THE INNER-CITY NEWS

From Steel Drums To Scholars, JAC Gala Commits Itself To Joy

Lucy Gellman

The sound of the steel pan rang out across the second floor of the Omni, making its way to the ballroom before the doors were even open. Over the carpet and wood-paneled walls, it was a balm, round and bright as laughter. Around the corner, it drifted through the air as friends hugged in clouds of taffeta and chiffon, silk and charmeuse.

Back the drums, Kareem Thompson and Duane Huff put their whole bodies into the sound, backs rocking as their shoulders bobbed, knees bent and necks swayed back and forth. By the time they had gotten to the hook of Kes’ “Hello,” carried on the bell-like sound, it was impossible not to dance along.

That commitment to ebullient, unrestrained and sometimes thunderous joy— and a reminder that people can and should lean on each other—made its mark at the Jamaican American Connection's (JAC) 13th annual trailblazer and scholarship gala, held Saturday night at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale. The event raised thousands of dollars for JAC’s scholarship program, building on the $16,000 that the organization was able to raise and distribute last year.

In addition, “Trailblazer” honorees included lifelong New Havener Jamilah Prince-Stewart, the founding executive director of Faith Acts for Education, and Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton, a dermatologist with a focus on treating Black women who is based in New York City. JAC also surprised additional “honorary” Jamaicans, including Possible Futures owner Lauren Anderson.

“That changes we make and the lives we change with scholarships, it’s very fulfilling,” said gala committee chair Krystal Jackson, who has been a member of JAC for roughly six years. “I feel like the support and mentorship we’re able to give can help them [scholarship recipients] move in the right direction.”

“It’s surreal,” added JAC Founder and President Karaine (Kay) Smith-Holness. In the past year alone, the group has celebrated Caribbean music and culture on the Green, held golf tournaments and community dinners, built new partnerships and helped the American Friends of Jamaica bring Amalgamation to the Shubert Theatre. “We’ve grown each year, and been able to strengthen our community. Everyone comes in like they’re family.” That sense of an extended family was everywhere Saturday, from a buzzing second floor lobby to the Omni’s ballroom, where DJ Fire (a.k.a. Tafari Turner, a previous scholarship recipient) spun sizzling soca, calypso, EDM and reggae that lasted well into the night. Beside the stairs to the event, steel pan rose in waves, the sound ebullient. Every so often, Huff dabbed his brow with a handkerchief, wiping off beads of sweat that had appeared across his forehead.

Raised in New Haven—he grew up off Whalley Avenue, on Dickerman Street— Huff was a percussionist long before he discovered steel pan in 1990. As a kid, he

played jazz and R&B, learning the drums before he had finished elementary school. By high school, he was serious about percussion, he said. He dedicated himself to learning, no idea that a key change was just beyond his horizon.

When he was around 30, Huff was living in Delaware and crossed paths with a Trinidadian musician who taught him about the steel drums. Maybe it was musical kismet: he was born in 1962, the same year that Trinidad gained its independence from the British crown. But something stuck. He has played in many spaces, including as the owner of Caribbean Vibe Steel Drum Band LLC, ever since. “I sweat and I dance and I love it!” Huff said. Each time he plays, he’s bound to a history of resistance that stretches from the West Indies to Brooklyn, a music that seems both timeless and made for this moment in time. “Listening to that pan, I just feel euphoric.”

As he and Thompson played, the sound drew out a cross-cultural history that has become fundamental to the spirit of the gala itself. In the 1930s—three decades before formal independence from the British crown—people in Trinidad and Tobago began using the concave metal bases of oil drums to create percussive sound. What began out of necessity stuck: steel pans are now a widely used and celebrated art form across the Caribbean diaspora, including in New Haven and Connecticut.

Around a corner, scholarship recipient Surita Williams floated through the space, glowing with excitement. A freshman at Brown University, Williams grew up in Hamden, but hails originally from Mandeville, in Manchester Parish in Jamaica. Growing up, her family never let her forget where she came from. Now, she’s pushing forward to honor their roots— and hers.

“It’s something that I’m proud of,” she said, bathed in the low, purple glow that filled the ballroom before the ceremony.

“It was a certain way of viewing obstacles, challenges as opportunities to grow. It was always about being a better version of yourself, not comparing yourself to others and never giving up.”

This year, scholarship recipients include Williams, Kearlzel-Monet Marquis, Gabrielle Day, Cyan Young, and Danielle Ricketts. Between them, there are five different schools, including Brown and Yale Universities, and interests that revolve around medicine, STEM and healthcare. Or in Smith-Holness’ words, “the future of JAC is bright.”

Williams embodies that future, even in a political climate that is working against her. At Brown, she is studying neuroscience, with plans to continue with graduate and professional work in the field after she graduates. When she’s not in the classroom, she’s running track and field for the university (she sleeps when she can, she joked). In a country where women are often discouraged from STEM— under 30 percent of people in the field are women, and even fewer are women of color—she’s flipping the script.

“Being a scholarship recipient means I can be part of the change,” she said as she gave her mom, James Hillhouse High School Assistant Principal Dr. Kimala Bisasor-Williams, a smile. “They’re trying to give us an opportunity.”

Inside the ballroom, attendees fêted the full breadth of the Afro-Caribbean di-

they shouted out their respective countries, adding a laugh line for the far-away archipelago of Long Island.

At one point, a bandana emblazoned with the flag of Trinidad and Tobago went up with a whoop at one of the back tables. At another, voices joined in on the Jamaican National Anthem, “Jamaica, Land We Love,” until they wove between horns and cymbals that came from a loudspeaker. At a third, Clarke pulled out a dog-eared, faded green folder, tracing the evolution of both JAC and his own career as an artist and entertainer.

Years ago, the organization’s gala was the first he ever emceed. Now, both of them have grown up. “Look at JAC now!” he exclaimed.

Prince-Stewart, there with her husband, Kolé Mascoll and their two small children, Leona-Naomi and Kolé, pointed to that growing sense of a Caribbean family as part of JAC’s strength. While she grew up in New Haven, Prince-Stewart is a daughter of both Barbados and Nevis, with a cultural background that is still woven into her life and her work as a community organizer and faith and nonprofit leader.

As a kid, she watched her grandfather, Jerome Sylvester Prince, Sr., help run the Antillean Friendly Association on Kensington Street. Decades later, she’s working to pass her culture on to her kids, including in events like Saturday’s. She sees how JAC recognizes the breadth of and power within a diaspora—and is doing the work of supporting the next generation of scholars to keep it going.

“I think it’s extremely important, especially during these times, to tell these young people that they matter, and that there are resources to support them,” she said, noting how hard it can be to find and secure resources when paying for the sheer cost of college. “It changes their lives.”

Prince-Stewart, who worked for the Hartford Youth Scholars Foundation after graduating from Yale, knows that firsthand. Her mom, Geraldine Prince, worked two jobs seven days a week to give her daughter access to education and opportunities that she didn't have. After stints at Hartford Youth Scholars and ConnCAN, Prince-Stewart founded FaithActs in 2014, just half a decade after graduating from college.

In her work at FaithActs, Prince-Stewart thinks constantly about how to make the path forward easier to walk for children, and particularly Black and Brown students, who are often failed by an under-funded, under-resourced American public school system. Two years ago, she was part of the push that scored an additional $150 million for public education in the state budget.

aspora, making time and space for each other amongst plates of blackened chicken, fish and tofu with plantains, callaloo sautéd until it was tender, and rice and beans. Amidst a few nervous jokes (“I’m studying just in case they give us the citizenship test again,” said emcee Andrew Clarke, who runs Braata Productions),

Saturday, she nodded to the significance of having a strong support system like JAC, whose members have invited students over for Thanksgiving dinner, checked in on them, raised emergency scholarship funds and become honorary

Trailblazer honoree Dr. Rosemary Ingleton and Christopher Benjamin, community relations officer at the Consulate General of Jamaica in New York.

Jamilah Prince-Stewart with her husband, Kolé Mascoll, and their two small children, Kolé and Leona-Naomi.

Jameson C. Davis and Tabitha Sookdeo with media maven Babz Rawls-Ivy.

Arts Council of greater New Haven

At Co-Op, New Cell Phone Policy Greeted With Goodwill, Anxiety

Lucy Gellman

On the first day of her senior year of high school, Avin Davis slid her cell phone into a magnetized pouch, already aware that the lunch rush, free periods, and time in between classes would look and feel different.

She understood why her school, and high schools across New Haven were pushing for a new cell-phone-free policy. She didn't fight it, as some of her younger classmates had during sections of their morning advisory. But she couldn't stop thinking of a day at the end of her sophomore year, when the school went on lockdown and she wanted to text her mom to let her know what was going on.

Davis, who is studying theater at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, is one of several students adapting to the district's new Yondr Pouch policy, which went into effect after a year of beta testing at New Haven Academy. Like many of her classmates, she acknowledges that phones can be distracting. She's not totally opposed to the move, which follows a $371,000 contract between the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) and Yondr.

But her openness to the policy comes up against a uniquely American concern: that a lockdown or school shooting could leave students without a way to communicate with their loved ones. It's one of the ways that gun violence, which is now the leading killer of children in this country, has become woven into the fabric of everyday life. At schools like Co-Op, that anxiety— mixed with a suspicion of something new—is following students into the school year.

"I feel like this is unnecessary," Davis said as she settled in to a second-period theater class with teachers Rob Esposito and Sumiah Gay. "I see why they want us to have it [the policy], and it's okay, unless anything ever happens." She flashed back to her sophomore year, when the school went on lockdown. "What if something like that happens again?"

The fear is a rational one, she and other classmates added. This year, a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis killed two young children and injured 19 other people during a back-to-school mass on August 27, just 24 hours before New Haven students were due back in their classrooms. Closer to home, gun violence also feels alarmingly omnipresent, including a shocking five homicides over two weeks in August.

"What I care about is texting people if something happens," said Haelynne Diaz, who is also a senior

in Esposito's theater class. "I think they are trying to find a solution [to phones], and I think there should be a way to ban TikTok and Instagram. But we should have more lenience."

For other students like Jayla Bosley (pictured at top of article), it's more complicated. Unlike some of her peers, Bosley is quick to describe cell phone use in the classroom as a problem. She's seen classmates pull out their phones to send a quick message, and then fall into a pattern of mindless scrolling that takes their attention away from the lesson, including group assignments like a class play or project. But she thinks that the pouches, particularly for upper-

classmen, feel punitive.

"Everything has its flaws," she said, suggesting that the district might roll out a policy for freshman and sophomores, but encourage juniors and seniors simply to use their phones more responsibly. "Are we gonna take away cars just because you can get into an accident?"

What Bosley would like to see, she added, is more direction from her teachers and administrators, who have the power to monitor phone use, call it out, or take phones at the beginning of class and store them in a basket or box at the front of the room. Last year, she

the end of the day, I would just feel so much safer texting my mom, 'I'm okay. I love you,'" she said.

"Education Is Going To Come First"

Not all of the students are worried about the pouches. As she locked up her phone on a recent Thursday, senior Sanaa Murphy said she was ready to be divorced from it for a little while. In her time at the school, she's felt firsthand how much a handheld device can impact how she learns, and whether, how often and when she gets distracted. "I honestly think it's a good thing," she said. She's still a little skeptical: multiple classmates have already found ways around the policy, like bringing an iPad or laptop that has iMessage on it. Others have snuck an old phone into the pouch instead. But she's hopeful that it will help her and her peers dive in to what's being taught, with fewer distractions.

Janely Marquez, a sophomore at the school, agreed. As she finished a bag of Hot Cheetos before the end of advisory, wiping the red dust from her fingertips, she said that the decision makes a lot of sense to her. She knows that she gets distracted by Instagram when she should be focusing on school work. Her brother, who goes to New Haven Academy, liked the Yondr pilot last year. "I think that I won't be as distracted," she said.

As he traveled from classroom to classroom, teaching students how to lock and unlock their pouches, Co-Op Principal Paul Camarco echoed that enthusiasm. As a father himself, he's sympathetic to student concerns, which he also heard from parents at a back-toschool orientation in August.

was in a pre-college course with Benjamin Pulliam, a math instructor who teaches everything from geometry and pre-college algebra to precalculus.

At the beginning of the year, Pulliam let students know that if he saw them on their phones, he would factor that into their final grades. If their grades fell because they checked a text message thread or social media post, it was on them.

For Bosley, that approach helped her think about college, and the fact that she needed to be more responsible for her actions. Her phone stayed in her book bag until the end of class. Now, she would like having it just in case of an emergency, she said. "At

But as a school administrator, he's excited about anything that can increase student attention and engagement in the classroom (and beyond it too, like catalyzing conversation during lunch waves in the cafeteria). He's heard from colleagues in other schools who have seen the pouches help their students focus on what's being taught. He's also hopeful that they'll cut down on some of the bullying that takes place online, and can trickle down to real-life fights in the classroom, the hallways, and the cafeteria.

"This is a tool that is being used to help students refocus, and make sure we're all engaged," he said. "There's an understanding that education is gonna come first."

Read more about how schools are adapting to the new Yondr Pouch policy from our friends at the New Haven Independent here, here and here.

Jayla Bosley and Avin Davis, both seniors studying theater at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, or Co-Op. Lucy Gellman Photos.

The New Haven independent

New Haven Remembers James "Dinky" Johnson, A Fixture Of City's Jazz History

Lucy Gellman

You could hear the jazz well before the front door closed behind you, a smooth groove that bloomed between the sax and the drums, swirled around the guitar and the double bass. On Satur-days, the house band was jamming at 1 p.m., unstoppable by 3. Often, it wasn’t long before plates of food had made it out onto the tables, Dinky serving up drinks behind the bar before making his way through the crowd. His destination was an organ that became, briefly, a crown jewel of Goffe Street.

For five magical, mellifluous years in New Haven, that scene blossomed at the corner of Goffe Street and Sherman Avenue, where James “Dinky” Johnson ran the eponymously named jazz club with his wife, Edna, and a house band that became their second family. Three decades and hun-dreds of jam sessions later, friends, family and fellow artists are remembering him as they mourn a loss to not just New Haven, but Connecticut’s musical community.

Johnson, a beloved educator, professor, father, veteran and jazz giant, died at the West Haven VA Hospital in July, with a legacy that lives on in jazz jams, jazz and gospel brunches and performanc-es from sharp young musicians that are unfolding across the city this fall. His daughter, Rhoda Phillips, said his death was peaceful and totally absent of fear, with visits filled with music and sto-rytelling in the days that preceded it. He was 92.

“His club was the club to be in,” remembered musician Hardy Eason, now the minister of music at Zion Baptist Church in Waterbury, and a longtime friend and peer of Johnson’s. “I went halfway around the world and it was always fun to come home and play with Dinky. Jazz was the music that made things happen. He was a great musician, and he knew everybody.”

“He was always lifting others up, sharing the knowledge he had,” said the artist Susan Clinard, whose eldest son, Olivier, was one of hundreds of students Johnson took informally under his wing during Sunday jazz jams at Cafe Nine. “He was quiet, humble and very kind. He had such a deep, deep, deep passion for jazz, and for making sure that young people had the chance to get up on stage and perform.”

Johnson’s story, which includes a venerated chapter of Connecticut jazz history, is one of a Re-naissance man, whose love for music still made space for a full teaching career, deep spiritual life and a family that was the center of his world. One of eight children born to James Johnson and Sara Holmes Johnson in 1932, Johnson grew up in Waterbury, interested in both the organ and the saxophone by the time he was a teenager.

