “it was about having a seat at the table, a voice in the decisions of the people I cared about.” Then, “as I started to grow in the field, I realized I needed to be at the top so I could have a say in what happens to our studentathletes.”

The way she became a Division I athletic director a position in which 14 percent are women and 3 percent are Black—was, she said, “putting myself in uncomfortable situations,” as, for example, a high-powered athletic director symposium with predominantly white male speakers and the men’s Final Four because “that’s where the presidents and ADs were at the time.”

“Sometimes you have to be intentional about putting yourself in those uncom-

fortable positions because oftentimes no one asked you to go,” said FreemanPatton, who was named Women Leaders in College Sports Administrator of the

tion and be uncomfortable until you get comfortable and also until they get comfortable with you.”

Asked what she brought to the role as athletic director, her answer was plain. “The life after part,” she said. “What are you going to do next? So every place I’ve stopped, I’ve tried to create some sort of program to benefit student-athletes after college.”

One example is the influx of money to college athletes as a result of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. “I have no problem with it,” she said. “I believe it’s the student-athlete’s right to earn money off their own name. I see it as an opportunity.”

Toward that end, she’s “making available avenues for our student-athletes to educate themselves on how to brand themselves for life, for the future, for business,” she said. “It’s about getting them to think about how to monetize their gifts and not depend on anyone else for that.”

On her seemingly meteoric rise to a position in an institution that, as alum James Nicholas, Class of 1970, put it, “has grown from one little building, one gym, to this magnificent infrastructure,” Freeman-Patton was blunt.

“I was always told don’t worry about the reason, take advantage of the opportunity,” she said. As a student at Liberty, “the director of my sports management program told me, ‘you’re in a field in which there are a not a lot of you, there are doors that are going to open for whatever reason, whether it’s that you’re Black or you’re a woman. All I can say is walk through them.’”

“I took that advice,” she said. “I threw out the first pitch at the Orioles game for HBCU night. I did a coin toss at the U.S. Open for HBCUs. It’s all about exposure for HBCUs.”

It was no different, it seems, for Saturday’s Harmony Classic. “All of this attention, let’s take advantage of it, let’s use it to showcase who we are,” she said. “We need to win this game but it’s bigger than the game. It’s our cheer team, it’s our alumni there supporting, it’s our marching band. Let’s use all that to let people, especially young people, know who we are.”

It’s an opportunity to show Morgan student-athletes that the university is invested in them as well. “That’s why we got a charter flight here,” she said, as opposed to enduring a bus ride from Baltimore. “That’s about giving our studentathletes that experience, so they don’t feel they’re less than. It’s about helping them not miss as much class, not be as tired when they’re competing.”

Maybe Devin James becomes one of them. Maybe he gets that Pennington Fellowship.

have become intractably tethered.

The writing, paired with an intensely physical performance, carries the show. Riggins is a master of narrative, with an ability to knit humor, storytelling and verse that feels rare and sacred (he has studied Wilson's work meticulously, and it shows). His descriptions are not only evocative but often poetic (describing a fight with a fellow inmate: "this scuffle is more of a war dance." On the vicious cycle of addiction: "My body is heavier and denser than all the water in the world.") It allows him to tap into a sort of timehopping and magical realism that propel the play. At multiple points throughout the play, a prison wall becomes a screen onto which Riggins' memories are projected, his description so vivid that an audience can all but see them in real time. There is Riggins' daughter, her smile a beacon of light as the camera flashes. There are his siblings, frozen in time. There is his mother, witn an opal necklace he bought her for her birthday.

It's this that makes the work so intimate: Riggins' delicate touch is on everything, and so is his fearlessness, which persists even when every eye in the house is on only him. Nowhere, perhaps, is that clearer than in a sequence near the end of the show, when Riggins works through a thick fog of grief, eulogizing his mother after trying to get back to her in a place that has been built not to move. It's here that something clicks, pulling him out of a half-conscious state and back into the present, with all its ugliness and baggage and also its potential.

"You gon' be alright man," he says, and the audience knows that it's true. "You belong in the world. Just like the water and the rambling river."

While it is told from solitary confinement, Unbecoming Tragedy is not a play about abolition or the futility of the carceral state, although Riggins the actor has taken on both during his decades on the stage. Instead, it is a show about deep self-exploration, self-interrogation, and at times self-flagellation—and the sheer force of one man's human-ness in a system that does not make room for second chances.

It's this, he said in an interview before the play, that he's still sitting with as he continues to work on the show. After years of moving—he has lived in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Alaska, Texas, Massachusetts and Connecticut—Riggins said he feels a sense of rootedness in New Haven that's still relatively new to him. That sense of being home is carrying him forward—and has helped bring the work to fruition.

Year in 2018 and appointed as chair of the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee in 2020.

“You have to put yourself in that posi-

Whatever the case, “it’s about giving our young people the opportunity to grow, and the support to rise,” Freeman-Patton said. “It’s about opening that door.”

"It's just another journey," he said. "It's another way of looking at the world. It's a kind of a different, unusual ironic journey of a human being trying to figure it out, as we all are. Just trying to make sense of their lives."

SIRENA MCNEAL PHOTO Legacy Foundation's Greg Jones and high school senior Devin James, with Morgan State AD Dena Freeman-Patton and Alder 22 Alder Jeanette Morrison after the event.

Devin James and mother Sirena McNeal.

Dena Freeman-Patton with ESPN's Michael Eaves. James Nicholas, Morgan State alumnus, Class of 1970.

Event host Greg Jones, another Morgan State alum.

The new haven independent

B u i l d i n g B e t t e r F u t u r e s ( B B F ) p r e p a r e s y o u n g a d u l t s , a g e s 1 6 - 2 4 , f o r t o d a y ’ s w o r k f o r c e t h r o u g h a n i n n o v a t i v e a n d h a n d s - o n p r o g r a m .

D e s i g n e d t o e n h a n c e j o b - r e a d i n e s s , t h e B B F p r o g r a m w i l l t e a c h m o d e r n e m p l o y a b i l i t y s k i l l s a n d e m p o w e r y o u n g a d u l t s o n t h e i r c a r e e r j o u r n e y s .

P r o g r a m p a r t i c i p a n t s w i l l h a v e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o g a i n s k i l l s t r a i n i n g a n d d i r e c t e m p l o y e r a c c e s s i n s e v e r a l r a p i d l y g r o w i n g s e c t o r s l i k e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , h e a l t h c a r e , c o n s t r u c t i o n , a n d m a n u f a c t u r i n g

Awaiting Appeal, Maleek Jones Walks Free

by LAURA GLESBY

After nearly three decades behind bars for a now-overturned murder conviction, Maleek Jones found a first taste of freedom in a cheese pizza slice from Modern — a taste “better than any other pizza from the last 30 years,” he said. He took his first steps out of incarceration on Thursday, as the state appeals a judge’s decision that he was wrongfully imprisoned for all those years.

More than a month had passed since federal Judge Janet Hall overturned Jones’ conviction for the 1992 murder of Eddie Harp, declaring Jones’ imprisonment for close to 31 years “unconstitutional.” Jones has always maintained his innocence.

On Thursday, he hugged his mom for about the fifth time since he was first imprisoned shortly after his son was born in 1995.

He ambled through the New Haven Green for the first time in decades, after glimpsing the iconic park through images on TV news stations over and over again. He celebrated his release with a quick pizza party involving family and friends, before taking a trip down to North Carolina, where he’s agreed to live with his sister while still under federal supervision.

“I’m soaking it all in,” he said in disbelief.

Hours earlier, he had been sitting in an orange uniform beneath a federal courtroom’s golden chandelier, uncertain of whether he’d sleep next in a prison cell or a bedroom.

The court had convened to respond to an emergency motion from lawyers representing Jones advocating for his release. The presiding judge was the same Judge Hall who overturned Jones’ conviction in mid-August. She had made this decision on the basis that Jones had ineffective legal representation, and that the trial court’s decision to exclude testimony from someone to whom one of the perpetrators of the shooting confessed, led to an unconstitutional conviction.

The only surviving witnesses of the shooting — bystander Sheila McCray and confessed perpetrator Tyrone Spears — both say that police pressured them to identify Jones as one of the people who shot Eddie Harp.

Spears initially caved to this pressure and implicated Jones as one of three shooters that night, including himself, before ultimately recanting this narrative years later. (Ballistic evidence, as Judge Hall noted, did not support the notion that three people had been involved in the murder.)

