OUR TIME PRESS | June 13 – 19, 2019 by Mike Kurov

| From the Villa ge of Brook ly n |

OUR TIME PRESS THE L OCAL PAPER WITH THE G LOBAL VIEW

| VOL. 23 NO. 24

June 13 – 19, 2019 |

Since 1996

Owning the Story, Facing The Truth

Photo: Courtesy HBO

The Memorial to Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, is the nation’s only landmark dedicated to the memory of the more than 4,400 African-Americans killed by lynching. It rests on six acres of land owned by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) —the legal services nonprofit founded by attorney Bryan A. Stevenson in 1989. EJI’s nearby Legacy Museum (image, p.9), is located on the site of a former warehouse where Africans were enslaved. EJI provides representation to those who may have been denied a fair trial. See Pages 8, 9; and Juneteenth events in the Calendar on Page 16.

Warrior for Justice

he most powerful man in America, the one who may help set the nation on the long track to the greatness it seeks, may be the social justice activist Bryan A. Stevenson. The widely acclaimed public interest lawyer, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative legal practice in Montgomery, Alabama, has dedicated his life and career to helping the poor, the incarcerated and the condemned. And he has inspired a legion of others – many young attorneys setting out to make their mark in the pursuit of justice. Affirmation came earlier this week during passionate conversations about Stevenson’s dedication to improving the administration of criminal justice; his inspiration as a role model to many rising stars in law and his research in the psychological repercussions for those who suffered in the Jim Crow era. Stevenson’s story has not been overlooked by big and small screens. His autobiographical New York Times bestseller, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption is the subject of a feature starring Michael B. Jordan and set for release January 2020. Thousands from around the world trek to EJI’s National Memorial for Peace and

Justice and the nearby Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration which opened a year ago, April 2018. Both sites for which Stevenson was the architect, interpret the connection between lynchings and slavery to issues of the day leaving visitors are visibly moved. Stevenson’s sites offer a not-so-gentle, whirlwind of an interactive experience, focusing the observer-participant on some truths about American history and its ongoing effects today. In the last half-century, America has become the nation with the highest rate of incarceration in the world; authorized the execution of hundreds of condemned prisoners; and continues to struggle to recover from a long, painful history of racial injustice. Stevenson’s tracking of the intertwined histories of slavery, lynching, segregation and mass incarceration, reveals the criminal justice system’s role in codifying modern systemic racism. Stevenson’s Legacy Museum/Lynching Memorial work is the nation’s only dedication to the more than 4,400 African Americans who died from lynching. On pages 8 and 9 of this issue, Central Brooklyn middle and high school students reflect on their journey last month to

Photo: Courtesy HBO

Bryan A. Stevenson, Founder, Equal Justice Initiative Montgomery and Selma during the third annual tour of historic Civil Rights sites in southern states hosted by the Brooklyn Anti-Violence Coalition. Among the places visited was The Legacy Museum. We also continue sharing excerpts from the personal diary of Glen Beck, a US Marine & Executive Protection Specialist, who accompanied BAVI tourgoers.

Stevenson is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School, is the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, the NAACP Image Award and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, among other honors. Coming up on Wednesday, June 26 at 8:00pm, HBO presents True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality.

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

VOL. 23 NO. 24

Margarita Lopez Torres, Candidate for Surrogates Court ■■

By Melanie Lewis

met Judge Lopez- Torres for this conversational interview near the church of my birth in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. It caused me to think of the biblical story of the unjust judge. So I had to ask what was her definition of a ‘just judge.’ She replied “One that has knowledge of the law. Understanding that there is a need to follow the law, but the law has to be just.” “There have been times in this country’s history where there were laws and they weren’t just. The judges followed the laws. We have this history in our country when people were enslaved. It was legal. So legal that if someone tried to run away from that system of slavery and went to a different state that did not have slavery the slave owner had a legal right to go to the other state and demand the return of their ‘property’ and property would be returned. We have a problem there. People are not property right? So to be a just judge you need to know that laws, I deeply believe, have to result in a just resolution. That you cannot be ‘a slave’ to the written statue. You have to be just. That means recognizing that every decision that you make as a judge has an effect on people’s life. You have to approach it with humility, and compassion, understanding that person that comes before you for their case is very important. And where you can exercise your digression to do justice a just judge will do it.” Judge Lopez Torres has 40 years of legal experience. She speaks English, Spanish and French yet can greet in over 14 different languages. She moved to New York From Puerto