In fifth grade, he had a teacher who couldn’t believe there weren’t music classes in the schools. Using her own money, she bought the class a tonette, a kind of elementary flute that resembles the recorders still used in early music education. Unlike a recorder, a tonette has more openings—meaning more chances for vibrant and varied sound. Once Johnson had tried it, there was no going back.

“She told us that we could use ‘em, [and] that just became part of my life,” he recalled in The Mak-ing of A Jazz Legend, an unreleased documentary from artist and filmmaker Iman Uqdah Hameen. “That instrument was the beginning of playing the saxophone.”

By then, New Haven was in its “Golden Era” of jazz, and Johnson soon slipped right into the sce-ne. He spent years “jamming at the Monterey as a youngster,” wrote the journalist Khalid Lum in the New Haven Independent, then briefly in print, in May 1987. He cut his musical teeth playing with musicians like Bob Beverly and Sam Kimble, brothers Eddie and Bobby Buster, and attending shows at the Goffe Street Armory when it was still a multi-purpose venue and music hall. Some-times, he played those shows too, jumping in on backup for the likes of Count Basie.

But when many of Johnson’s friends started touring during and after high school, he remained pragmatic, pursuing higher education instead. During the 1950s, Johnson pursued his studies in math and science at St. John’s College in Virginia, following a passion that would later lead to a career in education. His junior year, he enrolled in the U.S. Air Force, with a commitment to ser-vice that ultimately defined a generation of Black New Haveners.

During that time, Johnson was stationed at a base in Chicopee Falls, Mass. Instead of giving him planes to fly, his superiors told him about another urgent request, for teachers in Massachusetts. It was his first brush with working as an educator, for which hundreds of now-adult students now remember him fondly in New Haven.

In the late 1950s—Phillips remembers it as 1956—Johnson came home and jumped into working in New Haven’s schools and at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), where he turned his

love for intricate equations and math problems into a full career. His love for jazz was always there, a sort of pleasant and earwormy backing track, but it was always in concert with the rest of his life. In 1961, Johnson married Edna May Laiscell, who he met playing a show for Masons in the area, according to Lum’s reporting. Laiscell, who passed away in 2013, worked for both the State of Connecticut and Echlin Manufacturing during her lifetime, while also raising a family in Branford. In their Branford home, she became his rock, attending St. Stephen's AME Zion Church with him as he taught organ to several people at the church. It was a union that bloomed into a daughter, Rhoda, and son, James Johnson III (Johnson also had a daughter, Brenda Walker, from a previous relationship; she passed away in Bridgeport in 2016). Even as he juggled a full workload and a dedication to music, Johnson was a doting father, teach-ing his children to swim at Branford Point, and later in a pool he

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installed in the backyard. Phillips remembered him as firm but endlessly kind, and willing to give his family the world.

“He was just a great teacher, and he had lots of patience,” she said, adding that he taught her every-thing she knew about the service industry through work at Dinky’s.

“He was stern, firm, fair and consistent.”

In New Haven, Johnson built a career as an educator and administrator, with a gentle, warm sensi-bility that radiated from his peers to his students, and made him universally beloved by the time he retired in 1982. At Fair Haven School, at least one student remembered him as “the man with the freckles,” recalled Phillips, her smile audible through the phone.

Within years, he was teaching math at Wilbur Cross High School, where he also coached men’s track and created an informal pipeline to St. Paul’s, using student athletics as a launchpad to higher education. He served as a math teacher and assistant principal at James Hillhouse High School, where he remained until retiring

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James "Dinky" Johnson literally receives his flowers at a ceremony at Neighborhood Music School in November 2023. The sculptor Susan Clinard is pictured in the background. Coral Ortiz File Photo.

A still, used with permission, from The Making of A Jazz Legend, an unreleased documentary from artist and filmmaker Iman Uqdah Hameen.

The New Haven independent

Christian Sands, A Hometown Hero, Wins Duke Ellington Medal

By Shaunda Holloway

As members of the audience looked towards the stage, their souls locked in on the magic happening before them. At the piano, Christian Sands’ fingertips sprinkled sharp and smooth melodies along the keys, arms arched over the board.

Eyewitnesses saw a piano, but was there a harp? You get the idea. It was that good.

Sands brought that sound to Morse Recital Hall Friday evening, as he gave a dazzling, moving, fiery concert as the most recent awardee of the Yale School of Music’s Duke Ellington Medal. Born and raised in New Haven and Orange and educated at Neighborhood Music School, the composer, musician and producer has become a jazz virtuoso, and left it all on the stage Friday night. Sands marks the 63rd winner of the medal, which since 1972 has gone to musicians including Eubie Blake, Paul Robeson, Dizzie Gillepsie, Savion Glover, Charles Mingus, the beloved Willie Ruff and of course Ellington himself.

“It is very exciting and fulfilling to award this medal, as it means that a jazz great is not only performing at Yale, but will have a permanent connection to Yale School of Music,” said Thomas Duffy, a professor at the Yale School of Music who is also director of the Ellington Jazz Series and of Yale Bands. It was also a homecoming of sorts.

As Sands took a seat on the stage and began to play, the audience travelled through space and time, watching history in motion. At early moments, it felt like October 1972, when Ellington received the medal for the first time, and the tradition was inaugurated at the Yale School of Music.

Then a song or solo later, it was the present all over again, as Sands and his quartet (Christian Sands on piano, his brother Ryan Sands on percussion, Yasushi Nakamura on bass and Marvin Sewell on guitar) brought it back to 2025. A flourish of keys, and there were glimpses into the future of the form, which remained bright.

“These are my brothers,” Sands said

of his fellow musicians, and the audience went wild. Hands clapped and lips whistled, welcoming both him and Ryan—his brother by birth—home to their musical roots. The audience remained just as warm while greeting Sewell and Nakamura, fully receiving Sands’ chosen kin.

Their enthusiasm fit the bill: Sands can play, and he did. If birds of a feather flock together, consider the quartet a flight of doves bringing peace in dark times. Throughout the night, Sewell zapped out wailing threads of electric-

ity, from “Can’t Find My Way Home” to “Serenade of An Angel.” Nakamura thumped deep anchoring notes, strings in full agreement with his touch. He epitomized cool, wearing dark shades and a wholesome, confident smile with stylishly braided hair.

Meanwhile, Ryan Sands’ high-powered boom-baps and transcendent brush-stroked cymbals reverberated throughout Morse Hall.

As the music flowed between past and present, it showed that jazz is alive and well in New Haven. Christian Sands’

cover of Duke Ellington’s “Sentimental Mood” paid tribute to a classic tune, while also making it the musician’s own. If you know jazz, you know the work—but never exactly as it was performed Friday.

With ethereal strokes of the keys, he took Ellington melodies to another level. His captivating slides were unforgettable. Fingers ran down the piano at the speed of light with percussive strokes, releasing harp-like tones as they struck the board.

“That was from the heart!” said Jes-

se Hameen II, a jazz drummer who helped build the summer jazz program at Neighborhood Music School, and taught both Sands brothers when they were young children (Hameen also won the Ellington Medal two years ago, in February 2023). “Christian plays from the heart. Combine that with intellect. That’s something! Christian is not afraid of sound. He gets in there.”

Having known the Sands brothers since they were children, Hameen said he’s been thrilled to watch them soar as young artists, and succeed in the world of professional jazz. As he listened, he jammed along, feeling each and every note.

Hameen wasn’t the only one in the hometown crowd. Sands’ parents, including his mom and manager Stephanie Sands and dad, Sylvester Sands, looked proudly from their seats as both sons performed, commanding their chosen instruments. It felt like an accomplishment shared by the entire family.

“My father performed here with his school band as a child. This is full circle,” Sands said.

He kept it in the family with “MMC” (that’s shorthand for “Mom’s Mac n' Cheese,” which he and Ryan both revere), an original composition that had listeners sinking their teeth into the flavor of good music. Imagine the power of songs with no words, and you have a taste of it. Each instrument gave its own testimony while synchronizing to tell a single story. The audience was given a gift—almost four concerts in one.

It proved that the well-worn adage, “home is where the heart is” is true (although for Stephanie Sands' sake, let us not hope that the audience shows up on her doorstep for an encore and a plate of mac and cheese). In these times, musicians have become doctors, making house calls to our souls. Sands never needed to say as much: multiple standing ovations spoke for themselves. Many had been restored the night the Christian Sands Quartet came to town.

Christian Sands receives the Duke Ellington medal from Yale's Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music, José García-León. Yale School of Music/Harold Shapiro Photos.

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SIX Soars, As Shubert & SCSU Build A New Dramatic Bridge

Lucy Gellman

On stage, Anna of Cleves was ready to get down. She bobbed her head, and breathed a new, pop-py energy into the 1540s. She gyrated in slow motion, and her red skirt caught in the light and gleamed. Bathed in sheafs of gold and purple, she raced through a chapter of Tudor England, from her time at Richmond Castle to an infamous portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger. In the front row, students in Michael Skinner’s theater history class leaned in, hoping to catch every reference.

Anna of Cleves is really Hailey Alexis Lewis, a professional actor who plays Henry VIII’s fourth wife in the North American tour of the musical SIX. Skinner is the chair of the theatre department at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), where students are starting to think about devising a new play for young audiences. Wednesday night, they bridged space and time on College Street, as SIX entered its final dress rehearsal at the Shubert Theatre.

The tour, which is premiering in New Haven, runs Thursday through Sunday at the theater’s 247 College St. home; tickets and more information are available here. As in years past, SIX has used the Shubert to tech the show, a process whereby cast and crew finalize the performance before they go on the road. This is the first time that the tour is opening at the theater, harkening back to a long history of innovation on the stage.

It also marks the kickoff of a partnership between the Shubert and SCSU, whereby students will devise, build out, and act in a work of children’s theater for New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) students before the end of the academic year. The collaboration is part of a $1.2 million gift that the theater received from the tech company ASML to grow its educational programming.

“It’s another connection to New Haven,” said Skinner, who grew up in Orange, and later attended SCSU and the Yale School of Drama. “Our students have been working for almost every other theater company in New Haven, so this is kind of exciting that it’s the big one. It is a roadhouse, in its own sense, so we’re excited to join a partnership where we actually get to create stuff and bring it around.”

Children’s theater, sometimes called theater for young audiences, is theater created and produced by professional actors and made specifically for children (it is not the same thing as theater made by children, of which New Haven has plenty). Some cities, like Philadelphia, New York, and Bir-mingham, have entire companies dedicated to the form.

But in New Haven, there’s no one entity or organization devoted to it. While the city has seen smatterings—Brad Goren-Wilson’s The Whale In The Hudson in 2018, for instance, or touring performances like Ada Twist, Scientist at the Shubert earlier this year—there hasn’t been a place for it. The closest the city has gotten is the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, which has occasionally invited

visual artists and poets into its programing for young audiences.

At least, until now. Last month, Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School dipped a toe into the genre, with a practicum in children’s theater that alumna Sumiah Gay is now teaching. Next month, Skinner will begin teaching a hands-on course, also called practicum in children’s theater, at South-ern. By the end of the year, the Shubert will have brought a finished show into Bishop Woods Ar-chitecture & Design Magnet School, Barack H. Obama Magnet University School and Hill Central Music Academy.

The latter is made possible by ASML’s recent gift, which the Shubert earlier this year described as transformative. Kelly Wuzzardo, director of education and engagement at the theater, estimated that the cost of getting a project like this off the ground and beginning to tour it is over $100,000. For Skinner, who first saw theater when he was a kid growing up in Orange, it’s a full-circle moment.

“The Crescent Players, or maybe it was Southern, came in and did a show for us,” he said. “I re-member looking at it and thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, this is something that I’m interested in do-ing.’”

What he didn’t bargain for was that SIX

would become an unlikely and formative bridge for his students. While the musical is not children’s theater (although if you too have been up with a tod-dler recently at 4:38 a.m., the soundtrack is a welcome reprieve from Chiki Toonz), it presents a learning opportunity for its audiences that can translate to the classroom. And by the end of the night, it had students on their toes, thinking of the work that they too wanted to create.

Set sometime between the 16th Century, the German nightclub Berghain, and the Renaissance World Tour, the play follows the six wives of Henry VIII as they compete to see who has suffered the most. Surrounded by a minimal stage—a dazzling backing band does a lot of the work here, as do some smart projections—the format is a kind of Pitch Perfect style riff off, complete with glit-tering, punkkissed corsets, spiky headbands, custom hoop earrings and bedazzled mic holsters. Band members, who are referred to as “Ladies In Waiting,” include Music Director Valerie Maze on keys, a fun-to-behold Emily Davies on bass, Rose Laguana on guitar and Camila Mennitte Pereyra on drums. The associate conductor is Lizzie Webb.

At the center of it, of course, are the eponymous six queens: Catherine of Aragon (Emma Elizabeth Smith), Anne

Kelly Denice Taylor as Jane Seymour in The North American Tour Boleyn Company of SIX. Photo by Joan Marcus, Courtesy of the Shubert Theatre. The third photo, which shows Tasia Jungbauer as Catherine Parr, is also by Joan Marcus.

Azaad Mamoun and Mike Skinner after the final dress rehearsal Wednesday, with a confetti memento. Lucy Gellman Photo.

Gracy Brown. Lucy Gellman Photo.

Arts Council of greater New Haven

Freedom Futures" Brings Poetry & Power To Edgewood Avenue

Abiba

Biao,

The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

Prometheus Brer stepped up to a mic that had appeared on Edgewood Avenue, looking into the eyes of attendees. In his hand was a copy of his poem “Firework Blues,” which explores how racially-motivated lynchings, excessive state violence, the military industrial complex, and American imperialism are justified by ruling powers under patriotism.

“Before I came here to study, I worked as a journalist and I had to cover a Fourth of July show and I had to write about how beautiful it was,” he said before pulling out his phone to read. “And I told myself, ‘If the journalist is going to lie, the poet is going to tell the truth.’”

Poetry and music rang out last Thursday night at the Edgewood Avenue bookspace Possible Futures, as neighbors, culture-bearers and New Haven activists and organizers gathered for the third annual “Freedom Futures,” a posthumous celebration of Fred Hampton’s 77th birthday. It joins recent recognitions of Hampton, chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, that have become woven with poetry, song, and remembrance in recent years.

Hampton, who championed the Panthers’ free breakfast program and fought for Black liberation and education until his final moments, was assassinated by the U.S. government in December 1969, eight months before his 22nd birthday. In the very early hours of December 4, 12 Chicago police officers—acting on orders from the FBI—raided the safehouse where he was spending the night, firing over 90 shots and killing multiple people before they left.

“There’s like so much going on in the world, but I do think that we have to remember that it’s ok to be happy, that it’s ok to experience joy in the midst of sorrow, in the midst of everything that’s going on,” said curator Juanita Sunday, who organized the first “Freedom Futures” two years ago as part of the 6th Dimension Festival, and has worked with Possible Futures funder Lauren Anderson to keep it going since. “Otherwise, what are we fighting for if there’s not these moments like this in between everything?”

“We really felt like Fred’s legacy, his life and legacy are not taught

enough, are not celebrated enough, and we wanted to be a part of keeping that alive and doing it in an annual way,” Anderson added later in the evening.

During that time, Sunday said, the event’s collaborators have continued to grow and bloom in ways that have delighted her. Last year's celebration featured a series of activities from Reverence: An Archival Altar, organized by artist and curator Arvia Walker. This year's festivities looped in members of Solemates Run Club and an open mic, with featured performances from New Haven poet laureate Sharmont “Influence” Little and San Francisco poet laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin.

