Volume 32. No. 1632
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
Caribbean Heritage Fest Graces The Green By Lucy Gellman
Arts Council of greater New Haven
With a Jamaican flag wrapped tightly around her shoulders, Patricia Gardner seemed to glow in the sunlight. From the stage, the first notes of Jill Scott’s “Golden” bounced over the crowd, and a handful of listeners began to bob in place. Gardner’s mom, Lisa Hardy-Gardner, pulled out her phone and pressed the record button. Ooohh-oh-oh, Gardner crooned into the mic, ready to go. In just a few hours, she would turn 14 years old. And she knew, even before finishing the song, that her late grandmother Daphne was looking down and smiling. That sound came to the New Haven Green last Sunday, as WeDehYah, Inc. and the Jamaican American Connection (JAC) celebrated the city’s 12th annual New Haven Caribbean Heritage Festival, a collaboration with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. The brainchild of Karaine “Kay” Smith-Holness and Shermaine Cooke-Edmonds, who hail from Jamaica and Dominica respectively, the event became a bright celebration of food, culture, and music that went well into the evening. Sunday, it fell on the last day of Arts & Ideas, which since 2021 has provided sponsorship and support, and the final weekend of National Caribbean American Heritage Month. As in recent years, it culminated with a concert on the festival’s large stage, featuring artists Joel El Chèlbè and Denise Belfon. That’s still a big deal, Smith-Holness noted: New Haven spent years without a Caribbean performer on the Green, despite a large Caribbean and West Indian population in the city and the state. “I’m always at a loss for words,” said Smith-Holness, who has organized the festival for over a decade, and in that time also grown JAC’s footprint as a force for good and creative collaborator in the city. “You know, this is always about the community. This is for the community.” From sun-soaked vendor tents to an array of performers, that community was on full display from the early afternoon well into the evening. Around the Green, vendor and info tables represented the breadth of a diaspora, with stations from Barbados and Guyana that are relative newcomers to the festival, and greenand-black clad tents for Jamaica that have been there as long as the festival itself. Beyond them, a second half-moon of tents offered items like clothing, jewelry, and social service information for attendees. At a table heavy with instruments from Dominica, WeDehYah member and outdoor educator Gammy Moses let his hands hover momentarily over a bèlè drum, the skin taut against his palm as they touched down, and he described a traditional dance of the same name. Around him, books and maps peeked out curiously, enough to transport a person to the mountainous, lush island country that raised him.
For Moses, currently the student affairs manager at Common Ground High School, the Caribbean Heritage Festival is part of his story as an immigrant. In 2005, he came to New Haven from Dominica, 20 years old and curious about the city he was about to call home. At first, “it was quite an experience,” he remembered with a smile at the edges of his voice. New Haven was so different from the home he had left. Then at some point, he realized that New Haven had its own revolutionary history, including the 1970 Black Panther Trials and the 1839 Amistad trials, which the New Haven Museum and fellow artists, historians, and cultural organizations have worked to tell the story of (and more recently, reimagine) for decades. He connected with organizers and nature-based educators. He saw some of the social justice work that was unfolding in the city. It was one way that he found “that village type of life” amidst the chaos of a new city. In New Haven, his lifelong reverence for nature—and belief that humans can and must be in better relationship with the world, and with each other—has guided him in all that he does, including performances with the Caribbean Heritage Festival and his work in restorative justice and Kingian nonviolence. So when Smith-Holness asked him to roll up years ago—and then keep rolling up, which he has for over a decade—it was an easy yes. It always is. “I think we want people to know that the Caribbean … every island is unique,” he said before going on stage, where he dipped into traditional songs that he’s known since he was a boy. “That’s the beautiful thing about diversity, right? You can learn from other cultures.” Nearby, volunteers from Puerto Ricans United, Inc. gathered beneath a flag-festooned tent as winners of the organization’s annual cultural pageant prepared to take the stage. Over flyers for the annual Puerto Rican festival, prints by artist-activist Juancarlos Soto dotted the table, with nods to Puerto Rican history that also brought the past into the present. In one, a young boy struggles to hold up a large, full water jug, the plastic a light and luminescent blue against his skin. His shoulders strain and slump with the weight, his feet barely leave the ground. Soto said that it’s intended to bring attention to the ongoing water crisis on the island that has left tens of thousands of people without clean water to cook, clean, or even drink.
paper, and immediately began working on a design. The president of the African American Society, tucked onto Hamden’s Manila Street off Dixwell Avenue, Davis said that he’d come out to both support WeDehYah, Inc. and show attendees that the society is for them, wherever they are in their diasporic journey. “It’s about connecting to a diaspora,” he said, showing off a button machine he’d brought to let attendees flex their creativity. “Whether people are immigrants or not, it’s letting them know that they have a home here.”
Sisters Jerry and Jailyn Ram.
Lincoln and Emory Dorman and Aralia (Lia) Heggs, representing Guyana. This year, Heggs offered trivia, as well as information about food, recipes, and history.
“We just want water,” Soto said. It’s not complicated, he added—at least not if people think that water is a basic human right. “We want access to clean, safe water and all that good stuff.” A few tents away, Hamdenite Jameson Davis slipped into a conversation with Devon “Different” Byrd, who spotted a button maker, leaned in over a piece of
Members of the Colihaut Boys International take the stage. Lucy Gellman Photos.
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In the past few years, the society has become a fixture at the festival and in the region, where it is able to spread the word about upcoming events. Last year, for instance, the group focused on raising awareness around a then-upcoming “Know Your Rights” training specifically for immigrants across the Caribbean, African and West Indian diasporas (read more about that here). This year, Davis is working to tell the community about an 83-acre farm in Litchfield County for which the society has been able to secure a seven-year lease. As the afternoon warmed up, Gardner prepared to perform for the first time, running over “Golden” as she kept an eye on the program. Around her, the festival was humming: attendees bounced eagerly from table to table as emcee Kenney Facey walked amongst them, doing short interviews in the field. On stage, DJ Fire kept the beat going. Near the stage, a single hula hoop from Diamond Tree had magically multiplied, and shrieks of laughter bubbled up from kids learning the craft for the first time. A rising freshman at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, Gardner has been singing for as long as she can remember, she said—but took a pause after her grandmother, Daphne Blair, passed away two years ago. Sunday marked the first time she’d be back in front of an audience, and she was feeling ready. “I’m a little nervous, but excited,” she said. During Blair’s life, which began in Kingston, Jamaica and ended at Yale New Haven Hospital last year, Gardner found both a staunch supporter and a fellow songbird, who taught her firsthand about her Jamaican heritage. While she kept taking lessons—Gardner studies with the musician Manny James Sorrels—it was often her grandmother’s song and story that she came back to. As she came to the stage, listeners could feel that energy in the warm air, a small crowd gathering in front of the stage. As the music began, Gardner swayed from side to side, letting herself ease into the melody. When she lifted the mic to her mouth and began to sing, Sorrels was right there, singing along. By the second verse, her shoulders had loosened, the vocals so natural it seemed she could have done it in her sleep. Con;t on page 13
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
45th Arts Awards Reimagine Community By Lucy GellmanJuly
to his work, which is still relevant today. Quoting Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, and Romeo & Juliet, she pointed to how the Bard’s themes are surprisingly timeless. “They speak to our shared humanity. They are truly for everyone.” “What we do isn’t about Shakespeare,” she added, and it was easy to think of the life-saving youth programs, the still-powerful language, and the community that comes together each year for performances in Edgerton Park. “It’s about bringing people together. “Through my art, I hope to create spaces where people feel seen,” Marsh said moments later, accepting her award, and it seemed to speak to every artist in the room. But the stars of the night, perhaps, were Mayo and Monk Flake, who respectively reimagined their cultural and educational corners of New Haven in expansive (and in Monk Flake’s case, still-evolving) ways. Mayo, who died unexpectedly in 2024, managed the Dwight/Edgewood Project at the David Geffen School of Drama, and was in the process of imagining “Playmaking New Haven,” a twoyear program in play development for New Haven, West Haven and Hamden youth that had been funded by the Community Foundation’s REACH (Racial Equity and Creative Healing Through the Arts) grant program. “Emalie was a true life force in our community, and her orbit was warmed by the sun,” said Mayo’s close friend Grace O’Brien. Her cousin, Lisa Bolling, added that there’s still a gaping hole in the family.
Arts Council of greater New Haven
Before her hands ever touched clay— or reimagined discarded washboards, piles of old shoes, used nails and buttons—sculptor Linda Mickens was reimagining what it meant to heal a person. As a NICU nurse, she learned that “every life has a story.” As a person existing in the world, she learned how to tell it. When she started making art, those worlds came together. Saturday night, Mickens was one of seven awardees at the Arts Council of Greater New Haven’s revived arts awards, back after an unexpected hiatus in 2025. Held at the Henry Street arts incubator NXTHVN, the event brought in over 200 attendees and raised at least $17,000 for the Arts Council by the end of the evening. The theme, “Reimagining,” honored artists Linda Mickens, Charlie Grady, Elm Shakespeare Company, Candyce “Marsh” John, and NXTHVN Founder Titus Kaphar. In addition, vocalist, educator and Monk Youth Jazz & STEAM Collective Founder Marcella Monk Flake received the C. Newton Schenck III Award for Lifetime Achievement in and Contribution to the Arts, and the late Emalie Mayo received the new “Legacy Award,” a posthumous honor that the Arts Council plans to continue in the coming years. This year’s celebration comes as arts organizations across the region reimagine their work—sometimes by choice, and often by necessity—in a landscape where both public and private funding dollars are drying up. Last year, the Arts Council operated at a deficit, forcing all full-time employees to reduce their hours and pay for nearly six months. From November of last year through March of this year, employees received partial unemployment benefits through the State of Connecticut’s Shared Work program, which is designed specifically to prevent layoffs. “The 45th Annual Arts Awards was the epitome of joy, community, and inspiration,” said Executive Director Hope Chávez. “So many guests commented on how these were some of the best award speeches they heard in years. The room included guests from the Whitney Center, artists and their families, students from SCSU and Yale School of Drama, legislators, neighbors, and it felt good. There were spontaneous dance breaks, lots of laughter, and a few tears of admiration and love. We could not be more honored to hold a space for celebration and realness. May it fuel the good and necessary work ahead of us.” Throughout the night, that sense of celebration was palpable. Mickens, who was a nurse and mother before she began her second act as a professional artist, praised art as a lifesaving force, remembering how “I didn’t see discarded things, I saw possibilities.” In the years since, she has used her work as a way to
The Elm Shakespeare Company crew.