Meanwhile, McCray, who had been a friend of Harp’s, has always maintained that Jones was innocent. Despite being the only neutral witness to the crime, she

was never interviewed by Jones’ lawyer or called to testify at his trial.

The state has decided to appeal Hall’s decision, meaning that Jones’ freedom is in the hands of the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. That case remains pending. The state’s attorney’s office declined to comment for this story.

On Thursday, Hall released Jones from state custody and permitted him to move to North Carolina with his sister under federal supervision.

During the hearing, Hall praised the feedback she received on Jones as an employee in prison as “extraordinary,” noting “how hard a worker he is, how capable he is.”

She observed that he had not received a disciplinary ticket since 1997. “To me, that speaks volumes.”

Hall additionally commended Jones’ unofficial “sister,” Sabrina Mack, as an “outstanding candidate” to live with Jones and serve as his “custodian,” the person who will inform the court about any violations, for the duration of his supervised release.

Jones has already secured a job as a quality assurance and quality improvement specialist at Carolina Family Alliance, a mental health services organization where Mack is the executive director. While incarcerated at Garner Correctional Institution, Jones had worked as a tutor and in other capacities with people who have mental illnesses.

“There’s not a high level of concern” that Jones would pose a “danger to the community or flight risk,” said Hall. Her main concern, she said, is the duration of time he has spent in prison.

Jones was 19 when New Haven police arrested him for Harp’s murder; he’s now 50 years old.

“The world has really changed,” Hall said. “The adjustment is extremely dif-

ficult.”

As a result, she decided to release him under a fair degree of supervision. Per her order, he’ll have to wear a GPS device and adhere to a 9 p.m. curfew for at least 60 days, among other requirements. After two months, Hall will review reports from a North Carolina-based probation officer in order to decide whether to alter the conditions of Jones’ release.

As she announced this decision, Jones’ mother and sister wept.

“Thank God the innocent prevailed,” said his mother, Denise Jones, outside the courtroom.

“I can’t wait to feed him some good food,” she added. “Imma see what he wants.”

After hours of wading through the logistics of transferring from state custody to federal supervision, Maleek Jones was finally able to leave the federal courthouse on Church Street with his family and friends.

The group walked to the Temple Street office of the Full Citizens Coalition, where the nonprofit criminal justice reform organization’s founder — Jones’ friend and advocate James Jeter — hosted a pizza party.

There, Jeter screened a short documentary about Jones, “FREE MALEEK,” which was directed by Wesleyan student Eliot Kimball and released this past summer. Jones had participated in the documentary by way of ten-minute phone interviews. He had not yet seen the final product. He nodded stoically through narrations of his criminal case, but teared up at his mother’s words to the camera: “He’s been in there 30 years, my child has been locked up for 30 years … I want justice for my child.”

Jones steps out of the courthouse.

Maleek Jones' friends and family celebrate at the Full Citizens Coalition office.

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO Maleek Jones hugs his mom, Denise Jones, outside federal courthouse.

The new haven independent

Far-Right Republicans Push for Controversial Spending Cuts Impacting Vulnerable Communities

17.1% of Black American families live below the poverty line. In comparison, only 8.6% of their white and Asian-American counterparts face the same economic hardship. The glaring inequality underpins Brazile’s assertion that the proposed House Republican spending cuts, targeting crucial programs aiding low-income individuals, would inflict severe hardship on Black communities.

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

In a scathing op-ed, seasoned political strategist and former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile has accused far-right Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives of pursuing drastic and merciless reductions in programs that disproportionately support Black Americans and low-income individuals. Brazile, now a senior advisor at Virginia-based communications firm Purple Strategies, warned that a shutdown would prove devastating and hard to recover for specific populations.

With a pointed emphasis on the demographic disparities in poverty rates, Brazile highlighted the staggering contrast in figures: 17.1% of Black American families live below the poverty line. In comparison, only 8.6% of their white and Asian-American counterparts face the same economic hardship. The glaring inequality underpins Brazile’s assertion that the proposed House Republican spending cuts, targeting crucial programs aiding low-income individuals, would inflict severe hardship on Black communities.

In the op-ed published by TheGrio, Brazile also noted that Hispanic families, grappling with a 16.9% poverty rate, and Native Americans, facing an alarming 25% poverty rate, would be profoundly affected by these proposed cuts.

The contentious nature of these potential cuts has ignited a fierce political battle on Capitol Hill, with far-right Republicans pushing their agenda even at the risk of a federal government shutdown. The impasse highlights the deep ideological divide within the House, with concerns over the welfare of vulnerable communities at the forefront of the debate.

Critics argue that these proposed cuts significantly threaten the social safety net, potentially exacerbating existing disparities in access to essential resources and opportunities. On the other hand, despite the Biden-Harris admin-

istration already shaving more than $1 trillion off the national debt, MAGA Republicans and their supporters claim that the cuts are needed to show fiscal restraint and ensure the long-term stability of government finances.

“The Republican MAGA extremists putting vital programs on the chopping block in the House are following the orders of former President Donald Trump,” Brazile asserted. This week, Trump wrote on his social media site that they should make no compromises with mainstream Republicans and Democrats.

“UNLESS

THING, SHUT IT DOWN!” Trump wrote on social media. “Whoever is President will be blamed.”

Brazile noted that, in contrast, President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., both urged House Republicans to fund the government to avoid the disastrous impacts of a government shutdown.

“Unfortunately, rather than considering themselves public servants, the MAGA House Republicans prioritize serving Trump over their own constituents,” Brazile continued. “Instead of focusing on governing, they are focused on attacking whoever Trump

denounces.”

Brazile listed several of the social safety net programs that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California), supports to appease extreme MAGA Republicans, including:

• Denying food assistance payments to more than 1 million low-income mothers and their children under age 5. This would quite literally take food out of the mouths of babies.

• Slashing housing subsidies for poor families by one-third. A rise in homelessness would be inevitable.

• Cutting aid that helps poor families pay their home heating bills by more than 70%. The Biden administration won congressional approval a year ago to spend $4.5 billion on the program to aid over 5 million poor families.

• An 80% cut in funding for public schools that serve many low-income students. This would make it harder for such students to get a good education that would help them work their way into the middle class and higher.

• Cutting over $150 billion annually from programs that help fund child care, education subsidies, college scholarships, medical research, and hundreds more vital programs.

“It’s outrageous that rather than raising taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations to reduce the federal deficit, House Republicans are demanding that low-income Americans bear the brunt of the burden of deficit reduction,” Brazile concluded.

California Governor Gavin Newsom Names Laphonza Butler to Replace the Late Dianne Feinstein in the U.S. Senate

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Laphonza Butler will fill the U.S. Senate seat of the late Dianne Feinstein. The groundbreaking Senator died on September 29.

Newsom’s decision was not on the political radar screen of most prognosticators. With the selection of Butler, the decision of California’s Governor will not include any of the currently announced candidates for U.S. Senate in 2024 in California. Those current candidates include veteran members of Congress Barbara Lee and Adam Schiff.

“As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for — reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence — have never been under greater assault. Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington, D.C.,” wrote Gov. Newsom

in a statement released on the evening of October 1 announcing Butler’s appointment.

Butler will be sworn in to the U.S. Senate this week.

Butler has been serving as the President of EMILY’s List. The fundraising platform supports and funds women candidates and amplifies issues that disproportionately impact women. EMILY’s List was founded in 1985 by Ellen Malcolm and founding members Barbara Boxer, Ann Richards, Anne Wexler, and Donna Shalala. From 1985 through 2008, EMILY’s List raised over $240 million for political candidates.

The move by Newsom could assist him if he should run for higher office in 2024 or 2028. Newsom has been rumored to be on a short list of Democratic candidates who could run for President if, for some reason, Biden or Harris are not options. But Newsom was recently asked about

Laphonza Butler

running for President and switched topics to the policies he believed the party should focus on.

Laphonza Butler will be yet another addition to the Congressional Black Caucus, which is now on the brink of having 60 members for the first time in history. Though the current membership of the Congressional Black Caucus is 58, one more Black member is all but certain to enter Congress in Rhode Island after the resignation in May of Congressman David Cicilline. Former Biden White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Deputy Director Gabe Amo won the Democratic nomination for Cicilline’s seat. The election is on November 7.

Butler will be the only Black woman in the Senate. But Delaware Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester is expected to win the Senate seat vacated by Senator Tom Carper. Carper announced he would not run for re-election in 2024 and Rochester announced shortly afterwards that she would run for Carper’s seat.

