THE INNER-CITY NEWS

Guitar Hero Memories Shake Up The Shack

by Jisu Sheen

At 333 Valley St. in West Hills, even the chickens love music. On Tuesday afternoon, when Ward 30 Alder Honda Smith brought me to see the nine-strong flock in the backyard of intergenerational community center The Shack, the birds were getting their daily fix of 94.3 WYBC FM. As hens Helen, Aunt Shirley, and Chic Parm clucked around to the music, people inside swayed to their own beat: a stripped-down rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” Singer Ricky Alan Draughn spun his voice like a golden thread through The Shack as Jay Rowe leaned into the sparkle of his keys.

The performance was part of a leadup to the third annual tribute concert from organization Still in the Ville honoring Rohn Lawrence, a New Haven jazz, R&B, and pop guitar legend who passed away in 2021.

Lawrence’s tribute will be a return to one of his favorite venues, on Sept. 14 at Toad’s Place. Still in the Ville, run by Lawrence’s wife Jacqueline Buster, is digging deeper into its musical and community roots for this year’s show by announcing its new partnership with The Shack.

“Oh my god, this is the fit that we need,” Buster remembered thinking when she first considered The Shack as a partner. It’s a community resource that is “holistically taking care of people,” she said, as well as putting music at the forefront every step of the way. This year, the annual concert will become a fundraiser for The Shack as they build their new recording studio and continue developing their youth and senior programs.

Buster brought me through the different rooms of the building, showing me the construction site of the new studio as well as a theater area and a spot for podcast production.

The Shack is an ongoing dream for Alder Smith (the 2022 New Havener of the Year). She remembers waiting for the opportunity to launch it and “revitalize it the way that I choose,” which she did five years ago. What used to live in the neighborhood’s memory as a center for

early youth decades ago was reimagined in Smith’s hands as a music-focused community center for seniors and teens.

And for those in between, there are moments like Draughn and Rowe’s music magic.

“This is early for me,” Draughn said of

his time at the mic. He said he’s used to singing later in the evenings, “everywhere, everywhere” in the city and beyond. As one of Lawrence’s close friends, Draughn will be part of the tribute show on Sept. 14.

There was no set lineup for the after-

noon; instead, the preview show had more of the feel of a jam. People egged each other on to perform, even nudging Buster to stop running the show and get on the mic.

I might have guessed from the way they closed their eyes to feel the music, but a couple audience members sitting near the front were from that same musical inner circle: in fact, they were from Lawrence’s band.

Andre Danford played percussion and background vocals for four years with Lawrence. Trever Somerville, the “baby of the bunch,” was only around 18 or 19 when he joined the band as Lawrence’s drummer over two decades ago.

When I asked if Somerville’s bandmates treated him like the baby, he said, “They couldn’t, because I’m an old soul.”

As I chatted with Buster about the partnership between Still in the Ville and The Shack, a red shirt caught my eye. In between the words “In Loving Memory” and “Rohn Lawrence” was a large print of Lawrence himself. The wearer was Lawrence’s longtime DJ and mentee, David Chambers.

Chambers, along with Danford and Somerville, will all be at the Toad’s Place tribute show on the 14th. Hosting the concert will be producer and radio personality Veronica Douglas-Givan, also in attendance at Tuesday’s gathering. In an all polka-dot suit, she clapped along as the performers showed their chops.

“I think it’s awesome, the talent that we have both local and national,” Douglas-Givan said. She hopes the tribute will “send a message to the city that Rohn Lawrence’s music will live forever,” and that it will let the next generation know that “anything is possible.”

Tags: Rohn Lawrence Honda Smith The Shack

Neighborhood Leaders Sought

by Paul Bass

A call is out to help grassroots leaders get new projects going in their neighborhoods.

The call comes from the Neighborhood Leadership Program (NLP), run through the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (CFGNH). NLP is inviting people to apply for 12 – 15 slots in the class of the 2025 – 26 edition of the annual program. (Find out more here, including how to register for a Sept. 3 information session from 6 – 9 p.m.)

NLP gathers each class for monthly sessions about how to develop ideas for community projects in New Haven, West Haven, East Haven, or Hamden.

The program also offers grants for those projects. Over the years it has helped support people who create murals, serve food on the Green and in elderly communities, and run literacy programs. Programs like Collab, Kulturally Lit and Fixing Fathers grew out of NLP. IfeMichelle Gardin, a former NLP participant who founded Kulturally Lit, now serves as one of the program’s co-facilitators. She and CFGNH Director of Strategic Partnerships Lee Cruz, who created NLP in 2008, spoke Thursday about the program’s history and the upcoming session, during a discussion on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program.

Paul Bass Photo Neighborhood leader-seekers Lee Cruz and IfeMichelle Gardin at

Jacqueline Buster beams, describing how she found the perfect organizational partner to help honor her late life partner. Jay Rowe hits just the right note—and several more, while he's at it.

Trever Somerville (left) and Andre Danford feel the music.

David Chambers, dressed for the occasion.

WNHH FM.

The New Haven independent

The New Haven independent

MAYOR ELICKER AND EVENT ORGANIZERS TO PROMOTE AND PREVIEW THE 10TH ANNUAL NEW HAVEN GRAND PRIX CYCLING RACE AND APIZZA FEAST STREET

FESTIVAL ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

This year, New Haven attempting to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the largest pizza party, with over 4,000 people registered to date.

NEW HAVEN, CT – On Thursday morning on the New Haven Green, Mayor Justin Elicker will be joined by Brian Wolfe, Executive Director of Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program (CCAP), and Colin Caplan, founder of Taste of New Haven, along with other city and civic leaders to promote and preview the tenth annual New Haven Grand Prix and theA-1 Toyota Apizza Feast (“AH-beetz Feast”) in Downtown New Haven. Officials and event organizers will provide details about the bicycle race, street and food festival, road closures, and New Haven's ambitious attempt to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Largest Pizza Party— all taking place Friday, September 12th, from 4 to 10 p.m.

As CCAP notes, "this isn't your ordinary bike race or street festival." The New Haven Grand Prix offers residents and visitors the opportunity to witness top professional and amateur cyclists compete in eight races along a four-corner route around the New Haven Green, reaching speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, while celebrating New Haven's renowned food and nightlife scene. The cycling competition happens alongside the A-1 Toyota Apizza Feast, organized by Taste of New

Haven, which creates a family-friendly block party atmosphere with live entertainment, wine and local craft beer gardens, and over 50 vendors offering pizza, food, and other items.

This year's main event is New Haven's effort to break the current GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Largest Pizza Party. Led by New Haven pizza aficionado Colin Caplan, the record attempt

will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on the New Haven Green, coinciding with the A-1 Toyota Apizza Feast at The New Haven Grand Prix.

New Haven plans to host a pizza party

for up to 5,000 people, aiming to break the current record of 3,357 set in 2023 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Attendees will get early access to the Apizza Feast, which opens to the public at 7 p.m. According to GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS rules, each of the up to 5,000 participants must eat at least two slices of pizza while being observed to ensure proper counting, documentation, and authentication. The event will be immediately disqualified if 10% of the pizza party attendees leave during the three-hour window.

Tickets for the pizza party are now available at tasteofnewhaven.com/apizzafeast. Prices range from $17 for kids (under 18) to $22 for adults and include two slices of pizza, a bottle of water, and a drink ticket. Registration for the Grand Prix will remain open through race day at bikereg. com/the-new-haven-grand-prix.

The Grand Prix and the Apizza Feast are returning to New Haven for their tenth year and are expected to attract between 10,000 and 15,000 attendees. Besides the entertainment, the festival acts as a fundraiser for CCAP, a nonprofit organization that offers youth opportunities to learn and succeed through cycling across Connecticut.

Golf Carts Usher In Early Voting

by Thomas Breen

Lisa Velasquez cast her ballot on the first day of early voting at City Hall Tuesday afternoon before hopping into a golf cart powered by the aldermanic candidate of her choice to be ferried back to her home in the Hill.

Velasquez was one of 22 New Haveners, as of 3:45 p.m., to vote on the second floor of City Hall Tuesday for the first day of early voting in the Sept. 9 Democratic Party primaries.

Registered Democrats in Downtown/ Yale’s Ward 1, the Hill’s Ward 3, and Morris Cove’s Ward 18 can cast ballots for their preferred Democratic nominee for alder starting Tuesday.

Democratic Registrar of Voters Shannell Evans explained that early voting will be available on the second floor of City Hall and at Southern Connecticut State University’s campus at 320 Fitch St. Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, or from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They can also vote on primary day itself on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at their respective ward’s polling place.

According to election moderator Kevin Arnold, a total of 22 people had voted in the Democratic aldermanic primaries by 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. That included 16 votes in the Ward 3 rematch between in-

cumbent Democrat Angel Hubbard and challenger Miguel Pittman, and five votes in Ward 1’s race between Norah Laughter, Elias Theodore, and Rhea McTiernan Huge. No one had cast a ballot yet in the Ward 18 race between newcomers Leland Moore and Zelema Harris.

Velasquez, who lives on Elliot Street, said she’s known Pittman “for a very long time.”

“He’ll always try to help,” she said, regardless of who’s in need. “I trust him.”

She said she’d like the ward’s next alder to prioritize addressing the neighborhood’s struggles with homelessness. She’d also like to see schools better protected from random people walking in during the day. And she wants to see the old Strong School on Orchard Street put to productive use again, ideally as “something for the kids,” such as a hub for afterschool programs.

Velasquez said she voted on the first day of early voting instead on primary day itself because it’s “easier and faster” than having to wait in any line on primary day.

Pittman said he too voted on Tuesday. “You’ve got lead by example,” he said. If he’s going to be encouraging Ward 3 Democrats to cast their ballots early, a relatively new way of voting in Connecticut, then he should do so too.

He and his wife Sandra had two golf

carts, bearing “Vote Miguel Pittman Alder Ward 3” campaign signs, parked outside of City Hall on Church Street. He estimated that they’d ferried roughly eight supports to early voting so far. “We’re going to work this all week,” getting supporters to the polls to participate in early voting if they’d like, he said.

Reached by phone on Tuesday, Alder Hubbard, the endorsed Democratic nominee in this year’s Ward 3 contest, said she’s not voting early. Instead, she’ll be voting on Sept. 9, primary day itself, which she described as the “official election day.”

Hubbard described what a difficult personal time it’s been with the recent death of her mom. “I’m still in between being a grieving daughter and alder for Ward 3.” Nevertheless, she plans on pressing forward in the week ahead, talking to constituents and urging them to reelect her as alder.

She described the upcoming Democratic Primary for Ward 3 as “unfair” to the neighborhood’s voters, given that she is the endorsed Democratic candidate and Pittman, a registered Democrat, has been endorsed by the Republican and Independent Parties, thereby ensuring there will be a general election contest between the two on Nov. 4 even if Hubbard wins the primary. Pittman petitioned his way onto the Democratic primary ballot.

Candidate / Caddy Pittman, at the wheel: "We're going to work this all week."

Democratic Registrar of Voters Shannel Evans (left) at the early voting setup.

The New Haven independent

$5K Raised For Red Cross

by Lisa Reisman

There was the woman who lost everything in a blaze that devastated a Mandy Management apartment complex on Warner Street. The American Red Cross helped her find lodgings at a Clarion Inn.

There were the city officials and alders walking Dixwell and Newhallville with the American Red Cross in an effort to address vaccine hesitancy.

There was the shelter at Career High School set up by the Red Cross as Tropical Storm Henri bore down on the city “We fill gaps where other help isn’t available,” said Richard V. Branigan, CEO of the American Red Cross for Connecticut and Rhode Island, at a fundraiser in Guilford to ensure those services can continue.

That fundraiser took place at a private home on Thursday. The event raised more than $5,000 for the Red Cross.

Already this year, Red Cross volunteers have responded to 44 local emergencies in New Haven, mostly home fires, providing assistance to 91 families, including 171 adults and 50 children, according to the organization.

Those include the two-alarm fire in July that broke out at a three-family home on Dixwell; another fire, at a multi-family residence on Quinnipiac Avenue, in April that displaced 10 people; as well as a third in Fair Haven last September that spread to a next-door home, causing significant damage.

Most of its efforts among others this year, the installation of 90 smoke alarms in 24 homes; the 60 blood drives that collected more than 1,600 donations; and the training of over 1,400 residents in CPR, First Aid, and caregiving courses go unreported.

And that is OK with Branigan. “We provide the support and relief that no one talks about, that the press doesn’t cover,” he said, as two dozen guests enjoyed cocktails and appetizers in the cool late-August evening air.

Francine Sears, who hosted the event, pointed out that the Red Cross relies on public generosity for its operations. (Some of its revenue also comes from the sale of blood and blood products to hospitals.) “That’s where we come in,” said Sears, a member of the Tiffany Circle, a network of women leaders formed to ensure “the Red Cross has the means to help people prepare for and respond to life’s emergencies,” as its website reads. Sears highlighted the political neutrality of the Red Cross. “They show up in the

middle of chaos with blankets, bandages, grace and kindness,” she said, invoking American Red Cross founder Clara Barton, known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” for her work helping the wounded during the Civil War. “It doesn’t matter where you come from, what language you speak, they’re here for you.”

“We’re proud to stand with New Haven and remain committed to being ready, responsive, and compassionate whenever and wherever we’re needed,” Branigan, the CEO, said.

CONNECTICUT HOUSING PARTNERS FINALIZES PURCHASE OF FORMER HOLIDAY INN TO CREATE 97 AFFORDABLE HOMES IN BRIDGEPORT

Connecticut Housing Partners (CHP) and CT Department of Housing (DOH) are excited to announce the official closing for the purchase of the former Holiday Inn in downtown Bridgeport. The CT Dept of Housing provided $22 million in funding to convert what was once intended to be market rate housing into 97 new units that will be affordable for Bridgeport residents.

