THE INNER CITY NEWS

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23,2016 2023 - -August November 2023 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 02, 28, 2016

Overhaul Needed: Tackling Incarceration RacialConvention Disparities Financial Justice a KeyYouth Focus at 2016and NAACP New Haven, Bridgeport

INNER-CITYNEWS Volume 30. No. 1564

Volume 21 No. 2194

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

Neighborhood Q: How To Spend State Cannabis Cash?

by NORA GRACE-FLOOD The new haven independent

Millions of dollars in cannabis-legalization money are slated to trickle back into New Haven’s neighborhoods most negatively impacted by the War on Drugs — and residents are responding with programmatic pitches to put those funds towards community revitalization, from serving the homeless hot meals to mentoring Black billionaires in the making.

Roughly 100 New Haveners filled Dixwell Avenue’s First Calvary Baptist Church on Monday evening for a community meeting bordering on “Shark Tank” session to brainstorm the best ways to use a pending batch of grant money stemming from cannabis licensing fees and a weed sales tax.

That anticipated money is the second batch of funding promised to communities by the state through their cannabisrelated “community reinvestment plan.”

Jacqueline James-Boyd was contracted by the council as the leader of New Haven nonprofit Next Level Empowerment Program Inc. to host a series of six community conversations in order to reap public input regarding where to allot the incoming money.

That “reinvestment” fund came out of the state’s promise to help reverse some of the harms caused by cannabis prohibition following the plant’s in-state legalization. In addition to policy measures attempting to prioritize industry jobs and business ownership for lowincome people of color and erasing lowlevel cannabis possession convictions, the state decided to set aside some of their proceeds from cannabis licensure and taxation to give back to communities most affected by the plant’s criminalization.

Last year, the state gave out $6 million to third party grant managers for distribution to local organizations doing relevant work. In New Haven, the Prosperity Foundation received $1 million, which they exclusively divided between groups offering youth and prison reintegration services. The foundation announced this month 25 different organizations that will receive a portion of that million, including EMERGE, Fixing Fathers, and Stop Solitary CT. Kristina Diamond, the communications manager for the state’s Social Equity Council, the crew of representatives tasked with overseeing the social justice implications of cannabis legalization, told the Independent that it’s unclear how much community reinvestment money will be available for the state or for New Haven this year.

James-Boyd, meanwhile, reported on Monday that $34 million is expected for community reinvestment across the state, and around $2 to $5 million of that

Some of Monday night's pitches included ideas from Pastor Robert Smith...

total will go towards New Haven grant opportunities, in particular.

James-Boyd informed her audience that those dollars are meant to go towards neighborhoods like “Dixwell, Newhallville, and the Hill.

“It’s not for East Rock, it’s not for Downtown,” she said. It’s for “all the issues we have in Black and Brown communities.”

Michael Jefferson, a local attorney and member of the statewide Social Equity Council, described the cannabis money as “payback” for “the War on Drugs that decimated our community.”

A couple million, he said, “is not transformative money — but it will make a difference.”

Though the state has yet to pick organizations to oversee a formal application process for the funding once it’s made available, the Social Equity Council plans to use the community priorities cited during public input sessions like Monday’s to help guide who is ultimately selected as grant recipients.

Still, James-Boyd urged those who spoke up on Monday not just to state their broad goals for the money, but to describe specific programmatic structures that smaller pots of funding could functionally support.

“We all want a youth center,” she offered as an example. “But what does that look like? Who’s going to run it and how will it be sustained?”

A man named Brother Wayne pitched a plan to launch a coding and STEM education program for New Haven elementary students. “$2.5 million! That’s

And community member Jayuan Carter.

And community member Jayuan Carter.

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NORA GRACE-FLOOD PHOTO Jacqueline James-Boyd at Newhallville meetup: Cannabis cash meant to address "all the issues we have in Black and Brown communities.”

Rodney Williams: Community more powerful than cannabis cash.

what I need to make the change in this community we really need.”

“I’m gonna be very, very honest. You will not get $2 million from us,” JamesBoyd replied. She urged those with high-budget ideas to forge partnerships with other organizations and apply for alternative funding sources, including the city’s Community Development Block Grant program Pastor Robert Smith jumped up with a slate of different initiatives: A music industry workshop series designed to teach talented, young musicians about how to make money off their art; finance investment classes to get kids of color building wealth early; a parental coaching program to teach Black fathers the importance of stepping up for their kids.

Jayuan Carter, meanwhile, had a different idea about wealth accrual. “There are a lot of quiet sleeping giants of color,” he said. What about a mentorship program to find and develop more Black billionaires?

James-Boyd gave a nod of approval: “I am an aspiring millionaire myself.”

For every unique programmatic plan pitched, one church after another would ask for money to keep up work they have been doing out of pocket, primarily feeding and clothing those most in need.

A woman who introduced herself as Pastor Jessie, for example, said that she recently lost the space where she ran a food pantry, daycare, and clothing drive because of an uptick in rent.

Her ask, unlike others, wasn’t for money to recreate her former meal services.

“Around New Haven I see a lot of abandoned buildings and nothing being done with them,” she said. Why not use the money to adopt and repair some of those blighted properties to create affordable housing for the many struggling to pay rent on tight incomes?

“Bring it back down to $700 a month!” she begged. “Because I am not a millionaire!”

As ideas flowed, James-Boyd kept encouraging audience members to move forward with their plans whether or not they receive state money to enact it.

Other attendees, like Rodney Williams, also spoke up to make the same point.

After an impassioned speech about the need for more youth services to avoid the same cycle of incarceration exacerbated by the war on drugs, Williams argued that “we need to have these meetings not because of cannabis money.” Rather than competing for scarce money, he said, the community should continue convening to use their shared power to make the kind of change everyone at the meeting desired to see.

The room broke out in applause once again, as it did in support for all who spoke up Monday night.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

Newhallville Casting Call Seeks Movie Talent

by LISA REISMAN The new haven independent The scene was a bare-bones space with concrete walls in an industrial building on Shelton Avenue. Jeff Bell was pleading with Carter Goodrich not to hurt him.

“I have some money in my pocket and a watch worth five grand,” Bell told Goodrich, his voice quaking. “Just let me go.

Please let me go.”

Off in the distance, a door slammed shut. A siren wailed.

“That’s a wrap,” said director and producer Darrell Bellamy.

The occasion, at Kennies Earl Kreative House, was the third casting call for “Marblehead,” a screenplay based on Bell’s 2006 thriller of the same name, about a team of ex-Marines holding corporate power and greed to account.

While the story’s climactic ending explodes (quite literally) in the affluent beach town of Marblehead, Mass., the plan is for the film to be staged in and around New Haven.

“There’s so much untapped talent in this area,” said Bell, the executive producer.

“We want to channel that. We want to give people a platform, acting experience, opportunities, even as extras.”

“We’re not about importing people from Hollywood or extracting them from New York,” Bell said. “We can grow it here.”

Goodrich, a Newtown resident and recent graduate of University of Rhode Island in film and communications, was auditioning for the role of John Smith, one of the ex-Marines who have dubbed themselves RECON. Bell was James Greenberg, a corporate “right-sizer,” as he put it, who’s engineered the layoffs of over 300,000 workers for companies large and small.

Greenberg’s crime, in the eyes of RECON: seeing people as mere names on a spreadsheet to fatten company stock and the salaries of CEOs. “Corporations lay people off even when there’s no financial problem,” said the New Haven-born and ‑raised Bell, an Air Force veteran who worked as a broker on Wall Street and now is a financial analyst with the Air Force. “They don’t care about people. The corporations say ‘here’s a $1,000 check, go away.’”

He said he “wrote Marblehead to open people’s eyes to that, and to show that people, regular people, have more power than they think,” he said. “Just look at the UAW strike. The workers stuck together and they got what they asked for.”

“I wrote this book 17 years ago, and almost every person that read it said this is a movie,” he said. “But then life happened and the idea got shelved.”

At a family event back in June, he gave Bellamy, his nephew, a copy of the book.

“He has the talent and the eye for the camera, and one of the things I wanted was someone who could show what I was getting at,” he said of Bellamy, whose work

LISA REISMAN PHOTO "Marblehead" director-producer Darrell Bellamy Jr. and screenwriter Melo Ali El.

Carter Goodrich with Jeff Bell.

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ranges from photography to graphic design to music production.

Bellamy read the book. “Right away I saw this was something we could make into a film,” he said.

He enlisted Melo Ali El, a writer and poet whom he’d met two years before while both were working out at Edgewood Park.

“We started talking,” El recalled. “He mentioned he was looking for a writer for an idea he had, and I said ‘I write’ and then we said we’d meet up the next week at the same place.”

“I liked [Darrell’s] independent thinking, his ‘do for oneself’ mentality,” El continued. “I don’t come across a lot of people like that, so when I do, that’s what motivated me. I’m like ‘this dude is serious.’ Let’s do this.”

The result was the 2022 “Get Ya Mind Right,” a six-part series based in New Haven that has scored almost 4,000 subscriptions on YouTube.

Regarding the opportunity to write the screenplay for “Marblehead,” “I read it and I was all in,” said El. “We didn’t know it then, but ‘Get Ya Mind Right’ prepared us for this,” Bellamy said, adding that the team has plans for distribution across multiple platforms.

Bell checked his watch. “We’ve got a few more,” he said, before opening the door to Hamden’s Piper Stepule.

Stepule, 26, was reading for the role of the struggling single mother Dianna, among the regular citizens recruited by RECON to act as jury for the depredations of the corporate overlords.

Stepule told them she’d heard about the audition on backstage.com. “I’m a theater enthusiast,” she said. “I’ve been acting since high school, and I love it, but it’s something I just do on the side.”

With that, she began her scene, with Bell acting as her son. “Damon, that is a real turkey,” she told him. “It’s just sliced up for us already so the hard part is already handled. I’m going to season it up, you won’t know the difference.”

“You’re real,” Bell told Stepule after they read through the scene twice. “Your inflection’s good.”

The plan, Bell told Durrette, who was auditioning for the role of Amethyst, Greenberg’s escort, is to start production in early December.

Durrette, a model, told the three that she was “brand-new” to acting. She’d heard about the casting call from her manager.

With that, she transformed into Amethyst. “You think money can buy everything, even love,” she tells the distraught Greenberg, her voice dripping with contempt, when he learns she’s turned on him. “Do something good for once in your life and help us.”

Bellamy looked at El. “That’s it,” he said, pounding the table with excitement.