“Throughout her career, Laphonza Butler has been a strong voice for working families, LGBTQ rights, and a champion for increasing women’s representation in politics. I’m honored to welcome her to the United States Senate. Governor Newsom’s swift action ensures that Californians maintain full representation in the Senate as we navigate a narrow Democratic majority. I look forward to working together to deliver for the people of California,” wrote California U.S. Senator Alex Padilla in a statement.

Senator Laphonza Bulter / Wikimedia Commons

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the publisher of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

Biden: ‘I Make No Apologies for Efforts to Support HBCUs’

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

President Joe Biden and Vice President

Kamala Harris held a roundtable discussion inside the Roosevelt Room of the White House with the Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The event included key figures like Dr. Tony Allen, Chair of the Board of Advisors and Delaware State University President, and Mayor Steve Benjamin, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Biden, humorously recalling their past collaborations, commended Allen’s contributions and emphasized the transformative impact of HBCUs. Allen, highlighting the unprecedented support from the current administration, lauded their $7 billion investment in the Department of Education. He underscored the vital role of HBCUs in enabling low-resourced African American students to ascend to the middle class.

“HBCUs produce 40% of all Black engineers in America, 50% of all Black lawyers, 70% of all Black doctors and dentists, and 80% of all Black judges,” Biden asserted. “And HBCUs are engineers of economic mobility helping to increase the Black middle class. When the middle class does well, everybody does well. The poor have a road up, and the wealthy still do well although they’ve got to start paying their taxes. That’s why it’s critical we

invest in these universities.”

During the meeting, Allen revealed a list of recommendations, all centered on four crucial tenets set by President Biden and Vice President Harris:

1. Infrastructure Investment: This encompasses physical and technological infrastructure, aiming to align the quality of living and learning spaces with the toptier education that HBCUs offer.

2. Research Capacity Building: Dr. Allen emphasized the unique expertise across diverse disciplines in HBCUs, with numerous institutions poised to attain R1 status.

3. Connected Pathways: The President and Vice President’s advocacy for industry collaboration ensures that HBCU students have genuine opportunities from matriculation to graduate studies.

4. HBCU Preservation and Growth: Given their pivotal role in African American students’ upward mobility, preserving and expanding HBCUs remains paramount.

Biden, resonating with Dr. Allen’s sentiments, spotlighted the substantial impact of HBCUs on various professional domains, such as engineering, law, medicine, and judiciary. He stressed that in-

vesting in these institutions is not only an investment in the Black community but a step towards fortifying the nation’s overall prosperity.

Addressing misconceptions about funding cuts, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to historic investments in HBCUs, including research allocations and significant increases in Pell Grants. He emphasized the necessity of advanced facilities, particularly laboratories, to bolster competitiveness in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Biden also touched on the urgency of supporting HBCU students through increased Pell Grants, reiterating their vital role in enhancing access to higher education. He said he’s worked for bipartisan support in helping HBCUs. “Just a few months ago, the Speaker of the House and I agreed to spending levels for the government. We were up right to the very edge, almost reneged on our debt, and — that we could fund essential priorities and still cut the deficit by $1 trillion over the next decade,” Biden noted.

“Now, a small group of extreme House Republicans, they don’t want to live up to that deal, and everyone in America could be faced with paying the price for that. They’re changing it. We made a deal. We shook hands. We said, ‘This is what we’re going to do,’ and now they’re reneging on the deal, which is not much of a surprise these days. And the Black community, in particular, is going to suffer if that oc-

Con’t on page 17

Tenth Annual Wrongful Conviction Day Shines Light on Injustice

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

October 2, 2023, marks the Tenth Annual Wrongful Conviction Day, a global initiative to raise awareness about the pervasive issue of wrongful convictions and its profound impact on innocent individuals and their families.

Founded by the Innocence Network, a collective of organizations dedicated to offering pro-bono legal and investigative services for those seeking exoneration, Wrongful Conviction Day aims to rectify the root causes of these miscarriages of justice while also providing support to the exonerated as they reintegrate into society.

Since its inception in 1989, over 3,320 wrongful convictions have been unearthed nationwide, resulting in a staggering cumulative loss of 29,500 years for those unjustly incarcerated. Today, it remains impossible to ascertain the exact number of innocent individuals still languishing behind bars. However, experts estimate that between 2% and 5% of the nearly 2 million incarcerated in the US

are victims of wrongful convictions, indicating that anywhere from 40,000 to 100,000 people are presently suffering

this grave injustice.

Recent studies show a 70% increase in wrongful convictions in five years. Anal-

ysis of those cases showed race is a significant influence in wrongful convictions.

Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States 2022 examined 3,200 innocent people exonerated in the U.S. from 1989. They concluded that Black Americans are seven times more likely than white Americans to be wrongfully convicted of severe crimes. This applies to all significant crimes except white-collar crime.

White homicide victims are roughly twice as likely to be wrongfully convicted. Black people are eight times more likely to be wrongfully convicted for sexual assault than white people. White victims are much more likely to be wrongfully convicted than Black victims.

Drug offenses show the most significant racial differences. African Americans are 19 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of drug crimes. Wrongfully convicted Black persons serve harsher sentences than innocent white people in all crime categories.

Organizers at The Innocence Network noted that this Wrongful Conviction Day is a rallying call to educate and disseminate knowledge about this pressing issue.

The Innocence Network, a loose coalition of independent innocence organizations, has remained at the forefront of the battle, working tirelessly to combat wrongful convictions globally and advocate for systemic reform in the criminal legal system.

While most Network members focus on providing legal representation for the wrongfully convicted, a select few are exclusively dedicated to aiding and assisting those exonerated, helping them transition back into society.

As the Tenth Annual Wrongful Conviction Day unfolds, the Network said they are urging individuals worldwide to join the cause, advocating for justice, and supporting the fight against wrongful convictions, ultimately striving to ensure that every person receives the fair and just treatment they deserve under the law.

“The number of innocent Americans in prison or jail is disturbing,” NBA coaching legend Doc Rivers, an advocate of the Innocent Project, stated. “Our system fails too many of us, and any person who has been wrongfully convicted deserves justice.”

Post Views: 14

The Roosevelt Room event included key figures like Dr. Tony Allen, Chair of the Board of Advisors and Delaware State University President, and Mayor Steve Benjamin, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Black Woman Makes History With Lead Role in Upcoming Broadway Premiere of Betty Boop Musical

Simone Biles now has 5 skills named after her as she makes history landing Yurchenko double pike by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Star Gymnast Simone Biles completed a Yurchenko double pike, the most difficult vault in women’s gymnastics, at the world championships on Sunday, becoming the first woman to perform the move in a major international competition successfully and cementing her place in gymnastics history.

Since the 26-year-old already has four skills named after her, two on floor exercise and one each on balancing beam and vault, the Yurchenko double pike, a vault with an extra flip that makes it so difficult and deadly, will now be known as the Biles II.

By BlackNews.com

Jasmine Amy Rogers, a 23-year-old African American actress, is set to take on the lead in “BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical” that will debut on Broadway. The musical, which promises to bring Betty’s charm to life on stage, is making its premiere in Chicago this November before hitting Broadway.

This musical, directed and choreographed by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, is bringing Betty Boop to life. Mitchell is all praises for Rogers, lauding her versatile talents in acting, singing, and dancing that perfectly fit the character of Betty Boop.

“From the moment Jasmine walks into a room and shares that magnificent smile and her contagious laugh, you know you are in the presence of Betty Boop. And, like the cartoon Betty, Jasmine can do everything brilliantly — acting, singing, dancing — I know her performance will capture the hearts of audiences of all ages,” he told Blex Media.

Behind the scenes, a talented team including David Rockwell, Gregg Barnes, Philip S. Rosenberg, Gareth Owen, Finn Ross, and Daryl Waters are working hard on set design, costume design, lighting, sound, projection design, and musical supervision.

The musical is inspired by Max Fleischer’s iconic characters, with music by Grammy winner David Foster, lyrics by Tony nominee Susan Birkenhead, and a book by Tony winner Bob Martin.

The story follows Betty’s quest for an ordinary day away from her celebrity status. Her adventure takes her to colorful, musical New York City, delivering a message of empowerment: “You are capable of amazing things.”