The redevelopment is a key milestone in CHP’s 35-year mission to provide safe, stable, and affordable homes for members of the workforce, seniors, veterans, and low-income individuals.

Once converted, all units will be affordable for households earning at or below 80% of the area median income. The mix will include 51 one-bedroom apartments and 46 two-bedroom apartments.

“This project is a beacon of what’s possible when community, government, and nonprofits work together. By converting the former Holiday Inn, we are creating nearly 100 affordable homes for members of the workforce in the heart of Bridgeport,” said Renée Dobos, CEO of Connecticut Housing Partners. “We’re also moving our own headquarters downtown. It’s a step that reflects our growth as an organization while expanding and maintaining affordable housing across the region.”

“This is another example of leveraging whatever tools we have available to make fast and creative decisions in order help our Connecticut residents get access to the housing they need,” said Connecticut Housing Commissioner,

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Seila Mosquera-Bruno. “These units were recently rehabbed for market rate rents, and by providing DOH resources, CHP was able to acquire the entire building and essentially save significant money in construction costs. In today’s market, construction of a new 97unit building would have costs double or perhaps more. We’re excited about this project and look forward to seeing its progress.”

With assistance from the Department of Housing, CHP will gradually transition the existing market-rate apartments to affordable units as they become available. The first floor of the building will be renovated into CHP’s new headquarters, a move that enhances their ability to serve residents while supporting their broader mission to grow, develop, and preserve affordable housing across the state. The Bridgeport headquarters will serve as both a hub for CHP’s statewide operations and a visible commitment to the city’s future.

For more information, please visit cthousingpartners.org.

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Red Cross supporter Francine Sears (second from left) and Richard Branigan, American Red Cross CEO in CT and RI Region, with Jane Sullivan (left) and Jacqueline Scheib (far right), Red Cross supporters.

The New Haven independent

All-Boys Charter School Opens On Dixwell

by Maya McFadden

The merger of Wexler-Grant and Lincoln-Bassett – plus the appeal of uniforms, smaller class sizes, and a single-sex student body led Tiffany Baines to send her son Royal to New Haven’s newest school this academic year, an all-boys charter school on Dixwell Avenue called Edmonds Cofield Preparatory Academy (ECPA).

Baines, a mother of three boys, and her son Tyrique “Royal” Noyan told the Independent on Wednesday that they’ve been loving the new school so far. Wednesday marked the school’s third day of classes. ECPA Dean of Student Affairs and Auxiliary Programs Tyree Hughey said that the school has 60 fifth and sixth graders enrolled so far.

While ECPA began its school year on Monday, New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) formally kicks off its academic year on Thursday.

The new all-boys charter school was founded by Rev. Boise Kimber, and operates out of rented space at a former school building at 794 Dixwell that is now owned by the children’s mental healthcare nonprofit Clifford Beers. Kimber first won permission from the state Board of Education back in March 2023 for an initial certification for the new charter school, which is named after two late New Haven Black community leaders, the Revs. Edwin Edmonds and Curtis Cofield.

Baines picked up her sixth-grader at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, as the school is scheduled to have early dismissals each day of its first week. She told the Independent about how supportive the school’s administration has been so far.

Baines said that one of the main reasons why she decided to enroll Royal at ECPA was because NHPS decided to close his former school, Wexler-Grant School on Foote Street in the Dixwell neighborhood, and merge it with Lincoln-Bassett School on Bassett Street in Newhallville, to create a single PreK 8 school based out of Bassett’s campus.

While she didn’t mind Bassett as a school, she said she worried about the neighborhood it’s in. That’s when she started looking into ECPA as an option. She struggled however to convince her son that it would be a good fit. He worried about being separated from his brother, who plans to attend the charter school Booker T Washington Academy this year.

Baines said she reached out to ECPA administrators for support. When she told them her son had some hesitancy about attending a new school without his brother, the school’s principal, W. Bilal Muhammed-El Shabazz, arranged a home visit to answer any of Royal’s questions about the school.

“He let my son know that separation from his brother is ok and just made him

more comfortable because they have both been close all their life,” she said. When asked how he feels about being apart from his brother now, three days into the 2025 – 26 school year, Royal said, “I don’t care now, it’s ok.”

Baines added that she has always wanted to try out an all-boys school that requires uniforms and “preps them to be gentlemen.”

She said she is a strong advocate of uniforms for youth. “It helps them focus rather than worrying about Jordan’s or the newest brands.” She added that she loves the small school setting and that the location is “perfect” because it’s five minutes away from some of her family as well as other resources.

She hopes that, while Royal attends ECPA, he’ll learn how to get along with other boys and find a “brotherhood” that will encourage him to seek out healthy friendships with other boys as he grows up.

Royal told the Independent Wednesday he enjoys lunch and recess and doesn’t mind the uniforms because they are comfortable. When comparing it to previously attending Wexler-Grant, he said the kids are nice and there are no fights so far. When one minor conflict came up Wednesday, Royal said the staff immediately encouraged the boys to talk it out.

After walking students to their buses Wednesday, Principal Muhammed-El Shabazz told the Independent the first two weeks at ECPA will focus on staff building bonds with the students and informing them of the academic standards and behavioral expectations for the year ahead.

When Muhammed-El Shabazz got the job to lead the new school he decided to move to Newhallville to be sure he was a part of the community he is working with. He said he’s going to focus this year on showing that ECPA is a community school that will teach its boys about brotherhood, leadership, and global innovation. “That’s our promise here. Community is at the forefront,” he said. He added that community walks were a part of the staff’s professional development to give those not living in New Haven context of what the community has to offer.

In a separate interview Wednesday, ECPA music theory and expression teacher Joshua Jenkins told the Independent that he has been teaching for more than a decade. He said teaching at an allboys school is a brand new experience for him.

As of Wednesday, Jenkins and his wife all of their belongings out of their apartment in Philadelphia, he previously worked as a teacher. He’s now moving to Hamden. This summer he was in search of a new work experience and applied to ECPA after learning about it on the job-posting Indeed.

He said three days in, his students have already displayed significant musical tal-

ent. So far, the main difference he’s noticed in teaching at a school with all boys is the students’ high energy.

“They are so much more focused without any distractions of showing off for girls,” he said.

He added that the boys are receptive to reminders like one he gave Wednesday, when his students were talking to each other with a lack of respect. He told them why it’s not ok to talk to their peers that way. He said it was a learning experience for his entire class.

As Jenkins and his students dive into learning instruments like the piano, drums, and flute, he said he’s already gotten requests for his class to host a talent show.

He said he looks forward to connecting further with the students because ECPA “is something that’s needed.”

ECPA English Language Arts teacher Sancia Morgan said on Wednesday that one of her top goals for the year is improving her students’ interest in reading and their abilities to connect their personal interests to her classroom. She created a reading nook in her classroom filled with books and graphic novels ranging from topics like Pokemon to robots to sports.

Morgan said at past schools she’s worked at, she’s had classrooms with as many as 34 students. Now at ECPA she has about 16 kids per class for her 50-minute ELA periods. Like other staffers, Morgan is spending the first weeks doing regular check-ins with her students and building up the classroom community to help them get to know each other and her.

“It’s great to see a brotherhood being built. That’s only going to get stronger here because they’ll be really on respecting each other and having fruitful conversations and debates,” she said.

Since getting the job she added that she has done research about the “disparity and big gap there is for literacy with boys compared to girls.”

She also said her students are high energy and said she plans to work off of that strength. She has students who like to walk around the classroom rather than sitting for the entire period. She has ideas already to host frequent gallery walks in her class to keep the students engaged. She spent a recent English period with her students having her students write on sticky notes about what helps them to learn with their peers and the teacher. Many students noted that they learn best when their peers are quiet and when the teacher is not stressed out. Another note stated they don’t learn when they’re mad and when their classmates distract them.

Maya McFadden Photo Tiffany Baines, with son Royal: Open to a school that preps boys "to be gentlemen."

Principal Muhammed (third from left) with ECPA educators.

Joshua Jenkins: This school is "something that’s needed."

Sancia Morgan in her ELA classroom.

The New Haven independent

CT Foodshare Getting Millions More From State To Help Fight Hunger

by Donald Eng

WALLINGFORD, CT — With Labor Day weekend marking the traditional back-to-school time, the change in routine can be stressful, according to state Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt. Hurlburt, speaking at a media gathering at Connecticut Foodshare in Wallingford, an agency dedicated to addressing food insecurity statewide, asked people to imagine an additional stressor.

“Today was the first day of school for my kids, and … you can imagine the chaos that surrounds that,” he said.

“Getting kids ready. Making sure we know when the bus is coming. Understanding what classes they’re going to have, what they’re going to wear.”

But what if you didn’t know where breakfast was going to come from?

“How challenging would that be to start your school day?” he asked. “Through partnerships like this, we can take a little bit of that chaos, a little bit of that uncertainty away from those parents and those families.”

Hurlburt joined Gov. Ned Lamont, Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves, state Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, D-Avon, and CT Foodshare President and CEO Jason Jakubowski to announce millions of dollars in state funding to support the organization.

Jakubowski said the need for Food-

share’s services has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

“A lot of those federal food programs that were set up during the pandemic began to sunset,” he said. “It’s not that there’s a lot of unemployment. People are employed, they’re just having a hard time making ends meet.”

Under the state program, Jakubowski said the state would fund Foodshare with a $3 million appropriation in the 2026 fiscal year, and $6 million in 2027. That marks a significant jump from the roughly $850,000 annual support the state had provided since the program’s founding during the administration of Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

“The great thing about the program is the money can only be used to purchase food for local pantries,” he said. “It’s written right into statute in black and white. We cannot use it for overhead. We can’t use it for salaries. We can’t use it for diesel fuel. We can only use the money to provide food for our local pantries.”

CT Foodshare works with about 600 local pantries that serve all 169 communities in Connecticut, he said. In total, Foodshare clients receive about 45 million meals each year.

Barton Reeves said the state’s willingness to step up its support at a time when assistance from the federal government is being cut is something to be proud of.

“We all think someone will get money

from somewhere. Somebody will figure out how to fill that gap,” she said. “But if you’ve got hungry children at home, if you’re older and retired and food insecure, there is no ‘someone.’ It is just us.”

Kavros DeGraw encouraged people to visit one of CT Foodshare’s mobile units, “either to volunteer, or to see who’s actually hungry in your community.”

In her community of Avon, she said the hungry were primarily seniors, those with disabilities and veterans.

“And that line is getting longer and longer, every other Tuesday when the Foodshare comes,” she said.

Lamont said the same costs that made it difficult for families to buy food had also affected groups like CT Foodshare.

“Food’s getting really expensive,” he said. “It’s getting more expensive for Foodshare to get the food, and it’s one of the reasons why there’s food insecurity. That’s a government way of saying that people are, they’re a little hungry. And we’re trying to give them the security they need.”

Another recently announced state program to help the food pantry is the state’s new pizza license plates, a partnership between the state Department of Motor Vehicles and CT Foodshare. The $65 plate ($134 for a custom “vanity” plate) is available at www.ctfoodshare.org/pizzaplate and will help raise money to fight hunger as well as show off your pizza pride, officials said.

Connecticut’s Minimum Wage Workers To Get 3.6% Pay Raise in 2026

by Jamil Ragland

HARTFORD, CT — The state’s minimum wage is set to increase by nearly 60 cents per hour next year, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.

Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo made the announcement at the American Jobs Center in Hartford.

“Protecting workers is part of maintaining a solid economy, one that attracts new workers and focuses on making Connecticut more affordable for young people,” Bartolomeo said. “Indexing the minimum wage to the ECI (federal employment cost index) helps to offset inflation and keeps that wage gap from widening.”

Bartolomeo said the increase would affect ab out 160,000 to 200,000 workers in Connecticut, about 60% of whom are women and people of color, he said.

On January 1, 2026, the state’s minimum wage will increase from the current rate of $16.35 per hour to $16.94 per hour.

According to Bartolomeo, that makes Connecticut’s minimum wage among the highest in the nation.

By comparison, the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, and was set in 2009.

Bysiewicz said it was a myth that minimum wage workers are mainly teenagers looking for extra money and said the in-

crease would make a difference for families.

“While some states are still debating whether to raise the minimum wage at all,

Connecticut is proving that smart policy and strong values go hand in hand,” she said. “We’ve raised the minimum wage, and more jobs have been created in our

economy as a result. Because when wages rise, local businesses thrive. More paychecks means more spending in our shops, our restaurants, and our Main Streets. When families do better, our whole state does better.”

The change is the result of Public Act 19-4, which Lamont signed into law in 2019. It ties the state’s minimum wage to economic indicators, specifically the percentage change in the federal employment cost index. Under the law, the minimum wage is required to be adjusted each year based on the U.S. Department of Labor’s calculation of the ECI for the 12-month period ending on June 30 of the preceding year.

Bartolomeo is required to review the percentage change and announce any necessary adjustments by October 15 of each year. She reported that the ECI increased by 3.6% from July 2024 through June 2025, accounting for a $0.59 increase to the state’s minimum wage.

Lamont said he recalled the “horror stories” he heard about how a minimum wage increase would damage the economy. But the state has experienced more business startups than ever before since the increase, he said.

“Look, a lot of people want to make the state more affordable by a tax credit here or a subsidy there,” he said. “How about paying people a little more, which is what they deserve?”

Lamont said the economy was doing well because of the people who go to work every day.

“That’s what this minimum wage is all about,” he said. “I’m really pleased that we’re able to get this done here, and we’re just getting started.”

The Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) released its annual business survey Wednesday, which cited labor costs and hiring and retaining workers as a concern of the majority of businesses.