“You’re a natural.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

Street Signs To Bear Teachers’ Names

by LAURA GLESBY The new haven independent Geneva Pollock and Pearlie Napoleon were friends who both dedicated their lives to their students and their Newhallville community. So it’s fitting that the street corners soon to be named after them will be located just one block apart.

On Monday evening, the Board of Alders unanimously voted to rename the corner of Thompson Street and Shelton Avenue “Geneva Pollock Way” and the corner of Thompson and Newhall Street “Mrs. Pearlie M. Napoleon Way” after longtime educators who left their mark in their neighborhood and beyond.

Geneva Pollock lived to the age of 76.

She was an English teacher in New Haven for 33 years. She played many roles in her congregation, Community Baptist Church, and served as a ward co-chair for the Democratic Party.

Pearlie Napoleon lived to the age of 86. She taught in New Haven Public Schools for more than a quarter century and was actively involved in the Mount Hope Temple Church community, her local block watch, and at the Newhallville Mental Health Center.

The women, who both died in 2020, were known for going far beyond what could be expected for the sake of their students, according to friends and relatives who testified and petitioned in favor of their street corners.

In the Aldermanic Chamber, two of Mrs. Pollock’s former students who would eventually grow up to be elected officials spoke up in favor of designating a street

Ann Garrett Robinson with Alder Streater and honorees George Robinson and Allen Gales. corner in her honor. survive that…” Morrison joked, before Dixwell/Newhallville Alder Troy Streat- turning serious. er had Mrs. Pollock as a teacher at the for“She was more than a teacher,” Morrimer Jackie Robinson School. He helped son said. “She was a mother, a aunt, whatorganize the petition to name the street ever you needed her to be.” corner after her. “It is an honor she deEast Rock Alder Anna Festa, who chairs serves,” he said. the City Services and Environmental PolMrs. Pollock also taught Dixwell Alder icy Committee, spoke to Mrs. Napoleon’s Jeanette Morrison for seventh grade. “To legacy. “She was admired by many for

her passion, love, and care for her community,” she said.

In a note from the Napoleon family submitted as part of the petition for her street corner, family members wrote, “She mothered so many in the community. If you didn’t have any food, you would stop

by Mrs. Napoleon’s house and she would feed you. If you needed a few dollars, you could stop by and she would give it to you.”

Also at Monday’s meeting, local professor and activist Dr. Ann Garrett Robinson appeared before the alders to thank them on the anniversary of the designation of “Lucretia’s Corner” at the intersection of Orange and Elm. This week marks one year, and counting, of Lucretia’s presence on a city street sign — a distinction commonly allotted to slaveholders such as Yale, Goodrich, and Hillhouse.

Robinson led the charge to name the corner after Lucretia, the first known Black New Havener. The governor of New Haven Colony at the time, Theophilus Eaton, enslaved Lucretia for much of her life. He eventually emancipated her.

Lucretia, as Robinson uncovered, became an advocate for the welfare of elderly enslaved Africans.

On Monday, Robinson heralded the alders, singling out Downtown Alders Eli Sabin and Alex Guzhnay for circulating petitions. She also delivered citations to fellow advocates Allen Gales, George Robinson, and Ronald Thomas, who helped bring Lucretia’s Corner to fruition.

Multi-GRAMMY-nominated string quartet known for modernizing classical music to perform at Yale Schwarzman Center

By Babz Rawls Ivy, Inner-City News & LoveBabz LoveTALK/WNHH Radio JACK Quartet, a multi-GRAMMY-nominated string group, is performing its collaboration with composer and winner of the 2020 Ernst von Siemens Composers' Prize Catherine Lamb at YaleSchwarzman Center Dec. 1. The piece, “divisio spiralis, is a richly unique sonic experience with roots in synesthesia.”

For the upcoming performance in New Haven, JACK Quartet has partnered with Lamb, a composer known for exploring the interaction of tone, summations of shapes and shadows, forming a central artistic relationship that pushes forward the creative work of both the composer and quartet.

In reference to “divisio spiralis,” Lamb has explained synesthesia with numbers as a precursor to creating the piece. "The first time I discovered Erv Wilson’s 1965 organization of the overtone series as a logarithmic spiral, the image immediately resonated with me as a lucid means to describe harmonic space as numbers in repetition and interaction, generating/ blooming outwards with each

photo credit for both is to Shervin Lainez.

John Pickford Richards from JACK Quartet was a guest on LoveBabz LoveTALK 11/16/2023

new prime and composite. I absorbed this image while working on the piece for JACK..." she wrote in in the liner notes for her 2022 CD “Aggregate Forms.”

“It’s very meditative and slow to unfold even though when I’m playing it, it feels very active and on the edge of sound,”

Richards said about “divisio spiralis.”

JACK Quartet has spent their careers honoring classical music from the 20th century while creating the sounds of the 21st century by commissioning and collaborating with artists.

“Even though we are classically trained

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in Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, we are really driven by this passion and desire to work with living composers,” said John Pickford Richards, violist for JACK Quartet.

Richards shared that the JACK Quartet strives to provide opportunities for current composers since their art is a touchpoint for what is culturally relevant in modern times. An interesting experience working in modern day is that the group can look to the past and create an entirely new kind of music.

“We arrange medieval and renaissance music that we think is kind of strange and peculiar and we arrange it for a string quartet since string quartets weren’t really in existence back then,” Richards said.

“What’s cool about exploring really old music is that composers back then were lawless with the way they wrote music.”

The JACK Quartet was founded in 2005 and they are the Quartet in Residence at The New School in New York City. Their performance at Yale Schwarzman Center is free and open to the public. https://www.facebook.com/wnhhradio/videos/915868579 959144/?mibextid=YxdKMJ

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

New Food Pantry Keeps Gateway Students Nourished

by MAYA MCFADDEN The new haven independent Twenty-five year old nursing student DeJadonyea Council cut the ribbon for a new food pantry at Gateway Community College then picked up a free frozen turkey and fixings to go with it for Thanksgiving.

That was the scene Tuesday morning at Gateway Community College as the public community college opened its first ever on-campus food pantry for its students known as the “Campus Cupboard.”

The idea for a pantry in the downtown colleges building on Church Street was first proposed by Interim Dean of Student Affairs Alese Mulvihill in 2019.

Mulvihill’s goal was to help decrease the number of Gateway students who often stop-out due to having to decide between paying for school or working full-time to support their families.

“The number of stop outs, if a student stops out the likelihood that their coming back is very unlikely so we want to prevent that,” Mulvihill said during ribboncutting ceremony.

Mulvihill and Interim CEO of Gateway Community College Scott Kalicki thanked the Gateway team for helping Mulvihill to get the pantry up and running this September.

A group of 35 Gateway staffers and stu-

dents joined Tuesday’s celebration.

Start-up funding for the pantry was provided by federal grants and a $10,000 class gift to the school two years ago.

“Ever since we opened out doors in September we’ve seen the incredible impact that this food pantry has made on our students. Everyday they come into the pantry and tell us how grateful they are that this resources is here, its inside the school, and its just steps away from their classes,” Family Economic Security Program (FESP) Executive Assistant Melissa Lopez said.

In the past, Gateway has brought a monthly mobile pantry truck to the campus to provide students with food, though Mulvihill dreamed of one day having a on-site food pantry.

The pantry has a QR code outside of its door of room N209 for students to book appointments to shop for free food items.

It is also stocked with a snack table because “who doesn’t get hungry when their shopping?” Mulvihill said.

Third-year nursing student and New Haven native DeJadonyea Council described the pantry as “a lifeline for me during times of food insecurity,” a place where she’s received “unwavering emotional support.”

“Their kindness and compassion made

Alese Mulvihill, Jayshelis Casillas, and DeJadonyea Council.

me feel seen and heard. What sets them apart is that they always have my best interest in mind,” Council added.

Council, 25, said she recently got out of a domestic situation which has left her on her own for the first time ever and with inflated grocery prices she’s been trying to learn how to budget despite never being taught about it.

While she receives assistant from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as a diabetic she said her diet is very limited and hard to shop for with the food assistance restrictions.

Now that the food pantry has opened she said its been convenient for her to be able to shop for food after classes.

Registered students are allow to shop for

ten items per month from several fridges and freezers and dozens of shelves of canned foods.

Most times Council has only her EBT balance to support her and her boyfriend, as she didn’t have a job and her boyfriend’s income was limited due to paying for their housing.

“The food here gets us an extra two weeks to figure it out,” she said.

She urged her fellow students to come to the pantry because the staff do not judge.

The college also hosted a turkey giveaway to its students Tuesday afternoon, with turkeys provided by Loaves and Fishes.

Students who signed up to received a turkey also got a dozen sides including yams, stuffing, potatoes, and fresh fruits and vegetables as well.

Third-semester Gateway student Jayshelis Casillas said Tuesday that “this pantry has been a weight off my family’s shoulders.”

Casillas is studying early childhood education and has visited the pantry over the past two months to help provide for her younger sister and mother and father.

When she arrives home with bags full of groceries from the pantry she tells her parents “you can wait a while to get more.”

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

A Case For Carceral Reform EMERGES On The Stage Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

Tabari "Ra" Hashim.

Lights up on the bare stage. At the far left, Tabari "Ra" Hashim is a kid again, eating cereal as police descend on his neighborhood in the small hours before school begins. His eyes follow their gearclad bodies, wondering what kind of strange game this is. It's his mother, an edge in her voice, who interrupts to let him know that it's not.

Hashim is part of As We EMERGE: Monologues of the Formerly Incarcerated, a collaboration between Quinnipiac University and EMERGE Connecticut that puts the narratives of formerly incarcerated people on stage and on screen. Pulled from hours of interviews and based on a 2018 project of the same name, the work premiered last weekend at Quinnipiac's Theatre Arts Center, and will live on as a documentary from filmmaker Travis Carbonella. The organization is still raising funds for the documentary; learn more and donate here.

It has come together under the watchful eye of Alden Woodcock, executive director of EMERGE, and Rose Bochansky, technical director of visual and performing arts at the university. EMERGE is an organization that seeks to stem recidivism through job development, mentorship and professional training. This year, ensemble members include Babatunde Akinjobi, Hashim, Jimmy Robinson, Abdullah Shabazz and Vance Solman.

"Unless you know somebody that's been through the criminal justice system, your association with people serving time is what you see in the media, on the 5 o'clock news, and the information you're getting is from the police," Woodcock said in an interview Tuesday morning.

"This is to really change the narrative on how people think of what it means to be incarcerated and who is incarcerated.

One of the most powerful things you can ask somebody is: 'What happened? And why?'"

It has very much been a labor of love.