Rico at age six. “My hero was Dr. Martin Luther King. Growing Up in Brownville, East New York I became aware of the civil rights movement. All the churches around were engaging in partnership or solidary with the movement. I was in HS when Dr. King was assassinated. The thing that started to make me want to be a lawyer is just seeing how Dr. King used the courts to change those laws that were not just, and to do that he needed lawyers. I started seeing that would be my way of being part of this movement. That’s why I knew I wanted to be a legal services lawyer, what we called at the time the people’s lawyer.” She began her legal career in legal services and rose to become a managing attorney in East Harlem. There she advocated for clients in the areas of public entitlements, immigration, housing and family law. Following service as an Assistant Corporation Counsel with New York City, where she handled both civil and criminal proceedings, Judge López Torres became Director of Family Law at Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation. In that capacity, she supervised the unit representing litigants in proceedings involving child abuse, neglect, custody, foster care review, termination of parental rights, as well as representing victims of domestic violence. Judge Lopez Torres has over 26 years of judicial experience. She was first elected to the Civil Court in 1992 and re-elected in 2002. During that time, she was assigned to the Civil Court (including the Housing Court), as well as the Family and Criminal

Courts. In 2005, she was elected to Brooklyn’s Surrogate’s Court. Judge López Torres is proud to belong to a family dedicated to public service through education, as her four siblings have had careers as educators, and her daughter is an assistant principal in a Brooklyn high school. Her son is a lieutenant with the FDNY, and her husband is a legal services attorney and a leader in the prevention of childhood lead poisoning. Her four grandchildren are the joys of her life.

Unsung Heroes

Joe Willins: An Incredible Scooter Cop

o bullets, No choking, No abuse, yet former Marine and retired 79th Precinct NYPD Officer, Joe Willins (“Scooter Joe”), was constantly able to

take hardened criminals and murderers into custody during the turbulent 70’s and 80’s, when drugs and crime were rampant in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community.

Joe, a Bed-Stuy native, is the son of Barbadian parents. He knew every nook and cranny in the community. He knew the criminal elements and the hardworking residents and still has the respect of those whom he had sworn to serve and protect. Joe made more than 2000 arrests and put over 38 people in jail for murder by solving high-profile cases. “I wanted to cleanse the Bed-Stuy community of the most dangerous, violent, murderous individuals and in my 22 years of service, I have never fired my gun!” he boasted. Joe’s exemplary work is documented in a book published by Fawcett, The Incredible Scooter Cop written by Dave Fisher. It was also made into a stage play and shopped around for a movie. On his retirement over 30 block associations, elected officials, clergy, police supervisors of all ranks and the community held an elaborate retirement party. He has been a guest on TV and radio talk shows, featured in print and has a storehouse of memorabilia. His many award letters and citations confirm his status as a living legend, full of knowledge and insight on community policing. Submitted by Eulene Inniss

DBG MEDIA Publishers of Our Time Press, Inc. 358 Classon Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11238 (718) 599-6828 Web site: www.ourtimepress.com e-mail: editors@ourtimepress.com Publisher DBG MEDIA Editor-in-Chief David Mark Greaves Copy Editor Maitefa Angaza Columnists Eddie Castro Victoria Horsford Michael Johnson Abigail McGrath Marlon Rice Reporters Akosua Albritton Margo McKenzie Contributors Lisa Durden Fern Gillespie Web Editor www.ourtimepress.com Lauren Cullins Office Manager Joanna Williams Advisor Bernice Elizabeth Green KinEsthetics International © 2015, DBG MEDIA Publishers of Our Time Press, Inc., printed in New York City. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the publishers. Publishers are not responsible for any ad claims. MBE Certified in NYC, NYS and the Port Authority of NY & NJ Member: New York State Press Association