Chris Davis, vice president of public policy for the CBIA said in a phone interview that employers can feel additional pressure to increase benefits for higher wage earners to account for the shrinking wage gap

“When you see an increase in the minimum wage, even if it’s a small amount, or the over 50 cents that we’re seeing for next year, it does lead to price inflation for the wages of all the other employees that might be above minimum wage as well,” he said. “It does help narrow that gap between wage earners at different levels, and that can put additional pressure on employers to increase benefits up the chain, which ultimately leads to those high costs of doing business here in Connecticut.”

Connecticut’s minimum hourly wage was $11 in 2019 and increased by $1 annually until it reached $15 in 2023.

Gov. Ned Lamont and CT Foodshare President and CEO Jason Jakubowski speak before a media briefing at Foodshare in Wallingford, CT on Sept. 2, 2025. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie

State Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw speaks during a media briefing at CT Foodshare in Wallingford, CT on Sept. 2, 2025. Credit: Donald Eng

Gov. Ned Lamont announces an increase to the state’s minimum wage for 2026 backed by Assistant Director Office of Research for the CT Department of Labor Michael Polzella, and Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo Credit: Jamil Ragland / CTNewsJunkie

City, Cross Prepare To Welcome Esdrás Home

by Dereen Shirnekhi

Wilbur Cross High School community members joined city officials and local immigrant rights activists Friday in celebrating a federal judge’s ruling that an ICE-detained student can be released on bond – even as they cautioned that there is still much work to be done.

The celebration came in the form of a press conference held outside Wilbur Cross at 181 Mitchell St. that featured Tina Colón Williams, the lawyer representing 18-year-old Cross student Esdrás Zabaleta-Ramirez, along with Mayor Justin Elicker, Supt. Madeline Negrón, and Wilbur Cross staff.

The conference was organized by local undocumented youth rights organization CT Students for a Dream and moderated by Executive Director Tabitha Sookdeo. On Thursday, a federal immigration court judge granted Zabaleta-Ramirez a bond of $1,500, more than a month after he was first picked up by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as part of a workplace raid of a car wash. That $1,500 bond was the lowest amount possible, according to Zabaleta-Ramirez’s lawyer.

“It is a true testament of community,” Sookdeo said. “This is a time for us to build power.”

The judge’s order means that Zabaleta-Ramirez could be released from a Massachusetts immigrant detention center as early as this weekend as he continues to work to apply for a green card. As of Friday morning, Zabaleta-Ramirez was still in ICE custody.

Colón Williams celebrated Thursday’s win and received a round of applause from attendees. “This means Esdrás can go back to school, focus on his life, his community,” she said.

She described the grueling effect of Zabaleta-Ramirez first being subject to “expedited removal:” his being sent to a detention center in Massachusetts, then to Louisiana, then nearly deported to his home country of Guatemala before the intervention of Colón Williams, then returned to Massachusetts. “This is becoming the new norm,” she said, “the swiftness and transfer of removal.”

With Colón Williams’ intervention and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) no longer seeking expedited removal, she was able to request a bond hearing.

What happened Thursday, she said, was remarkable, as DHS chose not to appeal the judge’s decision, even though it has enacted expansive use of mandatory detention for immigrants. “His release was the exception, not the rule,” she reminded attendees.

Regarding who Zabaleta-Ramirez is, Colón Williams said that “he has had to be brave every day. Fighting to maintain hope is hard. But at the end of the

day, he’s a teenager.” She said that in the wake of Thursday’s news, his family has felt “overwhelming relief. ‘Is it real? Thank God.’ ”

The only substantive comment that ICE has provided the Independent with so far about the July 21 workplace raid came from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who said that Zabaleta-Ramirez was arrested as part of a“worksite site enforcement operation” on that day at a car wash in Southington. “This illegal alien entered the country as an unaccompanied minor under the Biden Administration and was released into the country,” McLaughlin said.“He has been placed in immigration proceedings.”

Abisua, a CT Students for a Dream member and classmate of Zabaleta-Ramirez, spoke in Spanish at Friday’s press conference. She described her joy that Zabaleta-Ramirez had been granted bond. She said that she and her peers are full of hope in their hearts. While she is happy he will be able to sleep in his own bed for the first time in weeks, she reminded attendees that it should have never happened like this. Zabaleta-Ramirez should have been able to start his junior year of high school.

The fight doesn’t end here, Abisua said. She emphasized that many families still live in fear, and many young immigrants continue to face barriers to studying and working for a better life. She encouraged attendees to fight so that every immigrant can live with dignity and without fear of being torn from their home, their school, or their community.a

Zabaleta-Ramirez is a member of the International Academy at Wilbur Cross, according to Principal Matt Brown and Asst. Principal of the International Academy Cora Muñoz. Muñoz recalled the Cross community coming together in outrage in 2019 when another student, Mario Aguilar Castañon, was detained by ICE. Aguilar Castañon was later granted asylum and able to return home.

“We will continue to be a safe and welcoming place for every single person who walks through our doors,” Muñoz said.

“Esdrás is one of my most beloved students,” said Wilbur Cross teacher Kris Mendoza. “But what we did for Esdrás we would do for any of our students. Esdrás is an extraordinary person, but a person shouldn’t have to be an extraordinary person to get due process.”

With a call to boycott Avelo Airlines, Mendoza finished her remarks by saying, “Esdrás, bienvenidos a casa.”

When asked what the city and school district are doing to support its immigrant students, Negrón said that New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) is continuing to enforce the guidelines the district drafted in January, stating that ICE agents would not be able to enter schools without a warrant. Negrón emphasized the district’s core values of “inclusivity and

treating everyone as a human being.”

She pleaded with immigrant families to send their children to school. She said that the district “knows the law we won’t break the law, but we know what you [immigration authorities] need to be let in.”

Negrón also said that for children who disclose that their parents have been detained by ICE, the district immediately connects children with mental health services and a social worker. She described school staff and teachers coming together to help provide meals and groceries for an impacted student.

“I know what this is about I’m going to say it,” Negrón said. “This is about continuing to oppress marginalized communities. Someone like me, who has risen from poverty, we do that by getting access to public education. That’s how we rise out of poverty. … This is denying children access to public education.”

Elicker spoke for the city, stating that school staff have been provided specific guidance to avoid being accused by ICE of interfering with arrests. He also said that the city has submitted a formal complaint to DHS about its tactics, including using unmasked agents in unmarked clothes.

“My counterpart mayors are taking a lower profile,” he said. “At this point, I think that’s the wrong move.”

Colón Williams noted that in slowing down the legal process for Zabaleta-Ramirez, “the system was actually doing its job by individually considering his case. It shouldn’t be that difficult for that to be the right for every non-citizen.”

She called on New Haveners to maintain awareness, as she said that there is plenty of immigration misinformation. “Many people support expanded immigration enforcement,” she said, “but don’t understand the human cost of that.”

In a separate comment sent out in an email press release Friday, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro also celebrated the judge’s decision to approve Zabaleta-Ramirez’s release on bond.

“I am relieved that our community has continued to stand together in support of Esdrás, a beloved student at Wilbur Cross High School, who has now been granted release from detention by a judge, after previously having his deportation flight cancelled thanks to an outcry from New Haven residents, students, and leaders,” DeLauro is quoted as saying. “He should have been attending his first week of school, and now he will have the opportunity to come home.

“The Trump Administration promised to focus on deporting violent criminals, but too many people like Esdrás are being targeted instead. I was proud to write a letter in support of Esdrás release, and I will continue to stand with our community and for the due process rights guaranteed to everyone under our Constitution.”

Dereen Shirnekhi photo

Attorney Tina Colón Williams: "Esdrás can go back to school, focus on his life, his community."

CT Students for a Dream's Tabitha Sookdeo, accompanied by Wilbur Cross teachers and staff.

CT Students for a Dream organizers and classmates of Zabaleta-Ramirez Abisua and Melany.

Supt. Negrón: "This is denying children access to public education."

The New Haven independent

Overdose Awareness Raised On The Green

by Mona Mahadevan

After Roosevelt Watkins described his multi-decade experience with substance abuse and recovery, another man, standing nearby on the Green, shook Watkins’s hand. He said he’d just reached a full year of sobriety and thanked Watkins for so candidly sharing his story.

The two men were on the Green Friday afternoon as part of an event commemorating International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), the world’s largest campaign focused on ending overdoses and supporting those affected by substance abuse.

The three-hour health and wellness fair, which featured over 25 service providers, was hosted by the New Haven Health Department and Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center. Booths offered harm reduction methods (including access to Naloxone), free health services (including HIV and hepatitis testing), and information about evidence-based behavioral health therapy.

There was also a press conference halfway through the event, with remarks from city Health Director Maritza Bond, Mayor Justin Elicker, state Comptroller Sean Scanlon, Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center CEO Michael Taylor, and Holly Quinonez, who shared her personal struggle with substance abuse. On the schedule was also a reading of names of those lost to drug overdose, as well as an open-mic for attendees to share their experiences with substance abuse.

On Friday, Watkins manned the booth for the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK), a New Haven-based nonprofit that provides free meals and additional support services (such as medical care) to people experiencing homelessness.

His involvement with DESK began as a client. While he was still homeless, he received his certification as a Recovery Support Specialist (RSS) through a program that trains people who have personal experience in substance use recovery to support others struggling with addiction. He later became a Peer Engagement Specialist for DESK and now helps people seeking peer mentorship and guidance on their recovery journeys.

He credits DESK for helping him get clean and find stable housing. “It gives you a little hope,” he said of DESK. “Once you accomplish something, you have the courage to do something else.” He said he hopes others recognize that those struggling with substance abuse are people, and “they still have value.”

That imperative, of humanizing people with substance use disorders, is a guiding principle for New Haven’s Multicultural Ambulatory Addictions Services (MAAS), a behavioral health group that provides a mixture of intensive and outpatient treatment programs for adults seeking recovery.

MAAS, which is part of the nonprofit Chemical Abuse Services Agency (CASA), targets traditionally underserved populations and offers all ser-

vices in both English and Spanish. The group has over 450 clients from all over Connecticut.

“It’s a mom-and-pop treatment center,” said Orlando Estrella, who has worked at MAAS for about a year.

He said the staff knows every client’s name and their children’s names, and MAAS’s director always manages to find time to speak to anyone who needs her.

Estrella was a case worker in New

stance abuse, listing close friends and family members that she had lost to overdoses over the years. Since “day one” of working at MAAS, she said, she’s felt like she’s making a difference.

She urged the government to provide “more funds” and “more resources” to recovery programs, and she called upon people to “not stereotype” those with addictions. “Most addiction comes from trauma,” she said. Estrella agreed, adding that people often turn to drugs as a way to “erase their pain,” not as a “lifestyle choice.”

York until his ex-wife died from a fentanyl overdose four years ago. “Those were the hardest phone calls I’ve ever made,” he said, reflecting on what is was like to tell his children the news. When his friend told him about an opening at MAAS, he felt inspired to join their team and help others struggling with addiction.

Denise Ortiz, who has worked at MAAS for eight years, shares Estrella’s personal connection with sub-

During the press conference, top city and state officials also highlighted the importance of treating people suffering from addiction with compassion and love. Bond opened the meeting by noting that 76 New Haveners died from drug overdose in 2024, and this year, 36 people have already passed. “Loss ripples through neighborhoods, workplaces, and places of worship,” added Bond, which is why the theme for this year’s event is “One Big Family Driven By Hope.” Bond said she aspires to have people extend the compassion they show their family members to the rest of their community. In terms of practical steps, she listed the Health Department’s recent efforts on addressing substance abuse, including a county-wide de-stigmatization campaign, trainings for medical providers, and website upgrades that make it easier for people to find resources they need.

Elicker also noted New Haven’s progress on harm reduction initiatives, such as expanding the Elm City COMPASS program, which provides support to people experiencing mental health or substance use crises, and encouraging all police officers to carry Narcan.

After the press conference, Bond told the Independent that progress on reducing substance abuse is being made, but “disenfranchised communities are still affected at higher rates.” Over 100 people went to the Health Department’s booth within the first hour alone, she added, which “lets you know that people need resources.”

Quinonez, who went to a treatment center for her substance use disorder, said, “I see how privileged I am to be here right now.” Many people she knows, she added, “have died,” experienced “permanent injuries,” or spent “decades in and out of prison.”

“We really should be putting a lot more money to our people who are suffering,” she said, “and towards treating the whole person,” not just their addiction.

New Haven Director of Public Health Maritza Bond recalls 2018's overdose crisis on the Green.

Orlando Estrella and Denise Ortiz said they treat their clients like family because they're part of the same community.

Roosevelt Watkins puts a sticker on a "passport," given out by the Health Department, to encourage attendees to go to all of the health and wellness booths.

Roosevelt Watkins puts a sticker on a "passport," given out by the Health Department, to encourage attendees to go to all of the health and wellness booths.

Statistics on addiction in New Haven.

Robin Moody from Cornell Scott urges the government to intervene at earlier stages: "Addiction comes down the line, when you don't have food to eat and don't have a place to lay your head."

The New Haven independent

DeLauro: This Is Theft, Not A “Pocket Rescission”

by Jonathan D. Salant

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s efforts to impound $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid drew condemnation Friday from U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and other lawmakers of both parties whose committees pass the annual federal spending bills.

“Instead of focusing on improving the lives of Americans, the president’s budget director is running around illegally stealing taxpayer funding in a unilateral, partisan act that excludes any cooperation with Democrats,” said DeLauro, Democrat of New Haven, who sits as the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. Federal law gives Congress 45 days to approve proposals by the president to cut funding, or else the money must be spent. The announcement by Trump comes fewer than 45 days before the end of the fiscal year and the administration says that if Congress does not act by Sept. 30, the reductions automatically would take effect because the allocations would expire.