speak truth to power, with sculpture that addresses social and racial justice, police and state violence, the killing of unarmed Black boys and men, and the “everyday angels” who have stayed with her, and enriched her own life. As she gave a short speech, she acknowledged how heavy some of that work is in a world upturned by war, poverty, racism and violence. “Perhaps the question this moment is asking us is even more important,” she said. “What could we become if we cared to reimagine together?” Grady, an actor and former law enforcement official who founded the organization Hang Time as a way to support formerly incarcerated individuals and reduce recidivism, spoke about the personal significance of receiving recognition for the artistic work that he does in the arts—a first, despite a lifetime of acting, and plays that he has produced at the Klein Theatre in Bridgeport and Legacy Theatre in Branford. Normally, he said, people see him as only a cop, and make assumptions that put him into a political and professional box. His first film, Us Vs. Them, probes that disconnect by talking to people both in and outside law enforcement, and acknowledging the real harm and distrust that has come out of the profession. “Just because you have a career, that should not define who you are,” he said. “No matter what the world is going through, we have room to be creative.” When it was her turn to speak, Elm Shakespeare’s Rebecca Goodheart pointed to the fact that it may seem difficult to reimagine Shakespeare, a long-dead white guy from England who was writing over 400 years ago. But then, she turned
“She was a force to be reckoned with,” Bolling said.
Awardee Marcella Monk Flake (center). Credit: Joel Calloway photos
Grace O’Brien and Lisa Bolling with the Arts Council’s Hope Chavez.
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Speaking last in the evening, Monk Flake remembered waking up at four in the morning, and reflecting on Psalm 150, which compels people to make a joyful noise in the presence of the spirit. It helped her realize that “our creator is the original creative”—an idea that had in fact been within her, and driven her to serve youth through the arts, for her whole life. For decades, Monk has used that creativity as a force for good, both in and beyond the classroom. Saturday, she remembered how that started early, somewhere between dances around the kitchen with her older sister and listening to her cousin Thelonious Monk, the only secular musician allowed in their otherwise religious home. She took a moment to thank her family, including her husband, Dudley, and children and grandchildren who had come out for the event. A year ago, she said, “I didn’t know if I would be here,” after a series of health complications. The award feels like a wink from the universe that she’s not done yet. Lucy Gellman is the editor of the Arts Paper, an editorially independent arm of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
A “Faith Matters” Pilgrimage: The Camino de Santiago By Rev. Paul FleckJuly
The New Haven independent
“Faith Matters” is a column that features pieces written by local religious figures. In my faith tradition (United Methodist), clergy are encouraged to take paid sabbatical/renewal leave every six years. Approved by the Bishop and the Board of Ordained Ministry, sabbatical leave is designed to be a time of theological and spiritual growth for the clergyperson involving study, travel, or both. I am fortunate to have served in my extension appointment as Executive Director of Immigration Law & Justice New York long enough to receive such leave. I have decided to walk the Camino de Santiago in September for my time apart. The Camino is believed to be the ancient “Way of St. James,” or, the route or routes that the Apostle James took to spread the Gospel among the people of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Every year thousands of “peregrinos” take this pilgrimage. It is a time of intense physical and spiritual growth for those undergoing the journey. Even though I am a clergyperson, I must confess that—all too often—my faith is motivated more by my head than
Rev. Paul Fleck.
my heart. My faith is grounded in rational thinking and theological constructs rather than spiritual disciplines or mystical experiences. My experience of God is alltoo-often limited to what I read on the page rather than encounters with the Holy Spirit. Meditation, fasting, and prayer are afterthoughts rather than a central part of
my day. This is why I am looking forward to unplugging from my daily workaday existence and praying with my feet. I am looking forward to fasting from my cell phone, computer, and, especially, email. I am looking forward to meditating not on work but on my next step along the journey. I must confess I am also anxious about the trip. Am I fit enough to climb up the mountains of the Pyrenees the first day? Have I saved enough for the hostels and food along the Way? Do I have the discipline to walk 10-15 miles a day for 30-35 days? All of these are questions my head asks. My heart, however, is fully embracing the prospect of the experience. After all, isn’t that what faith is all about? Embracing the unknown with abandon and making that leap of faith over the chasm of doubt. Every time I preach, I ask congregants to do just that: Have faith not to replace doubt but to leap over it. I should do no less. There is a story that when the founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley, faced doubts about his own convictions, he was told by a colleague: “Preach faith
until you have faith, and when you have faith, preach faith.” I like that. It reminds me that doubts are all right, that they are a part of the faith experience. I need to remember that for all of my practical doubts, God will be with me along the way. After all, this isn’t a trip just of the head; it’s a trip of the heart as well. Wishing all of you a “Buen Camino,” or good journey. Rev. Paul Fleck, Executive Director of Immigration Law & Justice New York, is an ordained Elder in The New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and a former litigation attorney. Prior to coming to Immigration Law & Justice New York, Rev. Fleck served as Pastor of New Milford United Methodist and Hamden Plains United Methodist Churches in Connecticut. While at Hamden Plains UMC, Rev. Fleck helped co-found New Sanctuary CT, a coalition of eleven faith communities throughout Connecticut committed to providing physical sanctuary to immigrants facing deportation. Rev. Fleck has his Master’s of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law.
Cranberry-Blueberry, Ginger Berry Ombré Take The … Pie by Judy Lee
The New Haven independent
As I looked out onto the rolling grassy hill at Beecher Park, I wanted to be a kid again. This wave of nostalgia hit me during Westville’s first Monday installment of four of the 13th annual Hi-Fi Pie Fest outside Mitchell Library. The pie contest and summer music festival is organized by the Westville Village Renaissance Alliance (WVRA). Because the event was rained out last week, there were two pie categories judged Monday: berry and apple/pear/quince pies. This week’s special judge was United States of Pie author and baker Adrienne Handler. The park outside of Mitchell Library was covered with eclectic picnic blankets and lawn chairs, all angled toward the band Moto Caribbean, and of course, the empty tables that would hold the pies. There was already anticipation brewing, and people queueing. Inside the Mitchell Library Program Room, volunteers moved quickly and in silence, plating up slices for judges’ plates. After this, they’d have to set up the pies for public sale outside. The intensity in the room was a direct contrast from that of the other children lazily browsing shelved books to read outside on their picnic blankets. WVRA Executive Director Lizzy Donius has helped organize this event since her daughter was a toddler. Her favorite part, year to year, is “that there are so many littles,” and that they could run “free-range.” The parents and grandparents were put to work making sure everyone was safe and happy, but the littles
Volunteers put together a pie plate for a judge. Credit: Judy Lee Photo were having the times of their lives. Repeat attendees, including a woman sitting next to me on the bench, quickly sent their elected representatives, including husbands, to wait in the long pie-tasting line. The line was always longer than the width of the library, unintentionally serving as background groupies for the band. Susan was the first person in line, waiting close to 45 minutes. She came all the way
from Milford, and got her first pick at the Classic Strawberry Rhubarb and Gingko Classic Apple pies. Her excitement to dig in, and finally sit after the long wait, was palpable. Moto Caribbean describes itself as playing “island grooves with the magical sound of steel pan drums, rich vocals, and a thumpin’ rhythm section.” There was an ease and brightness to the vocals and springy beat that relaxed me enough to
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take several deep breaths. When the kids finally fueled up on sugar, they had to play. Some stayed near their family picnic blankets to gnaw on fidget toys, or roll around dolls in a small plastic wagon, but many had to run, weaving through the crowd. Then cartwheel anywhere except in an open grassy spot. Or drop a slice of blueberry pie, which another barefoot child stepped on. The couple next to me was also delighted in pointing out all of these happenings. The three of us also watched the more-guarded teenagers take photos of each of their side profiles with digital cameras. There really are some timeless hobbies. When the band wrapped up their last song to hefty applause, Handler announced the pie contest winners amongst the 19 entries. The first-place winner for the adults competition was Cousin Jeremy’s cranberry blueberry pie, and Meyer’s ginger berry ombré pie won in the novice bakers category. Meyer Galperin, age 9, made sure to thank his parents for their help researching recipes and operating the food processor. He explained his winning baking process quite simply: “We first got the berries, and made the crust, and cooked the berries into jam, and poured that into the crust.” Meyer then detailed his fun day at summer camp before the event. But I didn’t want to keep him any longer from everyone coming up to congratulate him. If I were a kid again, I’d want to say my respective thank yous, and get back to running with my friends down that grassy hill.
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Hundreds Read On The Green THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
LEAP leader Henry Fernandez: “This is a very special day for all of LEAP.”
The Green transformed for the morning into a sea of orange and blue.