VOL. 23 NO. 24

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

Whose Park? Not Yours ■■

lush 25,000 square-foot park will be one of the 150,000 square feet of amenities rivaling top resorts and offered to tenants at the Front and York development in Dumbo. No one expects the latter amenities to be available for the general public to enjoy. But the park – which will be roughly three-quarters the size of Manhattan’s Gramercy Park – will also be private like that one is. The development will take up a full block of Jay Street and entry to the big, beautiful – and exclusive, park will be restricted by security guards. The “blooming sanctuary” as the developers are calling it, will be designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the firm that designed Brooklyn Bridge Park. It’s a perk for those who can afford to buy or rent the over 408 condos and 302 rental units. The development, with two 21-story towers and a nine-story building, all with rooftop pools, will be built on land once owned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses and partially occupied by the old Watchtower Building. Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, relinquished his small ownership in the property last year, although his fatherin-law had already been president for a while. The Jehovah’s Witnesses applied for and received rezoning

for the property 15 years ago, but never developed it. This allowed their former partners to build a palace with likely stratospheric rents (rental prices have not yet been released) without having to give even a nod to public space or affordable units. Nor is it known if the pricey buildings will benefit from the welfare-for-the-wealthy offered to several of New York’s City’s highest-income property owners. It was reported last July that over the five-years prior, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority subsidized

by Maitefa Angaza

luxury housing with $75 million in electricity and heating subsidies. The agency then responded that some of its funds were spent making a few new developments in East New York and elsewhere more energy efficient as well. But many public housing tenants still endure cold winters and sweltering summers with egregiously long waits for boiler repairs, etc. Thirty-nine upper-income residential buildings received funds from the city, out of 72 buildings overall. Among them were St. Tropez, with recent condo sales ranging from $1.7 to $4.5 million,

the Eldorado, a co-op whose members are shaving $375,000 a year of their utility costs because the State is covering about a quarter of its environmental upgrade expenses. It will be interesting to see what will be on offer for Front and York some time before it 2021 opening. Meanwhile residents displaced from NYCHA’s nearby Farragut Houses await news of truly affordable housing that allows them to move back to their neighborhoods The Forgotten Farragut a 2017 short documentary by Brooklyn Community

Services (BCS) focused on the effects of Dumbo’s gentrification on longtime Farragut Houses residents. The film contrasts the then $20,169 median household income of Farragut tenants with the $204, 205 median of Dumbo residents. Farragut Houses residents also had to bear the extra costs of traveling outside of their neighborhood to buy groceries and bring them home. After their neighborhood’s only supermarket was demolished to make way for luxury housing, they were promised a new and better replacement by the Bloomberg administration. Then when the new supermarket – and a few other stores that carried some fresh produce arrived – the prices were prohibitive, to say the least, for those who had waited nearly a decade for the replacement. Along with gentrification and its physical and mental health tolls, Farragut Houses residents had to contend with the most frightening invasion of all – rats. The years-long construction at the nearby Navy Yard have flooded the area with vermin each time a new project begins. And some of the people affected are newcomers paying exorbitant rents to live in these conditions. They can afford to live elsewhere, however. Most NYCHA tenants cannot.

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Health

Bill de Blasio Mayor Oxiris Barbot, MD Commissioner

Health

Bill de Blasio Mayor Oxiris Barbot, MD Commissioner

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

WHAT’S GOING ON ■■

By Victoria Horsford

NEW YORK, NY The NY Primary on June 25 will be pretty uneventful in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island for a number of civil court races. The Queens District Attorney Primary race is monopolizing media attention. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz is running against 6 contenders, including a young public defender, Tiffany Caban. Mainstream Democrat politicos Governor Cuomo, Congressman Gregory Meeks and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams endorsed Katz while U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Caban. Will upstart Ocasio-Cortez trump the Democrat power elite? Newly-elected NYC Council member and Brooklynite Farah Louis faces challengers to determine if she keeps her seat beyond December. Political consultant Chet Whye will host a fundraiser for South

Carolina Democrat J a i m e Harrison, who will challenge US Senator Lindsey Graham next year and who needs Jaime Harrison $10 million to mount an effective campaign. Fundraiser will be held at 1280 Fifth Avenue in Harlem on June 18 at 6 pm.