The Impoundment Control Act, enacted in 1974, requires the president to spend congressionally approved funding, unless lawmakers approve a White House request to cut specific expenditures within 45 days.

While Trump and Vought have contended that the law is unconstitutional, they have also said the law allows them to rescind funds without congressional approval if they submit the request less than 45 days before the end of the fiscal year. DeLauro has accused Trump administration officials of violating federal law by not spending all of the money Congress has directed them to. She has been backed up by the Government Accountability Office, the watchdog and investigative arm of Congress.

“I refuse to label Vought’s gambit a ‘pocket rescission’ because it gives his unlawful attempt to steal the promises Congress enacted an air of legitimacy it does not deserve,” DeLauro said Friday.

“There is no inherent presidential

power to impound; for almost 250 years of American history, only a couple of notably lawless executives have tested this theory, and they have been rejected in their attempts by the courts, the Congress, and the people.”

The outrage was bipartisan.

“Article I of the Constitution makes clear that Congress has the responsibility for the power of the purse,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, Republican of Maine. “Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law.”

Collins called the administration’s proposal “an apparent attempt to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval.”

And the Senate committee’s top Democrat, Patty Murray of Washington, said Trump’s proposal was not “a get-out-ofjail-free card for this administration to simply not spend investments Congress has made.”

“No lawmaker should accept this absurd, illegal ploy to steal their constitu-

tional power to determine how taxpayer dollars get spent,” she said.

The GAO has said that the Impoundment Control Act does not allow a president to run out the 45-day clock and therefore not spend the money without congressional approval because the allocation expired at the end of the current fiscal year.

Said DeLauro: “The president and OMB director have one very simple choice if they want to cut spending: come to Congress and request changes to the law. Absent congressional legislation, the Constitution and the rule of law require the administration to deliver to the American taxpayers the investments passed by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by the president. Anything else would be a betrayal of their oaths of office.”

House Republicans, angered by GAO’s opposition to Trump’s refusal to spend the funds approved by Congress, have sought to cut the agency’s budget in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 by almost half. The bill also would prevent the GAO from suing Trump to follow the Impoundment Control Act.

Park Here, Go Anywhere.

Thomas Breen file photo DeLauro: “I refuse to label Vought's gambit a 'pocket rescission' because it gives his unlawful attempt to steal the promises Congress enacted an air of legitimacy it does not deserve.”

Hands Fly For Fatman Scoop

by Jisu Sheen

A year after Fatman Scoop collapsed onstage at Town Center Park, a crowd of his fans gathered to give it their best with a free tribute concert featuring Scoop’s longtime right-hand stage presence, DJ Knuckles, and hip-hop artist Chubb Rock. Attendees wore all-white in Fatman Scoop’s memory.

The booming voice and infectious energy of Isaac Freeman III, known to millions as Fatman Scoop, graced some of the most iconic hip-hop records of the early aughts. Perhaps most memorably, his track “Be Faithful” featuring the Crooklyn Clan hit airwaves in 1999, topping the UK charts in its ‘03 rerelease. Scoop is also one of the first voices you hear on Missy Elliott’s 2005 “Lose Control” he’s the one kicking the track off with a decisive “Let’s go!”

On Aug. 30, 2024, Fatman Scoop’s name was in headlines around the world as he collapsed at the show at Town Center Park in Hamden. He was rushed to a hospital and died later that evening.

“I’m always gonna feel like he’s right behind us, or yelling at us,” said DJ Knuckles, taking a moment to mentally replay memories of Scoop before his set began at Friday night’s tribute concert. The two had known each other since their youth, making music as an outgrowth of their natural unstoppable dynamic.

“You know how many times we’d have to go out into the grass to get him?” Knuckles said. He pointed to the grassy area between the stage and a distant hill. “He would park right there,” Knuckles said, laughing.

“He gave us so much love,” he reminisced. Sometimes, Knuckles remembered, he would turn around and Scoop would be dropping his pants in a spur-ofthe-moment gag to lighten the mood. Knuckles credited the Connecticut music community for having the sensibility to “make sure it didn’t go haywire when we lost him.”

“Because he was an angel, you all treated him like that,” he said.

DJ Knuckles’ set was filled with Fatman

Scoop’s unmistakeable voice. With the help of his late childhood friend, he got everyone’s hands up. He played Scoop’s favorite tracks and spoke in between, reminding the park that Scoop’s music was the kind of music playing at birthdays and celebrations.

Chubb Rock promised the crowd, “We’re going old-school tonight,” getting audience members to make some noise if they were over 30, 40, 50, and on. Then he delivered classic dance anthems from clubs and gatherings across the generations, from The Commodores’ 1977 Motown single “Brick House” and Cheryl Lynn’s 1978 disco hit “To Be

Real” to Frankie Beverly and Maze’s ’81 soul/funk “Before I Let Go,” Prince’s ’86 “Kiss,” and Doug E. Fresh’s ’93 “I Ight.”

He dedicated his set to Fatman Scoop, “one of the best party rockers,” and made sure to keep the party going.

The tribute show was a family affair.

Fatman Scoop’s children, Tiana and Torrance Freeman, came through. “Everywhere I go, I hear my dad’s music,” Tiana said softly.

Their mother, Dana Freeman, who met Scoop back in 1993 and had been part of Fatman Scoop’s life for over 30 years, said Scoop was a “shining star, all day.”

“It’s phenomenal,” she said of the out-

pouring of gratitude and celebration for Scoop’s life. “This man has done so much for so many people, in so many ways.”

Doc Martin, Chairman of the Hamden Arts Commission and co-organizer of the tribute show, remembered working alongside Fatman Scoop at sister radio stations WBLS and Hot 97 in the late ‘90s. Martin’s shift was 7 p.m. to midnight, and Fatman Scoop would be on midnight to 6 a.m.

“It was great working with him,” Martin said. When the two last saw each other at Scoop’s Hamden show last year, Martin remembers Scoop’s joy upon seeing a familiar face.

“He gave his life performing in service of others,” Martin said.

Paul “Hollywood” Henderson, the night’s MC and a promoter who has worked with the town’s arts department for the past two years, called the show a “bittersweet moment.” He started off the night’s ceremony with a moment of silence, broken by a loud “Now make some noise for Fatman Scoop!”

Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett delivered a proclamation honoring Fatman Scoop and declared Friday Fatman Scoop Day. The Hamden Arts Commission then unveiled a commemorative “Fatman Scoop” bench, complete with a design by a local student, which will live on in the park.

When DJ Knuckles got onstage, he told the crowd stories of his friendship with Fatman Scoop as young teens. “We used to battle to see which older brother was better than the other,” Knuckles remembered.

Then, one day: “He said, ‘Let’s make a record.’ I said, ‘Whatever.’” The rest, as they say, is history.

Knuckles put on Fatman Scoop’s “Be Faithful,” and the crowd went wild as the late hype man’s voice poured through the speakers:

You got a hundred dollar bill, get your hands up!

You got a fifty dollar bill, get your hands up!

You got a twenty dollar bill, get your hands up!

You got a ten dollar bill, get your hands up!

Knuckles relived the old days for a moment, telling the crowd he needed to go ask Scoop something. He turned his back to the crowd. After a beat, Knuckles turned around to face everyone once again, proclaiming, “He said he can’t hear y’aaaall!” Through music, Knuckles alchemized grief into vitality.

After his set, Knuckles stayed on stage, trying out the Fatman Scoop memorial bench and helping hype up the crowd for Chubb Rock. At least for the night, the stage transformed, becoming an altar to a legendary voice gone too soon.

Some of Fatman Scoop's family at the show: Dana, Tiana, and Torrance Freeman.

The New Haven independent

GRAMMY-New Haven Collab Lights The Back-To-School Spark

Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

Maura Galante smoothed a dampened sheet of paper over a thick, inky spray of red and blue, methodical as she worked.

Beneath it, a photocopy coated in bright color and gum arabic showed a cluster of trees and a cutout of the Venus de Milo.

Galante reached out and began to turn the press. Across from her, teacher Kamren Samuels watched every movement. When she lifted his design, reproduced in red ink, he burst into a smile.

“Hey! Thank you thank you!” he exclaimed. “That’s what’s up!”

Galante is a veteran educator at Betsy Ross Arts & Design Academy (BRADA, formerly Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School) and the head of printmaking at Creative Arts Workshop. Samuels is a visual arts teacher at Augusta Lewis Troup School, where he teaches close to 400 students a year. Tuesday, their worlds collided at “The Creator’s Classroom: Student Spark,” a conference for New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) arts educators who are on the cusp of a new academic year.

Roughly 200 teachers attended, working across the Audubon Arts District for hours of master classes in music production, songwriting, dance, theater, and visual arts. On Audubon Street, participating organizations included Neighborhood Music School (NMS), Creative Arts Workshop (CAW), the New Haven Ballet and ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA). That itself may be a feat: the four organizations share a city block but rarely collaborate with each other. The conference marks the inaugural collaboration between NHPS and the GRAMMY Museum and Recording Academy, of which beloved New Haven teacher Pat Smith is a chapter member and a seven-time nominee. Smith, who for 37 years led the music program at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, is now the new NHPS coordinator of fine arts. He and the GRAMMY Academy worked closely with Holly Maxson, NHPS supervisor of fine arts, to make the conference a reality.

“I’m feeling verklempt!” Smith said during a lunch hour at NMS, visibly choked up as he spoke. Around him, attendees picked up catered lunches from The Loop by Hachiroku and headed outside to catch up over shared tables. “I’ve been dreaming about this for years. Holly and I really knitted together the four institutions on this street.”

“Last year, we partnered with 32 different community partners, and this year, it’s like, ‘Ok, we’re ready for some changes,” added Maxson, who is starting her second year in the district. After a year of listening to arts teachers talk about their needs in the classroom, “it’s been all about collaboration in every way possible.”

That was fully on display Tuesday, as the recital hall at Neighborhood Music School filled up with hundreds of educators from across the district. Less than 48

hours stood between them and the beginning of the school year; many had already spent several days in their arts classrooms, organizing supplies and running over class rosters to master names before the first day. On one side of the room, Smith soaked it all in, making time to chat with former student and Latin Grammy Winner Marcos Sánchez.

“In the arts is where innovation happens,” said Keisha Redd-Hannans, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction, and assessment for NHPS. “You tap into those unknown geniuses.”

And it was. After a keynote on “culture in the classroom”—spoiler: learn the difference between appreciation and appropriation—teachers fanned out across Audubon Street, from intimate dance lessons in basement studios to classes in music production and songwriting with Grammy-winning musicians and NHPS staff side-by-side. Almost all of the classes included instruction from at least one NHPS teacher or community member, a pillar of the conference that Smith said was vitally important to him.

In a third floor classroom at Creative Arts Workshop, attendees could see why in real time. Donning oxblood-colored aprons, teachers surrounded Galante as she introduced herself, and walked them through directions on paper lithography. Around a long table, bowls of water, clean glass inking slabs and containers of gum arabic waited eagerly for them to jump in. All of them are necessary for lithography, which involves the transfer of an image from one surface onto another.

At each place setting, Galante had placed a printout describing the exercise, so that teachers could both understand the steps (within printmaking, lithography may be the form closest to magic) and reproduce it in their classrooms. On a counter near-

by, cutouts of Xeroxed images sat waiting for the group, ready to be inked and reproduced in bright color.

“How do you know how much pressure to use?” a teacher piped up as Galante described the process, through which an artist coats a photocopy with gum arabic, applies it to a dampened glass plate, and inks it before placing paper on top, and passing it through a press. It’s a kind of litho-shortcut, with many of the same chemical interactions that make the art form possible.

“Practice!” answered Galante, who has taught thousands of artists in her decades at Betsy Ross and at CAW. “It’s pretty magical. I’m not sure why it works, but it works.”

Around her, teachers buzzed with backto-school excitement. Rebecca Mickelson, who teaches at the Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Learning Center, said she’s always looking for new exercises to bring into her classroom, where she introduces three- to five-year-old students to different forms of art each time they walk through the door. While lithography may not be appropriate for her age group, it helps her remember the breadth of art forms that are at her fingertips.

“I haven’t done any sort of lithography since college,” Mickelson said, excited to jump in. She pulled out a black-and-white photocopy of a woodsy scene from the nearby counter, and got started. “We’re all staring down the first day of kids coming,” and moments like Tuesday’s make that transition feel more bearable.

Samuels, who is in his ninth year of teaching in the district, added that he’s always grateful for a chance to think about new techniques to bring to his students. Teaching K-8 classes at Troup, he’s constantly aware that each class has very different educational needs. While lithography might not be in the cards for his classes this year—Troup doesn’t have a printing press—the exercise made him think about new alternatives to linocut printing, which required sharp tools and a level of coordination that younger students might not yet have.

“I think my goal going into the year is that the majority of students finish their projects,” he said.

At the printing press, that magic Galante had mentioned was taking shape. One by one, teachers brought their designs over to her: giant dragonflies with big, papery wings; trees that glowed red and green; the Brooklyn Bridge, stretching across the Hudson River in an inky, dark blue. Many stayed to watch as she placed a dampened, creamy sheet of paper on top and began to crank, the press bending to her touch. Nearby, Truman School teacher Kasalina Nabakooza took it all in with a sense of wonder.

“I really enjoyed this project,” said

Mellody Gallagher in a tetra pak etching workshop from CAW instructor Mark Grindell. She said that it was the first professional development in a long time that she could remember being in a community-oriented institution.

Teacher Nikki Claxton leads a dance workshop in the lower level studio of New Haven Ballet (70 Audubon St.).

Sumiah Gay, Christi Sargent and Valerie Vollono. Gay had both Sargent and Vollono as teachers during her time at Co-Op, for theater and English respectively. Now she's back teaching at the school, and Sargent is starting her first year at BRADA.