Betty Boop debuted in 1930, initially as a dog-like stage performer. She evolved into a human character, becoming the world’s only female animated screen star in 1932, voiced by Mae Questel. Moreover, it’s important to acknowledge the Black historical connection to Betty Boop’s creation. Esther Jones, known as “Baby Esther,” is credited with inspiring the character. Born in 1918 in Chicago, she was a talented child performer known for her unique singing style and blackbottom dancing.

A lawsuit in 1930 revealed the true origins of Betty Boop. Helen Kane, a white performer, sued Fleisher Studios for appropriating her “Betty Boop” character. During the trial, it was revealed that Kane had imitated Jones’ scat act, leading to the recognition of neither Kane nor Jones as the source.

“People, I hope, realize that maybe that’s one of the last times you’re going to see a vault like that in your life from a women’s gymnast. I think it’s time to appreciate that,” Biles’s coach Laurent Landi stated, according to The Washington Post.

LeBron James shares health update on Bronny and how he is preparing to return to court

By Stephen Nartey, Face2FaceAfrica.com

LeBron James has provided confirmation that his son, Bronny James, is on the path to a full recovery following a successful surgery after experiencing cardiac arrest in July.

Providing the Los Angeles Lakers’ media with a status on his son’s health progress, he indicated that he is in excellent condition and has already commenced his rehabilitation process to prepare for his return to the basketball court this season.

These questions about Bronny’s health and recovery come in the wake of the 19-year-old experiencing cardiac arrest during a workout at the University of Southern California a little over two months ago. Despite the health scare, LeBron James was optimistic about his son’s basketball future, especially as Bronny began his freshman year at USC this fall.

Mo’Nique Wants CBS to Fairly Compensate Her and Actress Countess Vaughn For “The Parkers”

Mo’Nique, known for her role in The Parkers, is urging CBS to provide fair compensation for herself and her co-star Countess Vaughn, as they seek recognition for their work on the long-running show.

In a recent Instagram video with her husband Sidney Hicks, Mo’Nique expressed solidarity with striking unions, particularly mentioning the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the SAG-AFTRA strikes, which affect writers and actors, respectively, according to The Shade Room.

Mo’Nique shared her concern about the alleged lack of compensation for their work on ‘The Parkers,’ a show that has been on the air for 24 years. She and Vaughn starred in the sitcom from 1999 to

2004 which ran for five seasons with over 110 episodes.

Despite being informed that they made no money from their ownership of the show, Mo’Nique and Hicks claim to have seen profit statements indicating that the series generated over $700 million. This stark contrast between reported profits and alleged deficits raises questions.

Mo’Nique also pointed out a different deal with CBS, one made with comedian Dave Chappelle in 2021, wherein CBS reportedly ensured fair compensation for him. Mo’Nique and Hicks are now seeking similar fairness.

“So what we’re asking you, CBS, is can you please treat these two Black women fairly,” Mo’Nique said. “What we’re ask-

ing you, CBS [is] don’t pay us anymore but don’t pay us any less.”

In taking this public stance, Mo’Nique and Hicks hope to shed light on the challenges faced by creatives in the industry and ensure fairness for future generations. Countess Vaughn has shown her support by sharing Mo’Nique’s video on her Instagram Story.

Earlier this year, Mo’Nique also filed a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount, emphasizing the importance of actors receiving the compensation they are owed, especially for successful shows like ‘The Parkers.’ The lawsuit also involves claims related to Hicks Media, their company, and the sitcom’s production company, Big Ticket Productions.

Lebron James & Bronny James/Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons & USC Athletics

Simone Biles at the 2016 Olympics all-around gold medal podium. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Agência Brasil Fotografias

One of America’s Cultural Treasures, Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through dance for over 50 years.

Photo Credit: Steven Pisano

Why Hattie McDaniel’s Oscar was replaced

By Mildred Europa Taylor, Face2FaceAfrica.com

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Sunday night presented Howard University with a replacement Oscar for Hattie McDaniel’s 1940 best supporting actress award. McDaniel was the first Black person to win an Oscar for her supporting performance as Mammy in the 1939 classic “Gone with the Wind.” McDaniel subsequently bequeathed her Oscar to the university before her death in 1952. The award was displayed in the school’s drama department up until the late 1960s when it mysteriously disappeared.

“For a young aspiring artist, a student, a would-be actress, being able to see that every day was an affirmation,” Phylicia Rashad, the dean of Howard’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, said of the award. Rashad, known for her role on The Cosby Show, accepted the replacement Oscar with Howard President Ben Vinson III and Kevin John Goff, McDaniel’s great-grandnephew.

“It was Hattie McDaniel’s intention that her Oscar should be placed here at How-

ard University in the College of Fine Arts in perpetuity,” Rashad said.

When McDaniel took the stage in a blue gown and gardenias in her hair at the 12th Academy Awards held at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in The Ambassador Hotel eight decades ago, she had been allowed in after a petition from her producer, David O. Selznick. Even when she entered, she was not allowed to join costars Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable on the Gone With the Winds table but was instead given a separate table at a far wall with her escort.

Though the award was a historic moment for her, the 46-year-old’s career took a not-too-impressive turn right after.

Born in 1893 to two former slaves, McDaniel grew up in poverty and followed her brothers onto the stage, making fun of stereotypes by performing in whiteface. In 1931, she moved to Los Angeles where she began uncredited film roles as maids and slaves; roles that were shunned by black actors at the time. Her assertiveness eventually landed her the role of Gone with the Wind’s Mammy. This became her most significant role at the time. But the NAACP condemned Gone With the

Wind, and some black theatres were not willing to show it. McDaniel was also banned from attending the film’s Atlanta premiere.

Black audiences further accused her of perpetuating negative stereotypes, and white filmmakers cast her only in domestic-servant roles.

However, she made history again in 1947 when she became the first black actor to star in her own American radio program, The Beulah Show, replacing a white male actor. After some years, McDaniel was diagnosed with breast cancer and passed away at the age of 59.

It is documented that she made two requests in her will: for her body to be buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and for her Oscar to be given to Howard University. But the cemetery refused her burial due to her race, and she was rather buried at the nearby Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery.

By the early 1970s, her award went missing and is yet to be seen. Some have argued that the award was taken from the campus as part of the student unrest in the 1960s.

Leading the Charge: Dr. Uché Blackstock’s Fight Against Pain Inequity

by Jasmine Smith, BlackDoctor.org

Pain inequity within the Black community is rooted in centuries of historical oppression and systemic racism. Additionally, the attitudes around pain tolerance have far-reaching consequences for Black individuals’ health and well-being. BlackDoctor.org sat down with physician and health equity expert Dr. Uché Blackstock to discuss the key factors contributing to pain inequity in the Black community, how it differs from experiences in other racial or ethnic groups and what can be done to ensure equitable access to pain management and treatment for Black patients.

What are the key factors contributing to pain inequity within the Black community, and how does it differ from other racial or ethnic groups?

There are very deep historic and systemic roots to pain inequity in Black communities. These roots stretch back to slavery, a societal institution that was falsely based on and perpetuated the notion that Black people were biologically inferior to other races. Enslaved Black people were experimented on, without their consent, and traumatized during slavery to help the medical establishment to make important discoveries that benefitted society. They were put on display in medical school lecture halls, and even textbooks included myths that Black people were biologically different. Those notions and myths have

been perpetuated for centuries and still infiltrate our medical education curricula. How do these disparities manifest in healthcare settings?

Pain inequity is an acute public health crisis in the Black community. Ninetythree percent of Black people interviewed for the Advil survey, in partnership with the Morehouse School of Medicine, said that pain impacted their day-to-day lives and 3 out of 4 believed that bias and discrimination were involved in how their pain was diagnosed and treated. Black patients’ concerns are often minimized and even ignored by health professionals.

What are some common misconceptions or stereotypes about pain perception and tolerance among Black individuals, and how do they impact healthcare outcomes?

Some of the myths and stereotypes that health professionals hold about Black people and pain include, Blacks have a higher pain tolerance, thicker skin, less sensitive nerve endings and that we are biologically different than people of other races. These are myths and categorically false. Many of these myths were believed by students and residents in a 2016 study done at the University of Virginia. This mythical thinking is very much current day as well. What role do healthcare providers play in perpetuating pain inequity, and what steps can be taken to address this issue within the medical profession?