BLACK ENTERPRISE Last week, Rihanna made the Forbes magazine list as the world’s richest self- made female musician. The list is the richest of self-made women. The Rihanna brand is not limited to music. Two years ago, she introduced Fenty Cosmetics and a lingerie line. She recently signed a

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Rihanna deal with LVMH, Europe’s luxury lifestyle conglomerate to produce her own fashion line, Fenty Maison. Six other African Americans made the self-made women’s list. They are Oprah, Serena Williams, Sheila Johnson, Beyonce, and Janice Bryant Howroyd of Act 1. Two months ago, the Johnson Publishing Company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. Johnson Publishing was the umbrella for the premier Black magazines, Ebony and Jet, and for Fashion Fair Cosmetics. Johnson Publishing sold the iconic magazines in 2016 to a Black hedge-funder. Last week, news circulated that Johnson is auctioning off its coveted picture archives to pay its debt. Company was founded in 1942 and has chronicled and inventoried seven decades of the Black American experience. A few years ago, the Ebony picture archives were guesstimated to be worth $40 million, an undervaluation by many.

ARTS/CULTURE Fox Searchlight has approved film auteur Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk”) to direct the Alvin Ailey story. Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company has evolved into

Alvin Ailey a major American art institution. The Ailey Lincoln Center Season runs from June 12–16. The Ailey Spirit Gala on June 13 celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Alvin Ailey School. The Ailey Pride Night on June 14 will spotlight the LGBTQ icon through two works, “Revelations” and “Lazarus.” Documentary filmmaker extraordinaire Stanley Nelson will produce and direct the 4-part documentary, “Creating the New World,” which will examine the

VOL. 23 NO. 24 largest, forced migration (Africans transported to the New World of the Americas) in history, commonly known as the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Harlem Opera Theater presents a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thomas A. Dorsey, pianist-composer encore presentation, father of gospel music, at the Miller Theatre, Columbia University on June 15 at 7 pm, 2960 Broadway at 116th Street, Manhattan. [Visit: harlemoperatheater.com] CARIBBEAN-AMERICAN MONTH The following is a truncated list of Caribbean and CaribbeanAmerican people who are making a difference in American and world culture. ART/CULTURE: Harry Belafonte; Joseph Bethune; Grace Blake; Anna Maria Horsford; Vy Higginsen (Mama Foundation); Dr. Marta Vega; writers Dame Pearl Duncan, Malcolm Gladwell, Paget Henry, Jamaica Kincaid, Sylvia Wong Lewis, Earl Lovelace and Iyaba Ibo Mandingo; Wraggs Wall, Eric Tate, Queen Latifah, Kwame Brathwaite, Peter Wayne Lewis, RIHANNA, Sonny Rollins, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sidney Poitier, Voza Rivers and Sunny Williams. F O U N D AT I O N S / NONPROFITS: Elizabeth Alexander, Mellon Foundation; Curtis Archer, Harlem Community Development Corp.; Wes Moore, Robin Hood Foundation; Roy Paul, Cents Ability; Ivo Philbert, Jackie Robinson Foundation; Kamilah Forbes, Apollo Theater; Lloyd Williams, Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce; and philanthropist Franklin Thomas, Ford Foundation and Bedford-Stuvesant Restoration. MEDIA: Ruschell Boone, NY1; David Greaves, Our Time Press; Dr. Faye and Karl Rodney, Karlisa Rodney, NY Carib News; Errol Louis, NY1; Lester Holt, NBC News; Yussuf Khan, Rosalind McLymont, The Network Journal; Joy Reid, MSNBC; Al Roker, NBC News; Eric Tate; and Jean Wells, Positive Community. L AW Y E R S / J U D G E S : Attorneys Franklyn Hernandez, Jr., Afua Mensah, Ernst Perodin, Rose Pierre-Louis, Keith Wright, Nathaniel Wright and Judge Michele Rodney. MEDICINE/HEALTH: John Mitchell, MD; Edgar Mandeville, MD; Dawn Mandeville, MD;