Eisen-Martin, whose poetry is often a part of his own activism, was in town as an awardee for the Windham-Campbell Prize Festival. Before leaving New Haven, he also worked with creative writing students at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, spreading his footprint further into the city.

Evelyn Massey, owner of the downtown vintage shop Noir Vintage, soaked in the festivities as they unfolded around her. As a Black entrepreneur taking care of a brickand-mortar space, Massey is seldom left with time to herself, she said. She cherishes nights where she’s able to slip away from her small

business and be in community with other New Haveners.

“I feel excited because I’m around my people, you know?,” she said. She came prepared, she added—her dashiki was from the 1960s, an era to which she still feels connected. In New Haven, Massey’s uncle, Ken Hardy, was a member of the New Haven chapter of the Black Panther Party, which organized free breakfasts on Dixwell Avenue. To this day, Hardy has still retained a “very stern, very upright aura,” Massey said— once a trademark of his organizing work.

“I’ve always studied the Black Panther Party because of what they did for the food, for the young kids, and WIC program,” she added.

Nearby, Kyle Gonzalez stood at a table handing out free books (“As in free breakfast free,” offered a note, a reference to the Panthers’ revolutionary free breakfast program), from Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s What If We Get It Right to Douglas Kearney’s Sho.

The founder of Beyond Da Bars, Gonzalez started doing community outreach when he was incarcerated, and realized that he could still serve those around him from the inside.

After connecting with Anderson, he was able to distribute supplies and books to unhoused people in the city. He has continued that work outside

Anelisse Reyes. As a kindergartener, Anelisse’s favorite book genres include science, music, and pop-up books.

“She’s like, ‘I don’t know how to read,’ but she sees the images and everything and she knows what’s going on in the book,” Velazquez said. As a chef, she added, she mostly gravitates towards cookbooks and loves cooking from all different cuisines. She’s currently focused on learning Italian.

“I’m not a book person, but I’m trying to be,” she said.

As the night crept in, a line of people assembled to greet the runners as they arrived. Anelisse joined in on the fun, walking up the sidewalk before sprinting down the line of supporters. A wave of cheers and applause erupted, marking the fiveyear-old's induction as an honorary Solemates Run Club member for the evening.

of prison, giving back at events like Thursday’s.

“It’s just work that I feel like needs to be done, so I'm trying to assist in any way possible,” he said. “It’s a beautiful event. I like being around people with beautiful vibes.”

A bibliophile himself, Gonzalez recommended the book Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez as a good read. It proved to be a popular suggestion, gone from the table by the middle of the night.

“We know that there’s something missing when we were growing up and so we want to provide that,” he said. “And so I think that’s my favorite part is trying to provide that. It’s not about us. It’s about you guys out here.”

Inside Possible Futures, the festivities felt like they were underway even early in the evening. At a table by the front windows, Paulette Velazquez perused Mely Martínez’ La Cocina Casera Mexicana. Beside her at the table was Pan Y Dulce: The Latin American Baking Book by Byran Ford. A loyal patron to Possible Futures, Velazquez has been visiting the store since it opened in 2022.

She can’t take a trip to the bookspace without her trusty sidekick,

“It’s amazing,” Velazquez said of the bookspace. “I like coming in here, especially with Sugar,” referring to Possible Futures, four-legged canine ambassador, who welcomes pats and scratches.

The celebration, it turned out, was just beginning. Before opening up the space to an open mic, Anderson extended her thanks to Kullturally LIT Founder IfeMichelle Gardin; Inner-City News Editor Babz Rawls Ivy, who hosts “LoveBabz LoveTalk” on WNHH Community Radio; BAMN Books’ Nyzae James, and poet Nzima Sherylle Hutchings, director of Hartford’s L.I.T.. All of them are champions of Black literature and history who helped lay the foundations for the festival in the first year, and have kept supporting it since.

“The teachers in all of us want to create a space that is about teaching and learning, not just in our schools,” she said, urging attendees to visit a timeline of Hampton’s history and accomplishments that organizers had installed across Hotchkiss Street. “In fact, some of the most important learning that happens, doesn't happen in those institutions.”

“It happens in the streets, it happens in community, with people like all of us gathering together, by choice to celebrate the things that we know need celebration, even if state powers refuse to celebrate them and do their very best to bury them.”

Sharmont "Influence" Little, Juanita Sunday and IfeMichelle Gardin. Bottom: Prometheus Brer. Abiba Biao Photos.

Lamont Reinforces State Plans To Protect Immigrant Students

by Jamil Ragland

HARTFORD, CT – Gov. Ned Lamont reassured immigrant families across the state that local schools have a plan to protect students from federal immigration raids.

“Schools only work if everybody’s coming and they feel safe being here,” Lamont said, while flanked by school superintendents and advocates at the Sports and Medical Sciences Academy (SMSA) in Hartford on Wednesday afternoon. “And that’s what this day is all about. There’s just a lot of press out there, a lot of noise in the media, a lot of fear out there in terms of, am I safe coming to school? Am I safe bringing my child to a beautiful school like this? And the answer is yes.”

Lamont and the others were present to reinforce the guidance issued earlier this year by the State Department of Education (SDE) regarding potential attempts by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to conduct raids in K-12 schools. The guidance instructs Connecticut schools to designate a point of contact for interactions with ICE to comply with lawful activities, but while also demanding proof of their authority in the form of a judicial warrant and other supporting documentation.

If agents do not have a judicial warrant or other supporting documents, they will be denied access to private student information. They are also barred from wearing masks while conducting their business.

“The most recent guidance from the state Department of Education has been very helpful to remind our staff that if law enforcement come to our schools and

are asking for information, the process is clear,” said Steven Rioux, president of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents and superintendent of Putnam public schools. “Communicate with the superintendent, follow the law, and respect student privacy.”

Rioux acknowledged that while high school-age students have been seized by ICE in Connecticut, none of those detentions have occurred at schools. However, parents continue to voice fears that their children will be picked up ICE.

“The reality is our families and our students are concerned of the ‘what if,'”

he said. “So many of our schools have received phone calls from families, and they really want to know what the proper procedures are, what the schools are going to do to help their children feel safe. So a part of a message and communication like today is just keeping people informed that there is a plan in place.”

East Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Anderson referenced the state’s Family Preparedness Plan, which offers practical tips for families who fear a loved one may be targeted in an immigration raid. Some of the tips include designating a trusted adult who can step

in to take care of children, completing a standby guardian form, and when necessary, designating a power of attorney.

“We want every family to know that you are not in this process alone, and we have resources to connect and make this a little bit easier,” he said. “Preparedness should not be about fear, but strength and protection. When our families have a plan, they can face challenges with confidence and children can continue to grow and thrive in a safe, stable environment.”

Tabitha Sookdeo, executive director of Connecticut Students for a Dream, shared her own experience as an undocumented teenager in Connecticut, and the constant fear and stress she and her family endured. She called on the governor and the legislature to do more to protect immigrant families during the anticipated special session of the General Assembly later this year.

“I know what it’s like to be scared, to be hungry, and to be exhausted, while pretending that everything is fine,” Sookdeo said. “No child in Connecticut should ever have to go through that kind of heartache. And today, too many children are living through exactly that. This is the reality our students are navigating.”

Students were on hand to voice their concerns to school leaders as well. Nisa Rodriguez, a 12th-grade student journalist at SMSA, asked about what students should do if they are confronted by ICE. Rodriguez said that she asked the question in order to get critical information

for younger students.

“For me, it’s a concern more so for the younger students,” Rodriguez said. “If they’re approached by someone in a mask and all this kind of heavy gear, they’re going to act out of fear. They’re not going to know how to react. Something that we don’t want to do is obviously make it easy for ICE to take them. I feel like students should be taught how to react in that situation.”

“I too want children to attend school and to feel safe at school. I too am concerned about chronic absenteeism and social promotion. Hartford High School, for example, recently awarded a diploma to an illiterate student who is now suing city taxpayers for millions of dollars in damages.

The news conference was followed by an emailed response from Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, who accused Democrats of offering zero examples of ICE conducting enforcement at schools in the state. Similarly, he made several allegations about Democrats’ motives on immigration, but like Lamont he offered no specific examples of supporting statements from Democrats. He suggested that Lamont’s meeting Wednesday highlighted “multiple glaring issues here in Connecticut.” First, he said “many Connecticut Democrats believe there should be no immigration law enforcement in our state. They want to keep criminal illegal aliens on our streets, on our dime.”

Second, Harding said, “many Connecticut Democrats repeatedly insist Connecticut is not a ‘sanctuary state’.

Con’t on page 19

Marissa Gillett To Step Down As PURA Chair

by Viktoria Sundqvist

CT – Marissa Gillett, chairwoman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, has handed in her letter of resignation.

“Serving the people of Connecticut in this role has been the honor of my professional life,” Gillett said in her resignation letter. “While I have never shied away from principled disagreement, the escalation of disputes into a cycle of lawsuits and press statements pulls attention and resources away from what matters most: keeping rates just and reasonable, improving service, and planning a resilient, reliable energy future.”

Gillett in her letter said the job and the controversy surrounding it has “exacted a real emotional toll” on both her personal life, her family and her team. Her reappointment to the role earlier this year resulted in a walkout by Senate Republi-

cans, who vehemently opposed her nomination.

“I did not make this decision lightly, but there is only so much that one individual can reasonably endure, or ask of their family, while doing their best to serve our state,” she said.

Gillett most recently came under fire after she revealed in court that she had deleted text messages related to an ongoing lawsuit challenging cuts to gas rates.

The deletion, which her attorney said was due to an auto-delete feature on Gillett’s phone and not intentional, sparked concerns about her commitment to transparency.

Gov. Ned Lamont, who first appointed her to the board in 2019 and re-appointed her to another two-year term in June, said he received her resignation letter Friday.

“Marissa is one of the most experienced and qualified public utility regulators in the country,” Lamont said in a news release Friday. “On behalf of our state, I am appreciative of her public service and dedication to our state and its ratepayers.”

Gillett brought an outsider’s perspective and a fresh set of eyes to help advance Connecticut’s policy goals of bringing cheaper, cleaner and more reliable power

to the people, Lamont said.

“At a time when we are working to manage the cost of energy, PURA has aided in those efforts,” Lamont said.

“Among her accomplishments are instituting critically needed reforms and leading rigorous reviews into the distribution rates of five regulated utilities that led to rate reductions.”

Gillett said she is “deeply grateful” for the opportunities and the people she has met.

“I have every confidence that the staff, whom I admire so greatly, as well as my capable colleagues, will continue to champion the important reforms underway as the result of our work to enhance transparency and accountability for the regulated utilities in this state,” she said in her letter. “The ratepayers of this state, whom I have been so proud to serve, deserve nothing less.”

State Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex

and Senate chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, said he is saddened to hear the news, but that “I am thankful for her work to save Connecticut ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars.”

State Sen. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, who orchestrated the Senate walkout earlier this year over Gillett’s confirmation, said Friday that it appears Republicans did the right thing then but that questions remain now.

“Did the governor ask for her resignation?” Harding said. “He should set the record straight.”

Harding said the concerns from the Republicans were that the governor had brokered a “backroom deal” with Democrats. PURA is a quasi-judicial agency that oversees and regulates all the state’s utilities, including electric and gas companies. Gillett’s resignation will be effective Oct. 10.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Gov. Ned Lamont speaks regarding ICE enforcement at public schools at Sports and Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford. L to R in back: Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Andraé Townsel, East Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Anderson, and Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents President and Putnam Public Schools Superintendent Steven Rioux. Credit: Jamil Ragland / CTNewsJunkie

FILE: PURA Chair Marissa Gillett listens to a question during a public hearing Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, before the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee. Credit: Doug Hardy / CTNewsJunkie

HARTFORD,

CTNewsJunkie

CTNewsJunkie

Industrial Decay? Try Mushrooms

Opinion)

by Chris Krieger

Climate change is no longer a distant threat it is an accelerating danger, and New Haven, as a coastal city, is especially vulnerable. Our leadership has recognized this urgency. Under Mayor Elicker, the city created the Office of Climate and Sustainability and developed its Climate and Sustainability Framework, which “outlines goals and actions to make New Haven into a low-carbon and resilient economy.”

Food justice is also central to that vision. The new Food System Policy Division, tasked with building an Urban Agriculture Master Plan, is a clear step toward linking health equity, socio-economic opportunity, and environmental justice.

As an urban farmer and graduate student studying sustainable food systems, I see a direct way to advance these goals by transforming New Haven’s industrial past into a foundation for its sustainable future.

Motivated by CitySeed’s recent acquisition and $6 million plan for redeveloping the former Gant Shirt factory into a community-powered food justice hub, I imagined an adjacent project.

What if the city also provided the infrastructure for indoor “community gardens” where residents could grow food for use in the shared commercial kitchen or food incubators at CitySeed’s new location?

I sketched plans for a cooperatively owned farm space where residents could learn to grow mushrooms and other nutritious indoor-friendly crops. A project of similar size would likely cost less than one-quarter of CitySeed’s redevelopment with enormous returns for food justice and sustainability.

Not only are these gourmet mushrooms delicious and healthy, they are also one of the most sustainable foods we can grow.

Packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals, they are exceptional meat replacements. A 2024 peer-reviewed life-cycle analysis underscores why mushrooms belong at the center of New Haven’s green-food strategy. The study shows that producing a single kilogram of gourmet mushrooms takes just 322 liters of water and emits 1.1 kg of CO₂, whereas beef gulps 15,415 liters and belches out 27 kg of CO₂ a 50-fold water savings and a 96 percent cut in emissions.

Swapping a serving of mushrooms for an equivalent portion of red meat slashes carbon output by 65 percent, water use by 75 percent, and land demand by 87 percent. Beyond that, almost all of the waste can be upcycled into compost or converted into biochar.

These facts make it clear mushrooms aren’t just sustainable, they’re one of the most climate-friendly foods we can grow. Their ability to flourish on waste materials, with minimal space and resources, makes them a powerful tool in the fight for a more resilient and just food system. On Sunday mornings, you’ll usually find me selling gourmet mushrooms at the CitySeed Farmers Market in Edgewood Park.

The mushrooms are grown in a converted garage at Union City Farm just up the road in Prospect. In a space no larger than an SUV, we cultivate flavorful, nutrient-rich mushrooms year-round indoors, using sawdust and soy hulls, which are industrial and agricultural byproducts. I am also a graduate student in the Harvard University Sustainability program. Through these two lenses, I’ve come to see firsthand how food connects people, place, and possibility.

Each weekend, I step into the fruiting room at the farm to pick the best-looking mushrooms for the market. They grow from biodegradable bags filled with a mix of sawdust waste from lumber mills soy hulls, the outer shell of the soybean discarded by farms, and water. With the right humidity and airflow, mushrooms push their way out, growing in clusters that resemble bouquets more than decomposers. The air is cool and alive, and in this space I see more than mushrooms; I see possibility. I see a future growing on forgotten materials, in repurposed spaces, destined for plates across the city. I scan the racks rows of Gold, Italian, and Blue Oysters alongside Lion’s Mane, Black Pearl King, Chestnut, Coral Tooth, and Maitake. Each one emerges on its own rhythm, shape, and bloom.

Living and working in this historic city, I’ve also discovered something else: New Haven’s long-abandoned industrial buildings, once major causes of pollution and inequity, could now be used as powerful tools for sustainability and justice. These eyesores can and should be repurposed as cooperative, community-powered urban farms. Our industrial past does not need to be a burden; it can be the foundation of a more just and sustainable future and mushrooms, in particular, are the key.