Photo by Nir Arieli

A "Hero of the Classroom" Gets A Moment In The Spotlight

Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

When theater teacher Rob Esposito steps into his classroom at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, his mission is always the same: to listen to, lift up, and mentor the young people around him, whatever their needs may be. Now, he's getting some national praise for the quiet, steady heroism New Haven has recognized for years.

Esposito, a 27-year veteran of the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS), was recently named one of ten finalists in Kleenex's "Heroes of the Classroom" contest, open to K-12 educators across the U.S. and ultimately decided by popular vote later this month. A son of New Haven, he has spent decades shaping young artists and scholars in the city, from Fair Haven School to his current role as department chair at Co-Op.

Voting opened August 25 and runs through September 8 at 12 p.m.; vote here. In addition to a year's supply of Kleenex, the winner receives $10,000 individually and $5,000 for their school. In a phone call on Thursday afternoon, Esposito joked that the Kleenex may be more clutch than the funding, because the school always seems to be running low on supplies.

"It's really just nice to be considered," he said. It's fitting, too. "I'm the supply guy at the school, and the biggest thing I say is, 'We need more tissues, we need more tissues!"

"He's somebody who goes out of their way to support students in the building," said Co-Op Principal Paul Camarco, who nominated Esposito for the award earlier this year. "He goes to everything. He photographs everything ... He likes to deliver the mail [to staff]," including boxes of Kleenex that often seem to run out before the end of the year.

In nearly three decades, Esposito has become an exemplar of what it means to show up—not just for students, but for fellow Co-Op faculty members, for alumni, and for artists and theater makers in the community. In the classroom, he's become a home base for students, leading them through the fundamentals of theater with colleagues Scott Meikle,

Christi Sargent (she is now at Betsy Ross Arts & Design Academy), Janie Alexander, Valerie Vollono, and former student-turned-teacher Sumiah Gay. Beyond the classroom, he's learned to wear multiple hats, from de facto performance photographer to co-director of the annual school musical to a safe place for alumni to come back to long after they've graduated ("I don’t know who I would be without meeting him," wrote 2020 CoOp grad Sharric James on social media, a sentiment that dozens echoed as news of the contest became public).

The feeling is mutual: the students keep him coming back too. "I love that I get to do what I do every single day," Esposito said Thursday morning, while welcoming his first class of the year.

His service extends well beyond CoOp's College Street campus: he's a board member at Long Wharf Theatre, a sometimes-director at Center Stage Theatre in Shelton, and an attendee at nearly every performance in the greater New Haven area, from Elm Shakespeare, Collective Consciousness, Bregamos Community Theater the Yale Rep to other NHPS productions across the district. At any given

performance, he's there, often cheering with a playbill clutched in one hand. Erin Michaud, a colleague in the visual

arts department, remembered seeing him "at everything" at the school, as if he's figured out a way to be in multiple places

at once. Others, like Gay, credit him with helping them light the spark to become arts educators themselves.

That was fully on view Thursday morning, as he welcomed his 21st senior class into the school's black box theater. In the 1990s, Esposito started his career teaching English and language arts at Fair Haven School. He came to Co-Op in the early 2000s, before the school had made the move downtown or built out a partnership with the Shubert Theatre.

He's seen students and colleagues through multiple transitions, including a massive pandemic pivot and the graduation of his own daughter, Gabriela, from the school a few years ago. And still, he said, every year feels new and exciting. Around him, two dozen students slipped into their seats, some still grumbling about a new Yondr Pouch cell phone policy as others caught up on summer jobs, pre-school trips and first-day-of-school fits that ranged from Chuck Taylor boots to rhinestone-studded grandpa shorts.

When Esposito looked up and began to speak, everyone fell to a kind of reverent hush. After welcoming students back, he urged them to step into the year as ambitious young artists, standing on the cusp of adulthood with a wide and bright year ahead of them. That will include their senior play and capstone presentations, both of which are required to graduate. Even in that, he's working to build a support system for both current and former students. For a third time this year, he will welcome back alumna Keona Marie Gomes, a 2021 graduate of the school, as the creative mind behind the senior play, which is one of the last milestones drama students experience before graduating.

"The first thing I'm gonna say to you is live in the moment and enjoy every moment of your senior year," he said before opening the room to reflections and warm ups. "Focus on the joy."

"I don't want to be your teacher," he added a beat later. "What I want to be is an artist working with other artists."

Voting for the "Heroes of the Classroom" contest opened August 25 and runs through September 8 at 12 p.m.. Vote here. https://www.heroesoftheclassroom. com/

Robert Esposito, who students lovingly refer to as "Espo," on the first day of school last week.

Lucy Gellman Photo.

Esposito gives notes to the cast of Into The Woods in spring 2025, during tech week. Lucy Gellman File Photo.

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An Artist Helps Spark Overdose Awareness On The Green

Abiba Biao, The Arts Paper newhavenarts.org

Eileen Noonan hasn’t painted in years, but after seeing an offering from artist Faustin Adeniran on the New Haven Green, she couldn’t help but re-embrace her creative urges. With a wide flat brush, she began making broad strokes along the base of a tree, coloring it a rich mahogany brown. The tree rose in a field of colorful flowers and bright grass. In the center of its branches, a bright red heart, surrounded by smaller hearts, sprouted amongst thick green leaves and the bright blue sky.

The painting was part of a larger call for action held in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day last Friday afternoon, at New Haven’s 10th annual Overdose Awareness Day event on the New Haven Green. Hosted by the New Haven Health Department and Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, the event offered free health resources and literature on substance use disorder and overdose prevention, as well as a resource fair with dozens of service providers and community nonprofits.

International Overdose Awareness Day takes place annually on August 31. Carlah Esdaile-Bragg, director of marketing and community relations at Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, said one of the event’s goals is shifting the conversation around substance use disorder, so it is seen as a community-wide, multi-layered issue rather than an individual problem.

Nowhere, perhaps, does that feel more urgent than on the Green, which saw close to 100 overdoses in a single day in 2018. Earlier this summer, the New Haven Health Department reported 19 overdoses

in just two days at the beginning of June. “We’re right in the middle of an entrepreneurial hub. All these small businesses, as well as large corporations and their employees, many of them walk through the Green or they go to the small caterers and food vendors,” Esdaile-Bragg said. “They see this, they come over to see what’s going on and they get information for the people that they know and love.”

Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center CEO Michael R. Taylor echoed this sentiment, stating that those dealing with substance use disorders can experience internalized shame and self-stigma (as well as external stigma from those who see addiction as a sign of weakness or a moral failing), preventing them from accessing live-saving

care.

“Frequently, addiction treatment is stigmatized and people are reluctant about seeking it and we don’t want that,” he said. “We want people to view substance use treatment like any other chronic condition, and we want to welcome them and embrace them so that they can come into care.”

Art-based health interventions have been a central pillar of Adeniran’s recent work, and increasingly behind the approach that Cornell Scott-Hill takes in its approach to care more broadly. A multidisciplinary artist, Adeniran has been partners with Cornell-Scott for over three years, and

blends art, community, and public health messaging together. He joined the organization’s HeART of Healing Arts Initiative this year, taking inspiration from past projects he completed.

Last year, Adeniran held an arts healing workshop alongside Aimée Burg, gallery director for the Ely Center of Contemporary Art, for residents at the Yale School of Medicine. This March, Adeniran was a guest speaker at the TransCultural Exchange International Conference held in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts, where he led a roundtable discussion titled “Art and Healing, Visible Mending.”

"With this project, communities are able to come together ... regardless of their economic status, or what they are doing,” he said. “ Everybody’s coming as a unifying entity to make art, and that’s the beauty of art. Art does not discriminate, art does not sideline people. It brings community together.”

As the event went on, more attendees began to join in, filling the canvas with color. Adeniran highlighted the use of acrylic paint as a beginner-friendly medium with a low barrier of entry for people to join in on the fun. This logic couldn’t be better exemplified than by Noonan, who, despite taking a hiatus from the creative arts for years, felt natural wielding a paintbrush.

With this being her first time attending the opioid overdose event, she said that she “felt good” painting and encouraged others to try art.

“Just get a brush, get some paper, get some paint. See what comes with it. You may surprise yourself!” Noonan said with a laugh.

At another table was Sarah E. Blodgett,

prevention specialist at Alliance for Prevention & Wellness. Blodgett was stationed at Alliance by the Connecticut National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, where she is a Sergeant First Class (SFC), Drug Demand Reduction Officer. “I’ve been with the army for almost 12 years, and this is my first mission in prevention work,” she said. “So again, we worked with a lot of students, we worked with a lot of kids about resiliency and coping, [as well as] just awareness about what drug trends we’re seeing out there.”

Under an initiative from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), Alliance is one of five Regional Behavioral Health Action Organizations (RBHAO’s) across the state, tasked with providing public health services in the South-Central region of Connecticut on mental health promotion, suicide, and substance abuse prevention, among others.

Blodgett described Alliance’s work on expanding Narcan training among first responders and destigmatizing the language surrounding individuals dealing with substance use disorders by using person-first language. Naloxone, commonly referred to under the brand name Narcan, is a prescription medication administered through the nasal cavity that can reverse an opioid overdose.

She also highlighted the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for those in distress. Children under 18 who are in crisis can contact 211. Both lines are operated by United Way of Connecticut/211.

“Sometimes the resources are out there, we just don’t know where to look, so putting it out there is great.”

Freeman Fought For Freedom

by Jamil Ragland

The Fight to Set a People Free Connecticut Freedom Trail

How far would you go for freedom? That question had a dual meaning in the era of the Revolutionary War, as African Americans had to decide if they would fight for freedom alongside the same white men who enslaved them.

As I learned during the Connecticut Freedom Trail’s virtual presentation about Jordan Freeman, an African American who fought against the British right here in Connecticut, the goal may have been an independent United States, but the reason was a personal desire for freedom.

The presentation was given by Kevin Johnson, who works in the Connecticut State Library History and Genealogy unit. Johnson also worked as a perform-

er, bringing African Americans from pivotal moments in our nation’s history to life. Johnson has been portraying Jordan Freeman for 17 years, giving over 700 performances as him and another African American historical figure, William Webb.

In fact, Johnson began the presentation in character as Freeman, launching into a song about the value of freedom and then sharing some information about himself.

If you think history is boring, then you need to see Johnson perform. He’s all smiles as he embodies Freeman, and the enthusiasm he has for the subject matter bursts out of him every moment.

Johnson gives Freeman a sense of eager dignity. Not only is Johnson excited to play him, but he makes Freeman excited about the chance to fight for his freedom.

“Telling [Freeman’s] story makes me an American hero,” Johnson said, beaming beneath the triangle hat he wore during the presentation.

It helps Johnson’s performance that Freeman was an extraordinary person himself. He was born in 1732, and escaped from slavery as a young man. Eventually he found himself as the servant of John Ledyard, and the body servant of Colonel William Ledyard during the Revolutionary War.

It was in this latter role that Freeman found himself at the Battle of Groton Heights, where the British seized Fort Trumbull with a force of 800 men versus the 165 defenders. Despite a valiant effort, the revolutionaries surrendered the fort, but the British soldiers offered no quarter. Freeman was killed along with most of the other defenders of the fort.

Johnson said that Freeman’s presence at the battle was a testament to the willingness of African Americans to fight for their freedom, as enslaved people were often offered their freedom in exchange for fighting for the Revolution. More than 500 African Americans and Native

Americans from Connecticut fought in the war, joining the 5,000 people of color who fought across the colonies. The British also offered freedom for remaining loyal to the crown, but Johnson said that the nascent patriotism of even enslaved people prevented most from taking the offer.

Johnson argued that the need to tell accurate history is more pressing than ever.

“If we’re going to grow as people, if we’re going to grow as a nation, then we need to tell these stories,” he said. “We have to share these stories with boldness, confidence and authority.”

People like Kevin Johnson, institutions like the state library and the volunteers at the Connecticut Freedom Trail don’t just share the stories, they bring them to life in an entertaining way. They give us the chance to learn from the past, and we must, because as Johnson put it, what goes around, comes around.

Cornell Scott-Hill Chief of Behavioral Health Ece Tek, Director of Marketing and Community Relations Carlah Esdaile-Bragg, and CEO Michael R. Taylor.

Jordan Freeman:

Kevin Johnson portraying Jordan Freeman.

Remembering Katrina

By April Ryan

Twenty years ago, George W. Bush was president of the United States, and Ray Nagin was the mayor of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina barreled into the Gulf Coast, creating one of the worst natural disasters in the nation’s history.

“Today is a bittersweet day for the people of New Orleans. We lost 1400 family members, friends, and neighbors. 250 homes and buildings. In an instant, we lost all that we held dear,” said Mitch Landrieu, the former Mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018. For New Orleans, the storm’s force resulted in the levees breaking, which exposed deep issues in American society about addressing climate change, government, and infrastructure.

In 2005, it was a collision of a humanitarian crisis and governmental failure that left over 1,800 people dead in the Gulf Coast and more than a million residents displaced, making it one of the deadliest and most disruptive natural disasters in U.S. history. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was loudly criticized for its slow and disorganized response to the crisis. The Bush administration also received criticism for not moving swiftly, as it used states’ rights and the need for the state of Louisiana to formally ask for help instead of instinctively jumping in to provide needed assistance.

Mayor Nagin made many urgent

Who’s In Charge?

By April Ryan

Amid the fight over potentially placing the National Guard in cities with diverse populations where Black mayors lead, the governors have the right to request the deployment of the National Guard.

According to the U.S. Code, Title 32, governors are the commanders-in-chief of the state or territory's militia. Maryland Governor Wes Moore reinforced this by saying, “I am the commander-in-chief!” Maryland’s first Black governor said he would only allow presidential National Guard deployment if it is “mission critical” and “mission aligned.”