Romeo Adams, MD; Cheryl Smith, MD; Roslyn Woods Cabbagestalk, RN; George Hulse and Jocelyn Valentine, nutritionist. REAL ESTATE: Al Cunningham, Russell Grey, Ramona Grey Harris, Frank Hernandez, Robert Horsford, Dwayne Omar, Alyah Horsford Sidberry, Stanley McIntosh, Edward Poteat, Kenyatta Punter, Michael Punter, Beatrice Sibblies, Karen Soltau McLymont and Michael Williams. CLERGY: Rev. Jacques DeGraff, Rev. Dennis Dillon, Rev. Dr. Michael Walrond, Rev. A.R. Bernard, Sr. POLITICS/GOV.: Cordell Cleare, Chirlane McCray de Blasio, Michelle Booker, NYS Senators Brian Benjamin, Leroy Comrie and Zellnor Y. Myrie; NY Assemblyman Michael Blake, NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea StewartCousins, NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Basil Smikle; Congresswomen Yvette Clarke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Congressmen Charles Rangel and Adriano Espaillat, US Senator Kamala Harris, Ambassadors Susan Rice and Colin Powell, William Thompson, Governor David Paterson, Patricia Jackson, Christopher Saunders; Bronx Boro Prexy Ruben Diaz, Jr.; NYC Councilmen Ruben Diaz, Sr. and Ritchie Torres; and Celeste Morris. EDUCATION: Jackie Charity, Brenda Clark, Fern Khan, Javaid Khan and Nafees Khan, Melanie Edwards, Kenneth Thompson, Dr. Keith Taylor, Wanda BallardWingfield and Nicole Benjamin. ENTREPRENEURS: Jason Benta, Benta’s Funeral Home; Alyah Horsford Sidberry, COVE Lounge; Laurent Delly, IDEACOIL; Maria Granville, Madisyn Consultants; and Roy Miller, Jamerica. THE JUNE CALENDAR The 26th Annual Juneteenth/ Kingfest Celebration, a parade and street fair on 116th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues in Harlem, will be held on Saturday, June 15 at 11 am. Event is “a historical and cultural expression of the AfricanAmerican experience.” Juneteenth commemorates the official end of slavery in the United States. [Call 212.662.2200 or e-mail msmosque@aol.com] Rev. Dr. James Forbes and Carnegie Hall will co-host the 5th Annual JUNETEENTH Celebration on June 19 at 7 pm. Event honorees include Bishop Michael Curry, Bree Newsome Bass and Bill Moyers. The HCCI (Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement) will host its 17th Annual “Let Us Break Bread Together” Awards Gala, a black-tie event, at Marina Del Rey, Bronx, NY on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 6 pm. The 2019 HCCI Awardees include Vy Higginsen, Mama Foundation; Michael J. Garner, One Hundred Black Men/ NY President; Attorney Jennifer Jones-Austin, FPWA; Clark Pena, the Construction Workforce Project; and Rev. Reginald Williams, Addicts Rehabilitation Center. Special Community Awardees include Carolyn Paul, HCCI; Iesha Sekou, Street Corner Resources of Harlem; and Rev. Dr. William L. Watkins, Jr., HCCI founding member. [Visit: HCCI.org]

VOL. 23 NO. 24

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

Thinker’s Notebook

What’s In A Name?