Through my coursework and my work at Union City Farm, a vision crystallized for creating a sustainable future through

adaptive reuse of the many crumbling, unused factories in our city, with mushrooms as the primary catalyst. I am calling for New Haven to invest in a cooperative, mushroom-based urban farm in a repurposed factory to meet its stated climate, equity, and food system goals.

Repurposing New Haven’s vacant industrial buildings into cooperative urban farms aligns almost perfectly with the city’s goals for sustainability, food justice, and climate resilience. From creating green jobs and reducing emissions to improving food access and supporting community leadership, this vision checks nearly every box in New Haven’s Urban Agriculture and Climate Action plans. I ask that each of you reach out to Mayor Elicker and your local alders to allocate funds from the Green Fund to support a pilot farm.

The vertical racks in our farm hold more than just mushrooms. They hold potential. Potential to turn waste into food, to grow something valuable indoors year-round, and to reimagine how we use space in cities like New Haven. What we do here on a small scale is a glimpse of what’s possible on a larger one. Mushrooms have a knack for turning yesterday’s wreckage into tomorrow’s nourishment. Give them a dark, forgotten factory and they’ll quietly decompose the mistakes of our industrial past, then serve up justice, one meaty cluster at a time.

Chris Krieger is an amateur mycologist, forager and graduate student in Harvard University’s Sustainability program. He lives in Woodbridge and co-operates Union City Farm in Prospect, where he cultivates gourmet and medicinal mushrooms and sells them at local farmers markets. With a background in credit union leadership and real estate development, he is passionate about reimagining sustainable food systems using mushrooms as a key component.

Thomas Breen file photo

The Goffe Street Armory -- a potential spot for urban farming?

The New Haven independent

Judge Advances Wrongful Conviction Law-suit

by Laura Glesby

Adam Carmon has cleared a key hurdle in seeking to hold the city and several former detectives accountable for the wrongful conviction that landed him in prison for 28 years.

A federal judge rejected attempts from the city and two of the detectives in question to disqualify Carmon’s lawsuit — finding enough to suggest a “‘widespread pattern’ of fabricating evidence” among New Haven police officers in the 1990s. Judge Janet Hall of the U.S. District Court of Connecticut issued a ruling to that effect on Sept. 18. The city filed a motion for the judge to reconsider, which Carmon’s lawyers challenged in a memo-randum.

As of Monday, the case has been assigned to a settlement conference.

Carmon was convicted of murder in 1995 for a 1994 shooting that killed a seven-month-old baby, Danielle Taft, and paralyzed her grandmother, Charlene Troutman.

Carmon maintained his innocence for nearly three decades in prison, until a state Superior Court Judge Jon Alander overturned his conviction in 2022. Alander cited several pieces of evidence that prosecutors and police withheld from the Carmon’s defense lawyers, as well as new science calling into question the state’s eyewitness and firearm evidence against Carmon.

Carmon is now suing the city for alleged indemnification, municipal liability, and negligence, and he’s suing several detectives associated with his case for allegedly suppressing and fabricating evi-dence, malicious prosecution, filing a warrant affidavit with false information,

coercing self-incriminating statements from Carmon, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The city along with two of the detectives whom Carmon is suing, James Stephenson and Peter Ca-rusone, requested that Hall issue a “summary judgment” that Carmon didn’t have the legal grounds to sue them — which could have thrown out the case before a trial over the actual facts of the case ensued.

Both Stephenson and Carusone sought to invoke qualified immunity (among other defenses) to avert the lawsuit — a legal protection for police officers shielding them from liability for actions they’ve taken as part of their official police duty, except in cases where they have violated previ-ously established constitutional rights.

James Stephenson, for example, claimed that qualified immunity protected him

from liability for not disclosing documentation of multiple searches in a firearms database that did not yield the mod-el of firearm that Carmon was accused of having used in the shooting. In 2022, Alander deter-mined that those records could have led a jury to question the ballistic evidence against Carmon.

In a February motion for summary judgment against Carmon, Stephenson’s lawyers at the firm Karsten and Tallberg

argued that qualified immunity applies to this situation because Stephenson did not consider the results to be part of his disclosure obligations.

The detective’s actions were, the lawyers argued, “objectively reasonable and consistent with standard practice, and did not violate any clearly established law at the time.” In other words, Ste-phenson was simply doing his job according to the department’s norms and policies.

The city’s lawyers, a team led by Thomas Gerarde, argued in a separate memo in support of their motion for summary judgment that municipalities can’t be held liable for the “criminal, intentional, willful, wanton or malicious acts of its employees,” if such acts are proven to have occurred.

Weighing these competing arguments about who can legally be held accountable for Carmon’s conviction, Judge Hall ruled that Carmon has a right to assert “alternative theories of liability.”

Hall rejected other arguments from the city and former detectives as well, including claims about the application of a statute of limitations on Carmon’s ability to file a lawsuit. She did limit Car-mon’s ability to seek damages from the city in response to “physical harms” due to a procedural issue.

In a statement provided to the Independent for this article, City Corporation Counsel Patricia King wrote, “Every individual deserves equal and impartial justice under the law. While the City cannot comment on the specifics of this case and the related 1994 incident due to pending litigation, the City is committed to cooperating with all parties and appropriately engaging in the civil litigation process to ensure there are reasonable resolutions on

Chamber Leaves Chapel, Goes To Church

by Mona Mahadevan

The Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce (GNHCC) has moved from one side of the Green to the other leaving its decades-long home at 900 Chapel St. for a fourth-floor, 8,000-square-foot office space at 195 Church St. Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and Mayor Justin Elicker stood alongside more than 100 GNHCC members and other city and state officials at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to celebrate the organization’s move two blocks north.

GNHCC represents 850 businesses across 15 municipalities

GNHCC President and CEO Garrett Sheehan opened the celebration by noting that, at 231 years old, GNHCC is the third oldest chamber of commerce in the U.S. He said they’d been on Chapel Street for around 30 of those years.

GNHCC Director of Communications

and Public Policy Victoria Verderame said the new space has a “smaller footprint” but “more usable space” than their office at 900 Chapel.

“We’re excited to host more events here, like today’s event to our signature programs such as Councils and Conversations,” Verderame wrote to the Inde-

pendent. “The new office also provides our members with space for meetings, conferences, and programs,” which can be especially helpful for small businesses that may not have offices of their own. She added that GNHCC will be subletting “portions of the space.”

According to Verderame, she and the 12 people employed by GNHCC moved to Church Street in mid-June.

“I know we’re in new digs, but the values and goals of the chamber are well-established,” declared Blumenthal during his remarks on Monday. That includes “reach[ing] across the aisle” to “put[] workers in jobs and improv[e] the economy of our state,” he said.

Noting that he’s often surrounded by “lots of conflict” and “dysfunction,” Blumenthal brought up a Monday morning “win” at a U.S. District Court, in which federal Judge Royce Lamberth ordered the Trump administration to cancel its stop-work order against an 80-percent-completed wind farm in New Lon-

don. He called the decision a “win for Connecticut and for our business community that supported the project,” and argued that the wind farm would create jobs, make energy more affordable, and protect the environment.

After the press conference, Lamont told the Independent that he went to the ribbon-cutting because “New Haven is happening.” He said he’s fighting to make it easier for businesses, small and large, to grow and expand.

Connecticut’s strengths are the “quality of our education” and “the quality of our workforce,” he argued, but our “Achilles’s heel is the high price of electricity.” He said he supports wind, solar, natural gas, and nuclear developments, describing himself on energy as an “all of the above kind of guy.”

Elicker’s remarks focused more narrowly on New Haven’s “booming” economy, especially with the influx of bioscience, life science, and quantum businesses. It’s a “new location,” he said, but “the same mission around inclusive growth.”

Adam Carmon, right, hugs his son outside of prison for the first time in 2022.

MONA MAHADEVAN PHOTOs

Mayor Elicker, Garret Sheehan, and Heather LaTorra cut the ribbon for the Chamber's new digs.

The New Haven independent

The New Haven independent

New Lab Brings New Haven's Narratives To Life

By Abiba Biao

Marcella Monk Flake vividly remembers being 10 years old, and playing a spirited game of catch in front of her home on Cedar Street. Despite her father's multiple warnings, Monk Flake and her sister Pamela tossed the ball back and forth, glad to be outside. Then Pamela—she is now Dr. Pamela Monk Kelley—threw the winning pitch, and broke their window.

Later that day, the U.S. National Guard descended on New Haven, erecting floodlights in the streets. Tear gas flooded the Monk household and Monk Flake and the rest of her siblings rushed to flush out their eyes, trying to relieve themselves of the burning sensation.

Last Saturday, Monk Flake brought that memory to Possible Futures at 318 Edgewood Ave., for the launch and celebration of a new Communities Histories Lab at the Yale School of Medicine.

A project that blends first-person narratives, public health, and documentary research, the lab seeks to “make local histories accessible outside the walls of the academy,” according to its mission statement. Roughly 75 people attended.

“Instead of academic researchers, we're interested in lifting up the stories, perspectives, and values of actual New Haven residents,” said Marco Ramos, assistant professor in the History of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry at Yale University. “And we're particularly interested in unearthing histories of community justice work.”

The lab is currently conducting six research projects, which include the Anti-Eugenics Collective at Yale, the Community Health History as Harm Reduction initiative, the Cushing Patient Archives Project, the Mistrusting Yale Project, and the Reproductive Health Histories New Haven.

Saturday, the launch lived that mission through a panel on the history and legacy of Hill activist Fred Harris, and the way social justice activism lives on and shows up in New Haven today. In addition to Harris’ children, Vanessa Harris and Fred Harris III, it featured sisters Marcella Monk Flake and Pamela Monk Kelley, who grew up in the Hill during the 1960s, and Harris’ grandson, Day'Shawn Lyons.

As Ramos and colleague Ayah Nuriddin kicked off the discussion, Monk Flake set the tone, describing Harris as a “rockstar,” for his “courage and the determination to forge change.”

“Fred Harris was an icon in the Hill neighborhood. He was a man of short stature physically, but his work was big,” Monk Flake said. “He just had an aura about him.”

As she and Monk Kelley shared memories from their childhood, both also spoke about how New Haven history, and the deep and sometimes difficult lessons of the past, can inform an increasingly frightening present. In 1967, New Haven was one of many cities to experience what is now widely known as the long, hot riots. In New Haven, the Hill became the epicenter of that action when a white business owner shot a Puerto Rican city resident.

Almost six decades later, Monk Flake thought instantly of that history when she saw that President Donald Trump had deployed the National Guard in Washington D.C., in what many people (including historians, politicians, and activists) see as a test for other cities that have large Black and immigrant populations (Memphis, Tenn. became the second such city this week, after Los Angeles much earlier this year).

“It was frightening to see these men with long guns, waving guns like ‘Get out of the window. Get in your houses,’” she recalled. “It was horrifying and to know that other children have to experience that — not just children but adults — it’s been so triggering for me.”

In the audience, Lamley Lawson shot up her hand to grab the mic. She

pointed to the rise of social media and the increasing presence of a surveillance state, asking what role technology might play as the practices of and around social justice change with the times.

“What are your thoughts sort of digging deeper about that lack of space, or maybe grace, for leaders and emerging leaders and how can we move past that in this time that calls for critical movement?” she asked.

Lyons argued that social media is a nuanced tool. While he doesn’t believe that social media dampens the emergence of grassroots leaders like his grandfather, he thinks social media can foster complacency and performative activism.

“There has always been information campaigns to discredit powerful leaders,” he said. “Has the method and way it happens today changed? Yes, but I feel like there is a bigger issue at hand… social media has made a lot of people think that posting is activism.”

Vanessa Harris offered a rebuttal to his argument, highlighting the power social media has to mobilize people and improve the circulation and accessibility of information. She noted the recent Target boycotts earlier this year after the company repealed its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

In the discussion that followed, at-

Arts Council of greater New Haven

Kyle Gonzalez and Steve Roberts.

Abiba Biao Photos.

"The Cry Within" Grows Its Footprint

Looking out across the room, Dr. Thomas Mitchell could see a whole creative ecosystem. From poets to singers to filmmakers to artistic newbies, everyone had a place at the table. Some also had a place at the mic—and in the future of New Haven’s cultural, spiritual and cinematographic com-munity.

“We didn’t have to drive all the way to Hollywood tonight,” he said to murmurs of delight and agreement.

Over 100 friends, family members, theater-lovers and cultural champions came together at Wood-bridge’s Birchwoods Banquet Facility on a recent Friday to celebrate The Cry Within, a monologue series from playwright, producer, and director Andrea Daniels-Singleton that turns 10 this year.

Started as a series at St. Mary's UFWB Church in 2016, the work has grown into a live multi-media show and concert, all under the wider creative umbrella of A2A Productions. In January, it made its way from St. Mary’s to the Shubert Theatre, and performed to a sold out crowd, with an encore at St. Mary’s several weeks later. Read more about that here, and listen to previous inter-views here and here.

At Birchwoods, the event doubled as a private screening for Daniels-Singleton’s new film MID-NIGHT, and a ceremony honoring cast members. Awardees of the night included Christopher Hol-land, MeLisa Brown Fleming, Latonya D. Jackson, Sean Gardner, and Eva Daniels-Smith among others.

“We deal with a lot,” Daniels-Singleton said of her inspiration to grow The Cry Within into an an-nual event. Through monologues, the series broaches everything from intimate partner violence to social and spiritual isolation. “Things that nobody wants to talk about, because such stigma is at-tached to it.”

“My motto is: ‘We put a face to your pain,’” she added. “You don’t have to admit it’s you. We’ll say ‘It’s us,’ but we’ll give the resources, so you know exactly where to go.”

That gentle, inclusive and ambitious approach was everywhere during the ceremony and screening, as attendees trickled in and stopped on a red carpet to discuss Daniels-Singleton’s vision, long commitment to the craft, and gift of working alongside her.

Sporting Oscar-worthy fits and dresses that glimmered with glitter, actors described both MID-NIGHT and The Cry Within series as a blessing, with a delicate balance of deep feeling, laughter, and spiritual resonance that has kept them coming back.

Steffon Jenkins, who has been with The Cry Within since its early days, said that she was thrilled to support not just the cast and crew of MIDNIGHT (in which she played a part), but the work that A2A has been willing to do in opening up conversations around mental health, domes-

tic violence, isolation, self-harm, racism, and patriarchy.

“The unity” within the cast of MIDNIGHT was her favorite part, Jenkins said. When she joined The Cry Within, very few people were willing to have these discussions around taboo subjects. Now, she feels like the monologues have the power to shift the narrative. A huge, glitter-studded tulle flower bloomed from one side of her dress as she spoke.

“It was an awesome experience.”

Dr. Jonathan Berryman, assistant principal at James Hillhouse High School and the founder and director of the Heritage Chorale, echoed that enthusiasm, and noted Daniels-Singleton’s work as an innovator. To him, Daniels-Singleton is not just a friend and colleague, but also a visionary.

“I’m so glad to support her work in telling stories that we sometimes don’t want to tell,” he said. Earlier this year, he met the current political and existential moment with the monologue "The Skin I'm In," giving the performance a steady and unflinching delivery as he spoke about

racism in the U.S. Friday, he savored a chance to celebrate his fellow creative.

“I think my favorite part [of working with A2A] has just been the richness of talent that has come together to fulfill Andrea’s dream,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see how things have come together over the past 10 iterations of this, and I can’t think of anybody else other than Andrea who can pull together so much of the talent.” Inside, that excitement spilled into the banquet hall, filling the room as Rev. Dr. Janet Brown-Clayton kicked off the evening with both prayer and an introduction of the cast, and Miller stepped in to emcee much of the evening. When Daniels-Singleton took the mic, it seemed as if all of Birchwoods was on its feet, ready to honor the woman who had brought them all together.