In 2018, the first iteration of As We EMERGE grew out of a joint venture between the university and the organization, in large part thanks to Dr. Don C. Sawyer, III. At the time, Sawyer was an associate professor and vice president for Equity, Inclusion, and Leadership Development at the university, as well as board chair at EMERGE (he is still the board chair at EMERGE, but has since moved on to Fairfield University). After seeing a similar presentation with veterans, he suggested that EMERGE bring some of its stories to the stage to give people a window into the people that EMERGE works with every day.

The idea was not only that that could be a narrative bridge; job development

From left to right: Abdullah Shabazz, Vance Solman, and Jimmy Robinson.

and engagement in the arts are also both linked to reduced recidivism (think of groups like Survivors of Society Rising and Theatre of the Oppressed NYC).

At EMERGE, that approach works: only three percent of crew members return to prison within two years, which is markedly lower than the current statewide average. As We EMERGE, then, was and is a way to live the organization's mission and to teach people about the work it does every day.

But when Quinnipiac staff connected with EMERGE originally, "we didn't have a framework to talk to each other," Bochansky remembered at a tech rehearsal last week. At a community meetand-greet, someone suggested she attend "Real Talk," a confidential weekly circle where EMERGE crew members discuss their lives, families, work, hopes for the future, and experiences in and out of prison. The interviews, and then the script, grew out of that. After EMERGE posted segments of that performance to TikTok last year, it began laying the groundwork for a new one this fall.

"I think the script came together in a week," Bochansky said, remembering the hours of labor and discussion that went into it. Like 2018, each story in the script is based directly on hours of taped interviews from members of EMERGE. Bochansky and a small crew then fit those chunks of dialogue together like the pieces of a puzzle, and decide what to keep and what to leave on the cutting room floor.

The result soars. As five men take the stage—and soon, the screen—the format works as a powerful statement for carceral reform, told with immense heart and as much vulnerability. Standing center stage, each character tells his own story, letting the narratives overlap and weave in and

out of each other.

Akinjobi recalls growing up in Providence, and falling in love with drawing and illustration at a young age. Solman gets picked on in school and begins to take martial arts by the time he is eight.

Robinson conjures his mother, who worked tirelessly and often under the gaze and oppression of white people to provide for her children even when the whole world was against her. When he talks about the family's move from the country to New Haven, a listener can feel the rude awakening and culture shock in their bones.

Jimmy Robinson and Rose Bochansky.

It reminds the audience that before they were reduced to numbers and sentences and soundbytes, these five men were children. They were Black boys with wide, soft eyes and an affinity for crayons and toys and colored pencils and the matriarchs in their families. They had dreams that were not so different from the dreams of those who may find themselves listening, hopefully with open ears.

The way these stories build is propulsive, bringing a listener into the show without introducing prison time or criminal history as a starting point. In Providence, Akinjobi desperately wants to attend an arts high school, and his disappointment is palpable when his dad shuts him down. Somewhere in North Carolina, Hashim is playing with toys, until he's told not to by the older boys in the neighborhood. In Philadelphia, Shabazz protects his brother from an abusive gym teacher, and watches as the framework of the school-to-prison pipeline emerges before his eyes.

All of them, in a way that is heart-rending and very real, learn what it means to be Black and male in America long before they should ever have to. All of them start

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to grow up prematurely. Or as Hashim says of school, "You're telling me the sky is the limit, but we're just going in one direction."

If there's a sense of inevitability here— listeners know that prison will intersect with these narratives somewhere—it's also one that exposes the wide, growing gaps in the social safety net that allow prison to happen. When Shabazz tells the story of losing his wife and unborn daughter in a car accident, he is also telling the story of deep, too-often undiagnosed trauma and a mental health crisis that is still unfolding in this country.

When Solman recalls dropping out of UConn and coming back to New Haven after just two weeks at school, overwhelmed by fatherhood and the birth of his young son, what he's also talking about is the lack of social and financial infrastructure for both parents and firstand second-generation college students in higher education. When Robinson turns to the streets as a source of income, it's because the world, from school to jobs, has already told him that he is somehow not worthy of a different path.

And when these wide, yawning gaps in society lead to gun and gang violence, to homicide, to robbery and PTSD and substance use disorder, they aren't signs of moral failure or talking points for someone's Thanksgiving speech about respectability politics. They are signs that the system, built by a small group of powerful white men who saw both land and people as property, was never meant to serve the same people it once enslaved and has since economically subjugated for centuries.

Instead, these are stories that a listener can and should take with them as they advocate for carceral reform. An attendee should feel a churning in their gut as

Robinson describes Angola, the site of a former plantation where the Louisiana State Penitentiary now sits, home to prisoners that include children as young as 15 years of age. It's worth feeling surprise and outrage at sentences that go on for decades, like 40 years for robbing a jewelry store. Or perhaps they can take Hashim's unexpected love for literature, sometimes the pathway to an appeal, to push for greater access to information and within a prison's confining and cacophonous walls.

Indeed, when he says "they really train you to be like, 'this isn't a bad place,'" the discomfort a listener may feel seems exactly on time, if not overdue. Many of the characters speak directly to just how much psychological manipulation is involved in prison, and it's well worth the reminder. After all, how is a world that can lock people up, that can discount whole lives as subhuman, that can believe rehabilitation is possible in a cage—how is that world not already turned on its head?

It reminds a listener (particularly a listener who may not have any direct experience with the carceral system) that if they can suspend their judgment, even for a few hours, they might learn something about the cruelty, weight, and lopsidedness of the carceral state—and the audacity of joy and resilience that these men are able to hold onto.

At a recent tech rehearsal, ensemble members took time to smile, to pause and mull over lines, to laugh behind their halfextended palms at lines that have become inside jokes. When they reached a part of the script about smartphones—which didn't exist when each went into prison decades ago—they turned to humor as a balm, letting its healing power sit over the stage. For just a little bit, it was possible to forget the exhaustion of living with a sentence on your back.

That the work ends without a sense of resolution, meanwhile, feels right. For each character on stage, prison time has meant missed births and funerals, including during the very early days of the Covid-19 pandemic; it has meant extreme isolation and relationships that begin to feel conditional; it has meant brushes with death and suicidality and mental health crises that may be entirely preventable under a system governed by rehabilitation rather than power and punishment.

Even in moments that shine—the strength of spouses is very much there, as is the strength of Black matriarchs and of religion—this reality isn't supposed to feel comfortable. There's a loss there, and cast members allow the audience to feel it.

"Have some compassion," Shabazz says before a section on the rawness and trauma of reentry, and the words ring out over the half-lit stage. "Have enough compassion to learn the truth."

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

700 Free Turkeys Fly At Food Pantry Giveaway

by THOMAS BREEN The new haven independent Luz Ayala lifted up a frozen turkey wrapped in plastic and netting and talked through the culinary transformation that bird will go through on Thursday for Thanksgiving.

She’ll peel back the whole turkey’s skin and stuff it with a blended mix of green peppers, onions, olive oil, cilantro, and garlic. Then she’ll baste the bird in butter and pop it in the oven as she works on making a side of stuffing — also filled with meat, she said apologetically to this vegetarian reporter — for her visiting family members sitting down for dinner at her Columbus Avenue table.

She’s ready for that annual big cook.

And, thanks to a bustling food pantry turkey giveaway in Wooster Square, she won’t have to worry about stretching her budget to buy the meal’s centerpiece.

Ayala was one of hundreds of New Haveners who showed up to the driveway behind St. Paul & St. James Episcopal Church at 57 Olive St. midday Friday to pick up a bag full of Thanksgiving meal ingredients from the local food pantry,

Loaves & Fishes. That free food distribution before next Thursday’s holiday took place on the same day as a number of other giveaways, including ones hosted by the Elicker administration at senior centers across the city.

According to Loaves & Fishes Executive Director Lorrice Grant, the Wooster Square-based food pantry planned on giving out 700 turkeys on Friday, along with 140 chickens and hundreds of volunteer-packed brown paper bags of carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, string beans, and more, all sourced from Connecticut Foodshare.

“We found that we had an opportunity to give extra protein and veggies” to New Haveners in need this holiday season, Grant said about Friday’s holiday meal distribution, which she said will continue on Saturday.

Ayala was one of those New Haveners to show up to Friday’s giveaway to help her get ready for a full Thanksgiving meal with family next week.

“This is good,” she said. “It means food on the table” for her and her daughters and grandkids.

Loaves & Fishes Executive Director Lorrice Grant and State Rep. Pat Dillon.

Wayne Sims also swung by the Wooster Square church on Friday to pick up a free turkey and vegetables — though he’s pretty certain that he won’t be cooking or eating this food, but instead will likely give it away.

That’s because he doesn’t have access to a microwave or stove or kitchen, he said. He said he had been living with his elderly mom in West Haven, but had to leave when she passed away. He said he’s recently rented out two self-storage units in New Haven, and has been living out of that business’s men’s bathroom. He said he’s on the waitlist for subsidized apartments in West Haven and Naugatuck, and hopes that one of those housing applications comes through soon.

He doesn’t know where he’ll be for Thanksgiving itself. He’s not confident he’ll be in a place where he can cook the food he picked up on Friday.

“Sometimes I put a smile on my face, even when I’m crying,” he said. After all, he said about his current sleeping arrangements, “it ain’t no fun being in the bathroom.”

Child Advocate Calls for Stronger Oversight of State-Licensed Group Homes Following Sexual Assault

by Hugh McQuaid Connecticut’s Child Advocate called for greater oversight and funding of state-licensed group homes for people with developmental disabilities in a Monday report on an incident in which a teenage boy in the state’s care sexually assaulted an adult woman who lived at the same facility.

The incident, which occurred in October of 2021, involved a 17-year-old boy who had been committed to the Department of Children and Families and a young adult woman who received Department of Developmental Services care.

Both of the individuals involved in the incident had intellectual or developmental disabilities and resided at a group home licensed through DDS. According to the 43-page report, the young woman’s family reported the incident to DDS after the boy was found naked on top of their daughter in her bedroom.

Staff at the group home did not file timely reports with either state agency, but did call local police and had the young woman transported to a hospital for care. A first responder concerned about supervision at the facility alerted the Office of the Child Advocate, the report said.

The report found that the boy, referred to by the pseudonym “John,” had a history of “sexually reactive behavior,” which was documented in records dating back to 2018, and that his behav-

Connecticut Child Advocate Sarah Eagan. Credit: Hugh McQuaid / CTNewsJunkie

ior plan indicated he should be closely supervised at the residence and that he should not be left alone with a female staff member.

Meanwhile, in early 2021, John’s supervision level was downgraded from “1:1,” meaning he no longer had one staff member exclusively charged with his

supervision. A group home staff member said the decision was made due to lack of funding, according to the report.