Jeremiah Williams: second time at LEAP Read-In, first time doing the reading. Credit: Thomas Breen photos
by Thomas Breen
The New Haven independent
With the illustrated children’s book Strollercoaster perched on his knee, 11-year-old Jeremiah Williams read aloud to a half-dozen fellow LEAP campers Friday morning — as the local youth-focused nonprofit transformed the Green into one big literacy party. Jeremiah was one of hundreds of orange-T-shirt-wearing campers to participate in Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership’s (LEAP) annual “Read-In,” which also brought out 200-plus LEAP counselors and 80 adult volunteers. “This is a very special day for all of LEAP,” said the organization’s director, Henry Fernandez, before he handed off the mic to a lineup of officials — Gov. Ned Lamont,
Mayor Justin Elicker, Supt. Madeline Negrón, State Sens. Martin Looney and Gary Winfield, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro among them. Each exhorted the transporting, connecting power of reading. “Reading opens up so many worlds for you,” DeLauro said, as she went on to quote Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (“You have brains in your head. / You have feet in your shoes. / You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”) Yes, criminal justice reform is important, said Winfield, a longtime co-chair of the state legislature’s Judiciary Committee. But “reading is really where it’s at.” He spoke of how much of the world he was able to experience — and look
Reign. Samir Iydroose
Dixwell Site Coordinator Darcus Henry, Jr., once a "LEAP Kid" himself, gets students excited to read
forward to — by reading as a child, and how he reads every day with his kids now. Each led the campers and counselors — standing in a circle around the lower Green — in chants celebrating reading and LEAP. This event “shows how an entire community is rallying around reading,” said Negrón, before leading the hundreds of attendees in a chant of “S-A-L-T-A-R,” which is Spanish for “leap.” Breaking off into dozens of small groups, volunteers and kids spread across the Green to dive into books. Alisha Crutchfield led her kids through Amari Goes to the Doctor, written by Saneisha Roberts and illustrated by Joshua Okoro-sokoh. Tameka Grant-Mack took her kids page by page through Say
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Something! by Peter H. Reynolds. And — flipping the script of adults reading to children — Jeremiah swapped places with volunteer Divine Holmes to read Strollercoaster, written by Matt Ringler and illustrated by Raúl the Third and Elaine Bay. Holmes said she volunteered for Friday’s Read-In because she lives near downtown and because she has multiple friends who work for LEAP. She had fully planned on reading to the kids in her group — but they said they wanted to read to her instead. Which is how Strollercoaster ended up in Jeremiah’s hands. Jeremiah — who just finished up the school year at the new Edmonds Cofield Preparatory Academy, and plans to enter sixth grade at ESUMS next year — said he felt
good about how Friday’s reading went. What was his favorite part of the book, all about a dad and his child strolling through their neighborhood? “Probably when they went into the tunnel,” Jeremiah said. “I like tunnels.” He also likes reading. When does he usually read at home? “Any time.” Jeremiah said this was his second year in a row participating in LEAP’s Read-In. It was his first, however, being a reader as opposed to being read to. He said he was happy with how it went.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
A Goodbye To Co-Op, As WestConn-Bound Musicians Serenade Sherman's Alley By Lucy Gellman
Arts Council of greater New Haven
The trumpet, clean and bright as it hit the air, was the kind of thing a person could feel in their bones. The notes climbed, each so crisp it felt possible to reach out and touch them. They swooped over keys and percussion, then dipped towards the pavement-turned-stage. The instrument, almost growling, let loose a rippling cascade of sound. As he listened, band teacher Matt Chasen looked over, head bobbing rhythmically to Antônio Jobim’s “Chega De Saudade,” and gave Maya Martinez a deep, approving nod. Then just as naturally, he passed the solo on. Martinez, who graduated from Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School at the end of last month, is one of three Co-Op band students headed to Western Connecticut State University specifically to pursue music education, inspired largely by the lessons they’ve received in their classrooms over the past four years. On a wet, humid Monday at the end of June, she and classmates crossed the stage at the Shubert Theatre, ready for a new artistic chapter of their lives to begin. Exactly a week before that, she and members of the school’s jazz band got into a summer groove outside the Chapel Street Record Store GRAILS, making clear that the time they’ve spent at CoOp—and increasingly in the community—is already laying a pedagogical foundation for the work they plan to do in and after college. In addition to Martinez, WestConn-bound students include flutist Keyla Gordillo and violinist Legend Dyer. Bassist Zakai Henderson, who performed earlier this year in the Connecticut Music Educators Association’s AllState Music Festival, will also attend WestConn for music performance. Vocalist Nadia Okwuosa, who has also talked about music education, won’t be far, either: she plans to attend the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. “I want to support musicians who need that same help growing up that I did,” said Martinez, a Bronx-born trumpet player and dedicated tech and musical theater kid who has also worked as a teacher in the Shubert Theatre’s summer camp. In the past four years, “I’ve come far out of my shell. Mr. Chasen asks for a lot. Mr. Chasen asks for physicality, for vulnerability in his players … from that first day, he sets a tone,” and it’s made her a stronger musician. Were it not for Co-Op—and a string of music educators who are as precise and rigorous as they are big-hearted—it’s not clear if any of them would have made it to this point. When Martinez started the trumpet as a fifth grader at May V. Carrigan Intermediate School in West Haven, she didn’t specifically see herself staying with it—at least, not at first. Then she met band director Matt Lupoli, who became an early cheerleader of her work and her process. Martinez only had Lupoli for a year, but it was enough to continue with the
Chasen with Keyla Gordillo, Maya Martinez and Legend Dyer. Lucy Gellman Photos.
instrument at Harry M. Bailey Middle School. From Lupoli, she met Jacob Humerick, band director at the school. They clicked, she remembered: he was “a trumpet guy” himself, and saw something in her nascent skill that stuck. But when the Covid-19 pandemic hit New Haven in March 2020, Martinez stopped playing. “I was just uninspired,” she remembered. Like many students across the state—including at Co-Op at the time—she struggled with band classes that were suddenly remote, conducted across glitchy internet connections and delays that made ensemble work impossible. She didn’t know if she’d come back to the instrument. And then Humerick stepped in, with a kind of firm push that she now can see herself making as a teacher. When in-person classes resumed, “he was like, ‘Really Maya?’” she remembered with a smile. “Really?” At the time, it seemed like he was giving her grief. She’s since realized how much potential he saw in her. Humerick started giving Martinez more advanced numbers, putting her alongside musicians Ash Ortiz and Zane Arcari, both horn players who are now star musical alumni of West Haven High School. When she mastered a piece, he was ready with another. It was ultimately the reason she went to Co-Op. There, she walked into the classroom that Pat Smith and Chasen shared, and the rest was history. “When I came in, I didn’t know what was going on!” Martinez remembered with a laugh (when Smith retired last year, she added, she was thrilled to meet Christine Dominguez, from whom she has continued to learn). “From that first day, he [Chasen] sets a tone.” The rest, including a blossoming interest in tech theater, a space in the pit orchestra, and a knack for teaching her classmates, fell into place soon afterwards. “I’ve come far out of
my shell.” At some point, she realized that she wanted to do for other students what her teachers were doing for her, even and especially when it was a challenge. When she was designing her capstone earlier this year, she also thought critically about who was missing: Martinez has never had a band teacher of color. Until last year, she had never had a music teacher who wasn’t a white man. It’s what makes her want to stay in a diverse school district like New Haven. “I’m staying here,” she said, later adding that she meant a district as diverse as New Haven. When it’s her classroom, Martinez said, she plans to keep growing the repertoire, just as Chasen has done in his deep dives on jazz musicians. “I want to stray from traditional arrangements for band and play the stuff that feeds souls.” Chasen, who is like a second parent or cool big brother to many of his students, can already see how much her students will learn. Years ago, he remembered, Martinez was in the band room with fellow student Onix Garcia, who plays the electric bass, talking through the repertoire and practice techniques. At some point, Chasen left to make copies. When he returned, Martinez had drawn a pyramid of practice on the whiteboard. She was already on her way to running a classroom. “To be that meticulous, with respect to the chart that she drew,” is outstanding, Chasen said. “I saw that I thought, ‘This kid is gonna do something musically.’” And she has: in addition to Martinez work in band, she has collaborated with teacher Janie Alexander to run tech for the school’s shows. Last year, she popped up among crew members at the premiere of Steve Driffin’s Be Your Own Hero at the Dixwell Community Q House. She’s a frequent and familiar face at the Shubert’s summer camp, where she’s gotten to flex her educational skills before arriving at school. That excitement for the next chapter was contagious as Chasen handed a mic to Okwuosa, and the band slipped into Jobim’s bossa nova standard “Desafinado.” As the notes filled the air, Gordillo swayed slightly at her music stand, getting into a groove. The lyrics—Once your kisses raised me to a fever pitch / Now the orchestration doesn't seem so rich!—floated from where Okwuosa was standing into the alley around student musicians. As they played, the smell of spun sugar wafted through the air from Arethusa Farm’s ice cream shop next door. Gordillo later became emotional, reflecting on what it means for her to leave Co-Op and New Haven, where she’s been able to thrive in band, play in the school’s pit orchestra, and teach in ARTE, Inc.’s weekly Saturday Academy in Fair Haven. Gordillo first picked up the flute in fifth grade, when teacher José Lara was still at John S. Martinez School in Fair Haven. Despite a nickel allergy—that means the instrument’s lip plate made her break Con’t on page 13
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
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Meet Our New Crew: In THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
Abiba Biao & YAJI Class of 2026 Arts Council of greater New Haven
Welcome to the Youth Arts Journalism Initiative Class of 2026! We are so excited to have 10 of America’s future journalists learning with us this summer. This summer also marks the largest expansion of YAJI staff, with four YAJI mentors over the two months that we are together. This year's YAJI staff include first-time mentors Ruby Szekeres (YAJI class of 2024), and Grayce Howe, (the Arts Paper's 2024 New Haven Academy intern), as well as returning mentors Jayla Anderson (YAJI class of 2020) and Abiba Biao (YAJI class of 2022). During our intensive week, we were also thrilled to spend time with Shamain McAllister, director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven, New Haven Independent Founder Paul Bass and Education Reporter Maya McFadden, and Former YAJI Program Director Markeshia Ricks, who worked as a reporter for over two decades. The mission of the YAJI is to introduce high schoolers to grassroots journalism through The Arts Paper, the daily publication of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven. Students independently research, report, draft, and publish articles covering arts, culture, and community in New Haven and the greater New Haven region. The two month program consists of a week-long intensive followed by seven weeks of pitch meetings, group writing/reporting time at the New Haven Free Public Library and 1:1 professional mentorship. For a first writing exercise during our weeklong intensive, all 10 students split into groups to learn to write short bios of each other. Read on to meet these young people, and please greet them with open arms if you run into them on assignment! Naiyanna White (she/her), 19, is a high school student at New Haven’s Adult & Continuing Education Center. An avid reader, Naiyanna is currently working her way through William Strunk and E.B. White, Jr.’s The Elements of Style and Rohanna Ssanyu’s The Marabou Who Crossed The Sea. Beyond that, she reads a lot of literary fiction, recently having finished Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Her hobbies include watching older movies, her favorite being Bringing Up Baby, and listening to music. Currently, an album she has on repeat is U from Underscores, a hyperpop singer who Naiyanna recently discovered through Coachella. A New Haven resident for three years, Naiyanna said that her motivation for participating in YAJI was to break through a recent bout of writer’s block and become more involved within New Haven. Alongside exploring journalism as a career path, Naiyanna has been engaged in summer activities to discover other vocational pursuits, such as volunteering at the International Festival of Arts and
Zahara Gazzola and Karina Gonzalez. Bottom: Naiyanna White. Lucy Gellman Photos.