To the praise, Daniels-Singleton did what she does best: she lifted up everyone around her. The film, which deals with a family that is tested by multiple stressors, broadens what The Cry Within could look like. After years of growing the monologue series, she felt ready for it.

“We have a beautiful, beautiful cast that walked with me,” she said. “We worked.”

And they did. While MIDNIGHT presents a series of social taboos in a different format than pre-vious monologue performances, it still follows a fundamental tenet of The Cry Within, ready to ad-dress the silences that surround family relationships, multiple kinds of violence, and multigenera-tional trauma. In doing so, it opens up conversation in a way that is completely accessible—and riveting— rather than putting its listeners on the defensive.

When the lights came back up, it only seemed fitting that Daniels-Singleton had designed awards for members of the cast, complete with announcements that came from friends and family, and placed their names right alongside Broadway performances from shows like The Color Purple.

Stefon Hawkins, a powerhouse vocalist who is Daniels-Singleton’s cousin, voiced his support for both the project and for A2A, which he’s been lucky enough to watch the evolution of. He’s still extremely proud, for instance, of his work for Pastors Cry In The Dark, a short film that Daniels-Singleton released last November.

The film, which actor J. Kelly Edge II anchors, addresses emotional burnout, exhaustion and isola-tion among faith leaders, who are often taking care of their congregants, but not themselves. Hawkins sings gospel with his band Empowered, in a multi-take performance that remains, almost a year later, completely divine.

“I’m very proud of everything she’s been doing so far and I’m just looking forward to this next movie to see,” he said of MIDNIGHT, which very much became a family undertaking (for instance Daniels-Singleton’s daughter, Zshonna Singleton, plays the character Maiya).

“I am absolutely excited, ecstatic, and just overwhelmed by being able to come together to com-memorate this auspicious occasion,” added Mitchell. The film, like The Cry Within and Pastors Cry Too more broadly, “speaks about different social emotional issues that happen within our secular community, our church community … she’s giving a face to those things that go unspo-ken.”

Tiffany Smith, who has been with Daniels-Singleton since that first Cry Within in a Newhallville church, highlighted how transformative it has been to join the monologue series and MIDNIGHT, for which she sang. As Smith stayed with The Cry Within year after year, Daniels-Singleton pushed her to try things outside of her comfort zone. This year, she took the plunge with new vocal work.

“It was exciting. It was nerve racking,” she said, adding that she’s honored to be a part of the larger A2A vision. “I’m not really used to being on camera like that, but it was definitely an experience I’ll never forget.”

Sean W. Hardy, a cousin of Daniels-Sin-

aunties and cousins in the process. She also praised the gala itself, as a safe and celebratory space for people to gather, be in community, and dance the night away. “There’s an attack on us because of our Blackness, but they cannot take away what they have not given to us,” she said during her remarks later in the evening. “Our greatest resilience in this moment won’t be the policy we pass—that’s important—it won’t be the protest in the streets—that’s important—it will be our joy.”

Back in that audience, that commitment to joy—even and especially in a world upended by racism and xenophobia — lasted the entire night. There with African American Society (AAS) President Jameson C. Davis, Connecticut Students for a Dream Executive Director Tabitha Sookdeo stressed the importance of supporting groups like JAC as community partners, collaborators, and social connectors.

For Sookdeo, that joy is twofold. As the executive director of Connecticut Students for a Dream (C4D), she’s seen firsthand how JAC shows up for the community, including as a partner on a “Know Your Rights” training C4D and AAS held primarily for African, Caribbean, and West Indian immigrants earlier this summer. She’s tabled at the group’s festivals, able to connect with immigrants rights advocates that she doesn’t always meet through her work.

But Sookdeo has also lived the reality of being a Caribbean immigrant in a new home: she grew up in Guyana and Sint Maarten until she was 16, meaning that “West Indian culture is all I know.” When she sees the way JAC wraps its arms around people across the Caribbean diaspora, she’s moved by it. “We need each other right now,” she said

“For us as an organization, it’s about understanding that we have power and we can use our resources,” added Davis.

“These are our brothers and sisters.”

At a table nearby, Irie Society Founder Brittany Daire agreed that collective power and collective joy can go hand in hand. An emergency nurse raised between Connecticut and Brooklyn, Daire founded Irie in 2019, as an homage to her Jamaican roots. A year later, the organization held its first backpack giveaway in St. Elizabeth’s Parish, Jamaica.

It was amazing to give back, she said. Then Covid, paired with life, made traveling back and forth and doing outreach more difficult. But this year, “I said, I will not let another year pass” without giving back to people on the island, she remembered. With friends like Rebekah Moore, who joined her at the gala, she raised funds and collected resources to distribute back on the island.

When Daire and a team from the society went last month, Irie was able to give away not just backpacks, school supplies and food, but fund 60 physical exams (exams, which are $5,250 Jamaican Dollars, or about $33 U.S. Dollars a piece, are required for the start of school). The

Dr. Thomas Mitchell. Abiba Biao

Abiba Biao

There to see the evolution of the series.

Smith

The New Haven independent

Smooth Jazz “Feels So Good” In Newhallville

by Lisa Reisman

On a sun-splashed afternoon in the heart of Newhallville, Pat Solomon took in the heady aroma of grilled meat, and the croon of David Davis’ saxophone. There were people calling out to each other and butterflies fluttering and birds twittering and little kids racing about on the newly mown grass. A water fountain gurgled.

“I came out here to enjoy the weather, the music, and the fact that there’s a jazz event in the middle of my neighborhood on a weekend afternoon,” said Solomon as she relaxed at a table during the First Annual Smooth Jazz in the Park at the Newhallville Learning Corridor.

The mission, according to event co-organizer and ubiquitous community activist Fred Christmas, was simple. “Relax, connect, forget your troubles, and let the jazz move you,” he said on Saturday, as William McCoy, a member of the Mudhole Social Club, flipped a burger from his post at the grill on Hazel Street. “Listen to the music, have something to eat, do whatever you want to do, this is about enjoying our park.”

Doreen Abubakar who helped lead the transformation of the Mudhole, a formerly blighted area along what is now the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, into the thriving neighborhood park agreed. With the Q House almost two miles away, “we created this community hub as a place where people can engage with each other,” she said.

Known as C PEN, or Community Placemaking Engagement Network, the so-called Newhallville Learning Corridor includes a book box and bike box with free bike repairs, as well as pollinator gardens, a community gardening space, and a fishing area, with a bird observation zone in the works.

As part of an ongoing effort to bring in

more people, this particular event had her and her team partnering with the Mudhole Social Club, most of whom are retirees, as a way to reach seniors. Through the asset mapping by C PEN, she said, Newhallville is the most densely populated neighborhood in New Haven, and seniors, which she defined as over 60, make up a third of that population. “We want to give them the information they need to get through the winter, and this is a way to connect with them and start a relationship with them,” she said. Over at her table, Solomon was wondering at the transformation. “To see the revitalization is to me something phe-

nomenal,” she said, swaying to Davis’ rendition of Chuck Mangione’s “Feels So Good” in the gentle breeze.

When the city started working on the Farmington Canal trail in Newhallville, “there were concerns about lighting and safety, and that’s when the change started taking place,” she said. “We were able to build on that, and now we’re able to enjoy a jazz event without having to go to the Green or to Goffe Street Park.”

Nina Silver, whose family has been in Newhallville for generations, sounded a similar refrain. “This is wonderful, to see everybody out making the most of this beautiful day,” she said. Silver runs

the ALM sports camp out of Immanuel Baptist Church that includes before- and after-school care as well as days off.

“Doreen will come over and read to my kids,” she said.

Back at Solomon’s table, saxophonist David Davis ambled over during a break. Davis, a West Haven native and celebrated jazz artist who’s performed with Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, and Brian McKnight, among others, said Christmas approached him last month. “I do a lot of big events, but I always try to be available for community ones like this,” he said. “Music to me is entertainment but there’s also a therapeutic part of it that can really affect people.”

Lillie Chambers, seated beside Solomon, nodded. “His music is music for the soul,” she said. “It just transports you to a different place.”

From the other side of the park, there was a squeal. It was the granddaughter of Fred Christmas, who was doing wind sprints under his close coaching eye.

“This girl is going to be a star,” Christmas proclaimed as he made his back to Solomon’s table, adding that the Smooth Jazz in the Park would recur each September.

“That’s great,” Solomon replied. “And important.” She noted the Farmington Canal Trail is part of the Connecticut Freedom Trail, the statewide historic trail that marks sites that bear witness to milestones in the fight of African Americans for freedom and social equality.

“African Americans that were enslaved went through New Haven up to Hartford and Springfield and then up to Canada, that was the route,” she said, as she regarded the festivities around her amid Davis’ smooth stylings. “All of this is about history taking a positive turn.”

“And just plain enjoying ourselves with our families,” Christmas rejoined with a broad smile.

Blumenthal Updates Eastern CT Leaders At Chamber Event

by Brian Scott-Smith

NORWICH, CT — Energy and job creation were the two major topics for which there is bipartisan support in Congress, according to US Sen. Richard Blumenthal. And he said he was optimistic that related legislation would pass.

Blumenthal, D-CT, attended the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT’s business lunch via Zoom on Friday.

Aside from his optimism, he also shared concerns about other projects and federal actions that he said were harmful.

“I am so really deeply alarmed and disturbed by the shutdown of Revolution Wind,” he said referring to the offshore wind farm that is 80% complete and was recently issued a stop-work order by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) as part of the Trump administration’s review of clean and green energy

projects in the nation started under the Biden administration.

Blumenthal said the stoppage was affecting thousands of job and the local economy.

“It’s nuts. It’s crazy, and that’s why I have written to the Secretary of the Interior demanding the internal documents. Because I view it as simply a kind of sell out to the fossil fuel industry,” he said. “The president has opposed wind projects. This one has been approved by all of the relevant agencies.”

He echoed comments that have come from CT DEEP and Gov. Ned Lamont that if projects like Revolution Wind are cancelled then already expensive energy prices in the state would go even higher and the stability of energy in the state could be affected as demand increases with no way to meet that extra demand. On the plus side he said there was a lot of

Lucy Gellman

Lisa Bellamy Fluker was taking it to church. Gazing out over Winchester Avenue, she rolled back the clock to her childhood, remembering the days when her mother would set extra places at the table, and welcome anyone who was hungry or needed a place to stay. A carpet of keys, soft and bell-like, rolled out beneath her. It felt, she said, like a simpler time, when neighbors looked out for each other and could have more honest, down-to-earth conversations.

Years later, she’s wondering how to get back to that sense of community.

“What will it take for us to see / That we need each other? / Like a fam-i-ly? ” she crooned, and the audience nodded along, ready to join in on the hook. “What will it take to open our eyes? / Hey! / We need each other to survive.”

Sunday afternoon, Bellamy Fluker and her husband, the jazz musician and educator William Fluker, tapped into that steadfast love for community at ConnCAT and ConnCORP’s second annual jazz and gospel brunch, presented at ConnCAT’s 4 Science Park home. Designed as a fundraiser for ConnCAT’s culinary arts program—which turns 10 this year— the event also honored Stetson Branch Manager Diane Brown, NewAlliance Foundation Director of Programs LaKisha Jordan, and Karen McIntosh, director of community affairs at Yale’s Office of New Haven Affairs.

All three are champions of both ConnCAT and its for-profit subsidiary, ConnCORP (the Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program) and of New Haven, where they have spent years pouring into the community. Sunday, all three also took time to recognize the weight of the moment, in which ConnCAT is less than a full year away from moving its offices from Science Park to the soon-to-be ConnCAT Place on Dixwell. That is set to take place in May of next year.

bipartisan agreement on the National Defense Authorizations Act, which benefits Connecticut, especially the eastern part of the state.

“We are going to be providing very robust support to both the Virginia and Columbia class shipbuilding projects at Electric Boat and job training,” he said.

Electric Boat, based in Groton and part of the defense company General Dynamics, is for the first time in its history working on two classes of submarine, the Virginia and Columbia classes.

Blumenthal stressed the job training and apprenticeship program.

“There’s so many businesses in Connecticut, as I go around the state, what I hear is, we’re having trouble filling jobs because we can’t find people with the Con’t on page 17

The event raised $5,000 for the program, said ConnCAT Director of Operations and HR Opal Harmon. “These funds will provide our current culinary students with hats, chef jackets, pants, blue shirts, and cover a two-week supply of food,” she said.

“It feels so incredible to bring different ages, different cultures, different ethnicities together for the expressed purpose of honoring these three incredible Black women while also honoring jazz and gospel,” said ConnCAT President and CEO and ConnCORP CEO Erik Clemons, who was referred to at turns as a big brother, a little brother, a life-saving force in the community and simply “E.” “To see these people, who would not be together otherwise … it’s amazing.”

It’s also bittersweet, he added as strains of music from Fluker and his all-star jazz band made their way through the Orchid Café. The building at 4 Science Park has been ConnCAT’s home since 2011, shortly before it opened its doors with pro-

CTNewsJunkie

Lisa Reisman photo Co-organizers Fred Christmas and Doreen Abubakar

David Davis performing Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good"

The New Haven independent

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Legislators To Landlord: Negotiate With Your Tenants

by Mona Mahadevan

New Haven’s federal delegation has pledged to send a second letter urging Capital Realty Group — the owner of the 72-unit Park Ridge apartment complex in West Hills — to negotiate with the building’s recently formed tenants union.

It’s the latest step from lawmakers to support a nationwide wave of organizing at Capital Realty properties, where seven tenants unions — three in Kansas City, Missouri and others in New Ha-ven; Detroit; Billings, Montana; and Louisville, Kentucky — have formed in just the last six weeks.

On Friday, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined representatives from the offices of U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro to demand that Capital Realty’s principals, Mosche Eichler and Sam Horowitz, improve Park Ridge residents’ living conditions. They stood with doz-ens of Park Ridge Tenants Union and Connecticut Tenants Union (CTTU) members at the entrance of Park Ridge Apartments, located at 10 Hard St. “The story of America is the story of unions winning for people,” Blumenthal said. “You’re providing a model to the whole country.”

Through the hour-long press conference, members chanted, “Tenant! Power!”, “Mr. Eichler, come to the table,” and “I know that we will win.”

Established in 1999, Capital Realty is one of the 15 largest landlords in the affordable housing in-dustry, owning 21,689 units as of Jan. 1, according to Affordable Housing Finance magazine.

The National Affordable Housing Management Association, which represents 75 percent of the afford-able housing industry, reported at the beginning of this year that all Capital Realty developments receive federal subsidies.

Residents at Park Ridge, a 72-unit complex that serves elderly and disabled residents, formed the first of now seven tenants unions at different Capital Realty properties across the country. Accord-ing to CTTU, the Tenant Union Federation now covers 1,000 of the landlord’s housing units.

Far before this recent six-week surge, residents of Capital Realty properties in Los Angeles, Wash-ington, D.C., and Chicago — most of whom are elderly, disabled, and/or low-income — had long complained about unaddressed pest infestations, mold and mildew, severe maintenance issues, and safety issues. Dozens of residents in New Haven’s Sunset Ridge Apartments, purchased by an affiliate of Capital Realty in July 2023, claimed to have developed severe respiratory issues since moving into the building. That holding company has also filed 40 eviction lawsuits against the complex’s low-income tenants over the last two years.