“In my opinion, I feel that we as an agency failed both John and Jane,” a staff member told DDS, according to the report. “Had he still had 1:1 staffing this incident would not have occurred

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because he would not have been left alone.”

A DCF investigation found that the group home’s staff members were eating dinner with no view of the bedrooms at the time of the incident, according to the report.

The Office of the Child Advocate faulted the provider for not reporting the October incident as well an earlier incident involving the same boy as possible neglect or child abuse. Meanwhile, the group home had also been cited by DDS for failing to report an incident two years earlier, when a resident was hospitalized following an “ingestion incident” caused by lack of supervision, the report found.

In both cases, DDS failed to comply with a requirement to complete a followup to ensure problems had been addressed, according to the report.

As a result of the 2021 incident, the OCA began a broader investigation of the state’s framework for overseeing community living arrangements for people in DDS and DCF care. The advocate found that although the agencies had made progress since a federal review in 2016, serious concerns remained.

The Office of the Child Advocate made a series of recommendations for changes to state law regarding the oversight of group homes. Among the recommendations were requirements to: • Conduct annual unannounced visits to licensed group homes.

• Include the results of agency investigations into programs in the state’s pub-

lic database.

• Notify parents or guardians when an agency identifies programmatic neglect.

• Notify the group Disability Rights Connecticut of critical incidents involving disabled individuals in state-licensed group homes.

The office also called for state policymakers to dedicate additional funding and boost reimbursement rates to group homes that support vulnerable populations. The report noted that providers have reported staffing vacancies and funding deficiencies that have “profoundly impacted” their services. “[T]hese staffing vacancies and challenges are a direct threat to the safety and quality of life of dependent children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” the report said.

The OCA report comes on the heels of an October legislative hearing on allegations of abuse and sexual assault at a state-funded emergency group home for girls in Harwinton.

Legislative Republican leaders issued a press release Monday, urging Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration and legislative Democrats to begin addressing systemic problems in agencies charged with caring for vulnerable residents.

“We must begin work on this crisis immediately in preparation for the start of the next legislative session to give us flexibility to act quickly if policy changes are warranted,” House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora and Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly said.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

Ronnell Higgins takes over CT state police at critical juncture

by Mark Pazniokas

Ronnell A. Higgins took over Monday as the civilian who oversees public safety in Connecticut, most notably a state police department coping with a traffic-stop reporting scandal and the challenge of filling about 260 vacancies in the uniformed ranks.

“My hope for this new role is, first and foremost, to restore whatever trust that was lost,” said Higgins, who was named more than a month ago as Gov. Ned Lamont’s choice to take over the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

Higgins said he already has consulted with Ken Barone, the leader of the University of Connecticut institute that found the falsified traffic reports, and Deirdre M. Daly, the former U.S. attorney Lamont hired to conduct an independent inquiry.

Higgins said he has spoken to Barone on “a number of occasions” and Daly nearly daily. While her inquiry is being conducted independently, Higgins said he is not preempted from consulting her directly as he forms opinions about what changes might be necessary.

“We’re going to be getting together, if not later this week, early next week for a very in-depth briefing,” Higgins said.

The report by Barone’s Institute for Municipal and Regional Police revealed how state troopers and constables may have submitted tens of thousands of falsified traffic stop tickets to the institute’s racial

Ronnell Higgins takes oath of office as commissioner of DESPP from Gov. Ned Lamont. He is the second Black commissioner to lead the agency, which includes the state police. MARK PAZNIOKAS / CTMIRROR.ORG profiling database. A federal criminal investigation also is under way.

Want more in-depth Connecticut reporting?

The Lamont administration recruited Higgins, the head of public safety at Yale University, as successor to James Rovella, the former Hartford police chief who was Lamont’s first commissioner of emergency

services and public protection. His retirement was effective last week.

Even before taking the oath Monday, Higgins had put his initial stamp on the agency, recommending the interim appointment two weeks ago of Daniel Loughman as commander of the state police, succeeding Col. Stavros Mellekas, who also retired.

Higgins cannot make Loughman’s appointment permanent until he is confirmed as commissioner after the General Assembly convenes in February. In Loughman, he chose the commanding officer of professional standards and training.

“Col. Loughman is someone who I believe is not only skillful and trustworthy,

but someone who’s an emerging leader in public safety in the state of Connecticut,” Higgins said. “And I believe that working with him, coaching, mentoring and supporting him, I believe we’re going to be OK.” Higgins promised a level of attention from him and Loughman to the small details that shape an agency’s culture and expectations.

“My hope is to bring bring us a sense of ‘broken windows’ of policing within the agency internally — dealing with the little things, if I can say that, making sure that our practices align with our policies, making sure that leadership even at the sergeant’s level is doing as they should,” Higgins said.

Higgins declined to offer examples of those “little things” that might be in need of more attention.

“That would be premature for me to talk about,” Higgins said. “The colonel and I still have a lot to talk about.”

Lamont administered the oath of office to Higgins in a ceremony at the agency’s headquarters in Middletown. The new commissioner’s wife, Robin, pinned a gold badge on the lapel of his suit, then lightly kissed her husband.

She is a retired New Haven police officer, as is the commissioner’s father, Reginald Higgins Sr. “I think it’s in the genes,” Lamont said of policing and the Higgins family.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

Prosperity Foundation Awards $900K In Cannabis-Legalization-Related Grants

by LISA GRAY The new haven independent In a music- and dance-filled celebration, the Prosperity Foundation distributed $900,000 in grant funds to 25 mostly Black-led organizations.

The event took place on Wednesday, Nov. 15, in a packed room at the Orchid Café in Science Park.

The foundation received the seed funding to make these grants from the state’s Social Equity Council (SEC), as a part of a pilot project designed to address the harms caused by the war on drugs.

In total, six Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs) will receive funds from the SEC, which created a re-granting program that allows organizations like the Prosperity Foundation to distribute the money locally through a competitive grant process.

The SEC uses funding from revenues realized from cannabis legalization in the state. Its website states that it works to “make sure the adult-use cannabis program is grown equitably and ensures that funds from the adult-use cannabis program are brought back to the communities hit hardest by the ‘war on drugs.’ ” A followup press release sent out by the Prosperity Foundation stated that this latest distribution of $900,000 in such grants went to organizations that are “developing and expanding reentry/reintegration programs in the city that support formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, as well as youth education, recreation and arts programs that help promote physical and mental health wellness that will empower and prepare young people to enter the workforce.” Of the $1 million sent by the SEC to the Prosperity Foundation, $900,000 was distributed in grants and the remaining $100,000 funded the organization’s operations.

The evening opened with a set by The Rashan Langley Project, a local band whose lead singer and namesake grew up in Dixwell — one of the neighborhoods that will benefit from the investment. The band played old-school covers as attendees munched on hors d’oeuvres created

by Orchid Café, which operates a culinary training program. Orsella Hughes, the foundation’s executive director, said that the foundation is unapologetic about leading with Blackness and supporting Black businesses to keep dollars circulating in the community.

Michael A. Jefferson, the senate president’s appointee to the SEC, shared his exuberant congratulations at the ceremony, which was attended by more than 60 community members.

Jefferson said, “This is a part of a larger investment in communities across the state [for] six areas that suffered egregious harm from the impacts of the war on drugs.”

This round of funding with the Blackled and focused Prosperity Foundation began last April, when they opened the process. By the submission deadline of Aug. 31, the foundation had received 100 applications with requests totaling $10,000,000

LISA GRAY PHOTO Orsella Hughes, Ginne-Rae Clay, and Larry Conaway (right) with the president of Street 2 Straight

for the $1,000,000 they could award, according to Hughes and Larry Conaway, a vice president at the foundation who spearheaded the selection process.

At Wednesday’s event, people mingled and congratulated awardees, such as Barry and Anne Abraham, the founders of Abraham’s Promise — an organization that serves up to 100 youth per year with access to STEM-based learning, life skills, and supports. Anne and Barry said the invaluable support will allow them to continue equipping youth with the tools they need for success in college, employment, and entrepreneurship. Having been a math teacher for over twenty years in the New Haven Public Schools system, Anne said she knows firsthand the challenges Black students face as they attempt to succeed in the classroom.

Orsella Hughes’ opening remarks noted the importance of Black philanthropy, especially now. It’s one of the reasons she decided to hold the event on National Philanthropy Day. She talked about why this investment is meaningful for New Haven and the organizations receiving funds. She said that the Prosperity Foundation speaks with and from the voice of the community and that the organization “is not a stranger to the community. We are the community.” She later distributed the $900,000 in checks to each of the organizations along with Conaway and Ginne-Rae Clay, the executive director of the SEC. Kermit Carolina, supervisor of Youth Development and Engagement for New Haven Public Schools, was in attendance and commended the foundation’s efforts, saying, “We have populations with unique needs at the grassroots level and not enough resources and reach to all those

Christopher and Carlaa Tillery. doing the work. I applaud the foundation’s goal and vision to support vulnerable populations by investing in the organizations on the ground doing the work.”

The highlight of the evening was the distribution of funding that will impact thousands of New Haven’s youth and families. A wide range of organizations received funding. From the New Haven Firebirds to Street 2 Straight Programs, Inc., all 25 grant recipients serve varying segments of the community with a focus on re-entry and reintegration and youth

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development programs. One example is Proverbs, Inc., a community organization run by Carla and Christopher Tillery.

Proverbs has a joint venture with the Hot Shots Basketball Camp, a long-standing organization that offers basketball camps and clinics, and their companion program No Books, No Ball that focuses on increasing literacy and reading.

Karen Tyson, the executive director and founder of Prosperity House, Inc., which runs community reintegration efforts that support men and women coming back into

the community from different challenges in life, said, “We are the place for sustainable recovery and progressive transformation, and this funding will allow them to start their pilot program Re-entry Off Campus Housing. A housing effort that will give men and women coming back into the community an opportunity to focus on trades and education that lead to sustainability and self-sufficiency.”

Reginald Slade is the chief executive officer of Culturally Correct Creative, Inc., and his goal is to “provide culturallybased learning for Black youth in New Haven, teaching them about the court system through mock trial and crime scene investigation. We introduce young people to professions they don’t always consider as career paths.” Slade said they will use the funds to “support our new partnership with Brown University’s Mock Trial program.”

Terrance Rountree, a retired New Haven assistant fire chief representing the New Haven Firebirds, said the funds will assist the advocacy group with their efforts to recruit Black firefighters and the work they do in the community, like the Feeding the Community event they hosted on Sunday at The Shack in West Rock and the toy and clothing drives they host each year.