Healthcare providers can perpetuate pain inequity by not listening to Black pa-

tients, not treating their pain adequately, not properly investigating the source of their pain, and not making the correct diagnosis. All healthcare providers should have continuing medical education and training about pain inequity. For example, part of their continuing medical education should be watching and discussing the powerful videos on the Believe My Pain website and bearing witness to the stories of Black people living with the pain. Also, their workplaces should develop pain equity metrics for healthcare providers that can be measured, tracked, and then intervened upon, if necessary. What are the potential consequenc-

es of unaddressed pain inequity in the Black community, both in terms of individual health outcomes and broader societal implications?

If pain goes untreated, people experience physical, emotional and psychological distress. They cannot enjoy activities of daily living, like spending time with family and friends. They are unable to work and cannot pay their bills. Even worse, they likely have a clinical diagnosis that is being missed or delayed that could potentially harm them or ultimately result in their death.

What strategies or interventions can healthcare institutions implement to re-

duce pain inequity in the Black community and ensure equitable access to pain management and treatment?

Healthcare institutions must recognize systemic racism detrimentally impacts the health and well-being of their Black patients and hold themselves accountable. They must use a multi-pronged effort to combat pain inequity. We already know that many of these racist myths can be perpetuated in medical education and training. The Advil Pain Equity Project is working with the Morehouse School of Medicine and BLKHLTH to develop a pain equity course for medical schools. This course will be very important since we know that the next generation of health professionals holds the key to changing how we care for patients. Healthcare institutions must also implement rigorous clinical protocols and processes to track pain inequity in practice and intervene when necessary.

How can healthcare providers improve communication with Black patients regarding their pain experiences and needs?

Healthcare providers must recognize the internal racial biases they hold and how those biases can negatively impact the care they provide to Black patients. They should make sure that they are actively listening to Black patients’ concerns, responding competently based upon those concerns to find an answer for their pain, and then make sure to adequately treat their patients’ pain.

Hattie McDaniel was the first Black person to win an Oscar for her supporting performance as Mammy in the 1939 classic "Gone with the Wind." Photo: YouTube

Photo: Advancing Health Equity

Biden:

curs. For example, a shutdown is going to risk nutrition assistance to nearly 7 million moms and children, and it’s going to disproportionately affect Black families.”

Harris, the first HBCU graduate to ascend to vice president, expressed her deep appreciation for the work of the Board. She underscored HBCUs’ role in cultivating academic excellence and their potential to drive innovation across critical fields, from public health to artificial intelligence.

Harris emphasized the need for diverse perspectives in shaping decisions about emerging technologies, highlighting the importance of HBCU graduates in these discussions. The vice president also stressed the relevance of HBCU voices in media, ensuring comprehensive representation in storytelling.

“I strongly believe — based on experience and knowledge about what our country needs, in terms of its strength and growth and development — that our HBCUs are extraordinary centers of academic excellence and must continue to be supported, not only because of the historical role that they have played in building and helping to contribute to America’s leadership and global leadership, but also because, as the President has said: As we look forward, we know that our HBCUs are also pipelines for very extraordinary young people to enter the fields of work that we require to cure disease, to create that which we have not imagined, to supply us with the innovative approaches that will allow us to continue to work on the strength, prosperity, and security of our nation,” Harris said.

Mayor Benjamin echoed the sentiments, acknowledging the significant challenges HBCUs face, including smaller endowments, infrastructure needs, and a predominantly Pell Grant-eligible student population. He praised the administration’s dedication to addressing these issues.

Biden and Harris both highlighted the profound impact HBCUs have on the nation, emphasizing their role as engines of progress for all American, with the president noting that most HBCUs are landgrant universities.

“Land-grant universities used to be robustly supported by their state legislative bodies. They would support, in some cases, up to 60 percent of the land-grant budget for that university,” Biden stated. “From 1987 to 2000, land-grant universities have lost — Black and white — more than $13 billion in investments from the state — from the states and government to help them. And that has exacerbated the problem — particularly for Black landgrant universities, HBCUs. Everybody does better in the whole United States when the potential of HBCUs is realized. Everybody. I make no apologies for the kind of effort we’re expending on HBCUs.”

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR LEGAL SERVICES RELATED TO LABOR, EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS

Town of Bloomfield

NOTICE

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol (BHA) invites proposals from qualified attorneys, legal teams or law firms to provide Legal services in labor laws, employment & benefits. For copy of RFP please contact Carl Johnson, Dir. of Capital Funds at 860585-2028 or cjohnson@bristolhousing.org beginning Mon., Sept. 4, 2023. Sealed proposals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 12, 2023 clearly marked “RFP – Legal Services. Labor, Employment & Benefits” with one (1) original and three (3) copies mailed or delivered to: Housing Authority of the City of Bristol, Attn: Mitzy Rowe, CEO, 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT 06010

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.

Salary Range: $87,727 to $136,071 Deputy Finance Director/Controller

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE. For Details go to  www.bloomfieldct.org

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. SBE, MBE, W/DBE, and Section 3 businesses are encouraged to respond.

Community Engagement Senior Project Manager

NOTICIA

Town of Bloomfield Finance Director

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

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

FHI Studio is seeking a Community Engagement Senior Project Manager. Candidates should demonstrate their ability to lead project teams, supervise and develop staff, provide excellent client service with innovative and strategic solutions, manage multiple projects concurrently, and conduct business development. Responsibilities will include developing and implementing strategic outreach plans to meaningfully include and facilitate communication with stakeholders and the general public on transportation and community planning projects, utilizing a wide variety of tools and techniques including public meetings, printed materials, social media, website, press releases, and PowerPoint presentations. The candidate must also possess excellent oral and written communication skills. Experience with major transportation infrastructure projects is preferred.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN (EMT)

NEW HAVEN

Salary Range - $101,455 to $156,599 (expected starting pay maximum is mid-range)

Fully Benefited – 35 hours weekly Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website –www.bloomfieldct.org

Portland

Police Officer full-time

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

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

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

The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for EMT. Must possess a H.S. diploma or G.E.D., plus one (1) year of recent experience as an EMT. Must be 18 years old and be a Connecticut or National Registry Certified EMT with CPR Certification and a valid State of Connecticut motor vehicle operator’s license. Starting wage $796.53 (weekly), plus an excellent fringe benefits package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Forms will be mailed upon request from the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page. Phone (203) 294-2080, Fax (203) 294-2084. The closing date will be the date of the 50th application or resume is received or August 28, 2023, whichever occurs first.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Bike Share System – Development and Implementation

QSR STEEL CORPORATION APPLY NOW!

SIZE

3.5 by 4.0 FOR OUTREACH EVENT

SMALL CONTRACTORS WANTED

LaRosa Building Group is hosting an outreach event for small contractors interested in working on the Curtis Cofield II Estates construction project.

New Haven M/W/SBEs are encouraged to attend.

Thursday, September 7, 2023, from 5-7 PM: Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church

1324 Chapel Street New Haven, CT 06511

Email: outreach@larosabg.com

An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Executive Secretary

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

The Town of Wallingford is seeking highly qualified and experienced applicants for the position of Executive Secretary. This position provides high-level administrative support and assistance to a Town department head and performs difficult clerical and administrative work requiring considerable independent judgment and confidentiality. The position requires excellent public relations and office management skills. Must have 6 years’ experience in responsible office work, some of which must have been in a supervisory capacity, or an equivalent combination of experience and college-level training. Pay rate $28.75 to $34.86 per hour plus an excellent benefit package. Application forms may be obtained at the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Forms will be mailed upon request from the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from Town of Wallingford Department of Human Resources Web Page and emailed to wlfdhr@ wallingfordct.gov. Phone: (203)-294-2080. Fax (203)-294-2084. The closing date will be September 11, 2023. EOE

Maintainer II – Collections System

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

New Haven Parking Authority

New Haven, CT

NHPA Project #23-065

Proposals due August 29, 2023 at 3:00 P.M.

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.

Requesting proposals to develop and implement a Bike Share System in New Haven, CT. Proposal Documents will be available beginning August 8, 2023 at no cost by downloading from the New Haven Parking Authority/Park New Haven website at https://parknewhaven.com/request-for-bids/ or visit the Main Office at 232 George Street, New Haven, CT to obtain a copy.

NHPA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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

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

LEGAL NOTICE

Request for Proposals (RFP) for Services

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

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management, is seeking proposals to provide certain services related to Connecticut Fair Share Housing Study.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

The intent of the request is to identify individuals or firms with the necessary expertise to provide planning services within a stated timeframe.