Since forming in early August, the Park Ridge Tenants Union convinced Blumenthal, Murphy, and DeLauro to send a letter on Aug. 14 urging Capital Realty to engage in good faith negotiations. The union also met with four members of

Capital Realty’s upper management — including Eichler and Horowitz — over Zoom on Aug. 27. They scheduled a follow-up meeting with Capital Realty staff on Sep. 11.

According to CTTU Vice President Luke Melonakos, the landlord failed to show up to the second meeting or fulfill the promises Eichler made during the first, which included signing a non-retaliation statement and committing to basic standards for repair timelines and quality.

On Friday, Blumenthal said he, Murphy, and DeLauro would sign a letter urging Capital Realty to come back to the bargaining table.

While union members didn’t meet with anyone on Sept. 11, according to a Sept. 12 CTTU press release, the union spoke in-person with Capital Realty Regional Asset Manager Tim Teicher on Sept. 9. According to that press release, in that two-and-half-hour meeting, Teicher agreed to con-crete timelines for implementing new security measures, providing accessibility and language ac-commodations, and conducting a thorough repair of the building’s heating and cooling systems.

On Friday, Gerene Freeman, Vice President of the Park Ridge Tenants Union, said she’s seen con-tractors laying down new carpet and repainting the common room walls from blue to beige. She’s also noticed new green lighting on the exit signs and boxes of fresh cabinets, previously in the hallways and now, she assumes, installed in some units.

According to a Sept. 25 CTTU press release, the landlord finally replaced the faulty, noisy boiler that had been a top concern of tenants for almost a decade.

On Friday, CTTU President Hannah Srajer and Vice President Luke Melonakos clarified that the building’s maintenance person told them a new boiler had been installed, but they weren’t able to confirm that firsthand. Freeman said she’d seen

two HVAC trucks outside the building, as well as people carrying out rusty parts of what seemed to be a boiler, but she hadn’t seen the new boiler herself.

Since the boiler is off during the summer, none of the tenants could say whether it has started working properly or still makes noise.

Either way, there’s still a lot of work left to be done on the building, residents stressed.

For example, Chris Urquhart, a union member who’s lived in the building for ten years, said the building needs a better trash system to keep pests away. Freeman agreed, noting, “Already we have raccoons doing their grocery shopping in the dump-ster.”

When this reporter walked around Park Ridge Friday, the sour smell of rotting trash, intensified by the hallways’ heat and humidity, hit as soon as the elevator doors opened on a residential floor. Urquhart also mentioned that the complex’s 72 units are serviced by a single maintenance person, which means that it can take several weeks for even severe problems to be fixed. She’s lobbying for the building to hire another handyman. Rosalind Shaw, a caretaker for resident Earnease Daniels, experienced a different type of mainte-nance issue. After Daniels soiled her carpet, she claimed building management told her they’d only replace it if Daniels moved out. Because Daniels had nowhere else to go, Shaw and her brother paid an external contractor nearly a thousand dollars to clean the carpet instead.

Residents are also still waiting for upgrades to the building’s package delivery system and overall security. Melonakos and Freeman said Teicher promised to place sofas and chairs near the eleva-tors — a priority for the building’s many tenants with mobility issues — and schedule an extermi-nator to visit the building twice a month.

At a broader level, the union is still demanding recognition.

“What we’re looking for is respect, accountability, and a man of his word,” said Srajer. “At the core of this press conference” is a clear message: “respect the union.”

She emphasized that even though the landlord is beginning to take action, once the public pressure is off, they may revert to their old practice of ignoring tenants’ complaints. For that reason, she ar-gued, Capital Realty needs to recognize the union and sign written commitments. By skipping the Sept. 11 meeting, Urquhart feels that Eichler has indicated that the residents of Park Ridge are “not important enough” for him. If she had the chance, she said, she’d tell Eichler, “Get your shit together, come here, and at least meet with your tenants.”

According to Freeman, only one of the building’s eight residential floors has been allowed to have plants in the hallways; on the other floors, management has required tenants to remove all greenery.

Esther Fesale: "Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, come to the table." Credit: MONA MA-HADEVAN PHOTO

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, addressing the Park Ridge Tenants Union: “Your elected officials are on your side, and history is on your side.”

The top priority for Earnease Daniels, Rosalind Shaw, and Chris Urquhart is fixing the building’s heating and cooling systems.

Park Ridge Tenants Union members emphasized that they want equitable treatment, both within their building and across the Capital Realty portfolio.

The New Haven independent

Democrats Pour Millions into White Media, But Continue to Starve the Black Press

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Correspondent

One could make the case that Democrats lost the 2024 election in part because they abandoned the Black Press—the voice of Black America. Black voters, the backbone of the party, walked away in numbers unseen in modern times. At the very moment when all Americans—Black, white, Latino, and others—are called to stand against authoritarianism, Democrats have shown not courage but cowardice, not gratitude but contempt for their own base.

The numbers tell the story. House Democrats proudly announced a $3 million ad blitz hitting Republicans over tariffs and the looming shutdown. The DNC spent big on a paid campaign blanketing Wisconsin newspapers to attack Elon Musk during a state Supreme Court election. They rolled out a five-figure ad buy targeting Tennessee Republicans with Epstein-related attacks. The DCCC unleashed a national ad campaign aimed at Latino, Black, and AANHPI voters, blaming Republicans for back-to-school prices, followed by another round of ads—its first national digital buy of the 2026 cycle—hammering Republicans for jeopardizing rural hospitals. Millions for consultants, millions for TV, millions for newspaper spreads in majority-white outlets. But when it comes to the Black Press of America—a network of 200 Black-owned newspapers and media companies, many run by Black women— Democrats turn their pockets inside out.

This is no small network. The Black Press has the potential to reach more than 30 million readers, viewers, and subscribers every week through its newspapers, websites, social platforms, and daily broadcasts. It has never asked for handouts, only a fair shake. Yet, despite all their boasts of diversity, Democrats have invested nothing close to the millions they shovel elsewhere. And this betrayal comes at a historic moment: the Black Press is approaching its 200th anniversary in 2027. Founded in 1827 by John B. Russwurm and Samuel Cornish with the bold declaration, “We wish to plead our own cause. For too long others have spoken for us,” the Black Press has carried that mission through every trial of Black America. Yet today, as it struggles financially to reach that milestone, the very party that owes its survival to Black voters has turned its back.

During the pandemic, Democrats flocked to the Black Press’ daily broadcast, Let It Be Known. They wanted to be platformed, wanted their voices carried into Black homes. But once they were elected, the same voices that begged for space disappeared. What remains is foul lip service, the kind that sounds no different from Trump’s contempt for diversity. The insult is deeper when measured against history. Frederick Douglass thundered through The North Star. Ida B. Wells laid bare the horror of lynching through the Memphis Free Speech. The Chicago Defender carried the voices of the Great Migration and showed the mutilated body of Emmett Till. The Afro American chronicled Jackie

Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr. When Tulsa burned, white mobs destroyed Black newspapers to smother the truth. When Dr. King wrote from Birmingham Jail, it was the Black Press that carried his words. When the Wilmington Ten were caged, it was the Black Press that refused to look away. And today, the torch is still burning. April D. Ryan is today’s Alice Dunnigan. Lauren Burke is today’s Ethel Payne. Sam P.K. Collins is a modern-day Marcus Garvey. HBCU students have both interned and currently work full-time with the Black Press. The Black Press is not dead history—it is a living force.

So, let the question be asked plainly: if the RNC wrote checks tomorrow to the Black Press, would Democrats call us sellouts? Would they smear us while continuing to funnel millions into papers and platforms that do not speak to our communities?

The truth is this: Democrats have betrayed the very institution that has carried them time and again. They can spend $3 million to flood swing districts, or blanket Wisconsin papers with anti-Musk ads, or pump cash into flashy social media buys—but they cannot find equity for the Black Press. That betrayal is why the party lost ground in 2024. And unless Democrats reckon with their disdain for the Black Press, they will learn again in 2026 and 2028 what they began to taste already: abandonment at the ballot box, silence from the very people whose voices

from page 14

Blumenthal Updates

right skills, and I think it is very important to the future of our state that we provide that kind of training,” he said.

The Kids Online Safety Act was another hot topic for Blumenthal. He and Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn backed the measure last session. It passed the Senate 91-3 before being blocked in the House.

Blumenthal said young people needed to be protected from what he called, “toxic content” online all driven by social media algorithms.

Veterans were another success story of bipartisan support, said Blumenthal, who is the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Despite jobs cuts earlier this year brought about through DOGE that saw thousands of layoffs at various federal and veteran facilities across the nation, he said millions of dollars has been secured to renovate and restructure the VA hospital facility in West Haven.

Plus, he said there is bipartisan support for addressing the continued nationwide problem of veteran suicide, he said. He finished his 20-minute presentation addressing healthcare and Medicare. He said he hoped tax credits and subsidies for these would be extended as part of a budget agreement as they expire at the end of the year and could increase insurance premiums for thousands in Connecticut and millions across the nation.

Con’t

CT Education Officials Plan To Keep More Students In District For Special Education

by Jamil Ragland

HARTFORD, CT — State education leaders touted increased funding to help towns and cities handle the ever-increasing cost of serving the state’s growing population of special needs students at a forum at Naylor Elementary School in Hartford Monday.

The legislature passed and Gov. Ned Lamont signed Public Act 25-67 into law earlier this year. The omnibus bill tackles several areas of special education and provides $30 million for each year of the biennial budget in Special Education Expansion and Development, or SEED, grants to equalize special education spending around the state.

The General Assembly also approved $40 million in excess cost grants for school districts to cover expenses related to special education.

“This coordinated approach promotes transparency, improves service delivery, and enhances stability for school budgets, critical steps toward improving outcomes and expanding access for students receiving special education services,” said Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker. ”It reflects

our collective belief that every child deserves the support, the tools and opportunities to thrive no matter their learning needs.”

Bryan Klimkiewicz, state director of special education, said the number of students requiring special education services continues to rise. There are over 94,000 students identified as special needs in the state, he said. In the past 10 years there has been a nearly 10% increase in children diagnosed with autism, and also significant increases in the number of students with intellectual disabilities and “other health impairments” such as mental health issues, anxiety and others, he said.

Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam celebrated the new funds from two different perspectives. First, as mayor, he’s seen special education costs consume more of the city’s education budget. Special education now accounts for a third of the city’s school budget and 80% of the city’s school transportation budget goes to send students to out-ofdistrict programs. He also spoke as the parent of a child who has dyslexia and ADHD, and who has had difficulty at times navigating the various programs.

“Students in our schools, especially in school districts that are struggling to make ends meet, that have special education needs, have all of the potential in the world, but have specific diagnosable needs that need to be addressed before they are able to meet that potential, and I’ve seen that firsthand,” he said.

State Rep. Maryam Khan, D-Windsor, co-chair of the General Assembly’s select committee on special education, said it was important to keep students with special needs in their home districts.

“This grant encourages inclusion,” she said. “It encourages districts to in-

vest in special education programming in their school buildings, like this one, to help keep students in-house as much as possible.”

That in turn means more resources, more special education teachers and more para educators in the local districts, she said.

“All research points to the fact that inclusion helps not only students with disabilities, but even students without disabilities,” she said.

Lamont said that he was “struck” by the fact that Connecticut is the state that sends the most special education students out of their home district for services. He said he didn’t believe it was the best for the students, for the parents or for the pocketbooks of Connecticut residents.

“That’s why working, with our legislative colleagues, we made a big initiative to allow more special ed programs in-district,” he said. “I think that is an opportunity to be much better for children and families, and much better for the taxpayers as well. And we’ll keep pushing on this to make sure that we do the right thing by these kids because that’s what Connecticut’s all about.”

Gov. Ned Lamont discusses special education costs with Hartford School Supt. Andraé Townsel, state Rep. Maryam Khan and state Sen. Doug McCrory, Credit: Jamil Ragland / CTNewsJunkie

Plans To Protect

Ridiculous. We are the very definition of a sanctuary state, with Democrats protecting criminal aliens at the expense of Connecticut citizens.”

Third, he said “Connecticut residents overwhelmingly support removing criminal illegal aliens from our streets, but to Connecticut Democrats, that’s an apparently a bad thing. They had little if anything to say, for example, about ICE’s highly successful ‘Operation Broken Trust’ or the twice-deported Guatemalan man who was recently arrested for aggravated sex assault of a jogger in a New Haven dog park. Democrats also now want to prohibit state Department of Children and Families workers from talking to ICE with regard to the sex trafficking of children.”

Last, he said, “Democrats, like Gov. Ned Lamont, openly state that all illegal immigrants are ‘welcome’ in Connecticut. Really? Even violent and murderous Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gang members?”

Lamont has said that the state welcomes immigrants, is cooperating fully with ICE within the law, and has consistently emphasized that the removal of dangerous criminals is a top priority for state law enforcement, regardless of the immigration status of the accused.

There is no record online of Lamont ever suggesting that he welcomes “violent and murderous” immigrant gang members. The state Department of Correction has said that undocumented individuals who are released on parole or bail are turned over to ICE.

Multiple studies have proven that undocumented immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than native-born US citizens.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, Connecticut was estimated to have 113,000 undocumented immigrants in 2024, out of a total immigrant population of 591,000. Of the 113,000 undocumented immigrants in Connecticut 2024, some 73,000 were employed and 23,000 were homeowners, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

According to data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, undocumented immigrants in Connecticut paid over $400 million in taxes in 2022. According to the federal government, the process of immigrating legally to the US from Mexico takes three to five years. However, news reports indicate that there is a backlog of immigrants seeking US citizenship that stretches the wait to nine to 12 years.

PBS has reported that undocumented migrants come to the US from across the globe, but among those who arrived within the past 10 years, 19% came from Mexico, while larger shares came from Central and South America. Some new migrants arrive seeking work, others are fleeing crime, economic and/or ecological disasters, and political persecution in their home countries, making them asylum-seeking refugees.

Teachers Get Ready For Contract Negotiations

by Maya McFadden

A group of city public school teachers turned out to the latest Board of Education meeting to call for more respect, higher wages, and lower class sizes as they get ready to dive in to negotiations for a new union contract. Over a dozen speakers put forward those demands Monday during the school board’s meeting at King/Robinson School in Newhallville.

Some of the educators who spoke up said that their years of experience working in the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district has not translated to a livable wage that can fully cover their rent, leaving some working second jobs. Others raised concerns about working in decaying buildings that are poorly maintained, even after public outcry.

The testimony came a week before the teachers union the New Haven Federation of Teachers, Local 933, AFT, AFL-CIO is set to begin negotiations with the district over a new contract. The union’s current contract is set to expire on June 30, 2026. That deal included a nearly 15 percent pay hike over the term of its three years, and saw starting salaries for new New Haven teachers who have a bachelor’s degree rise from $45,357 to $51,421.

In a comment sent to the Independent on Tuesday, NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon said the district’s goal is to work towards creating the best possible working environment for educators.

“Like the teachers, we want the fairest possible contract with the best possible compensation,” he said. “Together with the teachers union, we have been advocating with our state representatives for the best possible funding that could help us realize these important objectives. That will be an ongoing effort.

In the meantime, we will negotiate in good faith with the teachers union and do our best to achieve our common goals.”

City teachers union President Leslie Blatteau kicked off the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting by reminding school leaders that teacher contract negotiations start next week.

She reported that while teacher recruitment has been happening and educator salaries have slightly increased over the years, teachers are still broadly concerned about their current working conditions.

She said the union worked with the group Educators Thriving to survey 1,450 city teachers and found that only 8 percent feel their buildings have enough staffing to “adequately meet students’ needs.”