Jefferson, Hughes, and Howard K. Hill, The Prosperity Foundation’s founder and board president, spoke about the power of the collective in creating opportunities for youth and the community. They encouraged groups to work together to build collective power and move change forward in Black communities.

The evening’s program ended as it began, with the music of the Rashan Langley project and dancing, lots of dancing.

The 25 groups to receive funding last Wednesday included: • Abraham’s Promise, Inc. • Alpha to Omega Management Group, Inc. DBA Brown Girls Cooking and Conversations • Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church • Communities for Generations, Inc. • CPEN • Culturally Correct Creative, Inc. • D.E.S.T.I.N.E.D. to Succeed, Inc. • EIR Boxing & Fitness Academy • Elm City Go Karting Association • EMERGE Connecticut Inc. • FaithActs for Education • Fixing Fathers, Inc. • Hot Shot Services / Hot Shot Basketball Camp • Huneebee Project, Inc. • New Haven Promise • Firebird Society of Greater New Haven, Inc. • Prosperity House, Inc. • Ready Inc. • Resurgence Now, Inc. • Stop Solitary CT • Street 2 Straight Program, Inc. • Tha Bridge Corp • UPON THIS ROCK MINISTRIES • WLM MINISTRIES • The Workplace

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

Overdose-Prevention Grant Heralded On Grand

by THOMAS BREEN The new haven independent Roughly $10 million in federal aid will flow to the New Haven area over the next five years to help municipal health departments take a regional approach in combating the opioid epidemic through the hiring of 10 case-management “navigators” and the cross-town sharing of overdose data.

This aid comes as the number of overdose deaths in 2022 reached 490 in New Haven county, including 128 in the city itself.

Two dozen city, state, and federal officials joined with local healthcare providers on Tuesday afternoon at the corner of Grand and Blatchley Avenues to celebrate that federal grant award. The press conference took place outside of Hancock Pharmacy at 306 Grand Ave., and in front of a recently unveiled community healthfocused sunflower mural designed by local painter Kwadwo Adae.

The money itself comes in the form of an Overdose Data to Action: Limiting Overdose through Collaborative Actions in Localities (OD2A: LOCAL) grant, from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mayor Justin Elicker, city Health Director Maritza Bond, and U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, among

City Health Director Maritza Bond (right).

others, said that that New Haven area health departments will receive $2.1 million this year and roughly $2 million for each of the next four years, for a total of around $10 million over the next half decade.

That money will go to municipal health departments in New Haven, Waterbury, and Milford, as well as the East Shore, Naugatuck Valley, and Quinnipiack Valley Health Districts and the Yale School

of Public Health.

Elicker and Bond said that this money will go towards hiring a total of 10 case management specialists, also known as “navigators,” across the region, including three in New Haven. These on-the-ground overdose-prevention workers will, for example, walk up and down Grand Avenue, work with local healthcare providers like Fair Haven Community Health Care, and talk directly with people struggling with

World Premiere

opioid addiction about what they need and how to get them on the road to evidencebased recovery.

As Yale School of Public Health Professor of Epidemiology Robert Heimer put it on Tuesday, these navigators will work with those in need to address not just the top-line issue of substance use disorder — but also all the calamitous fallout from such struggles, including “homelessness, poverty, and family estrangement.”

This newly awarded federal aid will also go towards the hiring of an epidemiologist who will focus on tracking overdoses and analyzing and sharing such data with the relevant regional health districts to try to bolster a collaborative approach to tackling this issue.

“It is a disease, not a moral failing,” Blumenthal said about opioid addiction, as he underscored just how dangerous and commonplace drugs like fentanyl and xylazine have become in fueling the ongoing epidemic of overdose deaths. “If you think your community or your family is immune, you’re in denial. If you think this issue is limited to Fair Haven, or New Haven, you are in denial.”

“Seek help if you are ready to seek help,” Bond implored members of the public who may be listening to or reading about this press conference. She urged

those struggling with substance use disorder to call the state’s 24/7 treatment line 1 – 800-563-4086, and to know that Connecticut has a Good Samaritan law encouraging those at a medical emergency to provide help.

While New Haven is still looking to hire overdose-prevention “navigators” under this newly awarded grant, Fair Haven Community Health Care already has two such workers on staff: Eddy CordovaCoello, a Latino outreach worker at the health center, and Dabely Cruz-Jose, an addiction medicine care coordinator.

Cordova-Coello said he spends most work days walking up and down Grand Avenue, talking with those struggling with substance use disorders, particularly those who are Latino; building trust; encouraging them to come to the health care center for a suite of services. Cruz-Jose said that detox is one of the most frequent care interventions she finds herself directing patients to through this outreach program.

Despite the challenging situations he sees people on Grand Avenue going through on a daily basis, Cordova-Coello said, he’s also struck by just how kind and neighborly and engaging and full of live people in the neighborhood are. He said he’s lived in the New Haven area for 20 years. “Fair Haven is the happiest” area he’s been in.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

Biden’s Dance with the Black Press: A Forgotten Rhythm?

However, just one year before the critical 2024 presidential election, where he’ll likely face a rematch with Donald Trump, the question arises: has the President forgotten the rhythm thatAfrican drew him to the dance? benefiting Americans, his mes-

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

With his campaign flailing, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden knew his fate hinged on African Americans.

Like many successful campaigns, political and otherwise, Biden looked to the Trusted Voice of Black America during what had become a critical, if not grave, moment of reckoning. On a brisk morning, Feb. 26, 2020, Biden received an essential reminder of the historical significance of the Black Press and how its backing could sway the all-important Black electorate.

However, just one year before the critical 2024 presidential election, where he’ll likely face a rematch with Donald Trump, the question arises: has the President forgotten the rhythm that drew him to the dance?

On that crisp February morning in 2020, a chartered bus rolled into historic downtown Charleston, carrying over a dozen Black Press publishers and leaders. The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel on Meeting Street hosted a critical gathering between Biden, his team, and the stalwarts of the Black Press. The stakes were high, and South Carolina held the key to the fate of Biden who trailed badly in the polls as rumors began to fly that he contemplated suspending his campaign.

The strategy was simple: connect with the “Trusted Voice of Black America,” a legacy that spans nearly two centu-

ries when Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm boldly proclaimed, “We wish to plead our own cause,” and started the Black Press in New York.

The boldness of Russwurm and Cornish’s statement lies in the fact that they started Freedom’s Journal with those daring words before slavery ended. From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Mamie Till, the Black Press has been the conduit for crucial messages that have reverberated globally.

Biden’s interview with NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. broadcast over the expansive social media channels of the Black Press, became a lifeline for his campaign. His words could now reach over 30 million people, particularly African Americans. A subsequent national feature article about the get together ran in many of the more than 230 Black-owned newspapers and amplified Biden’s message to the African American electorate.

“The Black vote will determine the nominee… and hopefully the next president and The Black Press is the heart and soul as to why I got involved,” Biden acknowledged during the interview, recognizing the pivotal role played by African American voters.

His promises were explicit, and a breath of fresh air in comparison to Trump: • Addressing housing discrimination • Investing $640 billion over a decade for affordable housing • Dismantling redlining • Creating opportunities for first-time

homebuyers Those commitments voiced through the Black Press resonated with the Black community, a critical demographic that would propel Biden to victory. And it certainly didn’t hurt Biden that shortly after his sit down with the Black Press, and af-

ter he promised to appoint the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, the kingmaker, South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, formally endorsed him.

Today, Biden’s dance seems to have lost its rhythm. Despite numerous policies

saging remains non-existent. With the 2024 election looming, polls indicating major declines in Black support, Biden’s campaign has ignored, as Biden once said, “What brought me to the dance,” the Black Press.

The recent Biden-Harris ad campaign, “History,” showcases the administration’s investments in rural Black communities.

While commendable, it raises questions about excluding Black-owned media in those advertising buys. Biden’s campaign boasted a 16-week, $25 million ad buy targeting Black voters, yet the Black Press, with its unmatched influence and historical significance, is conspicuously absent.

As most understand, and the Biden campaign apparently does not, there’s a massive difference between Blacktargeted and Black-owned. While to the campaign’s credit, they are running an ad with Byron Allen’s TheGRIO, a Blackowned entity, they haven’t done so with the Black Press — despite televised promises from various individuals in the Biden camp, including DNC Chair Jaime Harrison.

That’s also despite the ever-dwindling support of the Black electorate.

As the President gears up for a potential rematch against Trump, the question lingers: has Biden forgotten the rhythm that brought him to the dance, a rhythm inscribed in the ink of the Black Press?

Only time will tell if the President can return to the beat that secured his place in the Oval Office.

Overhaul Needed: Tackling Youth Incarceration and Racial Disparities

By Forward Times Staff

In its report, “System Reforms to Reduce Youth Incarceration: Why We Must Explore Every Option Before Removing Any Young Person from Home,” the Sentencing Project challenges the prevalent practice of youth incarceration.

The study highlights the inefficacy of youth incarceration and underscores the urgent need for state and local youth justice systems to prioritize alternative-toincarceration programs.

Research shows that it is rarely necessary or effective to incarcerate adolescent offenders, the authors concluded. Instead, incarceration often heightens the likelihood of repeat offenses, impedes educational and employment prospects, and exposes youth to harmful environments.

Unsurprisingly, these negative impacts disproportionately affect youth of color, particularly African Americans.

According to the Vera Institute of Justice, more than eighty percent of all arrests involve low-level, nonviolent of-

fenses associated with poverty. Further disconcerting, although Black males comprise just 13% of the total population, they represent an astounding 35% of those incarcerated. Additionally, compared to their white counterparts, Black youth are over four times more likely to be detained or committed to juvenile fa-

cilities.

The Sentencing Project said it wants youth justice leaders and legislators to recognize and fix the current failed strategy, and deal with the racial inequalities.

The organization supports using alternatives to incarceration in most cases, except when there is a clear danger to public

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safety.

The Sentencing Project’s report delineates a comprehensive agenda of state and local reforms, drawing from successful implementations nationwide. The authors note proposed changes that include not sending children to state-run youth prisons for certain crimes, providing incentives to local courts to avoid sending kids to state custody, and using the funds saved from releasing kids for other programs.

Officials at the Sentencing Project suggest making changes at the local level.

They recommend reducing the number of individuals who are sent to prison early in the legal process. It also suggests changing the way probation is done so that it helps people succeed in the long term.

Finally, the report recommends not putting young people in jail for breaking probation rules.