■■

By Marlon Rice

arlier this week, St. James Place between Fulton and Gates was given a name change. It is now Christopher Wallace Way. Hundreds of family, friends, business associates, politicians and just folks from the neighborhood that Christopher Wallace called home gathered in the pouring rain on Monday to pay tribute to his life, and to celebrate the naming of the block where he was raised. Christopher Wallace, better known by The Notorious B.I.G., or Biggie Smalls, was a supremely talented lyricist whose life was cut short on March 9, 1997. In life, Big went from a neighborhood kid to an international music star all while living at 226 St. James Place. Using our neighborhood as his milieu, Christopher created songs that inspired an entire genre of music. He wrote feel good songs that spoke to his concerns of survival, so while you danced you were being educated on the fears and aspirations of a young black man. He wrote car bangers that were eloquently structured even while discussing the most violent and savage of acts, so when you drove through the hood his words made the younger generation nod their heads even as the older generation were disgusted by what they heard. His talent with rhythm and wordplay was as obvious as the chaos that he drew inspiration from. He spoke about robberies, and drug dealing, and murder, and kidnapping and even in those words the listener could still recognize the beautiful sun through those clouds of discord. Indeed, it is confusing being a Black man in America. Our ultimate hope ever since before the rise of the Antebellum South has always been to survive and to transcend oppression, the problem is that a lot of times we’ve reconciled with ourselves the need to use the tools of oppression to create that survival. If you’re in a prison cell and you want to escape it’s only natural that you start the process by utilizing the tools that are with you in that cell. So, we constantly have to fight this juxtaposition of survival and chaos, making attempts to level up while learning through the process the ramifications of our decisions, and having to live with them. This is what you hear when you read Langston Hughes or Donald Goines. Yes, Hughes was more eloquent than stark, and Goines was more stark than eloquent, but they are both discussing the same concepts. What happens to a dream deferred? Hughes implied the results. Goines took you into the back room and let you sit next to the results. In his life’s work, Christopher Wallace also addressed this juxtaposition. For example, when he said, “I made a change from a common thief, to up close and personal with Robin Leach. And, I’m far from cheap. I smoke skunk with my peeps all day, spread love it’s the Brooklyn Way” he was exposing you to his blueprint for transcending oppression. He made a change, that change created a life that transcended the oppressive state he was raised in, but he uses his new life to show love to others who might not have been able to yet make that change. And, he says that doing so is the Brooklyn way, spreading love as a tool for survival. Neither Hughes nor Goines could’ve said it any better. The importance of Christopher Wallace Way is not unlike the scores of stories surrounding the various paths that Black men have had to take in order to find themselves and their place in a society that has continuously maintained a warped and twisted fetish regarding both our creative and our natural lives. His story is like Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, and Sean Bell, and Travon Martin, and Muhammed Ali, and Spike Lee, and Eric Garner and Jimi Hendrix too. How can

I survive and transcend by any means? And, if I don’t make it, how will my life speak for me? I asked a teenager a couple of weeks ago what his biggest fear was. He answered that his biggest fear was dying before he could reach his goals. I hugged him after we talked, because I could relate to his fears. Unless you’ve experienced living as a Black child under the climate of poverty and rage and chaos, you might not understand. One day there will be a young black child walking down Fulton Street. He or she will be a child trapped in the chaos of poverty and oppression. They will get to the corner of Fulton and Christopher Wallace Way, and they will look up at the name of the block and be instantly reminded that they too can transcend, just as Christopher did. Surely, having his name raised to this honor will spread more love than hate. And, he said it himself that spreading love is the Brooklyn way.

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Civil rights attorney protecting tenants pregnant mothers, workers, and immigrants. Found 4X qualified by judicial screening committees: Brooklyn Bar Association New York City Bar Association the LGBT Bar Association Kings County Democratic Party

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OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

VOL. 23 NO. 24

Olivia Cousins, Ph.D.

December, 1948 - June 6, 2019

r. Olivia Cousins was born in the winter of 1948 in Dayton, Ohio to Mary and Oliver Cousins, Sr. with her four siblings: Sandy, Collette, Michelle and Oliver, Jr. Olivia graduated from Julienne High School in Dayton, OH in 1967 and proceeded to attend the University of Dayton, graduating in 1970 with a BA in Psychology. Olivia was a charter member of the university’s Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. chapter, and instrumental in founding its Black Studies Department. As a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, she traveled to the Deep South to help with Black voter registration. Olivia left Dayton and moved to Boston-Cambridge, MA for graduate studies where she did further studies at Harvard University and Boston University, earning degrees in Education and Social Policy (1970) and Afro-American Studies (1975). In 1984, after fulfilling the requirements, she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Medical/Community Sociology. Baptized and confirmed at St. James Catholic Church in Dayton, Olivia, “Libby,” as she was affectionately called by her family and close friends, was a devout Catholic and a woman of faith for all times. Helen La Kelly Hunt, In Faith and Feminism: Holy Alliance, calls her friend and colleague, “A scholar, a Catholic woman and a feminist” and quotes Dr. Cousins saying: “As a Christian, I am guided by the spiritual understanding that I am a steward of the world---responsible for the total well-being, mind, body and spirit--of this planet.” Olivia’s faithfulness and deep spirituality live on in the ecumenical associations