She reported that only 15 percent said they have the resources to meet students’ required IEP/504 support-plan needs. When it comes to wages, the

union found that only 10 percent of educators feel their total salary compensation is adequate to the work they do. The survey also reportedly showed 1 in 4 educators spend over $500 a year on classroom supplies and 64 percent spend over $200.

“Our members ranked job stress higher than job satisfaction,” Blatteau said. She concluded by requesting that the district have a more transparent budget process and that it maintain close, clear, and honest communication with staff about major factors influencing working conditions at NHPS.

New Haven Academy Spanish teacher Hanna Marshall told the board Monday that she lives paycheck to paycheck. She said she’s not alone among NHPS educators in living that way.

Marshall said she’s been “forced” to seek a second job to help pay her bills after a decade of service to the district.

“After ten years teaching in New Hav-

to go to the bathroom.”

She requested that the next teacher contract include required maintenance updates to staff.

East Rock and FAME school library media specialist Anneliese Juergensen called on the district to support its library educators, who work on the front lines of improving literacy among students. They also work as last-minute substitute teachers, manage libraries, and teach youth media literacy on a daily basis.

Gillian Lynch, who teaches music at Nathan Hale School, and Marissa Lezzi, who teaches band at Mauro Sheridan School, said they are asked often why they stay in New Haven to teach. Lezzi recalled leaving New Haven once for a school district ten miles away and immediately seeing differences in support for educators. She told the board on Monday that only a fair contract will keep passionate educators like those who showed up to the school board meeting working for the district. She concluded that educators soon will not be able to afford to live in New Haven. High School in the Community history teacher Ben Scudder called for transparency with the district’s budget. He also called for the board to respond to speakers during public comment, similar to what happens during Board of Alders meetings.

Theresa Purdie said she’s brought home smaller paychecks this year because of “skyrocketing” health insurance costs. She also called on the board to make its budget transparent.

Co-op English teacher Katie Yates said she dreams of a day when educators will be valued, all school buildings will be safe, the community will have a better understanding of the district’s budget, the administration supports educators, and NHPS has a fair and equitable teachers union contract.

en and a masters degree, I still only take home about a $1,500 check,” she said.

She said that she has a basic insurance plan and no retirement fund, making it so “at this point after ten years I still feel like I won’t be able to retire with what I currently have if it keeps going the way it’s going.”

She and a dozen other speakers Monday urged the board to prioritize increasing teacher salaries.

“I love my school and I love New Haven but I feel like right now New Haven doesn’t love me,” she said.

Marshall recalled speaking up at a board meeting a year ago to relay concerns about New Haven Academy’s staff bathroom locks not working. She said those still haven’t been repaired, “which means every time I have to use the bathroom I’m afraid that someone’s going to burst in on me, and there could be students in the hallway which there often is because that’s the time we have

Japhet Gonzalez, a student at HSC, shared his frustration Monday about having to testify in support of the school board rather than spending his time applying for colleges, running his school’s magazine club, and just being a teenager. He said that educators shouldn’t have to spend time advocating for a fair contract either. “They shouldn’t be here, but they are because teachers do so much more work than [what] they’re paid for,” he said. “They don’t quit when things get hard or do things for money. But they shouldn’t have to chose between caring about us and making enough money to support themselves and their families.”

ESUMS seventh-grade English teacher Katie Romanchick said Monday that she too lives paycheck to paycheck, and is only able to pay her rent in full because she works as a cross country and track coach in Trumbull, as well.

HSC students speak in support of a fair contract for teachers.

Clemente bilingual educator Carmen Cordova-Rolon: Teachers are key to helping us become who we are.

The New Haven independent

PUBLIC WORKS MAINTAINER II

The Town of Wallingford Department of Public Works has openings for Maintainer II. Applicants should possess 2 years’ experience as a laborer in construction work involving the operation and care of trucks and other mechanical equipment, or 2 years training in one of the skilled trades and 1 year of experience in construction operations, or an equivalent combination of experience and training. A valid (CDL) Class B or higher is required. $24.87 - $29.16 hourly plus retirement plan, paid sick and vacation time, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, family medical & dental insurance, and promotional opportunities. To apply online by the closing date of September 12, 2025, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Request for Proposals

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Pay Per Use Laundry Services

A complete copy of the requirements may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 3:00PM

Request for Qualifications – Transportation Planning Studies

The South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) seeks the services of one or more consultants for the following transportation planning studies: Wallingford Route 5 Intersection Study, Guilford Route 1 Corridor Study, and Multitown Pavement Management Study. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise firms are strongly encouraged to respond as prime contractors or to play a significant role within a consultant team. Responses are due by October 1, 2025 (12 noon local time). The full RFQ document can be viewed at the Council’s website: www.scrcog.org or can be made available upon request. Contact James Rode at 203-466-8623 with any questions.

The Glendower Group

Request for Bids

ELECTRICAL RENOVATIONS AT McConaughy TERRACE

The Glendower Group, Inc. invites sealed bids from qualified electrical contractors for electrical work associated with three groups of units McConaughy Terrace, Funded under the 9% low-income Housing Tax Credit LIHTC program. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at 3:00PM.

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Criminal Justice Policy Development Coordinator (Policy Development Coordinator) in the Criminal Justice Policy & Planning Division.

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 250729&R2=1581MP&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.

SECRETARY

Senior Clerk: Performs a wide variety of responsible clerical duties in a municipal government office. The position requires 4 years of office work experience of a responsible nature and a H.S. diploma. $24.86 to $29.64 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. The closing date will be March 31, 2025 or the date the 50th application is received, whichever occurs first. To apply online, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/ government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Electric Utility System Operator/Dispatcher

The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for System Operator/Dispatcher. Wages: $43.05 to $50.36 hourly. For additional information and to apply online by the October 27, 2025 closing date, please visit: www.wallingfordct. gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Ap-plications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Request for Proposals

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Youth Program. A complete copy of the requirements may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 3:00PM

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Request for Proposals

Brokerage/Agent of Record Consulting Services for Insurance Benefits

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Brokerage/Agent of Record Consulting Services for Insurance Benefits. A complete copy of the requirements may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at 3:00PM

Lukes Redevelopment. A complete copy of the

be obtained from Glendower’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR

THE ELM CITYCOMMUNITIES, HOUSING AUTHORITY OF NEWHAVEN (ECC/HANH)

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE LIPH ADMISSION AND COMTINUED OCCUPANCY PLAN (ACOP) AND HCV ADMINISTRATIVE PLAN (ADMIN PLAN)

Elm City Communities, the Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (ECC/HANH) is propos-ing to amend sections of its Low-Income Public Housing Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (ACOP) and the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Administrative Plan (Admin Plan).

The thirty (30) days comment period begins on Monday, September 29, 2025, and ends on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Copies of the amendment to the ACOP and the Administrative Plan will be available on the agency website www.elmcitycommunities.org or via Facebook, www.facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities and Instagram, elmcitycommunities_hanh.

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

A public hearing where public comments will be accepted and recorded is scheduled for Mon-day, October 27, 2025,3:00pm, via TEAMS.

ID: 298 581 151 620 1 Passcode: WP7wr6tg Dial in by phone

+1 872-240-4494,747680648# United States, Chicago Find a local number Phone conference ID: 747 680 648#

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

AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA PARA

ELM CITYCOMMUNITIES, AUTORIDAD DE VIVIENDA DE NEW HAVEN (ECC / HANH) PROPUESTA DE EN-MIENDA AL PLAN DE ADMISIÓN Y OCUPACIÓN COMTINUADA (ACOP) DE LA LIPH Y AL PLAN ADMINISTRATIVO DE AVC (PLAN ADMIN)

Elm City Communities, la Autoridad de Vivienda de la Ciudad de New Haven (ECC / HANH) está proponiendo revisar secciones de su Política de Admisiones de Vivienda Pública de Bajos Ingresos y Ocupación Continuada (ACOP) y el Plan Administrativo de Vales de Elección de Vivienda (HCV) (Admin. Plan).

El período de treinta (30) días para presentar comentarios comienza el lunes 29 de septiembre de 2025 y fi-naliza el martes 28 de octubre de 2025. Copias de la enmienda al ACOP y al Plan Administrativo estarán dis-ponibles en el sitio web de la agencia, www.elmcitycommunities.org, o a través de Facebook, www.facebook.com/ElmCityCommunities e Instagram, elmcitycommunities_hanh. Le invitamos a enviar sus comentarios por escrito a: ECC/HANH, ACOP y Revisiones del Plan Administrativo;

Atención: Evelise Ribeiro, 360 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06511, o por correo electrónico a: eribei-ro@elmcitycommunities.org.

Se ha programado una audiencia pública para el lunes 27 de octubre de 2025 a las 15:00 h, a través de TEAMS, donde se aceptarán y grabarán los comentarios del público.

ID: 298 581 151 620 1 Contraseña: WP7wr6tg Llamar por teléfono +1 872-240-4494,747680648# Estados Unidos, Chicago Buscar un número local ID de conferencia telefónica: 747 680 648#

Cualquier persona que requiera una adaptación razonable para participar en la audiencia puede llamar al Gerente de Adaptaciones Razonables al (203) 498-8800, ext. 1507 o al número TDD (203) 497-8434. Cualquier persona que requiera una adaptación razonable para participar en la audiencia puede llamar al Gerente de Adaptaciones Razonables al (203) 498-8800, ext. 1507 o al número TDD (203) 497-8434.

Invitation to Bid:

This is our Project THE HOMES AT AVON PARK 1A & 1B 20 Security Drive Avon, CT 06001

New Construction of One Building, 100 Units, 110,000sf. The project will be all electric. Project documents include but not limited to: Site-work, concrete, masonry, structural steel framing, cold-formed metal framing, misc metals, rough and finish carpentry labor and material, wood trusses, waterproofing, insulation, wall panels, siding, roofing, doors and frames and hardware, storefronts, windows, drywall, acoustical ceilings, flooring, painting, signage, toilet & bath accessories, postal specialties, metal canopies, specialties, residential appliances, playground equipment, horizontal louver blinds, kitchen and bathroom casework, roller shades, elevators, trash chutes, fire protection, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, telecommunications, fire alarm, earthwork, exterior improvement, utilities, final cleaning and sanitary facilities.

This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. Bid Due Date: 9-18-2025 @ 3 pm Email Questions to

& Bids to: Taylor Els tels@haynesct.com

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran,

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Invitation For BIDS

Agency- wide fencing- repairs and replacement

360 Management Group, Co. Is currently seeking bids for agency wide fencing-repairs and replacement. A complete copy of the requirements maybe obtain from 360 Management Group’s vendor collaboration portal. https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, August 11, 2025, at 3:00PM.

REQUEST

FOR PROPOSALS

Parking Access & Revenue Control System Replacement At New Haven Parking Authority Facilities New Haven, Connecticut NHPA Project #24 – 029

Proposals due on September 30, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

The work for this project includes, but is not limited to: removal of existing equipment and installation of a new state-of-the-art Parking Access and Revenue Control System, refurbishment of designated booths inclusive of painting, metal repair, roofing and related finishes, installation of new HVAC and lighting with associated ductwork repairs and replacement, design and install integratable security cameras and door control system for all Garage pedestrian entrances, miscellaneous coordination, together with all incidental work thereto and in accordance with the Proposal Documents, as well as preventative maintenance and repair services at the New Haven Parking Authority facilities involving 7 parking garages and 8 surface lots.

The Proposal Documents will be available beginning September 02, 2025 at no cost by downloading from the New Haven Parking Authority / Park New Haven website at https://parknewhaven.com/request-for-bids/ . NHPA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Trump Turns the Military Inward, and America Confronts Its Oldest Fear

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Correspondent

The Posse Comitatus Act was born in 1878. It was short, a single sentence, but it carried a promise: soldiers would not patrol American streets. Its origin was poisoned by the retreat from Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow, but its meaning grew larger. It became a vow that liberty cannot live where rifles enforce the law of civilians.

Donald Trump has ripped that vow. He sent California National Guard troops into Los Angeles, not with the governor’s consent but against it. He leaned on a statute written for rebellion when no rebellion existed. He placed armed men in neighborhoods where citizens protested his policies, and in doing so, he showed his intent: not to protect the people but to remind them of his power.

Gov. Gavin Newsom answered directly. “We didn’t have a problem until Trump got in-volved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty, inflaming tensions while pulling re-sources from where they’re actually needed,” Newsom wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “Rescind the order. Return control to California.” California At-

torney General Rob Bonta brought the charge into focus. “There is no rebellion,” Bonta stated. “The President is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, too, rejected the claim of disorder. “This is not citywide civil unrest taking place in Los Angeles. A few

streets downtown, it looks horrible,” Bass said. “Those found committing acts of vandalism will be arrested and prosecuted.” His-tory knows the moments when presidents sent troops to face citizens. Eisenhower sent them to Little Rock. Kennedy sent them to Mississippi and Alabama. Johnson sent them to Selma. Each time, the aim was to break segregation and open the

door to justice. Trump’s act is not of that kind. He brings the military not to defend freedom, but to frighten those who demand it.

At Marine Corps Base Quantico, he assembled more than 800 generals and admirals. They flew in from across the world, ordered to sit and listen. “I’m thrilled to be here this morning to address the senior leadership of what is

once again known around the world as the Department of War,” Trump told them. He mocked former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., praised tariffs and border walls, and declared, “We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military.” Hegseth followed him, railing against what he called “woke garbage” in the armed forces and boasting of the officers he had already removed. “We’ve already done a lot in this area, but more changes are coming soon,” he said.

The gathering raised alarms. Lawmakers questioned its cost and its danger, packing the country’s senior military officers into one room. Critics saw a stage, not a strategy. Yet the silence of the commanders gave Trump what he wanted: the image of a military bent beneath his vision. The Posse Comitatus Act has loopholes. Congress cut them, presidents stretched them, courts blurred them. But the spirit of the law remains clear: a democracy collapses when its soldiers police its streets. Bonta named what is at stake. “The President is trying to manufacture chaos,” he said. “This is not about keeping the peace. This is about power.”

Dartmouth College: Shonda Rhimes to be first

woman and first Black alum to have building named after her

by Mildred Europa Taylor, Face2FaceAfrica.com

In 2028, Dartmouth will have its first campus building named after a woman and its first named after a Black alum. Shonda Rhimes, the celebrated showrunner, producer, screenwriter, and author behind productions like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” pledged $15 million to the school.

The donation is to support the 115bed residence hall to be built on West Wheelock Street that will bear her name. Construction of the Shonda Rhimes Hall is expected to begin early next year and open in 2028 in time to welcome the Class of 2032, the university said in a statement.

ations of Dartmouth students who will write their own stories here with that same expansive sense of possibility.”

“This extraordinary gift is pivotal for Dartmouth at this time,” said Dartmouth Presi-dent Sian Leah Beilock, who began discussing the gift with Rhimes two years ago. “It will directly enhance the student experience while reimagining a key part of campus. I’m grateful to Shonda, who has made a career of creating inclusive worlds where any one of us can be the protagonist of the story. We are honored that her name will grace this building and be a beacon of welcome to the gener-

Rhimes said the gift is an opportunity to show how formative her college experience was for her. “It’s also really beautiful to be able to place some legacy on the build-ing—to give back what was given to me and to leave something behind,” she said.

“And at a time when it feels like people are questioning the value of higher education, it feels important to put my money back into higher education,” Rhimes, who is on the Dartmouth Board of Di-rectors, added.