Students do interviews at the New Haven Free Public Library on the first day of YAJI.
Jay doing an interview at IRIS' celebration of America 250 last week. Karina Gonzalez and Amber Boutellier Photo.
Ideas and taking a website development course. After graduating from New Haven Adult Education Center, she hopes to gain an associate degree in general studies at Gateway Community College, with the eventual goal of earning an English degree. • Written by Samir Iydroose Karina Iris Gonzalez (she/her) is a 15-year-old sophomore at Acellus Academy, a virtual homeschooling program that she began attending after several years at Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS). The oldest of five siblings, Karina is also a fraternal twin, and prides herself on being the eldest. She is fluent in both English and Spanish, and is learning Russian and German, which she said is fun, but very difficult. Along with language learning, she enjoys playing the electric guitar, sewing, writing, and playing tennis, which she has done since first grade. Karina discovered YAJI through one of her counselors, who recommended the program after hearing about her love of
writing. After finishing her sophomore year at Acellus Academy, she plans to return to in-person learning and complete her secondary studies at Madison High School, with the ultimate goal of becoming a child psychologist. • Written by Zahara Gazzola Jayniel “Jay” Bermudez (he/him), is a 14-year-old sophomore at Eli Whitney Technical High School in Hamden. He is also a counselor in training at New HYTES, a non-profit that focuses on youth enrichment through tennis instruction and academic mentorship. His interests include writing, fitness, cooking, video games, and playing tennis, which has done since he was 7 years old. Jay has had many notable life experiences, including watching the coin flip in the U.S. Open 2024, as well as presenting at the Yale School of Business as part of New HYTES’ entrepreneurial studies program where students develop, design, and pitch business ideas to address real-world problems. His future aspirations include graduating high school and becoming an
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engineer and a full-time counselor. With help from YAJI, he hopes to write a book in the near future. • Written by Kiara Guevara-Cragwell Zahara “Zazie” Gazzola (she/they), is a 15-year-old sophomore at Wilbur Cross High School and ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA). Born in New York and raised in Hamden, Zazie comes from a diverse background, proudly embracing her Indian and Italian heritage. Because she is both an avid reader and talented singer, music plays an important part in Zazie’s life. Her favorite artist is David Bowie. Along with English, Zazie also speaks Italian, allowing her to stay connected to her cultural roots. Outside of school, she enjoys kickboxing and weightlifting. She has a soft spot for animals, and enjoys spending time learning to care for them. With eight chickens and three cats (Nyx, Cleo and Pompom), there’s never a dull moment in the Gazzola household. Zazie comes from a family of academics, with both parents working as professors
at Yale University. Although she hopes to leave Connecticut one day to explore new places, Zazie envisions returning to settle down. • Written by Karina Iris Gonzalez Grayce Howe (she/her) a rising sophomore at Wheaton College Massachusetts, where she is doubling majoring in International Relations and Film & New Media Studies with a minor in Journalism. Grayce first joined the Arts Paper in 2024 as a New Haven Academy intern; she graduated from the school in 2025. Since then, she has stayed on as a freelance writer and assumed her newest position of becoming YAJI mentor. A budding journalist, her writing has made waves in Elm City and beyond. She currently serves as secretary at her school’s newspaper, The Wheaton Wire. • Written by Abiba Biao Kiara Guevara-Cragwell (she/her) is an aspiring 17-year-old journalist. A Branford resident, Kiara is the youngest of three siblings and recent graduate of
ntroducing YAJI 2026 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
An avid film critic, there are only a select few movies that have captured his attention. His top five favorite films include The Electrical Life of Louis Wayne, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, The Wind Rises, Dr. House, and Skinamirink. Currently, Cupido isn’t accepting live-action movies recommendations, saying that animation is his preferred content. • Written by Elodie Lafortune Jayla Anderson (she/her) is a sophomore English Major on the creative writing track with correlates in Dance Performance and Africana Studies at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. A resident of New Haven, Anderson transitioned from gymnastics to dance after attending Betsy Ross Arts Middle School and fell in love with the art. Since then, she’s studied dance at Dance Unlimited Studio and Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, finding her artistry in modern techniques. When she’s not dancing, Anderson’s pastimes include reading, writing, and laughing extremely loudly with friends. • Bio provided by Vassar College
Zazie Gazzola as YAJI learns to use cameras. Abiba Biao Photos.
Branford High School. Now, she has her eyes set on the University of Connecticut, where she will matriculate in the fall to major in journalism. Kiara said that one of her goals while attending YAJI was to sharpen her skills in preparation for university. When she isn’t chasing her dreams, Kiara enjoys hanging out with her friends and family, working at Longley’s, a Branford-based casual restaurant, reading books, and writing short stories. She also likes to listen to indie and pop music, but admitted to having some controversial music picks. “I’m not the biggest fan of country music, but if it is playing in the background for a while, it’ll get stuck in my head,” she said. • Written by Jayniel “Jay” Bermudez Amber Bouteiller (she/her) is a 16 -year-old rising junior at West Haven High School, where she has been a member on the school’s dance team for three years. Amber pastimes include reading romance novels and listening to pop
music. Her favorite artist is Billie Eilish and she claims to love all of her songs. Despite her various talents, Amber said that she is unsure of a career pathway she wants to pursue in the future. She added that her motivation for joining YAJI was to improve her writing skills. • Written by Olivia Dirschel Elodie Lafortune (she/her), 18, is a freshly-minted graduate from Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School (Co-Op) where she studied creative writing. In the fall, Elodie will begin her post-secondary studies at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts, with a major in English and history. A prolific reader and writer, she aims to become a book editor in a big publishing house and a New York Times best selling author. She grew up in Haiti with her two younger siblings, and immigrated by age three to Naugatuck, where she has remained. • Written by Daniel “Cupido” Garcia Samir Iydroose (he/him) is a 16-year-old rising junior at Hamden High School. In
addition to participating in YAJI, Samir is involved in other writing endeavors. Most notably, he serves as the editor-in-chief at his school newspaper The Dial. He is also a two-time winner of the Hamden Thornton Wilder Writing Competition, earning third place in 2025 for his short story, The Unseen Mask. Samir said that he’s been interested in literature for as long as he could remember, recalling how his mother, a playwright, used to read him the children’s book, Chester’s Way, when he was younger. A cellist of 11 years, Samir said that he’s “taking a break” from the instrument to pursue other activities. He lives with his mother and older sister, a recent high school graduate starting college at Vassar in the fall. When he’s not travelling around Hamden covering events for The Dial, he’s listening to Britney Spears or writing literary fiction. • Written by Naiyanna White Ruby Szekeres (she/her), 17, is a rising senior at Oak Meadow, a virtual homeschooling program. A prolific children’s
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YAJI Class of 2026 Photo.
fantasy and fiction author, Ruby first began writing when she was three years old and began self-publishing books at 11. Since 2021, she has authored eight books, with her most recent being The Life We Had Before This. In 2024, she expanded from creative writing to journalism after completing YAJI and continues to contribute to the Arts Paper as a freelance writer. Her current writing projects include working on an anthology on the Brothers Grimm fairytale, “The Juniper Tree.” She lives in Guilford with her parents and older sibling and 6-year-old pug Pumpkin, who will be turning seven at the end of July. As a YAJI mentor, Ruby said that she is most excited to “help a new generation” of writers and journalists. • Written by Abiba Biao Daniel “Cupido” Garcia is a rising film producer and recent Co-Op graduate who aims to break into the world of animation. In the fall, he is entering freshman year of college at SUNY Purchase located in Purchase, NY.