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

The RFP is available online at: https:// portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/BidBoard and https://portal.ct.gov/OPM/Root/ RFP/Request-For-Proposals or from Debra McCarthy, Office of Policy and Management, IGPP Division, 450 Capitol Ave., MS#54ORG, Hartford, Connecticut 06106-1379. E-mail: Debra.McCarthy@ ct.gov. Telephone (860) 418-6297. Deadline for response submission is 4:00 p.m. EDT, Oct. 2, 2023.

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

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

The Town of Wallingford Sewer Division is seeking qualified applicants to perform a variety of skilled tasks in the operation, maintenance, repair and construction of sanitary sewers, including CCTV inspection and high velocity flushing. Requires a H.S., trade school or vocational school diploma or H.S. equivalency diploma, plus 3 years employment in a field related to sanitary sewer construction, operation or maintenance, or 1 year of training in a skilled trade substituted for 1 year of experience up to 2 years plus a minimum of 1 year of employment for a sewer utility or in the construction field with work experience in the installation and maintenance of pipelines, or an equivalent combination of experience and training. Must possess or have the ability to obtain within 6 months of appointment a valid State of Connecticut Class B CDL. Wages: $26.16 to $31.18 hourly, plus an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, medical insurance, life insurance, paid sick and vacation time. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov by the closing date of October 3, 2023. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016

Administrative

NOTICE

Aide (Mayor’s Office)

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Town of Bloomfield

Patrol Police Officer

Continuum of Care, New Haven, Connecticut –LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID

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

The Town of Wallingford is seeking a highly qualified individual to perform a variety of responsible administrative duties in support of the Mayor. Requires an A.S. degree in office management or related field plus 3 years of progressively responsible clerical or office management experience, or a H.S. diploma plus 5 years of progressively responsible clerical or office management experience, or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. Must possess or be able to obtain certification as a CT ADA Coordinator within 1 year and as a Notary Public within 6 months of appointment. Annual salary: $69,587 to $89,039 plus an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, medical insurance, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, paid sick and vacation time. A complete job announcement and application may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct. gov by the closing date of October 2, 2023. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 2942084. EOE

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

$37.93 hourly ($78,885 annually) – full time, benefited Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website – www.bloomfieldct.org

Deadline: Applications will be accepted until position is filled

Town of Bloomfield

Finance Director

Salary Range - $101,455 to $156,599 (expected starting pay maximum is mid-range)

LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID: CONTINUUM OF CARE, NEW HAVEN

SECRETARY

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

Senior Clerk: Performs a wide variety of responsible clerical duties in a municipal government office. The position requires 4 years of office work experience of a responsible nature and a H.S. diploma. $23.72 to $28.28 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Applications may be obtained at the office of the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and emailed to wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov. The closing date will be that date the 50th application form/resume is received, or September 27, 2023, whichever occurs first. EOE.

NEW HAVEN

MAINTAINER II

242-258 Fairmont Ave

Fully Benefited – 35 hours weekly Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website –www.bloomfieldct.org

Portland

Police Officer full-time

Go to www.portlandct.org for details

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

is requesting licensed and insured contractors to provide bids for their property located at 310 Winthrop Avenue, New Haven. The owner is seeking proposals for the Interior Painting of 310 Winthrop, a three-family property. Scope includes clean, scrape, and paint all identified paintable surfaces of property. Cleaning, prep and paint of all interior doors, walls, and targeted trim. House colors to be selected by owner and Sherwin Williams is preferred. The project is CDBG funded by the City of New Haven. Project is tax-exempt and Davis/Bacon/Prevailing Wage rate. The selected company and any subcontractors must comply with EEOC workforce requirements. City of New Haven Chapter 12 ¼ of the New Haven code of Ordinances (MBE subcontracting ) applies- Minority/women’s business enterprises are encouraged to apply. A bidding site meeting will be held at 310 Winthrop avenue, New Haven on Monday, 8/28/2023 at 2:30pm. All bids are due by 9/8/2023 by 3pm. All bids and questions should be submitted in writing to Monica O’Connor via email moconnor@continuumct.org or delivered to 109 Legion Avenue, New Haven.

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Plumbing Maintenance Services

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is seeking a qualified contractor to provide Plumbing Maintenance Services throughout the Agency. Proposals due by September 21, 2023 at 4:00 p.m.

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

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

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

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

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

APPLY NOW!

A copy of the RFP documents can be obtained at the Bristol Housing Authority, 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT 06010 during normal business hours or by contacting Yvonne Tirado, Director of Accounting & Special Projects, at ytirado@bristolhousing.org, phone 860-585-2039 or Carl Johnson, Director of Capital Funds, at cjohnson@bristolhousing.org, phone 860-585-2028. Scope and proposal requirements will be available starting August 21, 2023.

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. SBE, MBE, W/DBE, and Section 3 businesses are encouraged to respond.

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Transportation Planner – Project Manager

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016

3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S.

1:30-

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

The Town of Wallingford is seeking applicants for Maintainer II. The position requires 2 years’ experience as a laborer in construction work involving the operation and care of trucks and other mechanical equipment, or 2 years training in one of the skilled trades and 1 year of experience in construction operations, or an equivalent combination of experience and training. A valid (CDL) Class B is required and a copy included with your application. Wages: $23.73 - $27.82 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package that includes pension plan, paid sick and vacation time, 13 paid holidays. medical, dental and life insurance. A complete job announcement and application may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov by the closing date of September 25, 2023. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

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

LEGAL NOTICE Request for Proposals (RFP) for Services

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Continuum of Care, New Haven, Connecticut –LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID

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.

The South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) is seeking to fill the Transportation Planner – Project Manager position. Visit www.scrcog.org for the full position description, qualifications, and application requirements. Applications are to be submitted by noon on Monday, September 11, 2023, or until the position is filled. Questions may be emailed to jobs@scrcog.org. SCRCOG is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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.

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

LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID: CONTINUUM OF CARE is requesting licensed and insured Electrical contractors to provide bids for their property located at 12 Michael Street, East Haven. The project is for the design and installation of a standby generator (24KW) for the property. Scope to include a 200A automatic transfer switch, mounting pad and include battery and programming for the site. The awarded vendor is responsible for furnishing permit application to the City of East Haven for their work scope and related fees. Price should include dumpster (if necessary) and permit fees. The property can support a natural gas fueled standby generator. The project is tax-exempt, and funded by owner. A bidding site meeting will be held at 12 Michael Street, East Haven on 9/22/2023 at 11am. All bids are due by 9/29/2023 by 3pm. All bids and questions should be submitted in writing to Monica O’Connor via email moconnor@continuumct.org or delivered to 109 Legion Avenue, New Haven. Minority/women’s business enterprises are encouraged to apply.

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

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management, is seeking proposals to provide certain services related to performing a review of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) System.

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

Payroll

The intent of the request is to identify individuals or firms with the necessary expertise to provide higher education consulting services within a stated timeframe.

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

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

The RFP is available online at: https:// portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/BidBoard and https://portal.ct.gov/OPM/Root/ RFP/Request-For-Proposals. Deadline for response submission is 9/29/23 at 5:00 P.M. (EST).

Payroll Clerk- Performs responsible office work in the processing of all general government payrolls and maintain all payroll records. The position requires a H.S. diploma or G.E.D, plus 5 years of experience in responsible office work involving typing, accounting, bookkeeping, data entry and payroll processing. $27.22 to $32.68 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Forms will be mailed upon request from the Department of Human Resources or maybe downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and emailed to wlfdhr@wallingfordct. gov. The closing date will be the date that the 50th application form/resume is received, or September 11, 2023, whichever occurs first. EOE

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Construction

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

DISPATCHER

NOTICE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Contact: Tom Dunay

Phone: 860- 243-2300

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

Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

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

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

The Town of Wallingford is seeking responsible candidates to perform 911, police, fire and EMS emergency dispatching duties. Must be able to work under stressful conditions and be able to type information with a high rate of speed and accuracy. Must be able to work all three shifts including weekends and holidays and be able to work additional shifts beyond the regular shift schedule. Requires a H.S. or business school diploma with courses in typing and 2 years of responsible office work experience. Wages: $ 23.72 ~

Garrity Asphalt

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

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.

Reclaiming,

NOTICIA

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

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

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

$28.28 hourly plus shift differential and excellent fringe benefits. Closing date is October 16, 2023, or the date of receipt of the 50th application, whichever occurs first. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT 06492. Forms will be mailed upon request from the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and emailed to wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov. Phone: 203-294-2080, Fax: 203294-2084. EOE.