Dartmouth’s move to build new undergraduate housing on West Wheelock Street is part of Beilock’s $500 million commitment to create at least 1,000 new beds for students, faculty, and staff in the next 10 years.

The goal is to provide housing for more than 90% of undergraduates and make hous-ing more affordable for the surrounding communities in the Upper Valley.

When Shonda Rhimes Hall opens in fall 2028, it will house 115 jun-iors and seniors in apartment-style suites on the north side of West Wheelock Street between the Connecticut River and Thayer Drive, the university said. Rhimes, who has been inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and Dartmouth’s Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame, lived on cam-pus for all four years as an undergraduate.

“I was a very sheltered kid, and coming to Dartmouth opened my eyes to the world in a way that I never imagined possible—and I could imagine a lot,” the Shondaland CEO said of the Dartmouth residential experience. Describing itself as one of the world’s greatest academic institutions and a member of the Ivy League, Dartmouth says it has been educating leaders since 1769

Rhimes said the gift is an opportunity to show how formative her college experience was for her. “It’s also really beautiful to be able to place some legacy on the build-ing—to give back what was given to me and to leave something behind,” she said.

“And at a time when it feels like people are questioning the value of higher education, it feels important to put my money back into higher education,” Rhimes, who is on the Dartmouth Board of Directors, added.

Dartmouth’s move to build new undergraduate housing on West Wheelock Street is part of Beilock’s $500 million commitment to create at least 1,000 new beds for stu-dents, faculty, and staff in the next 10 years.

The goal is to provide housing for more than 90% of undergraduates and make hous-ing more affordable for the surrounding communities in the Upper Valley.

When Shonda Rhimes Hall opens in fall 2028, it will house 115 juniors and seniors in apartment-style suites on the north side of West Wheelock Street between the Connecticut River and Thayer Drive, the university said. Rhimes, who has been inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and Dartmouth’s Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame, lived on campus for all four years as an undergraduate.

“I was a very sheltered kid, and coming to Dartmouth opened my eyes to the world in a way that I never imagined possible—and I could imagine a lot,” the Shondaland CEO said of the Dartmouth residential experience. Describing itself as one of the world’s greatest academic institutions and a member of the Ivy League, Dartmouth says it has been educating leaders since 1769.

Last Edited by:Mildred Europa TaylorUpdated:September 24, 2025

ICE Arrests Public School Superintendent in Iowa Over His Immigration Status

By BlackNews.com

Ian Andre Roberts, a superintendent of a public school district in Des Moines, Iowa, was arrest-ed Friday by federal immigration agents who said he was in the country illegally and without au-thorization to work. Roberts, a native of Guyana, also faces past and new firearm-related concerns.

Roberts has led Des Moines Public Schools since July 2023. The district described him as a ca-reer educator with more than 20 years of experience. He previously served as superintendent in Pennsylvania and Missouri. According to NBC News, ICE said Roberts entered the U.S. in 1999 on a student visa. In May 2024, an immigration judge issued a final order of removal. Despite that ruling, he worked in Iowa without legal status or a work permit. ICE also noted he had prior weapon possession charges from 2020.

On Friday morning, agents approached Roberts while he sat in a vehicle. He drove away but was later

found near a wooded area with help from the Iowa State Patrol. ICE said he was carry-ing a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash, and a hunting knife at the time of his arrest. Federal law bars people without legal status from pos-

sessing firearms or ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is investigating how he obtained the handgun. ICE officials also raised concerns over how Roberts was hired despite a removal or-der, no work authorization, and a previous firearm charge.

The Des Moines School Board confirmed the arrest. Chair Jackie Norris said Roberts had passed a third-party background check, completed required employment forms, and disclosed an earlier firearm charge during the hiring process. The district added that it had no knowledge of the 2024 removal order.

Roberts has since been placed on administrative leave. District leaders urged the community to show “radical empathy” and acknowledged his contributions to the school system.

His biography noted his immigrant background, academic achievements, and experience as an Olympian in track and field at the 2000 Sydney Games. He also earned advanced degrees and certifications, including one from Harvard University.

Jay-Z’s bid to become first Black casi-no owner in Times Square rejected

by Francis Alkhabey, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Asix-person community advisory committee on Wednesday rejected a proposal from rapper Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company and its partners to bring a casino to New York City’s Times Square.

Per XXL, the committee voted 4-2 to turn down the proposal follow-ing initial protests from the Broadway League, the trade association for theater owners and producers, the Shubert Organization, IATSE, among others.

Had their bid been approved, the casino would have been situated in the same building as the renowned Minskoff Theatre – which is home to Disney’s The Lion King – and Viacom.

Roc Nation partnered with SL Green, Caesars Entertainment, and Live Nation in 2023 to table a proposal to receive a gambling license in New York City. Officials are look-ing at granting three gambling licences in the city, but it now appears that Roc Nation and its partners are out of the race.

Roc Nation had promised to distribute grants amounting to millions of dollars in New York if the proposal was approved. Jay-Z, 55, and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Andrea

HBCUs Face New Wave of Bomb Threats as Morgan State and Towson Uni-versities Targeted

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Correspondent

Another wave of bomb threats has shaken historically Black colleges and universities, with Morgan State University and Towson University in Maryland the latest to be forced into emergency measures on Tuesday.

Stewart-Cousins also met in May as the billionaire rapper and busi-nessman set his sights on having their bid approved, per XXL.

“Thank you to Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams for standing up for NYC,” Roc Na-tion CEO Desiree Perez said in statement after their bid was rejected. “Unfortunately, not every politician has the courage and foresight to do what’s right for their constit-uents.”

The CEO of SL Green Realty Corporation, Marc Holliday, also regis-tered his displeasure with the rejection and reportedly confronted the committee members after their official decision.

“We met the standard,” Holliday said.

“The only person with the courage to stand up is the governor and the mayor. And everybody else just runs and hides.”

Meanwhile, Jason Laks, President of The Broadway League and a member of the No Times Square Casino Coalition, welcomed the committee’s decision in a statement.

“This was a vote to protect the magic of Broadway for the one hundred thousand New Yorkers who depend on it for their liveli-hoods, and for the tens of millions who come from around the world to experience it. A casino can go anywhere, but Broadway only lives here,” Laks said.

Jay-Z would have become the first Black casino owner in Times Square if the proposal had not been rejected, XXL reported.

Towson University evacuated its student union after receiving a threat before 11:30 a.m., while Morgan State cleared its Earl S. Richardson Library as police searched the building floor by floor. The University Union at Towson reopened just before 1 p.m. after investigators determined there was no danger. The threats come as part of a dis-turbing pattern. In September, Bethune-Cookman University, Southern University, Clark Atlanta University, Alabama State University, Hampton University, Virginia State University, and Spelman College were all targeted. At Spelman, students were ordered to shelter in place, and Morehouse College also issued a similar directive.

Law enforcement officials confirmed the threats against multiple institutions were hoaxes but said they treat each call as credible until investigations are

complete. The United Negro College Fund earlier condemned the repeated targeting of HBCUs, not-ing that more than 75 institutions have faced such threats since 2022, disrupting at least 77 days of classes across 18 states and the District of Columbia. “HBCUs are being targeted at a rate higher than any other category of higher education institutions,” Lo-driguez V. Murray, senior vice president for public policy and government affairs at UNCF, stated. Murray urged Congress to dedicate security funding to protect campuses. “No student should ever fear for their life on a college campus,” he stressed. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have called on the Justice Department and the FBI to launch a full investigation. Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York, chair of the cau-cus, called the threats “vile” and “a chilling reminder” of the racism and extremism that continue to target Black communities. Though the all-clear has been given at Towson and Morgan State, the threats represent yet another chapter in a campaign of intimida-tion against historically Black colleges. “Protecting our children, who represent the future of this nation, is not optional. It is a moral obligation,” Murray argued.

Ian Andre Roberts

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company and its partners tabled a bid to bring a casino to New York City's Times Square, but it was rejected -Photo via @beyonce on Instagram

Jaden Smith, 27, makes history as Christian Louboutin’s first men’s crea-tive director by Mildred Europa Taylor, Face2FaceAfrica.com

Jaden Smith has been hired by Christian Louboutin as the first creative director for its men’s line. The American rapper and actor, who is the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, is moving to Paris to start work and is expected to present his first designs in January during men’s fashion week in the French capital, WWD reported.

He will “oversee the creation of four collections a year across shoes, leather goods and accessories, along with developing cam-paigns, events and immersive experiences,” the report added.

“This is the one of the biggest honors of my life, and I feel a lot of pressure to be able to live up to everything that Christian has done for the house, and also stepping into such a serious role,” Smith told WWD. “When he reached out to me, I was just blown away, be-cause of how similar we are and how much we like to do things in a similar manner.”

“I can’t wait to show the world what we’ve been working on,” he added. “I think that the universe of Christian Louboutin men’s has so much potential.”

Smith was the only candidate for the job. With this appointment, Louboutin said he will have more time to concentrate on the wom-en’s side of his business. He also looks to take advantage of Smith’s communication and creative skills, including his millions of Insta-gram followers, to boost the men’s category, which makes up 24 percent of the business but has not been performing as expected in recent times.

Louboutin said he would still oversee the men’s category and let Smith take the lead on design, image making and social media. “Be-cause of his generation…there is a kind of mentality that is very dif-ferent.”

“When I design shoes, I don’t think about a campaign at all,” Louboutin, 62, said to WWD. “I think about the colors, the materials, but I don’t think about the narra-tive.…

(Jaden) is going to show the brand’s vision in a much more visible way.”

“He’s someone who’s very curious, who’s very panoramic, who does a lot of things, who’s interested and who connects all the things he does,” Louboutin said of the 27-year-old star.

“One of the first questions he had was about our sustainability efforts, because it’s important to him. And that is very, very, very good because we have started to do a lot of im-portant work around sustainability.”

“We have very different backgrounds, but we have a very similar mentality.

“He has a way of seeing things, of digesting things, of transforming that really con-nects with my way of functioning,”

Louboutin added of “The Karate Kid” star.

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott Donates $70M To UNCF To Support HBCUs

Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $70 million to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) as part of a broader effort to strengthen HBCUs.

The $70 million donation, publicly disclosed by UNCF and confirmed by Scott’s team, is one of the philanthropist’s largest single gifts ever and among the first of her donations to be revealed in 2025.

“This extraordinary gift is a powerful vote of confidence in HBCUs and in the work of UNCF,” Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF President and CEO, said in a statement. “It provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our member institutions to build permanent assets that will support students and campuses for decades to come.”

The funds will go toward UNCF’s pooled endowment, which is part of a long-term campaign to raise $1 billion to reduce the historic funding gap between HBCUs and predominantly white institutions. Scott’s donation will help establish a $370 million pooled fund, offering $10 million to each of UNCF’s 37 member HBCUs. The endowment is structured to yield about 4 percent annually to help stabilize the institutions’ budgets.

Scott’s donation comes amid growing calls to address funding inequalities HBCUs face. According to UNCF, data shows that HBCU endowments lag behind non-HBCUs by an average of 70 percent, leaving many schools without

Morehouse College Rises to Top Three Status Among HBCUs in U.S. News & World Report’s

Morehouse College has ascended to the No. 3 position among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings, advancing from No. 5 last year. The national recognition comes as Morehouse experienced a record 6,217 applications for the Class of 2029. With demand at an all-time high, the College’s admittance rate dropped to 33%, compared to 44% in 2024 and 52% in 2023, while the incoming classes’ average GPA continues to rise from 3.55 in 2023 to 3.56 in 2024 to a current 3.6 for Fall 2025. Additional national rankings for Morehouse College among National Liberal Arts Colleges and HBCUs include:

· No 1. Liberal Arts College for men in Georgia; No. 96 among liberal arts colleges nationwide.

· No. 1 HBCU in Georgia for Best Undergraduate Teaching that men can attend; No. 2 HBCU nationwide.

· No. 1 in Best Value School for HBCUs nationwide.

· No. 1 HBCU nationwide for Top Performers on Social Mobility for men; No. 1 in Georgia that men can attend; No. 3 in Georgia overall; No. 24 among liberal arts colleges nationwide.

· No. 1 business program among HBCUs in Georgia; No. 2 among HBCUs nationwide.

· Tied for No 1. Most Innovative HBCU; No. 34 among liberal arts colleges nationwide.

Morehouse College begins the 2025–

the financial cushion needed to weather economic or enrollment challenges. A 2023 study by Candid and ABFE found that the eight Ivy League universities received $5.5 billion from the 1,000 largest U.S. foundations in 2019, compared to just $45 million for all 99 HBCUs combined.

Scott, an author and the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, signed the Giving Pledge in 2019, promising to donate at least half of her wealth. In 2020, Scott gave $10 million to UNCF, and HBCUs have remained among her most-supported causes. Scott previously said her decisions are “driven by a deep belief in the value different backgrounds bring to problem-solving on any issue.”

Dr. Lomax said he hopes Scott’s gift will inspire other donors to follow suit.

“By entrusting UNCF to decide how best to use these funds, she affirms that HBCUs merit investment at this scale,” Lomax said. “Her generosity will strengthen our member institutions and provide pathways to success for tomorrow’s changemakers.”

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2026 Best College Rankings

2026 academic year on the heels of a milestone year highlighted by the appointment of its 13th president, Dr. F. DuBois Bowman, a renowned public health scholar and 1992 graduate of the College. Dr. Bowman succeeds Dr. David A. Thom-

as, who retired this year after seven years of transformative leadership marked by institutional growth, record-setting fundraising, and renewed national visibility. This year also marked the groundbreaking of Morehouse’s first new construction

project since 2010, part of the Campus of the Future initiative. The 88,000-squarefoot, 324-bed residence hall is scheduled for completion in 2026, after which the College intends to shift construction plans to an all-new, 58,000-square-foot campus

center. The Woodruff Foundation has awarded the College $20 million to support the campus center, and Morehouse is calling on alumni and supporters to join the fundraising effort. Both projects are being financed through the $500 million Making Men of Consequence Campaign, which surpassed the $330 million milestone earlier this year. Launched in 2022, the Making Men of Consequence campaign is designed to drive investment in scholarships, academic programs, faculty research, and campus improvements. National rankings continue to showcase Morehouse College’s momentum as a premier institution of higher learning. LinkedIn ranked Morehouse #2 on its inaugural 2025 list of Top HBCUs in the U.S. The LinkedIn ranking evaluated alumni career outcomes, including job placement rates, internships, recruiter demand, and network strength, which is reflected in the 95% of the 2025 class graduating with post-grad career or continuing education placements. Morehouse College was also recently named a 2025 Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This recognition highlights a strong commitment to global education, cultural exchange, and the development of service-minded leaders of integrity and ambition. For more information about Morehouse College, visit morehouse.edu, for the latest news from the College, go to news.morehouse.edu.

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott

Photo by Nir Arieli

Black Theater Night!

Friday, October 10 at 8PM

Yale Rep joyfully invites Black theatergoers to experience Zora Neale Hurston’s Spunk in community on Black Theater Night! This performance will be followed by a conversation with members of the company. All are welcome!

All tickets for this performance are only $35 (reg. $65) with code BTN35 .

A tall, handsome stranger strolls into town looking for work. With undeniable charisma and divine musicianship, Spunk sets tongues to wagging with admiration and envy. The laws of man, the power of hoodoo, and the divinity of love all collide when he locks eyes with Evalina, already married to the local conjurer’s son. A fable about the triumph of love, Zora Neale Hurston’s play, Spunk, reaches the stage for the first time, brimming with humor, romance, and music.

Photo: J. Quinton Johnson and Kimber Elayne Sprawl

Photography by Thomas Mundell