Abiba Biao (she/her) is a 21-year-old freelance photojournalist and reporter. She is a 2026 graduate of Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), where she earned her BS in public health with minors in digital humanities and journalism. She began her journalism career in 2022 as a student in YAJI. Since then, she has been a freelance general assignment reporter for the Arts Paper and the New Haven Independent. Her writing and photography have appeared in the Yale Daily News, Yale Center for British Art, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven Independent, Southern News and Snopes. When she’s not writing, she enjoys drinking tea, thrifting, and expanding her ever-growing collection of statement earrings. • Written by Abiba Biao Olivia Dirschel (she/her) is a 14-yearold rising freshman at Hamden High School. Her interest consists of playing soccer and playing her guitar. Olivia is not exactly sure what she wants to do after high school career wise, but she is very excited to start freshman year. Fun facts about Olivia is she has an older brother who is three years older than her and she does swimming as a sport every day. Olivia is also bilingual as she speaks English and Spanish, the Spanish side coming from where she used to live in Argentina until she was eight years old. She would like to go back one day if she could and is considering finding a job and living there again in the future. • Written by Amber Bouteiller
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
Blumenthal, Elicker Join Yalies In Rejecting Potential Trump Deal by Adele Haeg
The New Haven independent
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Mayor Justin Elicker stood alongside a host of Yale students, alums, and professors on Friday and urged the university to avoid a settlement with the Trump administration that would compromise Yale’s “institutional independence.” They issued that collective call during a press conference held outside the Yale Law School. The presser, as well as a roundtable discussion that took place beforehand, were organized by Yale students — and represented the latest and most emphatic action that students, faculty and alumni have taken against a potential settlement over race-conscious admissions practices. The New York Times first reported on the potential Trump-Yale settlement in late June. Blumenthal, who is also a Yale Law School alum, told students at the roundtable that Yale had already made an offer to settle, and that the Trump administration had rejected the university’s initial proposal. Blumenthal said that he has spoken with Yale President Maurie McInnis twice on this matter; he said that a second offer between Yale and the Trump administration is now pending. In a statement provided to the Independent Friday, a Yale spokesperson declined to comment on any “ongoing legal matter” and said that “we stand firm in the university’s commitment to students’ free expression, academic freedom, and Yale’s ability to determine who is admitted in accordance with the law.” Neither McInnis nor Yale Law School Dean Cristina M. Rodríguez were present at Friday’s press conference. “There’s no excuse for a settlement right now,” Blumenthal said during Friday’s roundtable, which was attended by several students from Yale College and the law school, as well as by the co-general counsel of Yale’s chapter of
U.S. Sen. Blumenthal at Friday's presser: Making a deal with the Trump administration over Yale admissions practices would be "academic malpractice." Credit: Adele Haeg photos
the American Association of University Professors, Marisol Orihuela. Blumenthal said the university was “negotiating against itself,” as the Department of Justice (DOJ) has not completed its investigation into Yale’s admissions practices. The Times reported in May that the DOJ accused Yale of racial discrimination in medical school admissions, but has not made any such assertion about the law school or Yale College. The DOJ did not respond to requests for comment. “The university faces a choice: stand up for truth, academic freedom, and free expression, stand up for the tens of thousands of students, faculty and staff who are the heartbeat of this institution, or surrender our values and give into political intimidation,” said Yale/Downtown
Alder Elias Theodore during Friday’s press conference. Theodore was one of several Yale students from the Yale College Council (YCC) and Yale College Democrats to speak to a crowd of about 40 outside Yale Law School. Alex Chen, Yale’s student body president, also spoke at the presser, along with an incoming Yale freshman, Andres Alvarez, who is from Mexico and had to travel hours every day to attend school in the United States, as well as representatives from Yale Dems including Rishi Gurudevan and Zach Pan. Chen said several students had contacted him this week, expressing concerns about the potential settlement. Students are anxious, he said, having seen universities like Columbia, Brown, the Univer-
sity of Virginia, and Northwestern restrict international students’ rights and free expression on campus and concede to other demands from the Trump administration. He noted that a friend of his who is an international student has not been able to return to his country for two years, for fear of not being allowed to return. Alicia Schmidt Camacho, who is a professor of ethnicity, race, and migration at Yale, raised her hand at the end of the roundtable to bring up educators’ fears about the settlement. She said after the event that with the investigation, the DOJ was communicating to the university that “undeserving people are stealing from the student body,” logic she compared to what the Trump administration has used in arguing against birthright citizenship.
“It’s ethnic cleansing and social cleansing,” she said. Many speakers and attendees at Friday’s event said they see the settlement as having implications beyond the university. Like Camacho, they said that Yale maintaining its institutional independence is crucial for all of higher education, and more broadly, American democracy. Representing the city, Elicker reminded roundtable attendees of legal action the City of New Haven has taken against the Trump administration, emphasizing that the city would “defend and stand by Yale” rejecting the settlement. He also urged Yale to stand in support of the city’s values of diversity and freedom. Downtown/East Rock Alder Christine Kim said she wanted to see “solidarity” between the university and the city. Eli Sabin, a former downtown alder and recent Yale Law School graduate who is now running for a west-side state rep seat, also spoke during Friday’s event. He said he was “proud to be a part of organizing to make this [event] happen. I think that Yale needs to hear from all sides that this is not acceptable.” “I want to thank the Yale community for organizing so strongly around this issue and making your voices heard,” U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro said in a statement Friday. “This outcry demonstrates that you care deeply about Yale’s legacy and independence. I am proud to stand with you in calling for Yale to do what is right and in fighting back against President Trump’s continued assault on higher education and students.” Pan said he felt hopeful after the event, which Gurudevan, who represented the Yale College Democrats with Pan, said took several “late nights” this week to plan. “We don’t want a surrender settlement,” he said. The group that gathered on Friday “shows the unity” against interference from the Trump administration.
CT Women’s Hall of Fame Names New Executive Director by Staff Report
HARTFORD, CT — The Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame has appointed Kimberly Kersey as its new executive director, effective July 6. Kersey was selected following a national search for her proven nonprofit leadership, strategic vision, collaborative approach and demonstrated commitment to mission-driven organizations, the organization said in a news release. “Kimberly’s appointment marks an exciting milestone for the CWHF and builds upon the foundation of reimagining and planning the Board
has undertaken over the past year,” said Joaquina Borges King, chair of the CWHF Board of Trustees, in the release. Borges King said she is eager to partner with Kersey and see her “bring the Hall’s reimagined vision to life.” “I am honored to join the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame and build upon its remarkable legacy,” Kersey said in a statement. “I look forward to working alongside the Board, staff, volunteers, supporters, and community partners to expand the Hall’s impact across the state, empowering women and girls to achieve more than they ever believed possible.” Founded in 1994, the Connecticut
Women’s Hall of Fame celebrates the achievements of Connecticut women, preserves their stories, educates the public and inspires women and girls to pursue their dreams and aspirations. Susan Dunn has served as interim executive director and has been instrumental in preparing the organization for this next chapter of growth and impact, organization officials said. Kersey previously served as executive director of the Amistad Center for Art & Culture housed at the Wadsworth Atheneum and, most recently, as executive director of the Artists Collective, both in Hartford.
Kimberly Kersey (Contributed image) Credit: Contributed
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
Karmelo Anthony’s Lawyers Seek New Trial, Judge’s Recusal By Black Information Network
Karmelo Anthony‘s new legal team made its first major moves Tuesday (July 7), filing a motion for a new trial and demanding the removal of the judge who presided over his murder conviction, arguing that Anthony’s constitutional rights were violated and that the judge can no longer be expected to rule impartially. Anthony, 19, was convicted last month of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a Frisco, Texas, track meet on April 2, 2025, and sentenced to 35 years in prison. He admitted to the stabbing but maintained he acted in self-defense. According to NBC News, his pro bono appellate team — assembled through the Stand With Karmelo Coalition and including Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe, former Dallas County prosecutor Russell Wilson, and Brooke Cluse of Ben Crump Law — filed the two motions in Collin County District Court. The motion for a new trial reportedly raises five primary arguments. First, the defense argues the court improperly restricted public access by limiting courtroom seating, requiring people to line up before dawn, and eliminating an overflow courtroom once testimony began, violating Anthony’s constitutional right to a public trial.
Second, the attorneys allege that prosecutors and the defense had reached an unwritten agreement before trial to limit evidence to what occurred during the confrontation under the track meet tent — excluding character evidence and prior bad acts involving either Anthony or Metcalf — but that prosecutors repudiated that agreement during trial, per NBC News.
The defense says they relied on the agreement throughout, limiting their voir dire questions, opening statement, and cross-examination, and choosing not to call two expert witnesses, including a neuropsychologist who would have testified about Anthony’s epilepsy. Third, the attorneys argued the pace of the trial unfairly disadvantaged the de-
fense, including holding court on a Saturday when several defense witnesses were unavailable. Fourth and most strikingly, they argued Anthony was denied his right to make a fully informed decision about whether to testify in his own defense. “When the moment came for the Defendant to make the most consequential decision of the trial, whether to waive his Fifth Amendment privilege and testify, the Court allotted the defense ten minutes to counsel a nineteen-year-old through it and denied counsel’s request for additional time,” the attorneys wrote, per NBC News. In a separate filing, the team demanded that Judge John Roach be recused from all remaining post-trial proceedings. The attorneys argue that Roach compromised his impartiality by giving a post-verdict interview to Dallas TV station WFAA in which he endorsed the jury’s verdict, called Anthony “a nice young man” who “understands today the consequences of committing a crime like he did,” and defended both his courtroom rulings and the all-white jury selection. Roach also wrote a signed public letter on the Collin County website calling the trial “one of the great honors of my judicial career.” Meanwhile, Roach has sealed the entire court file, only allowing
Anthony’s attorneys to view it under conditions they say they have not agreed to. “A judge who publicly memorializes the trial as concluded, and publicly pronounces the process fair, while still holding the authority to grant a new trial, signals to the reasonable observer that he regards the matter as closed,” the attorneys wrote. The attorneys also noted the irony that Roach imposed a gag order on all other participants during trial while making public statements himself — a contrast they argued “sharpens rather than softens the appearance that the Court no longer sits as a neutral arbiter.” If Roach is recused, another judge would decide on the new trial motion. If that motion is denied, Anthony’s team is expected to file a direct appeal. In a statement to NBC 5, the Collin County District Attorney’s Office disputed the defense’s claims, calling them “inaccurate characterizations of the trial proceedings” and saying prosecutors remain confident in both the verdict and the fairness of the trial. Judge Roach has not publicly responded to the motion seeking his recusal. The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.