WATEr meter technician I

AA/EOE-MF

Union Company seeks:

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

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

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com

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

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

Request for Proposals (RFP)

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

Underground Storage Tank Removal at Cambridge Park

Policy and Management

The Town of Wallingford Water Division is seeking qualified applicants to perform semi-skilled work disassembling, cleaning, testing, calibrating and repairing all types of water meters utilized in the water distribution system. Applicants should possess a H. S., trade school, vocational school, or H.S. equivalency diploma, plus 1 year of experience as a maintainer/laborer in a water utility, or in the construction or plumbing field, or any equivalent combination of experience and training. Must possess and maintain a valid State of Connecticut Motor Vehicle Operator’s License. Wages: $23.71 to $28.73 hourly. The Town offers an excellent fringe benefits package that includes pension plan, paid sick and vacation time, medical insurance, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, and a deferred compensation plan. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov. The closing date will be the date the 50th application or resume is received or October 17, 2023 whichever occurs first. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Invitation for Bids

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol

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

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Agency Wide Key and Lock Services

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is seeking a qualified contractor for underground storage tank removal project at Davis Dr., Bristol, CT. Proposals due by Aug. 24, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.

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

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start

A copy of the RFP documents can be obtained at the Bristol Housing Authority, 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT 06010 during normal business hours or by contacting Carl Johnson, Dir. of Capital Funds, at cjohnson@bristolhousing.org, 860-585-2028. Scope and proposal requirements will be available starting August 2nd, 2023. This is a HUD funded project.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. SBE, MBE, W/DBE, and Section 3 businesses are encouraged to respond.

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.

RFP: Norwalk Housing Authority Construction Management

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.

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

Sound Communities, an instrumentality of the Norwalk Housing Authority, has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to award a contract for construction management services for a demolition and new construction project in Norwalk, CT. The project will create 56 affordable residential units and a community center with property management offices and tenant amenities. Proposals are due by October 20 at 6:00PM EST. To request the full RFP or attend a site tour on October 5, please contact procurement@norwalkha.org. The NHA 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, and to waive any

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Planning Analyst. Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 230815&R2=6297AR&R3=001

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking bids for agency wide key and lock services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from 360 Management Group’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems. com/gateway beginning on

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

Monday, October 2, 2023 at 3:00PM.

INVITATION TO BID

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

DRIVER CDL CLASS A

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

Subcontractors are invited to bid on the RE-BID Downtown Evening Kitchen Addition and Renovations. 266 State St New Haven, CT 06510. The project consists of new Stair/Elevator Addition 850sf, and Gut Reno 5,400sf to the 4 Floors. BIDS DUE October 13, 2023. Send email to ngorneault@pacgroupllc.com for copy of the detailed Invite and Trade Bid Packages. Project partially funded by DECD, DOH, DEM. This project is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Minority/Women's Business Enterprises are encouraged to apply.

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

Full Time – All Shifts Top Pay-Full Benefits

AA/EEO EMPLOYER

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

Construction

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V

Continuum of Care, New Haven, Connecticut – LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID

NOTICE

Environmental Senior Planner

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

LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID: CONTINUUM OF CARE, NEW HAVEN is requesting licensed and insured contractors to provide bids for their property located at 310 Winthrop Avenue, New Haven. The owner is seeking proposals for the Hardwood Floor Refinishing Scope of 310 Winthrop, a threefamily property. Finish plan will be provided at open bid visit which details the refinishing of key locations of property such as main stairwell, 1st fl office, and second floor unit. Owner to select stain color. The project is CDBG funded by the City of New Haven. Project is tax-exempt and Davis/Bacon/Prevailing Wage rate. The selected company and any subcontractors must comply with EEOC workforce requirements. City of New Haven Chapter 12 ¼ of the New Haven code of Ordinances (MBE subcontracting ) applies- Minority/women’s business enterprises are encouraged to apply. A bidding site meeting will be held at 310 Winthrop avenue, New Haven on Thursday, 9/7/2023 at 12:30pm. All bids are due by 9/15/2023 by 3pm. All bids and questions should be submitted in writing to Monica O’Connor via email moconnor@continuumct.org or delivered to 109 Legion Avenue, New Haven.

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Principal Labor Relations Specialist.

FHI Studio is seeking an Environmental Senior Planner. Candidates should demonstrate their ability to develop proposals and attend interviews, develop project scopes and fees, and conduct environmental reviews utilizing best practices. Responsibilities include preparing NEPA and state documentation, guiding permitting efforts, conducting technical analysis, writing reports, and participating in public meetings. The candidate must also possess excellent oral and written communication skills. Experience with major transportation infrastructure projects is preferred.

Minimum degree: Bachelor's degree in urban planning, environmental planning, environmental science, or related field with a minimum of 4 years of experience in environmental consulting or related field. Candidates with a valid driver's license preferred. Salary commensurate with level of experience. Submit your cover letter and resume at https://fhistudio. isolvedhire.com/jobs/. Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. is an EEO/AA /VEV/Disabled employer.

Continuum of Care, New Haven, Connecticut –LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID

LEGAL NOTICE Request for Proposals (RFP) for Services

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management, is seeking proposals to provide services related to medical debt erasure for Connecticut residents with low to moderate-income and those higher income residents with high medical debt burden.

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

The intent of the request is to identify individuals or firms with the necessary expertise to provide medical debt erasure within a stated timeframe.

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 230417&R2=6342MP&R3=001

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

The RFP is available online at: https://portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/ BidBoard and https://portal.ct.gov/OPM/Root/RFP/RequestFor-Proposals or from, Regina Straka, Office of Policy and Management, Budget Division, 450 Capitol Ave., MS# 53BUD, Hartford, Connecticut 06106-1379. Email: OPM.MedicalDebtErasureRFP@ct.gov Telephone (860) 418-6224. Deadline for response submission is 4:00 P.M., October 13, 2023.

LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID: CONTINUUM OF CARE, NEW HAVEN is requesting licensed and insured contractors to provide bids for their property located at 310 Winthrop Avenue, New Haven. The owner is seeking proposals for the Hardwood Floor Refinishing Scope of 310 Winthrop, a three-family property. Finish plan will be provided at open bid visit which details the refinishing of key locations of property such as main stairwell, 1st fl office, and second floor unit. Owner to select stain color. The project is CDBG funded by the City of New Haven. Project is tax-exempt and Davis/ Bacon/Prevailing Wage rate. The selected company and any subcontractors must comply with EEOC workforce requirements. City of New Haven Chapter 12 ¼ of the New Haven code of Ordinances (MBE subcontracting ) applies- Minority/women’s business enterprises are encouraged to apply. A bidding site meeting will be held at 310 Winthrop avenue, New Haven on Thursday, 9/7/2023 at 12:30pm. All bids are due by 9/15/2023 by 3pm. All bids and questions should be submitted in writing to Monica O’Connor via email moconnor@continuumct.org or delivered to 109 Legion Avenue, New Haven.

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave

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

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL CONSULTING SERVICES

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

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

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR BID HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY Pest Control Services

IFB No. B23004

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host,General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor ofPitts Chapel

SCOPE:

The Housing Authority of the City of Danbury hereby issues this Request for Proposal to secure a contract to perform Pest Control Services

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL RETURN:

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811

Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No. B23004, Pest Control Services

Attn: Lisa Gilchrist, Purchasing Agent

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.

SUBMITTAL DEADLINE

October 11th, 2023 at 10:00am (EST)

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.

CONTACT PERSON FOR IFB DOCUMENT:

Lisa Gilchrist – Purchasing Agent

Telephone: 203-744-2500 x1421

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

E-Mail: lgilchrist@hacdct.org

[Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]

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

Please

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol (BHA) invites proposals from qualified firms to provide Accounting and Financial Consulting Services. For copy of RFP please contact Carl Johnson, Dir. of Capital Funds at 860-585-2028 or cjohnson@bristolhousing.org beginning Mon., Sept. 4, 2023. Sealed proposals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 12, 2023 clearly marked “RFP –Accounting and Financial Consulting Services” with one (1) original and three (3) copies mailed or delivered to: Housing Authority of the City of Bristol, Attn: Mitzy Rowe, CEO, 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT 06010

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

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. SBE, MBE, W/DBE, and Section 3 businesses are encouraged to respond.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016

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

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR LEGAL SERVICES RELATED TO LABOR, EMPLOYMENT AND BENEFITS

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol (BHA) invites proposals from qualified attorneys, legal teams or law firms to provide Legal services in labor laws, employment & benefits. For copy of RFP please contact Carl Johnson, Dir. of Capital Funds at 860-5852028 or cjohnson@bristolhousing.org beginning Mon., Sept. 4, 2023. Sealed proposals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 12, 2023 clearly marked “RFP –Legal Services. Labor, Employment & Benefits” with one (1) original and three (3) copies mailed or delivered to: Housing Authority of the City of Bristol, Attn: Mitzy Rowe, CEO, 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT 06010

The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. SBE, MBE, W/DBE, and Section 3 businesses are encouraged to respond.