To effectively reduce youth incarceration, the report authors emphasized the need for collaboration between justice systems, families, and community part-

ners. The authors insist that staff members who are highly motivated and trained must implement alternative-to-incarceration programs per core principles. They argue that efforts should be made to address the biases causing racial and ethnic disparities in confinement in the American youth justice system.

“The research is clear that incarceration is not necessary or effective in the vast majority of delinquency cases,” said Richard Mendel, Senior Research Fellow at The Sentencing Project. “Most state and local youth justice systems continue to employ problematic policies and practices that often lead to incarceration of youth who pose minimal or modest risk to public safety. It’s essential that state and local jurisdictions seize every opportunity to keep young people safely at home with their families, in their schools, and communities.”

The post Overhaul Needed: Tackling Youth Incarceration and Racial Disparities appeared first on Forward Times.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

COMING UP AT RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE

NOV 25 @ 8PM 203.438.5795 • RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG

FALL 2023 OCTOBER

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11 MOLLY TUTTLE & GOLDEN HIGHWAY Cabaret 17 AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE STUDIO COMPANY 30 MESSIAH SING!

NEW HAVEN TREE LIGHTING

DECEMBER 3 8

MACMASTER & LEAHY A Celtic Family Christmas HOLIDAY POPS

NEW HAVEN GREEN 5:30PM-7:30PM

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

jorgensen.uconn.edu

860-486-4226 | @JorgensenUConn On the UConn Storrs campus Note: all artists, events, dates, programs and policies are subject to change.

13

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

NOTICE

The West Haven Planning & VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Zoning Commission

HOME INC,aonPublic behalf of Hearing Columbus House the change New HaventoHousing Authority, will hold on a and text Article 3 of is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develSection 49.1 of the West Haven Regulations on Tuesday, opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apnd Floor, November 28, 2019 the Harriet North Room, 2Monday ply. Pre-applications will be in available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Ju;y City Hall, Main Haven,(approximately CT at 7:00100) PMhave to 25, 2016 and355 ending whenStreet, sufficient West pre-applications been received at the offices HOME INC. Applications will be mailiedSection upon reconsider amending theofregulations to include a new questentitled by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed pre49.4 Active Adult Community.

Town of Bloomfield

Salary Range:

$87,727 to $136,071 Deputy Finance Director/Controller Pre-employment drug testing.

AA/EOE. For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org

Town of Bloomfield

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

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

This proposed text change to Table 39.2 of the zoning regulations adds deMarijuana Facilities and está HOME INC, en nombre la Columbus House y de la New(Dispensaries Haven Housing Authority, aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de by un dormitorio este desarrollo Producers) & Cannabis Establishments SpecialenPermit en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. limitaciones de ingresos inubicado the Regional Business District (RB).Se aplican The proposed text máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 change to section 49.1 of the regulations establishes the julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) following requirements: 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 49.1.C: Marijuana Dispensaries, Production a las•oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

Facilities, and Cannabis Establishments shall be permitted in the Regional Business District (RB) subject to a Special Permit and Site Plan Review. Presently the use is limited to the Light NEWManufacturing HAVEN Zone (LM).

242-258 Fairmont Ave

•

2BR Townhouse, 1.5 to BA,exclude 3BR, 1Cannabis level , 1BA 49.1.D.2. is amended

All new apartments, carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 Retailer fromnew thisappliances, section new of the regulation. highways, near bus stop & shopping center • Pet Section is added to the under 40lb 49.1.D.2.1 allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

regulation to allow a Cannabis Retailer not less than 250is pleased feet tofrom residentially zoned CT. Unified Deacon’s Association offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates land as defined in in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

•

Section 49.1.D.5 of the zoning regulations is amended by adding section 49.1.D.2.1 in calculating distance as required by the regulation.

St. New Haven, CT

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm from on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, ing applications qualified candidates to participate in the Civil Service ExSeymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at theof amination for Accountant. A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting plus 2 years SmithfieldisGardens experience required.Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Accountant I: $71,503/year. The Town of East Haven is currently acceptCandidates bilingual in Spanish are encouraged to apply. The town offers an excellent benefi t package.

Applications participate in theOffice examination are A pre-bid conference will be held at the to Housing Authority 28 Smith available at The Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven CT or online Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. at http://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civiltest.shtml. The deadline for submission is November 22, 2023. The Town of East Haven is committed to building a Bidding documents are availableMinorities, from the Seymour Authority Ofworkforce of diverse individuals.

Females, Housing Handicapped and Veterfice, Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. ans are28 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

The Hamden Public School System (HPS) located in Hamden, Connecticut seeks Connecticut certified teachers who have a passion for working in diverse and dynamic school settings. The ideal candidate has experience working in culturally, socioeconomically, and racially diverse learning environments.

HPS has approximately 5,600 students attending 8 elementary schools, 1 middle School, 1 high school, and 1 secondary alternative program (HCLC). Our demographics are as follows: 32% Black/African-American students; 25% White students; 28% Hispanic (Latinx) students; 7% Asian students; 7% Two or more races; and less than 1% Native American and Pacific Islander students.

We are seeking candidates for multiple positions, including but not limited to:

applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

AMENDMENT TO TABLE 39.2 & ARTICLE 3SECTION 49.1 ENTITLED MARIJUANA NOTICIA FACILITIES

HAMDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

• Special Education (pre-K thru 12) • World Language • Social Work • Head Girls Gymnastics Coach • Head Boys Lacrosse Coach • Custodial • School Nurse

Finance Director 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

While we are seeking candidates for these positions specifically, we encourage holders of certificates in other areas to apply as well. It is also important to note here that the Hamden Board of Education is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse teaching staff.

Interested candidates can access Hamden.org, click on the Personnel tab, and then click on Online Applications. Anyone seeking additional information can contact Hamden Public Schools Assistant Superintendents, Erin Bailey (Elementary) at ebailey@ hamden.org or Linda Tran (Secondary) at ltran@hamden.org. For coaching positions, please contact Director of Athletics, Tom Dyer at tdyer@hamden.org.

Invitation to Bid: It is the policy of Hamden Public Schools that no person shall be excluded from, de2nd Notice

nied the benefits of, or otherwise discriminated against under any program including

Old Saybrook, CT APPLY NOW! (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

employment, because of race, color, religious creed, sex, age national origin, ancestry, SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE marital status, sexual orientation, past or present history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability.

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 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castin-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Invitation for Bids Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, State of Connecticut Unarmed Security Services Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

Office of Policy This contract subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. andisManagement

Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids for Services of a firm to provide Unarmed Security Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be The State of Connecticut, Bid Extended, Due Date: Augustfrom 5, 2016 obtained Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://neOffice of Policy and Management Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 whavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on is recruiting for an Information

Technology Technician hour).

Monday, November 6, 2023, at 3:00PM. Project(40documents available via ftp link below: Further information regarding http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

The Town of East Haven

the duties, eligibility is currently accepting applications from qualified requirements and application Faxinstructions or Email Questions & Bids to:at: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 candidatesdawnlang@haynesconstruction.com for the position of Mechanic. The starting salary is $55,393 per year and are available

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran,the S/W/MBE Sectionan3 Certified Businesses town &offers excellent benefit package. Only candidates with at least 6 years of

https://www.jobapscloud.com/ Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 experience in motor-mechanic work, a High School Diploma or GED supplemented by CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= trade school training and a CDL, class 2 will be considered. Applications are available 230927&R2=7602FR&R3=001 AA/EEO EMPLOYER The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

14

online at http://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civiltest.shtml or the Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven CT. The deadline for submission is November 22, 2023.

The Town of East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals.

Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 2023 - November 28, 2023 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27,23, 2016 - August 02, 2016

Construction

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

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

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

Maximum income limitations apAffirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:will be mailied upon rebeen received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications Reclaimer and Milling with current quest byOperators calling HOME INC atOperators 203-562-4663 duringlicensing those hours. Completed preand clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the NorthLargeStreet, CT Fence applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Third Company looking for an individual for our east & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits PVC Fence Production Shop. Experience preferred but will Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. train the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 & power tools and be able to read a CAD drawing and tape Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com measure. Use of CNC Router machine a plus but not required, will train the right person. This is an in-shop production poWomen & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Duties include building fence panels, posts, gates and AffirmativeMACRI Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer VALENTINA VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDESsition.

DISPONIBLES more. Must have a valid CT driver’s license & be able to obtain a Drivers Medical HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está Card. Must be able to pass a physical and drug test. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com.

Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipaceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of AA/EOE-MF ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the máximos.

Las We pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m.tscomenzando Martes 25 Northeast & NY. offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefi Full Time julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100)Administrative assistant position en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición for a steel & misc metals fabrication shop who will oversee the llamandoEmail: a HOMEdana.briere@garrityasphalt.com INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirseof clerical duties such as answering phones, acdaily operations Women & Minority encouraged to apply a las oficinas de HOMEApplicants INC en 171are Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .purchase orders/invoicing and certified payroll. counts payable Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer Email resumes to jillherbert@gwfabrication.com

NOTICE

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

Drug Free Workforce

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO. Invitation for Bids SNOW REMOVAL SERVICES

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

NOTICIA

360 Management Group, Co. is currently seeking bids for Snow Removal 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

Union Company seeks:

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

NOW HIRING FOR 2024 SEASON NEW HAVEN

Roma Construction, Inc. has openings for Laborers, CDL Drivers with 242-258 Fairmont Ave Class A & B Licenses, and operators. We are an Equal Opportunity 2BR Employer Townhouse, 1.5training BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA and have availability.

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, near bus stopat & shopping center Please contact Rebecca 860-996-8766 or put an application atcontact romaconst.com Pet under 40lb in allowed.

Interested parties Maria @ 860-985-8258

ROMA CONSTRUCTION, INC.

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s 630 eld Rddesigned JewetttoCity, Certificate Program. This is a 10Plainfi month program assistCT in the06351 intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

MINORITY CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY –

St. New Haven, CT

Chrysalis Townhouses, New Britain, CT SOLICITATION OF SBE/MBE CONTRACTORS: Enterprise Builders, Inc., an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, seeks certified SBE/MBE Subcontractors and/or Sealed bids are invited by the HousingtoAuthority of the Town of Seymour suppliers and local business enterprises bid applicable sections of work/ until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2,construction 2016 at its office at Chrysalis 28 Smith TownStreet, equipment/supplies for the following project: houses: ThisCT project of newSidewalk construction of and 28 townhouse units in Seymour, 06483consists for Concrete Repairs Replacement at the New Britain CT totaling 32,416 sf.