Mayor Dickens, Sen. Warnock celebrate passage of bill to stop housing loss By Atlanta Daily World Atlanta Daily World stands as the first Black daily publication in America. Started in 1927 by Morehouse College graduate W.A. Scott. Currently owned by Real Times Media, ADW is one of the most influential Black newspapers in the nation. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock joined together on Tuesday, July 13 in the city’s Adamsville neighborhood to mark the passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. The bipartisan legislation, which became law without the president’s signature, includes a key provision led by Warnock aimed at curbing the growing influence of institutional investors and private equity firms in the residential housing market. The measure seeks to address concerns about large-scale property acquisitions that can limit access to affordable homeownership for everyday buyers. “They are picking houses the way you pick tomatoes at the grocery store. For you it’s a house, for them it’s just something else they’re throwing into their portfolio,” Sen. Warnock said While speaking in the Adamsville neighborhood of Atlanta alongside Mayor Andre Dickens, Warnock said. More specifically, the Senator’s provision would ban large corporations that own more than 350 single-family homes from purchasing any additional single-family homes. Currently 25% of Atlanta’s single-fami-
ly rental market is owned by large corporations that own more than 1,000 homes. This legislation would impose a fine of the greater of either $1 million or three times the purchase price on any corporate investor that purchases a single-family home above the cap. Any fines collected under this legislation will be used for new housing construction and financial assistance for first-time homebuyers, building on the Senator’s leadership to support
first-time homebuyers. The legislation enacts the following rules to curb corporate home buying: • The 350-Home Cap: Corporate investors and private equity firms that already own more than 350 single-family homes are banned from purchasing any additional single-family properties. • The Penalty: Institutional investors who violate the cap face a fine of up to \\$1 million per violation, or three times
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the purchase price of the home, whichever is greater. [1] • Forward-Looking Enforcement: The law is not retroactive; corporations are not forced to sell off the thousands of homes they already own, but it is designed to halt further bulk purchasing. [1, 2] • Reinvestment: Any fines collected by the federal government under this provision will be used to fund new housing construction and offer down payment as-
sistance for first-time homebuyers. [1] Senator Warnock introduced this specific ban after studies identified Atlanta as the epicenter of corporate-owned housing, with private equity firms owning roughly 25% of the single-family rental market in the city. Mayor Dickens endorsed and helped tout the measure, stating it complements local city efforts to create affordable, equitable housing.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026 Con’t from page 06
A Goodbye To Co-Op, As WestConn-Bound Musicians Serenade Sherman's Alley into a rash—Gordillo loved the sound, and stuck with it even through the discomfort (she now plays with a gold-plated lip plate). By middle school, she had also picked up the piano, and was interested in the alto sax. So when she arrived at Co-Op her freshman year, she was excited to learn with Smith and Chasen. It turned out that the feeling was mutual: both teachers saw someone who, from day one, was eager to soak up new musical knowledge, and share it with her peers. By her junior year, Chasen had gotten her a gig teaching piano at ARTE, which she loved. Like Martinez, she thinks about the power of being an educator of color and a first-generation college student in the classroom. In addition to her nickel allergy, Gordillo has dealt with a “difficult braces process” that sometimes makes it painful to practice or perform. It helps her relate to kids going through some of the same things, she said. “Keyla, I feel like, was born to be a teacher,” Chasen said. In and out of the classroom, he sees how nurturing she is with her peers, some of whom refer to her as a big sister or even their musical mom. Scarlett Ardon, a rising sophomore at the school who sat beside her in the pit orchestra for Chicago, is one of those students, who joked during the performance that she didn’t know what she was going to do when Gordillo graduated. “It’s very bittersweet!” Gordillo said. “I’ve known them for like four years now and I have to get out of that comfort zone. I’m ready to start going on that path for music education but I’m not ready to leave them.” Dyer, a violist who started on the guitar, and then moved to the viola, at Music Haven, was feeling equally bittersweet as he wrapped up the set, and prepared to head back to Co-Op’s College Street building. His freshman year, Dyer attended James Hillhouse High School, but grieved the lack of a school orchestra or a place for string musicians in the band. His sophomore year, he transferred into Co-Op as a theater student. But theater wasn’t the right fit. Two weeks in, former Arts Director Amy Migliore scooped him up and brought him to Chasen’s room. They clicked immediately: in Dyer, Chasen met one of the most dedicated students he’s had. By the beginning of this academic year, Dyer was teaching a “small music class” at Music Haven for elementary school students, where they could learn about rhythm and note reading. “I feel like they [educators] really taught me how to practice,” Dyer said. “How to dissect music, how to appreciate it. I really want to pass that on.” Leaving, he added, “hasn’t hit me yet.” “Legend has always been very diligent and very meticulous,” Chasen said, prais-
ing his work both in the orchestra and AP Music Theory, which he took his junior year with Smith. “He’s very charismatic but soft-spoken, a very positive, upbeat kind of kid.” Just minutes before, a person could see that playing out in real time, notes unspooling in the rising heat as students practiced stepping into a solo, and then ceding the floor to their fellow artists. As Okwuosa and student musicians turned their sheet music to Erroll Garner’s “Misty” (the lyrics, by Johnny Burke, may have been made most famous by Ella Fitzgerald in 1960), Okwuosa carried the tune, brass and keys winding around her voice. For a moment, it was as though the brass instruments were a tight-knit locomotive of sound, moving forward with a kind of slow, unphased pace. On trombone, junior Rachel Collins let the instrument growl and melt all at once, the sound smooth and low-bellied as it filled up the space. Beneath trumpet, alto sax Martinez and Canon Brown came in, their woodwinds singing with the panache of brass and the smolder of a slow jam. Then at the mention of her name—“Maya!” Chasen called out from somewhere across Sherman’s Alley—Martinez swayed in time with the music, the notes crisp as keys grew quieter, subdued beneath the sound. Then just as quickly, it was Collins' turn. “Rachel!” Chasen cried, and she stepped in and took over, her long denim skirt moving in time with the sound. It seemed, for a moment, that they could keep going for hours. King Kenney, who opened GRAILS in October of last year, said he was more than happy to help open the nearby alleyway space to Chasen (a jazz band would not fit in his shop itself, which is on the basement level of 1020 Chapel St.) after he heard about the idea. Since September, Chasen and his colleagues in the music department—that’s Dominguez, as well as strings teacher Henry Lugo and choir director Jaminda Blackmon—have been working to get music students out into the community, with pop-up concerts that have traveled from College Street to IKEA. For Kenney, it’s like welcoming musical family: a lot of Co-Op’s music students hang out at GRAILS when they get out of school, as do many of their peers from ACES Educational Center for the Arts. Kenney has loved getting to know them in the past year. So “when Co-Op reached out, I was like, ‘We’re gonna make this work.’” And he did: Union League, which the alleyway is next to, doesn’t open until four. “Salute to their parents, these are some of the most respectful young people I’ve ever met,” he said. “They hang out, they do homework, they draw … they’ve embraced the space. This is, like, an extension of what they’re trying to do. It’s brought me some joy.”
Con’t from page 02
Caribbean
“She’s incredible!” Sorrels said afterwards, still smiling from watching Gardner set an ebullient tone for the afternoon. “We’re working really hard to make sure she believes in herself—it’s about being confident enough to stand onstage and own who she is as an artist.” As they applauded behind all make and manner of sequins, large, bright feathers and beaded shoulder- and headpieces, Wyldfyre Mas’ Cleve Cooper and Stacy Samuel beamed, welcoming attendees to their station as they spoke about their native Trinidad and Tobago, and ability to teach people about West Indian traditions through fashion, food, art and literature. Every so often, they paused to look out at the stage, where a rotating door of acts had begun to perform. “It’s about being able to share culture and heritage,” said Cooper, who grew up Mayaro, in Trinidad and Tobago, and adored celebrations of Mas. “I always loved the culture of Carnival, of dressing up … it was something I wanted to do.” When Cooper moved to Connecticut in 2005, then just 24 years old and brand new to life as an immigrant, he held onto that love for Trinidadian arts and culture. Now, he works closely with designers on the costumes, and with Wyldfyre organizers like Samuel on planning events. “We’re sharing our culture with them and trying to create a legacy,” Samuel added. As Jamaica-raised Facey kept the momentum going onstage, twin sisters Jerry and Jailyn Ram said they were both there to support their family’s heritage, with parents who hail from Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. While the two are based just a town away in Orange, both said it was their first festival. When they heard that artist Denise Belfon would be playing the Green later in the night, both gasped and dissolved into giggles. Jerry suggested that they text their mom, to see if the family could stay for the concert. “It’s about keeping it [heritage] alive and passing it on to our children,” Jailyn said. “It’s nice to see the representation.” Scenes from the afternoon and evening, including Elisha Hazel of Ninth Square Caribbean (second photo from top). "It's important to celebrate our culture!" she said when asked what brings her back as a vendor every year. "It's important to share our music, our food, our history, our culture." She added that many people don't know how much of Jamaican food is plant-based, or how delicious plantbased food can be. Part of her work is to spread awareness. Beneath her photo is La’riah Norman and Damon Cuamatzi.
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Rina Banerjee
Take me, take me, take me . . . to the Palace of love through september 13, 2026
1080 Chapel Street New Haven, CT 06520
britishart.yale.edu @yalebritishart
Rina Banerjee, Take me, take me, take me . . . to the Palace of love, 2003, plastic, antique Anglo-Indian Bombay dark wood chair, steel and copper framework, floral picks, foam balls, cowrie shells, quilting pins, red colored moss, antique stone globe, glass, synthetic fabric, shells, fake birds, Yale Center for British Art, purchased through the generosity of Allison K. and Larry Berg; Laura and James Duncan, Yale BA 1975; Adam R. Rose, Yale BA 1981 and Peter R. McQuillan; and Yale University Art Gallery, Heinz Family Fund © The Artist. Photo: Richard Caspole
Park Here, Go Anywhere. ParkNewHaven.com
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
REV. AL SHARPTON AND NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK (NAN) PARTNER WITH THE KING FAMILY AND
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE “MARCH ON WASHINGTON 2026: DEFEND THE VOTE” NAN to Be Joined by Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and the Drum Major Institute, Alongside a Growing Coalition of Labor, Civil Rights, and Community Partners in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 2026
New York, NY (July 14, 2026) – National Action Network (NAN) Founder and President Rev. Al Sharpton, together with Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and the Drum Major Institute and other partners, announced “March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote,” to be held in Washington, D.C. on Friday, August 28, 2026, the 63rd anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. A growing coalition of national partners has already confirmed its participation, including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), the National Urban League (NUL), the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), UnidosUS, the Working Families Party, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyer's Committee), and Veterans Equity Project, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Common Cause, People Power United, United For Democracy, Vote.org, Family Equality, In the Public Square, Bet Mishpachah, Faith in Action Fund, Faith in Action National Network, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), the Interfaith Alliance, and
multiple houses of worship. The Honorable Yvette Clarke, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, will be joined by a delegation of Members at the march, and additional partners will be announced in the coming weeks. Sixty-three years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and declared his dream for America, the fundamental right at the heart of that dream, the right to vote, is once again under direct assault. The 2026 March on Washington comes at a moment of profound urgency, following the United States Supreme Court’s decision to gut Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a ruling Rev. Sharpton has called “a bullet in the heart of the voting rights movement.” “Defending the vote means defending the foundation of our democracy,” said Martin Luther King III. “Sixty-three years after my father stood at the Lincoln Memorial, we are called to march again, not only in remembrance, but in action.”