Judge Rules Trump Committed Fraud in Real Estate Empire’s Rise

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

In a decision reverberating through the legal and political spheres, New York Judge Arthur Engoron ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump engaged in fraudulent activities for years during the ascent of his real estate empire. Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, filed a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization, and the jury found that Trump and his company orchestrated a widespread scheme to deceive financial institutions, insurers, and other stakeholders of millions of dollars. The deception involved inflating the value of assets and exaggerating Trump’s net worth on official documents, which were instrumental in securing financing and executing lucrative deals.

For example, in financial documents, Trump lied about the size and value of his three-story penthouse apartment in Trump Tower, claiming that it was nearly three times its actual size with a value of $327 million. Trump also lied about the value of his Mar-a-Largo estate, inflating its value by as much as 2,300%.

Judge Engoron’s ruling came just days before the commencement of the financial fraud trial brought against the president by AG James. The New York state court of appeals rejected a motion by Trump’s

lawyers to delay the start of the trial, which is set for October 2. Judge Engoron will also preside over the financial fraud trial.

During the next phase, Engoron will decide on several additional key issues, including Attorney General James’ request for $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump’s business operations in New York. Engoron has noted that the trial’s duration might extend into December. The ruling represents a profound repudiation of Trump’s carefully curated public persona as a wealthy and astute real estate magnate who successfully transitioned into a political figure. In addition to the former president, his two eldest sons and other Trump Organization exectives’ activities were called into question.

Beyond the realm of mere self-promotion, Engoron determined that Trump, along with his company and key executives, consistently disseminated false information on their annual financial statements. According to the judge, these actions resulted in tangible benefits such as favorable loan terms and reduced insurance premiums, thereby crossing the threshold of legality. The judge dismissed Trump’s claim that a disclaimer on the financial statements absolved him of wrongdoing.

Manhattan prosecutors contemplated pursuing criminal charges for the same misconduct but ultimately opted not to,

Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire, legal and political spheres, New York Judge Arthur Engoron, former President Donald Trump,

leaving Attorney General James to bring forth the civil lawsuit and seek penalties that could disrupt the Trump family’s business activities within the state.

Engoron’s ruling, rendered during the summary judgment phase of the case, addresses the central allegation in James’ lawsuit. However, six other claims still await resolution, with Engoron scheduled to preside over a non-jury trial beginning on October 2, during which he will determine both the merits of those claims and any potential penalties.

Trump’s legal team requested the dismissal of the case, a request that was denied by the judge. Their argument rested on the premise that James lacked the legal authority to initiate the lawsuit due to the absence of evidence showing harm to the public from Trump’s actions. Additionally, they argued that the statute of limitations barred a number of the lawsuit’s allegations.

“The documents here clearly contain fraudulent valuations that defendants used in business,” Engoron wrote. Engoron’s ruling Tuesday found that Trump, his adult sons and his businesses were liable for that fraud and rescinded some of Trump’s business licenses in the state, potentially impacting many of the Trump Organization’s marquee properties.

Respect For The Aged Day: Why Elder Care Is Vital To The Black Community

By BlackHealthMatters.com

September 18th is Respect For The Aged Day otherwise known as Keirō no Hi or in Japanese. Observed on the third Monday of every September, this day holds cultural significance in Japan. However, it is profoundly important in the Black community here in the United States and vital for us to understand. We owe a debt of gratitude to the generations that came before us and respect for their health should be a major priority.

After a lifetime of facing racial and health inequities, Black seniors are confronted with the daunting prospect of spending their twilight years with declining health, limited income, and virtually no savings. The disparities in health outcomes, economic opportunities, and access to quality care have placed them at greater risk, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article explores the critical issues surrounding elder care in the Black community, including the alarming health disparities, cultural norms, and challenges that impact the quality of life for older Black Americans.

1 Chronic Health Conditions: Numerous studies have shown that Black Americans suffer from a higher prevalence of chronic health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and Al-

zheimer’s disease. These conditions not only reduce their life expectancy but also lead to a diminished quality of life.

2 Healthcare Access: Generations of racial discrimination have resulted in limited access to quality healthcare for Black individuals. They often receive lowerquality care and face barriers in accessing essential medical services.

3 COVID-19 Impact: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately af-

fected older Black Americans, resulting in higher infection and mortality rates. Lack of access to healthcare, distrust of institutions, and comorbidities have compounded the crisis.

Economic Inequities:

1 Wealth Gap: Historical economic racism has left many Black seniors with low wages, low homeownership rates, and minimal savings or investments. The wealth gap between Black and white

Americans is substantial and continues to grow.

2 Retirement Savings: Many older Black Americans lack retirement savings, with fewer participating in employersponsored retirement accounts like 401(k) plans. This leads to reduced financial security in their later years.

3 Social Security Reliance: A significant portion of Black seniors heavily relies on Social Security as their primary source of income. However, the average Social Security benefit is insufficient to cover essential expenses.

Cultural Norms and Family Dynamics:

1 Cultural Values: Providing care for elderly family members is deeply ingrained in Black culture. Many Black caregivers view it as a duty and privilege, to find meaning and purpose in caring for their aging loved ones.

2 Strong Community Networks: Historically, Black families have relied on strong community networks, including churches and extended family, to provide eldercare support. This has shaped cultural norms around caregiving.

3 Distrust of Institutions: Deep-seated mistrust of healthcare and government institutions, rooted in historical injustices such as the Tuskegee syphilis study, leads many older Black Americans to be hesitant about seeking outside help or insti-

tutional care.

Challenges and Solutions:

1 ncreased Outreach: Healthcare providers and community organizations must engage in targeted outreach to build trust and provide culturally competent care to older Black individuals.

2 Economic Empowerment: Initiatives to address economic disparities, improve access to education, and promote financial literacy can help Black seniors accumulate wealth and retirement savings.

3 Caregiver Support: Acknowledging the vital role of caregivers, particularly in the Black community, and offering support services, respite care, and educational resources can ease the caregiving burden.

4 Culturally Relevant Healthcare: Healthcare professionals should receive cultural sensitivity training to better understand the unique needs and concerns of older Black patients.

Addressing these issues surrounding elder care in our community requires a comprehensive approach that prioritizes healthcare access, economic empowerment, and culturally sensitive support systems. As we strive for equity and justice, it is crucial to ensure that older Black Americans receive the care, dignity, and respect they deserve in their later years.

New Haven Public Schools

Early Childhood Programs

Programs for 3 and 4 Year Olds in New Haven

SCHOOL READINESS

NEW HAVEN

Free 6-hour early childhood programs for low-income New Haven families 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 School Truman School

•

•

Additional community locations also participate in the program.

• Contact: Head Start Registration Office

Tel. 475-220-1462

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

The Early Childhood REGISTRATION OFFICE is located at:

Celentano Observatory

400 Canner Street

New Haven, CT 06511

In person REGISTRATION is Available

We are Accepting Applications!

How to Apply

The Office of Early Childhood is accepting applications electronically. Parents of 3 and 4 year olds are encouraged to apply online.

English: https://registration.powerschool.com/family/ gosnap.aspx?action=24982&culture=en

Spanish: https://registration.powerschool.com/family/ gosnap.aspx?action=24982&culture=es

What you will submit with your Application

1) Proof of Age

Child’s Birth Certificate OR Legal Custody/Guardianship Papers

2) Proof of Address

NEW HAVEN

Sliding scale, fee-based 6-hour early childhood programs for New Haven families in the following New Haven Public Schools:

• Augusta Lewis Troup School

• Columbus Family Academy

• East Rock Community School

• Hill Central School

• Nathan Hale School

• Additional community locations also participate in the program.

• Free 4-hour programs available at East Rock Community and Nathan Hale Schools.

Contact:

• School Readiness Registration

Tel.: 475-220-1482

Current utility bill (Gas, Electric, Phone, Cable) in your name

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

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