and affiliations in which she actively engaged in membership and the ministry of service, including St. Paul AME Church in Cambridge, MA as a founding participant of The Henry Buckner School; Bridge Street AME Church in Brooklyn, NY, where she created the Rites of Passage Program for Preteen Girls; Our Lady of Victory of St. Martin de Porres Parish, Brooklyn, NY, where, as Eucharistic Minister, she co-created an Annual Jazz Concert Fundraiser; and St. Francis of Assisi Church, New York, NY, as Eucharistic Minister, volunteer parish photographer and usher. Dr. Cousins was a fierce warrior for social justice who championed civil rights by fighting for access to adequate health care for women in the inner city; her work mirrored her passions. As a Clinical Sociologist, Dr. Cousins advocated for communities of color locally and internationally; Director for the After-School Program at Solomon Carter Fuller-Community Mental Health Center in Roxbury, MA (1978); Consultant for The Pan-African Program for Neonatal Health Care in Liberia, West Africa; Professor at City University of New York’s Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC 1987-2019) where she developed the college’s Black Men and Black Women’s Initiative (1988); she chaired the Health and Education Departments as well (1991); became Director of BMCC’s College Opportunity to Prepare for Employment Program and founded BMCC’s Women’s Resource Center. As a feminist, a scholar and an AfricanAmerican historian, Olivia was committed to advancing the issues of all women and the

legacy of African-Americans; her passion is evident in the organizations in which she held positions of leadership, including the acquisition of the historic John Mercer Langston* House, former board chairperson of the National Women’s Health Network, board member of The Sister Fund and the New York Women’s Foundation. Dr. Cousins not only owned and stewarded the John Mercer Langston Historic House, which is a historical African American landmark, but she also founded the John Mercer Langston Institute in Oberlin, OH. The House was in disrepair when she purchased it, but Dr. Cousins personally financed all the repairs to date, and through grit, ingenuity and creativity, she developed historical tours, youth education programs and scholarly retreats that embody the legacy of John Mercer Langston. Dr. Cousins was a Charter Chapter member of Increase Carpenter Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Queens, NY, was a past Chapter Regent of Increase Carpenter Chapter, and was the Northeastern Division Vice Chair for the Historic Preservation Committee. Disciplined and prayerful, Olivia’s playful side loved the arts; she was an artistic photographer with a passion for photojournalism, producing photo essays documenting her family, the people and flowers of her neighborhood in Brooklyn, her travels to Ghana, New York City’s #BringBackOurGirls protests, historical tombstones and Underground Railroad sites. Olivia enjoyed Broadway plays, roaming around the Fulton Art Fair and being an avid collector of art.

Olivia Cousins Olivia loved living; she leaves to cherish her memory her beloved daughter Aisha and her siblings Collette, Michelle (Mark Wherry) and Oliver Cousins, Jr., and is preceded in death by her sister Sandy Cousins Young (2004). Olivia’s nieces and nephews include Nicole Nooks, John (Shawna), Arden Blackwell, Aana Leech (Jeremy), Jessica Wherry and Christopher Cousins, as well as a great-niece, Nova Leech, and a host of wonderfully caring friends too numerous to name, along with colleagues, students and church family members. * John Mercer Langston was an African American abolitionist, attorney, educator, activist, diplomat and politician in the United States. He was the first dean of the law school at Howard University and helped create the department.