Bid Date and Time: is November 30, 2023 Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour. at 3:00PM. Please email proposals to bids@enterbuilders.com. Electronic Plans and specifications can be obtained at no charge by contacting the EstiA pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith mating Department at Enterprise Builders at (860) 466-5188 or by email to Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. bids@enterbuilders.com. Project is Tax Exempt and Prevailing Wage Rates DO NOT apply. This project is subject to state set-aside and contract compliBidding documentsEBI areencourages available from the Seymour Housing Authority Ofance requirements. the participation of certified SBE/MBE fice, 28 Smith CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. contractors.

EBIStreet, is anSeymour, Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

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

Wednesday, November 22, 2023, at 3:00PM.

The Town of East Haven is currently accepting applications from qualified

candidates for the position of Mechanic. The starting salary is $55,393 per year and the town offers an excellent benefit package. Only candidates with at least 6 years of experience in motor-mechanic work, a High School Diploma or GED supplemented by trade school training and a CDL, class 2 will be considered. Applications are available online at http://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civiltest.shtml or the Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven CT. The deadline for submission is November 22, 2023.

The Town of East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals.

Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management Invitation to Bid:

THE GLENDOWER GROUP, INC.

nd

2 Notice

The State of Connecticut, Office of Request for Proposals Policy and Management is recruiting for an OPM Assistant Division LIHTC Equity Investor/Limited Partner for Eastview Terrace Director in the Office of Finance.Old Saybrook, CT

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Phase I Rehabilitation Project

Further information regarding (4 Buildings, 17 Units) the duties,Tax eligibility Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project requirements and application The Glendower Group, Inc. is currently seeking proposals for a qualified Low- Income instructions are available at: Housing Tax Credit Equity Investor/Limited Partners. A complete copy of the requirement

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work,Vendor Cast- Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing. https://www.jobapscloud.com/ may be obtained from Glendower’s CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= beginning on in-place Concrete, Asphaltcobblestonesystems.com/gateway Shingles, Vinyl Siding, 230908&R2=0104MP&R3=001 Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, The State of Connecticut is an equal Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at 3:00PM. opportunity/affirmative action employer and Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. strongly encourages the applications of women, This minorities, contractand is persons subjectwithtodisabilities. state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Executive Secretary

Bid Extended, Due Date: TheAugust Town5,of2016 Wallingford is seeking highly qualified and experienced Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 QSR STEEL applicants for the position of Executive Secretary. Must have 6 years’ Project documents available via ftp linkinbelow: experience responsible office work, some of which must have been CORPORATION http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage in a supervisory capacity, or an equivalent combination of experience

APPLY NOW!

and college-level training. Pay rate $28.75 to $34.86 per hour plus an

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 excellentdawnlang@haynesconstruction.com benefit package. Application forms may be obtained at the DeHCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses partment of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Forms will be mailed upon request Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders AA/EEO EMPLOYER Top pay for top performers. Health from the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Town of Wallingford Department of Human Resources Web Page and Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

15

emailed to wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov. Phone: (203)-294-2080. Fax (203)-294-2084. The closing date will be November 27, 2023. EOE

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 2023 - November 28, 2023 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 23, 2016 - August 02, 2016

CONSTRUCTION NOTICE JOB FAIR HIRING ALL TRADES!

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE ***LOW-INCOME/SECTION 3/LOCAL PERSONS ENCOURAGED TO APPLY***

HOMEHIRING INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housingconcrete, Authority, Trades include: Demolition, sitework, fire suppression, ismasonry, accepting carpentry, pre-applications for studio andplumbing, one-bedroom apartments at this develelectric, hvac, flooring, struct. steel, opment located 108 Franklandscaping, Street, New Haven.

Maximum limitations apwindow blinds,atpainting, roofing, siding,income FLOORING, ETC.

ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

NOTICIA VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está aceptando pre-solicitudesWILL para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorioINTERVIEWS! en este desarrollo SUBCONTRACTORS BE AVAILABLE FOR ON-THE-SPOT ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos DATE/TIME: 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. LasLOCATION: pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse 20 Starkel Road, WestStreet, Hartford, CT Haven 06117 a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange tercer piso, New , CT 06510 .

Monday, November 27, 2023, from 3PM-6PM COMMUNITY BUILDING (Building #24)

For more information, please contact Jennifer Lacombe PH: 203-888-8119 EMAIL: jlacombe@haynesct.com

NEW HAVEN

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

LAROSA GROUPS IS GROWING CT. UnifiedBuilding Deacon’s Association pleased to a Deacon’s LaRosa Groupis LLC, a offer General Contractor is currently looking Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to Church’s needs. The cost is $125.

Classes startto Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30totheadd the Ministry following full-time positions our Team: 3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General General Bishop ElijahOffi Davis,ce D.D.Administrator Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT Assistant Project Manager/Project Engineer Superintendent

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

LaRosa Earth Group LLC, a Site/Excavation Company is currently looking to add the following full-time positions to our Team: Sealed bids are invitedHeavy by theEquipment Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour Operators until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Skilled Laborers Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Please submit resumes to HR@LAROSABG.COM or stop by our main office to fill out an application: 163 Research Parkway Meriden, CT. A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Salary will be commensurate experienceJuly and 20, best2016. fit for the posiStreet Seymour, CT at 10:00 am,with on Wednesday, tions. Health plan; 401K; company-paid holidays in addition to paid Bidding documents are availabletime fromoff. the Seymour Housing Authority OfLaRosa is anSeymour, Affirmative Equal Opportunity Employer fice, 28 Groups Smith Street, CT Action/ 06483 (203) 888-4579. who values diversity and encourages all qualified applicants 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 in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the

METERING SUPERVISOR

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders

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

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.

The Town of Wallingford is offering an excellent career opportunity for a strong leader to supervise and manage the meter department of the Town’s Electric Division. Applicants should possess 3 years of progressively responsible supervisory or management experience in a utility relating to metering, plus a bachelor's degree in engineering, or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis.

Must possess and maintain a valid State of Connecticut Driver’s License. Salary: $93,254 to $119,313 annually. 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 deferred compensation plan. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be faxed or mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov by the closing date of December 15, 2023. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

SUBSTATION AND MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR

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.

WANTED

The Town of Wallingford is seeking a strong leader to supervise and manage the substation electrical operations and maintenance department of the Town’s Electric Division. Applicants should possess 5 years of progressively responsible supervisory or management experience in substation operations, plus a bachelor's degree in engineering, or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. Must possess or be able to obtain and maintain ESOP-100 Switching and Tagging qualifications within six months. Must possess and maintain a valid State of Connecticut Driver’s License. Salary: $97,917 to $125,278 annually. 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 deferred compensation plan. Applications may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page and can be faxed or mailed to the Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492, or emailed to: wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov by the closing date of December 15, 2023. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

The Town of East Haven is currently conducting TRUCK DRIVERInvitation to Bid: examination for the following positions: 2nd Notice

Firefighter D/Paramedic: $62,843/year;

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE Truck Driver with clean 42 hours/week, 24 hours on, 72 off schedule

CDL license(4 Buildings, 17 Units) Old Saybrook, CT

Custodian: $23.76/hour; 40 hours/week

II: $21.79/hour; 37.5 hours/week Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Secretary Project

and job descriptions are available at https://www.easthaven-ct.gov/ Please send resume to Housing,Applications New Construction, Wood Framed, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Casthome/news/click-below-job-notices and must be returned to the Civil Service Comattielordan@gmail.com in-place Concrete, Asphaltmission, Shingles, Vinyl Siding, 250 Main Street, East Haven CT 06512 no later than December 15, 2023.

PJF Construction Corporation Flooring, Painting, DivisionAA/EOE 10 Specialties, Residential Casework, TheAppliances, Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Minorities, Females, Veterans Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing andand FireHandicapped Protection. are encouraged to apply.

This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

POLICE OFFICER

LEGAL NOTICE Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Request for Proposals (RFP) for Services Project documents availableThe via State ftp link ofbelow: Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management, is seeking proposals to provide services related to the statutory definition associated with http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

City of Bristol

$73,220 - $89,002/yr. its level of need tool.

Fax or Email Questionstesting, & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com The intent of the request is to identify individuals or firms with the necessary Required HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certifiedconsulting Businesses services and the ability to draft a statutorily expertise to provide general info, and apply mandated report Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CTwithin 06483 a stated timeframe.

AA/EEO EMPLOYER The RFP is available online at: https://portal.ct.gov/DAS/CTSource/BidBoard online: www.bristolct.gov intellectual disability and developmental disabilities and the state’s evaluation of

DEADLINE: 12-04-23 16

and https://portal.ct.gov/OPM/Root/RFP/Request-For-Proposals or from Alexis Aronne, Office of Policy and Management, Health and Human Services Policy and Planning Division, 450 Capitol Ave., MS# 55SEC, Hartford, Connecticut 06106-1379. E-mail: OPM.LONDefinitionStudy@ct.gov. Telephone (860) 418-6223. Deadline for response submission is 5:00 P.M., December 13, 2023.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

Incarcerated Students Make History, Earn Northwestern Bachelor’s Degrees Staff Report | Chicago Defender

Incarcerated students earned their bachelor’s degree from a top 10 university for the first time in U.S. history.

Through Northwestern University’s Northwestern Prison Education Program, 16 students from the Stateville Correctional Center were conferred degrees in front of nearly 300 attendees, including friends and family, Northwestern faculty and fellow Northwestern Prison Education Program students last week.

Everyone in attendance witnessed these students participate in the age-old ritual of walking across the stage to receive their diplomas, handed out by Northwestern University Provost Kathleen Hagerty.

“At Northwestern, we believe in transformation,” Hagerty told the graduates.

“In fact, one of our guiding principles is ‘We transform society.’ And that’s not an easy thing to do. All of our graduates here today can attest to the hard work it takes to make a positive change. I congratulate and commend all our graduates for harnessing the power of education to make positive changes in your lives and to be able to share what you’ve learned with your communities.”

Jennifer Lackey, the Wayne and Elizabeth Jones Professor of Philosophy and a professor of law (courtesy) at Northwestern University, who also serves as the founding director of NPEP, addressed each graduate and elaborated on the profound influence these students had on the future trajectory of the program and Northwestern University.

Lackey added, “It is often said that education is transformative. And I believe this even more wholeheartedly with each passing day in our community.”

“But I have also been powerfully moved by the way you all have transformed education. You have radically expanded what it means to be a Northwestern student.

You have enriched Northwestern University in ways that will echo for decades to come,” she said.

What the students achieved inspired award-winning journalist and author TaNehisi Coates, the program’s first bachelor’s degree commencement speaker.

“When I got the invitation to come here to address you, wild horses couldn’t stop me because I’m addressing myself,” Coates

said. “This is a tremendous achievement you guys have done.”