zation that brings together labor, clergy, youth organizers, and community leaders around three shared goals: defending voting rights, securing economic dignity, and ensuring affordability for everyday people. While the defense of the vote stands at the center of this intergenerational call to action, the march unites Americans across movements to confront the systemic rollback of civil rights at this critical moment. Each organization marches under its own banner, grounded in its own convictions, toward these common goals. Under the banner “Defend the Vote,” this year’s march will bring together civil rights leaders, faith communities, organizers, and Americans from every corner of the country to demand the protection and restoration of voting rights for all citizens. It is both a commemoration of the legacy of those who marched in 1963 and a call to action to protect the gains they fought, bled, and died to secure. Registration for March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote is now open. Supporters from across the country are encouraged to register today at the National Action Network website. Additional details, including program information, speakers, and participating partners, will be announced in the weeks ahead. WHEN - Friday, August 28, 2026 WHERE - Washington, D.C. (Specific location to be announced) HOW TO REGISTER - Register now at www. nationalactionnetwork.net
“The March on Washington 2026 is a moral call to protect democracy for every generation,” said Arndrea Waters King. “We march to defend the vote, honor those who sacrificed for it, and ensure that every voice is protected.” Co-chaired by Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and Arndrea Waters King, the March on Washington: Defend the Vote is a nonpartisan, unified mobili-
Home Buying in Harlem Be Prepared to Buy Now by Rev. Dr. Charles Butler By Charles Butler Source: Black Press USA Wire Housing market values are soaring higher. Interest rates are hovering around 6.5%. There is limited affordable housing available in the community. None of these issues are surprising. The question that remains on the minds of most prospective first-time home buyers is simply this – “Who can afford to buy a home in Harlem?” This is the question that members attending my first-time home-buying workshop asked. I’m sure by now the frustration level of many prospective buyers has boiled over. The bitter reality of not being able to purchase a home in your own neighborhood is difficult to accept. But you can change your reality. You do not need to accept this outcome. With determination, homeownership in Harlem can happen! Understand that the challenge of completing the home-buying process is difficult. For African American families, it has always been difficult. Although fair housing laws have been put in place by the government, racism and discrimination still exist in this country. I know many prospective buyers who are ‘mortgage ready,’ meaning they have
an adequate amount of money saved for the down payment and closing costs and a solid credit history, but are unable to purchase because they were declined for a mortgage. The reason is that they cannot find anything they can comfortably
afford in Harlem. The bottom line is their pre-approval amounts are not high enough to purchase most properties in Harlem. They are effectively being priced out of the market. So, what can you do to buy a home in
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Harlem? It will not be easy, but if you want to own property in this community, you will need to do the following: (1) save more money. To have a comfortable mortgage payment, put at least 20-25% down.
This will mean you must begin aggressively saving as much money as you can each month. Eliminate all wasteful spending. Set a goal to save at least 15% of your monthly income each month. Stay focused on completing the home buying process. (2) Think about taking a part-time job or developing a talent/skill to create additional monthly income. Since the home values are high, much more money is needed for the purchase. So, what can you do to earn more money? Consider starting a business. (3) Consider purchasing a home with trusted family members or friends. There is strength in numbers. You may need to include some additional buyers on the mortgage to be approved for the larger home values. I am seeing a recent trend of family members combining their incomes and resources just to purchase homes in Harlem. This strategy can work, allowing low- to moderate-income families to achieve their dream of homeownership. If you are interested in attending the workshop or have questions regarding the home buying process, contact Rev. Dr. Charles Butler at (212) 281- 4887 ext. 231or email at cbutler@hcci.org. Based on reporting by Harlem Communi-
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
LaRosa Earth Group LLC, a Site/Excavation Company, is currently looking to add the following full-time positions to our Team:
Listing: HVAC Apprentice Level 1 Opening for a full time HVAC Apprentice Level 1. Candidate must possess a technical school certificate in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, oil, propane and natural gas. Must be detail oriented and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or emailHRDept@eastriverenergy.com
Heavy Equipment Operators Skilled Laborers Please submit resumes to HR@LAROSABG.COM or stop by our main office to fill out an application: 163 Research Parkway Meriden, CT. Salary will be commensurate with experience and best fit for the positions. Health plan; 401K; company-paid holidays in addition to paid time off.
**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled and Veterans**
Listing: Part-Time Class A Driver
LaRosa Groups is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer who values diversity and encourages all qualified applicants to apply.
Opening for a Class A Part-Time driver for petroleum/asphalt/like products deliveries for nights and weekends. Previous experience required. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email: hrdept@eastriverenergy.com
Request for Qualifications The South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) seeks the services of one or more consultants for the following transportation planning studies during the 2026 and 2027 Fiscal Years (July 1, 2025June 30, 2027): Metropolitan Transportation Plan Update and Local Bridge Inspection Study. Responses are due by June 2, 2026 (12 noon local time). Selected firms will be interviewed on June 9, 2026. 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) 4668623 with any questions.
***An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Disabled & Veterans***
Exp. Layout person. Send resume jillherbert@gwfabrica=on.com Members of the public are invited to
CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
UNION CONTRACTOR SEEKS:
VIRTUAL PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING
Construction Equipment Mechanic (preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment) We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Job is in Bloomfield, CT.
State Project No. 0173-0551 Traffic Control Signal Replacements in Southwestern Connecticut (East Haven, Fairfield, Milford, North Haven, Norwalk, Trumbull, Wallingford, West Haven, and Westport)
Contact: Tom Dunay Phone: 860-243-2300 Ext. 122 Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com
Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators (must have current licensing and a clean driving record; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY)
Learn More: portal.ct.gov/DOTSouthwestCT0173-0551 The purpose of this meeting is to provide the community with an opportunity to learn about the proposed project and allow an open discussion of any views and comments concerning the proposed improvements. A Q&A session will immediately follow the presentation. The purpose of this project is to replace aging and outdated traffic control signal infrastructure with new equipment to current standards in order to maintain reliable operation at project intersections throughout Southwestern Connecticut.
Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860-243-2300 Ext. 133 Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com
There is potential for right-of-way impacts around new signal equipment and newly installed sidewalks at some project intersections.
Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment
Construction is expected to start spring 2028, depending on funding, right-of-way acquisition, and permits. The estimated cost is $18 million with 100% state funds.
(must have a class A CDL license with Tank Endorsement and a clean driving record; be capable of operating heavy equipment and willing to travel throughout the Northeast and NY)
The public can submit comments and questions during the two-week public comment period following the meeting. Please direct comments and questions by Tuesday, July 28, 2026, to Kaethe Podgorski at DOTSignalReplacements@ct.gov or 860-594-2189.
Contact: Brian McKee Phone: 860-558-6189 Email: bmckee@garrityasphalt.com
ACCESSIBILITY The recording will be posted following the meeting in CTDOT’s public meeting playlist at portal.ct.gov/ctdotVPIMarchive. For audio only, call 877-853-5257 with Meeting ID 891 8729 7077. Project information can be mailed within one week by contacting Kaethe Podgorski at DOTSignalReplacements@ct.gov or 860-594-2189.
• We offer Excellent hourly rates and benefits. • Women and Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply. • Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer
Individuals with hearing/speech disabilities can dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). Request language assistance from CTDOT’s Language Assistance at 860-594-2109 at least five business days before meeting.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
RFP Site-Civil Engineering Services 26 Monroe Street, Norwalk, CT
The Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities
Sound Communities Inc., an affiliate of the Norwalk Housing Authority, and its development partner National Housing Trust are seeking proposals from qualified site-civil engineering firms for a multi-phase, transit-oriented, mixed-use affordable housing development at 26 Monroe Street, adjacent to the South Norwalk Metro-North Station. The project is anticipated to yield approximately 200 units across two phases, with ground-floor office space, community amenities, and a public plaza component. Firms must have demonstrated experience in site planning, urban infrastructure, zoning, and multifamily or mixed-use development in Norwalk or Fairfield County. Full RFP is advertised on Norwalk Housing Authority website. NHA and Sound Communities are Equal Opportunity Employers.
Request for Qualifications Architectural Engineering Services for the Clock Factory The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities acting through its instrumentality, The Glendower Group, Inc. Is soliciting request for qualifications (“RFQ”) for selection of a qualified and experienced A & E Firm to serve as the Project Architect for the Clock Factory. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from New Haven Housing Authority Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/ gateway beginning on
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 3:00PM.
Submission Deadline: July 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM EST
Email only. No hard copies. Questions accepted through July 17, 2026 The Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities
Contact: Leala Marlin, Development Project Manager lmarlin@soundcommunitiesct.org
Request for Proposals (RFP) Construction Manager at Risk (CM@R) Construction Manager at Risk (CM@R) Clock Factory Redevelopment
LEGAL NOTICE
The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities acting through its instrumentality, The Glendower Group, Inc. in partnership with the City of New Haven (the "City") as Co-Applicant and Neighborhood Implementation Entity, is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP). for selection of a qualified and experienced CM@R Firm to serve as the Project Manager for the Clock Factory Redevelopment. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from New Haven Housing Authority Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Special Inspection Services Leroy Downs Apartments — 8 Chestnut Street, Norwalk, CT Sound Communities Inc., an affiliate of the Norwalk Housing Authority, invites proposals from qualified Special Inspection agencies to provide special inspection and materials testing services for Leroy Downs Apartments, a proposed 7-story, 68-unit cross-laminated timber (CLT) mixeduse affordable housing development in Norwalk, Connecticut. Required inspection categories include Cast-in-Place Concrete, Structural Steel, Cold-Formed Steel Framing, Spray Fire Resistant Material (SFRM), Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), Mechanical & Electrical Systems, and Air Barrier / Air Leakage testing. The project is funded through the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) and CT Department of Housing (CT DOH). This is a prevailing wage, tax-exempt project.
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 3:00PM.
Proposals are due no later than July 17th at 5:00 PM EST and must be submitted via email to sstewart@soundcommunitiesct.org.
360 Management Group
Request for Information: No Later than July 10th, 2026 The complete RFP may be obtained by contacting Sophie Stewart, Project Coordinator, at sstewart@soundcommunitiesct.org. Firms with CLT/mass timber special inspection experience are strongly encouraged to respond. Small, minority-, and women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond.