Chicago’s Governor, J.B. Pritzker, also resounded “no” to President Trump's threats to deploy the National Guard in Chicago. Title 32 states that Guard members are under the governor's command, but the federal government funds their duties. However, in this moment of struggle for who controls National Guard deployment, there are concerns about National Guard funding.

requests for federal government help with rescue, recovery, and assistance for the displaced. The optics of the moment will never be forgotten: people stood on rooftops signaling helicopters for help as the water levels crested as high as the tops of houses. The displaced, mostly Black Hurricane victims, were also housed in the Superdome and the Convention Center of New Orleans in the aftermath of the levee break. During those frantic calls from the mayor, some network news media identified the Black displaced victims as “refugees.” An immediate response to that description came from rights groups like the NAACP, chastising the characterization of Americans seeking help.

The Ninth Ward of New Orleans was devastated. Today, many homes impacted right along the levee are no longer there, but you can still see the footprints of where some of the houses once stood. However, Landrieu exclusively told Black Press USA that for New Orleans, “with the help of each other, our neighbors and a helpful nation, we got up, dusted off, and rebuilt a great American city. For that, we will be forever grateful.” New Orleans has rebounded today, with many of its residents returning to the Big Easy, ripe with flavor and culture. However, tourism in the city has dropped, particularly international tourism, due to the Trump administration’s current foreign policy stance.

Meanwhile, under Title 10, a president can call up the National Guard and put them under federal control, but this is typically done only in specific circumstances, such as suppressing rebellions. Washington, DC, which is not a state, is under a presidential dictate for the gun-toting National Guard that is policing and cleaning up trash off the city streets.

Trump’s Justice Department now controls the D.C. police, as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says the police chief reports to her. On the West Coast, in Los Angeles, in June, President Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles in response to anti immigration protests. “This is the federal seizure of power,” according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who

emphasizes that the Trump administration has federalized the National Guard, which has seized power from California Governor Gavin Newsom. She says the administration has “taken his ability to manage the National Guard.”

“The LAPD is definitely not in charge. The first Black woman mayor of the city told this reporter on the Substack show, The Tea With April. However, ICE, the National Guard, Border Patrol, and the Marines “blend together” policing and arresting Mexicans, Koreans, Iranians, and Haitians in that city. The city of Los Angeles has 3.8 million people, and almost half the residents are Latino, the majority

from Mexico.

Los Angeles, a city with a large minority population, has “parts of Los Angeles that are empty because people can’t go to work.” Bass says, “entire industries in the city of Los Angeles are totally dependent on migrant labor, like the garment district, ethnic restaurants, construction for the housing to rebuild after the fires in the area earlier this year." The mayor reminds that there has been an instance when the public sees these arrests, some residents perceive it as “kidnappings.” The mayor says there was a “bit of a confrontation with the public, ICE, and the LAPD. Bass says, “It’s a mess.”

Early Voting Now Open In Sept. 9 CT Municipal Primaries

by Viktoria Sundqvist

Democratic and Republican primaries will be held across several municipalities in Connecticut on Sept. 9, with early voting now available.

Democratic primaries will be held in Bloomfield, Bridgeport, Chester, Hamden, New Britain, New Haven, New London, North Haven, Norwalk, Stamford and Stratford.

Republican primaries will be held in Greenwich, Griswold, Haddam, Oxford, Plainfield, Sterling, Thomaston, Voluntown, Waterbury and Wolcott.

Winners of the primaries will face candidates from opposing parties in the general election Nov. 4. Early voting for the general election will be between Oct. 20 – Nov. 2, according to the Secretary of the State’s office.

Some primaries will determine can-

didates for key races in November.

In Norwalk, Hamden and Stratford, the primaries will determine who the Democratic mayoral candidate

will be, with five people seeking the role in Hamden after incumbent Mayor Lauren Garrett announced she wouldn’t seek re-election.

Chester, Oxford, Sterling, Voluntown and Wolcott primaries also involve first selectman or mayoral candidates. In other towns, voters will pick selectmen, aldermen or town council candidates in their primaries. Those who are registered with a political party can vote in that party’s primary. You can verify your voter registration online via the Secretary of the State’s office at myvote.ct.gov/ lookup.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 9. However, early voting is available Sept. 2-Sept. 7 in at least one polling place in each participating municipality, and voters are encouraged to check their town’s website for a specific location.

Thousands March on Wall Street Demanding Economic Justice and Equity

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Correspondent

Sixty-two years to the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, thousands poured into Lower Manhattan on Thursday, linking arms and voices in what was billed as the largest demonstration of its kind since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Led by Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network, the March on Wall Street drew national civil rights leaders, clergy, activists, and elected officials, all demanding economic justice, equity, and fair opportunity at a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have been dismantled by the Trump administration. The march began at Foley Square, paused at the African Burial Ground National Monument, and wound its way down Broadway to Whitehall Street. Participants spanned generations and professions — labor unions, fraternities and sororities, educators, and teens — all united by the call to defend rights secured in the 1960s and to push back against what they see as the biggest transfer of wealth in U.S. history.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested earlier this year while protesting ICE, challenged fellow municipal leaders to act. “We are here because our ancestors demand that we be here, be-

cause the times demand that we be here, because every mayor in every city in America should be rising up right now as Donald Trump tries to send the National Guard into our communities — we are here as they create the biggest transference of wealth this country has ever seen,” Baraka declared. The presence of Martin Luther King III and Andrea Waters King underscored the continuity of the movement. “It’s extraordinarily significant, but in the back of mind, I am thinking about how sad this is, that 62 years after Dad delivered that dream for our nation and world that we are in the position we are in,” King said. “And the goal is to find ways to move this nation forward around economic inequality.”

King also posted on social media: “We were proud to join @NationalAction and my good friend, @TheRevAl, for the #MarchOnWallStreet. On the 62nd anniversary of the #MarchOnWashington and in the financial capital of the world, we marched for economic justice and fair opportunities for ALL.”

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, stood with Rev. Dr. Boise Kimber, president of the National Baptist Convention USA Inc., marking the moment’s deep historical ties. “It marked 62 years after the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and we continue to march, we

continue to speak out, and we continue to demand freedom, justice, equality, and equity,” Chavis said. “Thus, we join the Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network in the March on Wall Street. The Rev. Boise Kimber and I stood together, shoulder to shoulder, at the March on Wall Street. I was pleased to represent the Black Press of America under the auspices of the NNPA. In the words of publisher-leader Frederick Douglass, ‘Freedom is a constant struggle.’”

Rev. Dr. Christopher Davis, General Secretary at the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., drove home the financial realities confronting communities of faith. “I don’t care the size of your church,” Davis said. “Whether you have 10,000 members or 10 members, you can’t do ministry without money, so we have to be concerned about the economic plight of the people that fill our pews.” Among those addressing the crowd were Michael Eric Dyson, Benjamin Crump, Melanie Campbell, Maya Wiley, and others, each pointing to the urgency of resisting what they described as attacks on democracy, workers, and Black communities. “It means we continue the movement 62 years later, marching on Wall Street, raising the issues of income inequity, DEI, and the takeover of cities with Black mayors. The dream is alive,” Sharpton told the crowd.

Julianne Malveaux: Trump tantrum overshadows Black women’s losses

By Roz Edward

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—The

July 2025 unemployment report, released on August 1st, did not meet expectations. Instead of addressing the deficiencies by his own misguided policies, the President of the United States reacted in predictable fashion. He fired Dr. Erika Entarfer, Commissioner of Labor Statistics, because he didn’t like the report, and accused the economist of rigging the data, whose appointment was approved by a Senate vote of 86-8. A bipartisan group, friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which includes former labor commissioners, economists, and statisticians, strongly supported her confirmation. Even Trump acolytes like JD Vance (Ohio) and Marco Rubio (Florida) supported her confirmation. Rabid Trumpies like Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rick Scott (Florida) were among those opposing her nomination, but their numbers were few.

There has been widespread protest to Dr. McEntarfer’s firing, because it was nothing more than an autocratic tantrum from a misguided so-called “leader” whose sole purpose seems to be to create chaos and destroy our infrastructure including, in the words of Heidi Shierholtz, “one of the most respected

statistical agencies in the world, known for its methodological rigor, independence, and transparency.” The President seems unwilling or unable to understand the process of producing the monthly Employment Situation report, which many (myself included) look forward to perusing on the first Friday of each month. Data addicts eagerly examine the report looking for fluctuations and, yes, adjustments in the data because they very often happen.

Why? The data comes from businesses and other establishments (like government agencies), large and small. Many report data promptly, mostly because they have the apparatus to do so. Smaller businesses, a large part of our economy, may report on a delayed basis, hence the adjustments. Further, the BLS workforce of about 2300 people is eight percent lower than it was in 2010. Moving forward, the 2026 budget will be lower by another eight percent. Even with the cuts, BLS proceeds with precision and accuracy, something that this President has little value for. If he even a modicum of respect for the agency, it would not have received cuts—it’s already lean and mean. Further, he would not have fired a BLS commissioner whose work has been exemplary.

The August 1st firing of the BLS

Commissioner diverted attention from the actual contents of the report. In a tantrum using loaded words like “rigged,” our feckless leader has undermined confidence in the fundamentals of our economy. EPI’s Shierholtz states, “The economy runs on reliable data. The Federal Reserve uses the data to set interest rates. State and local governments use them to plan

budgets. If policymakers and the public can’t trust the data—or suspect the data is being manipulated—confidence collapses and reasonable economic decision making becomes impossible.” Shierholz likened using faulty data to driving a car blindfolded. Unfortunately, this administration, like bulls in a China closet, is managing the economy blindfolded, as with tariffs. Let the chips fall where they may. The citizens feel the pinch of rising prices and federal layoffs, and that’s the price of electing incompetence.

The President’s tantrum overshadows the losses that Black women experience from this report. Language in the report says that most of the indicators “changed little,” whether we are addressing the unemployment rate, the employment population ratio or the labor force participation rate. The summary does note that the employment population ratio has dropped by four tenths of a percent over the last year. But the summary does not highlight the fact that only Black women saw their employment population ratio (or the percentage of the population with jobs), drop significantly. While most groups (White men, White women, Black men) saw drops of a tenth of a percentage point, Black women’s employment population ratio dropped

from 59.5 percent to 56.7 percent, or 2.8 percent. That’s an extremely concerning drop and it is one that has not been highlighted. Why? Too much attention has been placed on the toxic tantrum, and not enough on a population that is the backbone of the Black community. And it is possible that future reports will further deemphasize this significant change.

When looking at labor market data, most labor economists suggest that month-to-month fluctuations should be taken contextually, considering the possibility of adjustment. But these employment population ratio changes are over the year from July 2024 through July 2025.

We need to read the fine print and forget about the tantrums. We must pay attention to the appointment of the next Commissioner of Labor Statistics. If the new commissioner is a sycophantic loyalist, like Attorney General Pam Bondi, we might look forward to only seeing data that this President approves of. Driving a car blindfolded, crashing everywhere, with data on Black women as collateral damage.

(Dr. Julianne Malveaux is a DC based labor economist, author and educator. Juliannemalveaux.com)

Rev. Dr. Boise Kimber, President of the National Baptist Convention USA Inc. and Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr, President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) at the March on Wall Street, August 28, 20225, in new York City

Jamal Bryant Calls Out Rick Ross For Shopping At Target Amid DEI Boycott

Rev. Jamal Bryant is calling out rapper Rick Ross for shopping at Target amid the ongoing boycott over the company’s DEI rollback.

The clash between Bryant and Ross began after the rapper shared a video of himself riding a scooter through Target with his girlfriend, Jazzma Kendrick.

“I’ve been kidnapped. I’m in Target,” Ross joked. “Riding dirty.”

When Ross asked what they were shopping for, Kendrick replied, “Kitchen appliances and cinnamon roll stuff.”

“The Cinnabons reeled me in, guys, but as you can see, I’ve been kidnapped,” Ross responded.

The video quickly sparked backlash from Bryant, who is leading a boycott against Target after the retailer rolled back its DEI initiatives in January.

“Hey family @richforever … you are

an incredibly influential figure for the culture who many aspire to emulate,” Bryant wrote on Instagram, directly addressing the rapper. “To that end I thought it important to share with you that the community has been boycotting @target because of their disregard for our value and a disrespect for the dollars we spend.” He added, “Every day we shouldn’t be hustling….respectfully BE the BOSS not the pawn!”

“He rich he couldn’t care less…SMH. This is why we can’t make the impact our ancestors did,” one social media user chimed in.

“We been boycotting Ross since he danced for Trump,” another person said, referencing Ross’ performance at Trump’s “Crypto Ball” during the 2025 inauguration.

“Boycott every wing stop he owns,” a third Instagram user commented.

This isn’t the first time Bryant has

called out a celebrity for not participating in the nationwide Target boycott.

In a June Instagram post, Bryant penned a lengthy message to Cardi B, informing her about the Target boycott after she recently shared a picture of herself and her children shopping in the store.

“Dear @iamcardib, Grace and Peace to you! I come to you with a chest full of love,” Bryant wrote. “When I saw you post a picture of you and your beautiful family in the store, I felt certain that with your demanding schedule, you were probably unaware. Having 163 million [people] following you is a great deal of influence, and many follow your lead. I hope you will visit targetfast.org and walk alongside us.”

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Ron Reynolds: 60 years later, we’re still fighting

BLACKPRESSUSA—NEWSWIRE—Sixty years ago, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law. It was a historic victory won by the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of Black Americans who refused to accept second-class citizenship. They faced dogs, batons, fire hoses, and fists—not because they broke the law, but because they dared to demand a voice.

They marched from Selma to Montgomery and were beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They bled in the streets of the Jim Crow South so we could vote without fear or suppression. That fight never ended.