Coates also lauded the achievements of numerous graduates, highlighting the inspiring journey of a student who courageously confronted stage four prostate cancer while penning a novel. Additionally, he praised another graduate who played a pivotal role in the successful exoneration of several incarcerated individuals and commended a student who made history as the first incarcerated individual in Illinois to undertake the LSAT. “I think I can safely say that I will never

in my life address a class that’s as decorated as this,” Coates said.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker congratulated the students in a video, commending them for defying the “assumption and stereotypes that have been heaped upon you.”

In her live address to the graduating class, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton praised the students for their accomplishments and underscored the societal impact of prison education programs.

“This graduation is a significant step forward for higher education within the criminal legal system and we must do

more. All people, regardless of their circumstances, deserve access to education and to realize their full potential,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “The Northwestern Prison Education Program is a testament to how the power of education can truly transform lives and provide hope for a better future, both within and outside prison walls.”

Since 2018, NPEP has collaborated with Oakton College and the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide creditbearing courses to incarcerated students.

In January 2022, Northwestern welcomed the inaugural class of NPEP students who graduated successfully.

These graduates will continue their involvement with NPEP, taking on roles as teaching assistants and fellows. They will play a crucial role in supporting around 60 Stateville Correctional Center students working towards their bachelor’s degrees.

Additionally, at Logan Correctional Center, a multi-level security state facility for women in Lincoln, Illinois, approximately 20 NPEP students are actively pursuing their bachelor’s.

“Your success bears testament to the transformative power of education and demonstrates that this is an investment worth making,” said Latoya Hughes, acting director of the Illinois Department of Corrections. As you join the ranks of the same college graduates who came before you, I hope that this milestone is only one of many of the investments you make in yourself, your families, and your communities.”

The post Incarcerated Students Make History, Earn Northwestern Bachelor’s Degrees appeared first in the Chicago Defender.

Netflix Film Producer Takes Interest in Popular Black Book Series That Has Sold 12 Million Copies

Pierre Bagley, an independent filmmaker who has directed the likes of Taraji P. Henson and whose films have aired on Netflix, Bounce TV, TNT, and more, is now set to adapt and produce a film series based on the popular Bluford books series written by a multiracial team of authors. To date, the books in that series have sold more than 12 million copies.

The Bluford books series has caught the industry off guard because of its massive and avid fan base. In 2001, an indie publisher disrupted the Young Adult market by rejecting the cynical, baseless notion that “black kids don’t read,” by publishing a 7-book YA series, set in an urban American high school. All the main characters were Black and Brown — unheard of at the time — and they were complex and multifaceted, their stories realistic and edgy but also uplifting. The Bluford Series was born.

Today, the series spans 23 titles and has sales of more than 12 million copies with readers in all 50 states and boasting a

readership of more than 50 million. Bluford has achieved historic success in YA fiction (U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is an avid fan). It has also fueled a vocal fanbase clamoring for a television/ film series.

“For over two decades, the Bluford High Series has represented hope, resilience, compassion, and overcoming adversity, all hallmarks for creating captivating content, which is the sole focus of our creative team’s efforts,” says Pierre Bagley.

Mr. Bagley and Academy Award-winning producer David Dinerstein have joined efforts to bring Bluford to the screen and will be pitching the series to various streaming outlets (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc) as well as broadcast and cable.

The producers took an unconventional route of appealing directly to Bluford’s massive audience and asking the simple question: Why?… Why can’t this bright, passionate audience of millions have a

TV/film series based on the books they read growing up? Why can’t they watch these stories that resonate for them? They asked the question and the response has been enormous.

Learn more about the Blueford Book series via its official website at Bluford. org Also, follow the brand on Facebook at @ Bluford.Series About Pierre Bagley Pierre Bagley is a respected media and entertainment professional who once served as the Washington, D.C. Film Commissioner during the Obama years.

He is also the producer, director, and cowriter of the independent feature From the Rough starring Academy Award nominees Taraji P. Henson (Empire, Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), and British actor Tom Felton (Harry Potter).

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

6 Steps To Planning a Memorable Friendsgiving ByKeyaira Boone, BlackHealthMatters.com

You'll be thankful you planned ahead.

Friendsgiving provides an opportunity for people to show appreciation to their chosen family. They can be a welcome addition to traditional holiday events or a needed refuge from complicated dynamics. Hosting Friendsgiving has become increasingly popular in recent years.

People love gathering their group chat for good food and conversation as the year approaches a close. The result is a great time, but facilitating that great time can take some work. We asked seasoned event planner and Maple and Monroe founder Shakira Johnson for some of her Friendsgiving best practices to help you plan a memorable occasion this year.

Consider Budget “Whenever you’re doing an event, you have got to start with the numbers first, whether that’s a large-scale event or an intimate event in your own home,” said Johnson.

Make a Realistic Guest List It’s tempting to throw a grand shindig where everyone you’ve ever doubletapped on Instagram is welcome, but that is only feasible for some people. “If you have a smaller number, you can create a more elevated experience for those in that

room of a few,” Johnson pointed out.

“For a sit-down, you do a hundred percent seating, meaning that if you have ten seats, then you invite ten people,” she continued. The seating requirements for gatherings that do not require place settings are a bit more lax. “If it’s a cocktail or more of a house party style, you can do as low as 50 percent [seating]. That’s the minimum that will typically do,” Johnson explained. The seating sweet spot for most affairs is between “50 and 75 percent.”

time. “Usually, people don’t mind, but you don’t want to spring it on people,” Johnson advised.

Divide The Labor…In Advance “Parties are great, but clean up can be a heavy lift,” said Johnson. “If you already have a housekeeper, just notify them you’re having a party.” Keeping your housekeeper informed can help get your home back on track quicker. “They can adjust their schedule around what you’re having in your home,” she explained. If this is not a service you usually splurge on, you can still get help on the fly. “If you don’t normally have a cleaning team, you can use services like TaskRabbit,” said Johnson. If enlisting hired help is not an option, you can ask those “dearest and closest to you.” “If hiring is not an option, just get some help in advance so that you’re not overwhelmed,” said Johnson. Avoid awkward interactions by designating responsibilities ahead of

Pick Unique Post Dinner Activities Instead of pulling out the card games, cigars, and cognac, try something new by adding a charitable element to your party this holiday season. “Social impact is the new black,” declared Johnson. “So post dinner. I see that as a great opportunity to make baskets that can be taken down to food shelters or given to groups already collecting holiday items.” “You can wrap toys,” she added. “As we know, this economy has created a scenario where the food pantries have more demand than they can even supply, and many people are losing their jobs. So, as a part of your invitation, ask people to bring a gift or an item aside after dinner,” she continued.

“What’s better than a Friendsgiving but by blessing others?”

Plan The Menu Thoughtfully Inclusion is always in style. Please remember to ask your guests about any dietary restrictions before the event so that you can make sure they’re comfortable.

Labeling items on a table or passed tray helps avoid issues as well. Everyone will be informed about their options to make the right decision.

6 Tips For Navigating Caregiving During the Holidays ByChristine Jean-Louis, BlackHealthMatters.org

Through Refresh My Memory, The Podcast hosts Karen Good Marable and Nailah Elridge address their experiences as caregivers for parents with dementia.

Here, the duo offers ideas for caregiving during the holiday season.

This month, in honor of National Family Caregivers Month, we want to give a special shoutout to all who play and have played the role of caregiver in their family and community. We see you, and we thank you. And we want to share your stories.

Karen Good Marable and Nailah Elridge were brought together through the shared caregiving experience. Both Karen and Nailah were caregivers for their parents with dementia—an illness that causes a decline in mental ability and is not a normal part of aging. Through sharing their stories, the new friends recognized the relief of having someone to talk to and the role of this support in healing. This is what sparked the creation of the Refresh My Memory podcast.

Multi-hyphenate hosts Karen and Nailah take you through their journeys, from noticing the small changes in their parents to

getting and living with official diagnoses.

Within our community, it isn’t uncommon that we often put off, ignore, or deny concerns about our health due to historical marginalization and disparities in healthcare spaces. By opening the door to conversations around health, caregiving, and dementia, Karen and Nailah are raising awareness while building a community we can rely on for support, advice, and healing.

With the holidays at our front door, managing all our roles while caregiving for our loved ones can be challenging. When asked for tips and advice for managing the holidays as a caregiver, Karen and Nailah had this to offer:

Keep gatherings early in the day.

Sundowning is a set of dementia symptoms that include anxiety, disorientation, and agitation. Making the most of the daytime hours can mean getting the best from your loved one without interrupting their evening routine.

Enroll everyone in helping.

Caring for a loved one is a shared responsibility. Ask friends and family to step in when and where necessary to help spread the love. This can ensure no one

person is overwhelmed or left out. And if possible, Karen says including your loved one in activities can also help them feel included.

Keep it small and make everyone aware of the diagnosis.

An inner-circle-only gathering reduces sensory overload. You want your loved one to feel supported and comfortable.

Karen suggests ensuring guests are aware of any diagnosis to communicate respectfully and avoid trigger phrases such as, “Remember when…”

Make time for yourself.

Take some moments for yourself, “even if it’s an hour alone to sit in the bathtub and read or have a glass of wine,” Nailah says. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so be sure to replenish yourself.

Take pictures and enjoy the moment.

Holidays are synonymous with family time. Appreciate every moment at hand.

Taking it up a notch with pictures is a tip Nailah says helped their family during their first post-diagnosis holiday season.

Putting pictures of their family at her dad’s bedside was a way to include him in the festivities and bring him comfort.

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Keep traditions alive.

Karen emphasizes keeping traditions as close to “normal” as possible. From gift exchanges to favorite foods, keeping the environment familiar to your loved one may help ease them from any anxiety, confusion, or irritation they may experience. And while you’re gifting, keep those as practical as possible.

Caregiving is an experience that can be swept under the rug or buried under the many hats that we all wear. Too often, even the position of caregiver is assumed based on birth order, geographical proximity, financial status, and more. Though we may not talk about it, many of us can relate. For a parent, child, and everyone in between, caregiving is an ever-changing responsibility that affects many. It’s not an easy job, and it deserves to be recognized this month and every month. Happy National Family Caregivers Month.

Join Karen, Nailah, and their community in spreading awareness about life as a caregiver. Season one of ‘Refresh My Memory’ is available for streaming now. Stay tuned for more in the new year as Karen and Nailah gear up for Season 2, where they hope to expand to include voices from all experience backgrounds.

You can also find Refresh My Memory on Instagram or visit their website.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - November 23, 2023 - November 28, 2023

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