Invitation for Bids
Extermination Services
Norwalk Housing and Sound Communities are Equal Opportunity Employers
360 Management Group is currently seeking bids from qualified contractors to perform Extermination Services Agencywide. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on
SOUND COMMUNITIES INC.
An Affiliate of the Norwalk Housing Authority
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS / PROPOSALS
Architectural Services — 25 Leonard Street, Norwalk, CT Sound Communities Inc., an affiliate of the Norwalk Housing Authority, is soliciting proposals from architectural firms with experience in affordable multifamily housing for a proposed 12-unit, 3-story new construction residential development at 25 Leonard Street, Norwalk, CT.
June 8, 2026, at 3:00PM.
Galasso Materials LLC,
The selected Architect of Record will provide services from schematic design through site plan approval) and through construction document completion and contract administration.
a quarry and paving contractor, has positions open for the upcoming construction season. We are seeking candidates for a variety of positions, including: Scalehouse Dispatcher/ Equipment Operators and Laborers. NO PHONE CALLS. Please mail resume and cover letter to “Hiring Manager”, Galasso Materials LLC, PO Box 1776, East Granby CT 06026. Galasso Materials is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion,
RFQ Release date: June 26th, 2026 RFQ Deadline: July 3rd, 2026
Submission Deadline: Friday, July 17th, 2026, at 5:00PM
The RFP and all submission requirements are available by contacting Sophie Stewart at sstewart@soundcommunitiesct.org. Proposals must be submitted by email only. No hard copies will be accepted.
sex, orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
The Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities
VIDEO TECHNICIAN I (PART-TIME)
Request for Qualifications Architectural Engineering Services for Westville Manor Development
The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for Video Technician I (Part-Time). Wages: $20.00 to $22.00 hourly. For additional information and to apply online by the July 6th, 2026 closing date 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
The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities acting through its instrumentality, The Glendower Group, Inc. Is soliciting request for qualifications (“RFQ”) for selection of a qualified and experienced A & E Firm to serve as the Project Architect for the Westville Manor Development. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from New Haven Housing Authority Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on
Request for Qualifications
Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 3:00PM.
HVAC Tradesman
The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for an HVAC Tradesman. Wages: $31.22 to $40.23 hourly. For additional information and to apply online by the closing date June 8, 2026, 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
Members of the public are invited to
CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION VIRTUAL PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING
The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Connecticut Careers Trainee, target class Planning Analyst in the Intergovernmental Policy and 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= 260427&R2=2292AR&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.
State Project No. 0173-0549 Accessible Pedestrian Signal Upgrades in Southern Connecticut (Branford, Bridgeport, Darien, Guilford, Milford, New Haven, North Haven, Norwalk, Orange, Trumbull, Wallingford, West Haven, and Woodbridge) Thursday, July 30, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Attend & Learn More: portal.ct.gov/DOTSouthernCT0173-0549 The purpose of this meeting is to provide the community with an opportunity to learn about the proposed project and allow an open discussion of any views and comments concerning the proposed improvements. A Q&A session will immediately follow the presentation. These upgrades will enhance safety at several traffic signals for both pedestrians and vehicles. Right-of-way impacts are expected to be minimal at some project intersections. Construction is expected to start in 2028, depending on funding, right-of-way acquisition, and permits. The estimated cost is approximately $6 million, with 90% federal funds and 10% state funds. The public can submit comments and questions during the two-week public comment period following the meeting. Direct comments and questions by Thursday, August 13, 2026, to Balazs Szoke at DOTProject0173-0549@ct.gov or 860-594-2020. Please reference Project No. 01730549 in the email or voicemail. ACCESSIBILITY Non-English language closed captioning will be available on Zoom. The recording will also be posted following the meeting in CTDOT’s public meeting playlist at portal.ct.gov/ctdotVPIMarchive. For audio only, call 877-853-5257 with Meeting ID 898 8238 8755. Project information can be mailed within one week by contacting Balazs Szoke at DOTProject0173-0549@ct.gov or 860-594-2745. Individuals with hearing/speech disabilities can dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). Request language assistance from CTDOT’s Language Assistance at 860-594-2109 at least five business days before meeting.
POLICE OFFICER ENTRY LEVEL City of Bristol $78,813/yr. Required testing, general info, and apply online: www.bristolct.gov DEADLINE: 12-07-25 EOE
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The South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) seeks the services of one or more consultants for the following transportation planning studies during the 2026 and 2027 Fiscal Years (July 1, 2025June 30, 2027): Hamden Ridge Road Safety Study and On-call Technical Support Services. Responses are due by June 2, 2026 (12 noon local time). Selected firms will be interviewed on June 9, 2026. 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 203-4668623 with any questions.
Water Treatment Pumping Operator I
The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for Water Treatment Pumping Operator I. Wages: $30.35 to $36.64 hourly. For additional information and to apply online by the April 20, 2026 closing date 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
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 15, 2026 - July 21, 2026
COMMENATARY:
Blackfolk, Is It Past Time for an Exit Strategy?
By Aswad Walker | Houston Defender Source: Black Press USA Wire We have arrived at a terrifyingly familiar crossroads. Over the last year and a half, the current administration has executed its Project 2025 playbook to a tee, systematically dismantling the civil rights progress and hard-won gains of the past 60-plus years. With every branch of the federal government aligned with this anti-Black program—and a majority of state governors and state supreme courts nodding in lockstep—the illusion of permanent legal protection has shattered. The worst thing Blackfolk can do right now is assume that everything will “automagically” improve. History is screaming a different story. If we look closely at the repeating loops of the American experiment, we must ask an uncomfortable, urgent question: Is it past time for an exit strategy? Historically, every single time Black people have fought, bled, and successfully forced this country to pivot away from its white supremacist foundations, a radical, violent political pushback has followed. The Reconstruction Precedent: After the abolition of slavery and the brief radiance of Reconstruction, the white backlash plunged Black America into Jim Crow—a violent rollback of rights that lasted roughly a century. The Modern Regression: The monumental gains of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements are being erased right in front of our eyes. In truth, the efforts to dismantle these wins didn’t start recently; they began while the ink on the Voting Rights Act was still wet. Historians and social commentators
manity rather than criminalize it. But how many of us have the economic capacity to make such a move? On the flip side, how many of us can afford to stay in the U.S. with anti-Blackness rising exponentially daily? Option 2: Economic secession (systemic exit) For others, the best exit strategy isn’t physical relocation, but a deliberate exit from America’s economic and social systems. This means creating our own self-reliant, self-determining networks right here. It looks like building independent food supply chains, autonomous security apparatuses, private educational institutions, and closed-loop economic systems. It’s the practice of being in America without being dependent on it. Multiple Black Power Movement members back in the 1960s and 70s called that creating a “nation within a nation.” The danger of assuming “It can’t happen here”
today predict that it will take anywhere from 60 to 100 years for Black people living today to fully recover the legal protections, economic ground, and civil rights being stolen from us right now. That means the bitter, unvarnished truth is that most of us living today will not see better days in our lifetime. If that’s true, why are we still organizing, marching, and voting with the exact same playbook and goals as before? We already know how that story ends: Anti-Black forces will always meet our ap-
peals for justice with violent, economic, and political rollbacks. We need a new approach. A 21st-century Underground Railroad For months, national thought leader Lurie Daniel Favors has implored Black people and organizations to stop reacting defensively and start creating the framework for a “21st-century Underground Railroad.” This wouldn’t be a literal trail through the woods, but a sophisticated, underground network designed to allow Black people to escape systemic oppression, pool re-
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sources, and find genuine freedom. But what does a modern exit strategy even look like? The options generally split into two distinct paths: The physical exit and the systemic exit. “If hereditary bondmen would be free, they must themselves strike the blow… use every means—moral, intellectual, and physical—that promises success,” said the illustrious and under-appreciated Black liberation theologian Henry Highland Garnet, in his Address to the Slaves of the United States, given during the National Negro Convention of 1843. Garnet called for open rebellion against slavery. His idea for an “exit strategy” failed by one vote of being endorsed by the convention. Option 1: The expatriate route (physical exit) For some, the answer lies in leaving the United States entirely. This is not a new impulse. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Black intellectuals and colonization societies led by figures like Alexander Crummell, Garnet, and Martin Delany argued that Black humanity, creativity, and intellect could never fully flourish on a soil so deeply poisoned by anti-Blackness. Crummell actively championed emigration, believing that building up self-determining communities elsewhere was a far nobler use of Black genius than begging for citizenship from a nation that despised them. In 2026, the expatriate route means looking toward West African countries (such as Ghana, with its continued “Year of Return” initiatives), parts of the Caribbean, or European hubs that offer a lower baseline of anti-Blackness. The goal is to relocate to societies that welcome our hu-
This is not a message of gloom and doom; it is an urgent wake-up call. Global history is littered with stories of “othered” groups whose rights were slowly, methodically eroded by the dominant society. In almost every instance—from pre-WWII Europe to various global genocides—the erosion of rights started slowly, and then accelerated so fast that it appeared to come out of nowhere. In every single one of those historical tragedies, there was always a small, prophetic minority calling for an exit strategy. And in every instance, the vast majority of the oppressed group pushed back, insisting that conditions could never get that bad. Until they did. Activating the exit We don’t need a singular, definitive answer today, but we absolutely must begin organizing around the possibilities. Blackfolk need to take concrete steps immediately: Assess and Resource: Black organizations and individuals must audit their assets, identifying who has the means, dual citizenships, or remote capabilities to pivot. Build the Infrastructure: We must fund the infrastructure for both paths—supporting those who choose to build autonomous zones of survival in the States, and establishing legal and financial pipelines for those who choose to leave. Normalize the Conversation: We must strip away the stigma of “giving up” on America. Leaving a burning house isn’t cowardice; it’s intelligence. We can no longer afford the luxury of hope without a contingency plan. Whether we choose to exit geographically or economically, we must build the backdoor now. History has shown us the script—it’s time we finally change our ending. Based on reporting by Jacksonville Free Press.
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