Today, the focus has shifted. It’s no longer about Billy Clubs and German Shepherds. Instead, it involves gerrymandered maps, closed polling stations, purged voter rolls, attacks on mail-in voting, and false claims of voter fraud designed to undermine our democracy.

To those who say we’re disrupting the process, I say this: the process was already broken. We didn’t break it; we’re trying to fix it. That’s why I broke quorum in the Texas House, and I’d do it again. I didn’t come to play politics. I came to

do what Congressman John Lewis taught us—to get into good trouble, necessary trouble, in the name of justice.

Breaking quorum wasn’t a stunt. It was a stand. When policies silence voters, target communities of color, and rig the system for partisan gain, you don’t just sit quietly. You walk out. You speak up. You fight back.

I thought about my grandparents, who grew up in the segregated South. I thought about my mother, who cast her first ballot with pride because someone had marched for that right. I thought about my children and the world they’ll inherit if we don’t act now.

I did it for the grandmother who’s never missed an election and now doesn’t know where her polling place is. For the young man registering voters on a college campus who’s being told his voice doesn’t count. I did it for neighborhoods split apart to dilute their power.

As Dr. King said, an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. That injustice is here. It’s in our special session agendas designed for anti-voter legislation. In attacks on diversity, equity, and

inclusion, and in maps that slice through Black and Brown communities to weaken our voices.

I’m proud to stand in the legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer, who was sick and tired of being sick and tired; of Bob Moses, who built a grassroots movement to register voters; and of Diane Nash, Amelia Boynton, James Bevel, and everyday people who risked everything for the right to vote.

I stand beside a new generation of leaders and everyday Texans who are saying enough is enough. I believe in the power of the people, in a multiracial democracy where every voice counts, and history will remember who stood on the front lines when our democracy was under siege. The Voting Rights Act was a beginning, not an end. Sixty years later, we are still called to be foot soldiers for freedom. I will not stop fighting, speaking, or marching until every Texan has full access to the ballot promised in 1965.

My faith is strong. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. This is our moment. This is our bridge. And we will cross it together.

Obama Issues Warning About Police Militarization Amid Trump Crime Crackdown

Former President Barack Obama is speaking out against President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C amid his crackdown on crime.

Obama took to X on Thursday (August 28) to slam Trump’s federal takeover of D.C. police, saying militarization “puts the liberties of all Americans at risk.”

“The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil puts the liberties of all Americans at risk, and should concern Democrats and Republicans alike,” Obama wrote.

The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil puts the liberties of all Americans at risk, and should concern democrats and republicans alike.— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 28, 2025

Trump launched his crackdown on crime earlier this month, deploying thousands of armed National Guard troops to patrol the streets of D.C. The president has also weighed sending troops to other Democratic-led cities, including Chicago and New York.

In Thursday’s post, Obama linked to

a New York Times interview with journalists Randley Balko and Ezra Klein, highlighting what they called “Trump’s expansion of the police state.” The interview included conversations about the increased federal involvement in local policing and ICE agents detaining individuals without explanation.

“This interview, which is also available to listen to as a podcast, provides a useful overview of some of the dangerous trends we’ve been seeing in recent months regarding federalization and militarization of state and local police functions,” Obama wrote.

Former President Barack Obama

Certified Police Officer

The Town of Wallingford is currently accepting applications for current Connecticut P.O.S.T.C Certified Police Officers. Applicants must be active P.O.S.T.C Certified Police Officers in good standing with their current department, or have retired in good standing, still having a current certification status with P.O.S.T.C. This Process will consist of Written, Oral, Polygraph, Psychological, Medical Exam, and Background Investigation. The Town of Wallingford offers a competitive pay rate of $ 80,142.40 - $ 87,672.00 annually. You must register and apply through www.policeapp. com by the registration/application deadline of October 31, 2025. The registration requires a fee of $35.00 directly to policeapps.com on line at time of registration. EOE.

P2 PLUMBING WORKERS NEEDED.

LBR Mechanical Corp is seeking P2 plumbing mechanics, jour¬neymen and helpers for a construction project located in Bridgeport, CT. Experience in plumbing/heating, construction and roughing a plus. Will train the right candidates. Driver’s license and proof of citizenship required.

Please call 914-276-1493 for an application to start your new career.

Listing: Dispatcher

Extremely fast paced petroleum company is looking for a full time (which includes on call and weekend coverage) detail oriented experiencedDispatcher. A strong logistics background and a minimum of one year previous experience is required. Send resume to: HR Manager, P.O. Box 388, Guilford, CT. 06437. Email: HRDEPT@eastriverenergy. com

*An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disabled and Veterans*

The Glendower Group

Request for Bids

ELECTRICAL RENOVATIONS AT McConaughy TERRACE

The Glendower Group, Inc. invites sealed bids from qualified electrical contractors for electrical work associated with two groups of units McConaughy Terrace, Funded under the 4% low-income Housing Tax Credit LIHTC program. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

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

Invitation to Bid:

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

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

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

Email Questions to Dave Ghio dghio@haynesct.com 203-888-8109 & Bids to: Taylor Els tels@haynesct.com

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Invitation For BIDS

Agency- wide fencing- repairs and replacement

360 Management Group, Co. Is currently seeking bids for agency wide fencing-repairs and replacement. A complete copy of the requirements maybe obtain from 360 Management Group’s vendor collaboration portal.

https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, August 11, 2025, at 3:00PM.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

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

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

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

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

PUBLIC WORKS MAINTAINER II

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

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids

Crawford Manor Boiler Replacement

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids from qualified firms for Crawford Manor Boiler Replacement. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/ gateway beginning on

Monday, August 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM.

Request for Qualifications – Transportation Planning Studies

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

The Glendower Group

Request for Bids

ELECTRICAL RENOVATIONS AT McConaughy TERRACE

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

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

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a GIS Coordinator (Associate Research Analyst)

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 250819&R2=6856AR&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.

Ducci Electrical Contractors, Inc.

seeks a friendly, organized, and professional Front Desk receptionist. Must be reliable, have strong communication skills, and able to multi-task. Ability to answer multi-line phones system. This is a full-time position. Send resume to Ducci Electrical Contractors, Inc. 74 Scott Swamp Rd. Farmington, CT 06032 or via email athumanresources@duccielectrical.com. An affirmative action equal opportunity employer.

Notice of Public Hearing

The Housing Authority, City of Bristol is amending its 2025-2029 Agency Plan in compliance with the HUD Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998. A Public Hearing will be held on October 7, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Gaylord Towers Community Hall located at 55 Gaylord Street, Bristol, CT.

Information is available for review and inspection at Housing Authority, City of Bristol, 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT during regular business hours. Please call (860) 582-6313 for an appointment.

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Invitation For BIDS Emergency and Routine HVAC Services

360 Management Group, Co. Is currently seeking bids for Emergency and Routine HVAC Services. A complete copy of the requirements maybe obtain from 360 Management Group’s vendor collaboration portal. https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, August 25, 2025, at 3:00PM.

CLERK III

The Wallingford Public Schools are looking for candidates to performs a wide variety of clerical duties requiring excellent computer and interpersonal skills. This position requires 1 year of office work experience and a H.S. diploma. Wages: $20.47 to $27.65 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. The closing date will be July 30, 2025, or the date the 50th application is received, whichever occurs first. To apply online, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/ government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP, CO.

Invitation For BIDS Agency Wide Roofing Repairs/and Inspections

360 Management Group, Co. Is currently seeking bids for agency wide Roofing Repairs/and Inspections. A complete copy of the requirements maybe obtain from 360 Management Group’s vendor collaboration portal. https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at 3:00PM.

BUYER

Performs tasks in facilitating the purchase of a wide variety of materials, supplies, equipment and professional services. The position requires an associate’s degree in business administration and 3 years purchasing experience. A bachelor’s degree in business administration may substitute for 2 years of the work experience. $32.08 - $38.98 hourly, (contract currently under negotiations). The Town offers an excellent fringe benefits package that includes a pension plan, generous paid sick and vacation time, medical/dental insurance, life insurance, 13 paid holidays, and a deferred compensation plan. To apply online by the closing date of August 4, 2025, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE

Which Are the Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars?

The only ranking that tells you both is the Washington Monthly’s revised and expanded 2025 College Guide

The Washington Monthly magazine released its 2025 college rankings, which upend everything you thought you knew about which colleges are the best.

Other college rankings, like those by U.S. News, reward universities for their wealth, prestige, and exclusivity—ensuring that the top ranks are always dominated by the same 10 or 20 elite schools, which few students can get into, much less afford. By contrast, the Washington Monthly measures colleges and universities by how much they help ordinary middle- and working-class students get ahead economically and become good citizens. Those are the outcomes most Americans—students and taxpayers— want from their investments in the higher ed system.

As a result, half of the top-scoring institutions on the Washington Monthly’s Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars list are hidden gems that most students don’t know about—and that in many cases outperform elite universities.

• The University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley ranks 21 slots above Harvard University.

• Florida International University places eight positions above Duke University.

• The highest-ranking elite school, Princeton University, comes in at number five,

immediately below three campuses in the California State University system, including second-place Fresno State.

• The number one college in America, according to the Washington Monthly, is Berea College, a liberal arts school in rural Kentucky. Berea offers a high-quality education for close to zero tuition, thanks to a work-study program that reduces costs and gives students valuable

job skills.

To help students in their college search, the magazine offers short profiles of 25 of these high-performing schools—ranging from world-renowned Johns Hopkins University to unsung regional public universities like Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and the University of Central Florida. With growing federal attacks on higher education and public

concerns about its value, the Washington Monthly in 2025 has revised its rankings—first published in 2005—to provide an even clearer picture of how individual colleges are performing. Its Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars ranking combines all four-year colleges and universities into a single master list that allows readers to see how any college or university—public or private, big or small—stacks up against all the others.

The magazine has also created two new companion rankings:

• America’s Best Colleges for Research, which shows that the universities driving innovation aren’t just in blue states—and neither is the damage from the Trump administration’s research cuts.

• America’s Best Hispanic-Serving Colleges was created in collaboration with the nonprofit Excelencia in Education.

The 20th anniversary issue of the annual Washington Monthly College Guide and Ranking also includes “best bang for the buck” listings by region and rankings of liberal arts, bachelor’s, and master’s institutions. All are available at www.washingtonmonthly.com/2025-college-guide.

Washington Monthly editor-in-chief Paul Glastris says, “Our changes take account of new realities facing higher education. We’ve revamped our methodology to focus even more squarely on what we think Americans most want from our colleges and universities: that they help students of

modest means earn degrees that pay off in the marketplace, don’t saddle them with heavy debt, and prepare—indeed, encourage—them to become active members of our democracy.”

Praise for Washington Monthly’s Approach

At a time when consensus is lacking on most matters, the Washington Monthly college rankings receive positive reviews from top education leaders. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona says, “Rankings should not reward colleges for the students they keep out, but those they admit and support through graduation. By doing just that, Washington Monthly’s rankings are a vital resource for students, parents, and taxpayers alike.”

Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says, “If you want to know what really counts in higher education, look at the Monthly's rankings—you'll find some welcome surprises.” Mark Schneider, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former director of the National Center for Education Statistics, says, “I appreciate the Washington Monthly’s focus on active citizenship, economic mobility, and the attention it gives to regional ‘comprehensive’ universities — the ‘workhorses’ of America's higher education that seldom get the recognition they deserve.”

Mariah Stackhouse is a Driving Force for Black Women in LPGA

Is there any club more closed to Black women than professional golf? The answer is yes … polo. But, on Monday, Aug. 18, Mariah Stackhouse, the only full-time active Black player on the LPGA Tour was featured at the Morehouse School of Medicine Golf Tournament at the Capital City Club in Brookhaven to bring awareness to opportunities for aspiring minority golfers and raise scholarship funds for deserving MSM students.

A Stanford graduate and KPMG brand ambassador, Stackhouse has attracted scores of other young minority men and women to the sport which was exclusively the domain of the privileged and limited people of color to caddy positions rather than those actually taking a shot on the green. ” You know, if you don’t come from generational wealth or immediate wealth, for young parents, it can be a burden. I know that was for my parents,” said Stackhose who explained that her first set of golf clubs, at the age of two were clubs her father cut down for the toddler to accompany him on the golf course where he and his siblings had worked while growing up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

efforts were showing, so I was very fortunate to be in that position that [funders would invest in me],” Stackhouse shares. Stackhouse’s father remained her primary coach unti the age of 11, and by the time the junior golfer was becoming a sports celebrity when the family relocated to Atlanta, where she graduated from North Clayton High School in Riverdale, Ga and Stackhouse went on to graduate of Stanford University. “if you’re able to compete, you’re able to win,” declares Stackhouse regarding securing access and her position in the amateur golf world.

“There’s an organization called Golf Foundation that would go out and seek support for me, and that was before the NCAA changed rules, right? So you couldn’t really accept money from people without losing eligibility … so my parents would reach out to people in the golf community that wanted to support me, that wanted to help, and they would be able to give funds to me. We’d run them through the James organization, provide receipts, and that’s how I was able to keep my funding. Stackhouse beams about her parents’ career guidance and dedication to her dream.

The bourgeoning golf protege went on to play in her first tournament at the age of six, and as golf enthusiasts began to take notice they also became were more willing to open their wallets for her to win a purse. “I had proven myself to be dedicated and good at a young age, so

my parents were able to find that support. You know, people are willing to help when you’re working hard, and those

In 2011, at the age of 17, Stackhouse became the youngest African American woman to earn a spot in the field at the U.S. Open, and in 2014, she became the first African American woman to make the Curtis Cup team, which the United States won that year.

During her tenure at Stanford, where she was a four-year All-American, Stackhouse helped the Cardinal to an NCAA title in 2015.

But the celebrated athlete, her impact extends beyond tournament results: “I embrace my Blackness in the golf world,” focusing on promoting diversity and inclusion. at the Morehouse Golf tournament, Mariah showed up and showed out. The 41-year-old golf champion was on hand to lead aspiring golfers and share her personal journey to national prominence and historic achievements.

During the Morehouse School of Medicine Golf Tournament, Stackhouse emphasized the importance of mental strength and the evolving inclusivity in golf, noting the growth of Black female professionals, while also discussing the need for better support and resources for junior golfers and their parents. ” I’m proud to be black, you know, and I know that God made me this way, and I’m happy to be that. So I think that I’ve always had a strong sense of self and a love of self, and that can sometimes power through and see things that people want to do to make you feel.”

Stackhouse concluded the very successful Morehouse School of Medicine with this thought: “Specifically, I think about this. … the Morehouse School of Medicine tournament is one of my favorite parts … I love doing clinics with adult beginners and just talking to them about the game, we can all be winners.”

Taylor Townsend Has Shown Us What Makes a Winner

by Corynne Corbett, BlackHealthMatters.com

Even if you don’t watch tennis, after this past week, you probably know who Taylor Townsend is. She came into the US Open unseeded, but she has left a memorable impression. Last Wednesday, after solidly defeating Jelena Ostapenko in the second round. Yet, she had to endure insults to her character lobbed at her by her opponent. For the next 48 hours, that’s all anyone wanted to talk to Townsend about, and then she had to play again. But like a phoenix, she rises, again and again. And she and Kateřina Siniaková are the number-one seeds in women’s doubles to boot.

The Post-Match Exchange

It seems that Ostapenko has a history of outbursts. But she was expecting an apology for a net cord that Townsend won a point off. So, instead of shaking hands like a reasonable person at the end of the match, she went on that tirade. In which she told 29-year-old Townsend, “You have no class and no education.”

Townsend replied, “You need to learn how to take a loss better.” At first, you may think this is a replay of Coco Gauff at the French Open. But this was far more inflammatory, which the Tennis podcast pointed out in the clip below. It also took days before Ostapenko’s non-apology.

But Taylor needed to carry on.

Townsend’s Late Night Upset of Mira Andreeva on Friday Night

The crowd stayed until midnight at Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch Taylor

Townsend’s match on Friday night, August 29th. They were not disappointed. Playing against 18-year-old Mira Andreeva, she was in her element—the encounter with Ostenpenko out of her mind. While the first set was close, 7-5. Townsend seemed to dominate the second set, and

Andreeva’s emotions got the better of her. Reflections on the Incidents with Ostapenko

In a post-match interview, Townsend was asked about her last 48 hours and how she was feeling about it. Here is how she responded.

“It’s bigger than me,” Townsend, 29, said on court after the match. “It’s about the message. It’s about the representation. It’s about being bold and being able to show up as yourself, and I did that tonight. You guys saw the real Taylor Townsend tonight,” she said.

Townsend Showing Up as Herself

What made that win against Andreeva special was that it got Townsend to the Round 16 for the first time since 2019. And she was unapologetic about showing up as herself. Watching her play with Ben Shelton is especially delightful.

“God damn, this feels good,” Townsend said after her win. “All I’m going to say is welcome to the show. I’ve been putting in a lot of hard work.

Townsend is also a mother.

“I want to dedicate this win to my coach. We’ve been through blood, sweat, and tears, also to my son, Adyn. He’ll be here tomorrow. He’s been telling his teachers at school, ‘I’m going to New York to see

my mom.’ So this just felt so good.”

Townsend Put Her All Into the 4th Round On Sunday, Townsend had a tough match against Barbora Krejcikova. The second set lasted 98 minutes, according to ESPN, the longest set of any women’s draw. With a tiebreaker in the second set that ended 15-13. But in the end, she couldn’t pull it out. 1-6, 7-6, 6-3. In the second set, she was a point away from her first Grand Slam singles quarterfinal over and over again. But Townsend lost seven match points to her Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam Champion.

After the loss, Townsend did cry in the sideline chair before leaving the court. “It just stings because I literally gave everything,” Townsend said. “She came up with some really, really great tennis in moments where she was down, and I thought I had it.”

What Her Son Said to Her Afterward When she saw her son, Adyn, 4, according to People, he had come to see her play, she said. “Good job, Mom!” She said, “Adyn, I lost. He replied. “That’s okay. ‘That’s the attitude.’ So I’m trying to embody that.” Then asked her if she wanted to work out, maybe do some squats after she had played three hours of tennis.

While Townsend didn’t win the match, she did show us what a winner looks like because she is a winner through and through.

Cami March Claims Historic Victory at Sapphire Golf Tour

Cami March wins at Inaugural Sapphire Golf Tour

The inaugural Sapphire Golf Tour arrived at the Country Club at Woodmore in Prince George’s County, Maryland on August 26. The arrival marked a historic moment—this professional tour is the first of its kind created specifically to elevate Black women in competitive golf. This premier event brought together professional women from the United States, Bermuda, and the United Kingdom for a weekend of elite competition that culminated with a final tee-off and the crowning of the tournament champion, signaling both athletic triumph and cultural breakthrough.

Standout player Cami March celebrated for delivering a triumphant win that marked a monumental moment for her and the Sapphire community. Her victory stands as a powerful testament to the Tour’s mission—providing visibility and competitive opportunity to Black women golfers.

“Cami’s triumph marks a bold step forward for Black women in golf, reminding us that excellence, representation, and resilience belong on every fairway,” said Sapphire Golf Tour Commissioner Tarek DeLavallade on his LinkedIn page. “Her performance today echoes far beyond the scorecard—it’s a celebration of culture, community, and the future we’re building together.”

Tournament players expressed excitement and anticipation ahead of competition. This sense of camaraderie highlighted the deeper purpose of the Tour—golfers ready to claim both opportunity and recognition.

Players came from all across the nation, and as far away at the U.K. Professional golfer Natasha Ainsley Thomas, originally from Northamptonshire, England, brought a dynamic blend of global perspective, athletic excellence, and coaching passion to the fairway, saying to Fox 5 “As a woman of color, I’ve always felt that I really didn’t really belonged in a lot of golf tournaments, and this golf tournament is the first one where I haven’t had to think about how I look or, if they’re looking at me for the wrong reasons, or anything like that, and I’ve been able to just relax and focus on the golf.”

Winner Cami March and Sapphire Tour

Commissioner Tarek DeLavallade

Winner Cami March said, “I think to have a tour like this, so other young girls can see, hey, there are girls playing this sport look like me and can help me along my journey, if we can be a resource to them, that’s what this is all about. It’s all about giving back.” March, a Los Angeles native, built her athletic foundation at the Marlborough School, excelling in both golf and softball. She earned four varsity golf letters, twice making All-League first

team, while also captaining the softball team and earning MVP honors.

Cami March

March carried her golf career to Washington State University, where she steadily improved across four seasons with the Cougars. Highlights included a season-low 74 as a sophomore, an even-par 72 at the Fresno State Classic, and a senior scoring average of 78.57 over seven

rounds. March also served as team captain and was active on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, balancing athletics with her pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Digital Technology and Culture.

Turning professional in 2023, March joined the Minor League Golf Tour (MLGT), where she quickly found success in the Training Division. She has collected multiple wins, including victories at The Florida Club and PGA Nation-

al, while continuing to refine her game in competitive play.

At the helm of this groundbreaking initiative is Tarek DeLavallade, often referred to as the brainchild and Tour Commissioner behind the Sapphire Golf Tour. Under his leadership, the Tour embodies a bold vision to put Black women in and around the top, reshaping the landscape of professional golf.

From a broader perspective, DeLavallade has emphasized that this is more than a golf tour—it is the launching of futures. As Executive Director of the United Golfers Association, he stands at the intersection of legacy and innovation. The Sapphire Golf Tour, backed by the UGA’s long-standing advocacy for Black golfers, provides a national stage, competitive purses, visibility, and a pipeline toward LPGA and international play.

Upcoming stops on the Sapphire Golf Tour include September 29 – 30 at Chateau Elan Golf Club – Chateau Course, Atlanta, Ga., Followed by Houston (Tx) and Jacksonville (Fla).

For those interested in learning more, getting involved, or supporting the Tour, contact Tarek DeLavallade, Tour Commissioner, Mobile: 407-625-0300, Email: ty@sapphiregolftour.com.

For tournament scores, visit the official website—rich with information on upcoming events, sponsorship opportunities, and the Tour’s mission at www. SapphireGolfTour.com.

Trump Rollbacks Put Mental Health Coverage at Risk Nationwide

By Stacy M. Brown Black Press USA Correspondent

Millions of Americans are facing steeper barriers to mental health care as the Trump administration dismantles protections designed to hold insurers accountable. According to ProPublica, just months into his second term, the administration paused Biden-era rules that required insurers to disclose how they restrict or deny mental health claims. The suspension, combined with funding cuts to the federal agency that enforces mental health parity, has left patients vulnerable to denials, delays, and rising medical bills.

The timing is especially troubling. According to the 2024 Senior Report, drug deaths among U.S. adults 65 and older surged in recent years, with the District of Columbia experiencing a 120 percent increase between 2017-2019 and 20202022. The same report found that Black seniors across the country are more than four times as likely to die prematurely as their white peers. These outcomes point to the urgent need for accountability in coverage — precisely what federal regulators are now retreating from.

Oversight is rapidly shrinking. Various reports note that the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the Labor Department agency responsible for enforcing parity laws, is expected to lose nearly 20 percent of its workforce,

dropping from 831 employees in 2024 to fewer than 700 by 2026. The investigative staff alone has already been cut by almost 40 percent in some regions, forcing remaining investigators to juggle overwhelming caseloads and leaving families waiting longer for relief.

For many, the results are devastating. ProPublica detailed the case of a Massa-

chusetts family whose teenage daughter developed self-harm behaviors and severe anorexia during the pandemic. Their insurer denied coverage for residential treatment, leaving the family with more than $80,000 in bills. Only after a long battle and intervention from an EBSA investigator did the insurer agree to repay most of the cost. With fewer investigators

and weaker rules, similar families may not get help.

Researchers noted that local initiatives continue to show what is possible. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield previously reported that it has invested nearly $8 million into behavioral health grants across Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. In the program’s first year,

more than 3,300 youth were screened for unmet behavioral health needs, and thousands received clinical or peer support. CareFirst also says it funded the training and licensing of dozens of new providers to address shortages. Still, such community-driven programs, while impactful, cannot replace national oversight.

The rollback of mental health protections is part of a continuing trend. With all his devastating policies that come right out of the Project 2025 playbook, Trump has moved to unwind several Biden-era initiatives across health care, energy, and education. In mental health specifically, advocates warn that the administration’s actions have effectively gutted the strongest provisions of the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which was designed to guarantee equal treatment for mental and physical health care.

The consequences are already visible in communities nationwide. According to the 2024 Senior Report, racial and economic disparities in mortality, drug deaths, and housing insecurity continue to grow. Without federal enforcement to guarantee coverage, those inequities are likely to deepen.

“The expectation was that these rules would be incredibly significant in driving better compliance,” former EBSA deputy Ali Khawar told ProPublica. “So now that it is on hold, it is a significant benefit that will never be realized.”

Black Women Are Missing Out on Life-Saving Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment

By BlackDoctor.org

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) disproportionately affects Black women in the U.S., contributing to higher breast cancer mortality rates in this population. A recent study published in the JAMA Network Open has revealed significant racial disparities in the administration of immunotherapy, a treatment that improves outcomes in early-stage and metastatic TNBC.

What is Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells. It involves using biological or chemical factors that change the immune system or the patient’s response to tumor cells. In the context of TNBC, immunotherapy often involves the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, like atezolizumab and pembrolizumab, which work by blocking proteins that stop the immune system from attacking cancer cells.

Why is Immunotherapy Important for TNBC?

In the context of cancer, clinical trials are essential for developing and

improving life-saving treatments like immunotherapy. They provide a structured way to test the safety and effectiveness of new therapies and can offer patients access to cutting-edge treatments that are not yet widely available. However, clinical trials must include diverse patient populations, including Black women, to ensure that the findings apply to all who may benefit from these treatments.

Immunotherapy has been shown to significantly improve outcomes for

patients with TNBC. For metastatic TNBC, studies have demonstrated that immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy can improve overall survival. In early-stage TNBC, immunotherapy has been shown to increase the rate of pathologic complete response (pCR), which is the absence of any signs of cancer in tissue removed during surgery after treatment. Achieving pCR is a key indicator of treatment success and is associated with better long-term survival.

Racial Disparities in Immunotherapy Use

The study, which analyzed data from 10,724 patients with TNBC between 2019 and 2021, revealed that while immunotherapy use has increased overall, Black patients with metastatic TNBC are less likely to receive this treatment compared to White patients. This disparity persists even when socioeco-

nomic factors are taken into account. Researchers found that immunotherapy use increased from 5.5 percent in 2017 to 38.8 percent in 2021 for metastatic TNBC, and from 4.2 percent in 2017 to 48.0 percent in 2021 for early-stage TNBC. However, the increase was lower among Black patients.

The study also found that socioeconomic factors play a role in the disparities seen in early-stage TNBC treatment. When factors such as insurance status and treatment facility type were considered, the differences in immunotherapy use between Black and White patients were no longer significant.

The authors of the study suggest that there may be other unmeasured factors contributing to the lower use of immunotherapy in Black patients with metastatic TNBC, such as racial differences in PD-L1 status (a protein that affects how well immunotherapy works), differences in the tests used to determine PD-L1 status, or differences in access to biomarker testing.

The study shows the urgent need to address the racial disparities in cancer care. The researchers emphasize that efforts should be made to ensure equal access to immunotherapy for all patients, which could help improve the survival and disproportionate impact of TNBC on Black women.