Mari Touissant

May 30th, 1035 – June 9th, 2019 Mari Toussaint’s niece Denise Bunn provided Our Time Press with information for this piece. When Mari Touissant was born she came in on Memorial Day with a bang! The middle of seven siblings, she wound up being the last living sibling. Mari was a Grandassa Model back in the ‘60s and toured Europe as a Katherine Dunham dancer. Then she became a social worker in New York City and got her Masters Degree in Social Work from Hunter College. She became the director of James Satterwhite Academy in Jamaica, Queens, where she trained social workers. Mari was a singer well-known in local Brooklyn and Manhattan clubs and

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in locations far beyond. A dyed-in-thewool Brooklynite, she also loved seeing the world and traveled a good deal on her own. She went to Africa several times and she’d been to all of the Caribbean islands. She was very active and used to run around Fort Greene Park every morning. She lived a good, long happy and healthy life. “Her work with The East organization was important to her. She started working with Uhuru Sasa school back in the ‘60s and when The East started the African Street Festival she was there. She also did the talent search for the youth at the Festival for many years. Mari succumbed to a massive heart attack. She was 84 years old.

VOL. 23 NO. 24

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

BROOKLYN JAZZ HEROES EXHIBIT OPENS AT BILLIE HOLIDAY THEATER A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO BROOKLYN MUSICIANS

entral Brooklyn Jazz Consortium (CBJC) opens an exhibit to pay tribute to Brooklyn’s Jazz Heroes –Brooklyn-based musicians who have Ras Chemash Lamed, Vocalist achieved successful careers and worldwide Eric Lemons, Bass recognition, but are always available to come Danny Mixon, Piano home to share their talents with Brooklyn Rome Neal, Vocalist and its jazz community. They have demonstrated leadership in preserving Brooklyn’s jazz legacy and CBJC welcomes an opportunity to recognize these Jazz Heroes. The Jazz Heroes Exhibit is part of CBJC’s 20th Anniversary series and is located in the Billie Holiday Theater Lobby, 1368 Fulton St., Brooklyn. An opening reception of the exhibit, held on June 5th, officially opened the exhibit to the public until June 30th and is part Civil Court Judge of the month-long tribute to Black Kings County Music Month. “Special thanks to the jazz community for recommending their favorite Jazz Hero for this exhibit. We hope to remind everyone that jazz still lives in Brooklyn,” says CBJC Chairman Clarence Mosley. Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium (CBJC), now in its My entire legal career 20th year, was founded by Alma Carroll, Viola Plummer and Torrie has been devoted to ensuring McCartney. It has hosted music, that everyone is treated art and tributes in a series of musical and artistic events throughout fairly and justly inside and the Brooklyn community. CBJC outside of the court room. musicians based in Brooklyn have entertained countless communities Nothing is more important. with jazz and the organization is committed to promoting and ” preserving jazz by recognizing the contributions of artists and the advancement of African culture.

Edward

King

Brooklyn Jazz Heroes Robert Rutledge, Trumpet Sharp Radway, Piano Beareather Reddy, Vocalist Keisha St. Joan, Song Stylist

Ed Stoute, Piano Eric Wyatt, Saxophone Anthony Wonsey, Piano Reggie Woods, Saxophone

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Jeff King, Saxophone

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Ahmed Abdullah, Wind Instruments Stanley Banks, Bass Dwayne Broadnax, Drums Neil Clarke, Percussion Dwight Brewster, Piano Steve Cromity, Vocalist Donna Tulivu Cumberbatch, Vocalist Gerry Eastman, Guitar Eric Frazier, Percussion George Gray, Drums Patsy Grant, Vocalist Craig Haynes, Drums Steve Kroone, Percussion

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OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

VOL. 23 NO. 24

Rediscovering Lost Values

Reflections

Clinton Toussaint, 17… During the Rediscovering Lost Values Tour we embarked on a journey and delved deep into American history. Specifically, how the rights of people across the world have been violated and focusing on the Transatlantic Slave Trade, segregation, Jim Crow and the events that led to the Voting Rights Act. What resonated to me most throughout the entire tour was the lunch counter sit-in simulation inside of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum in Atlanta. Many members of the group, including myself, experienced a simulation. I was seated in a row of diner-style chairs and was instructed to put headphones on. The staff of the museum told me to place my hands on the counter and close my eyes. During the simulation, I heard threats, my chair vibrated vigorously to simulate the kicking and all the movement going on around me. As I was sitting at this counter, my first thought was that I would have retaliated. I remembered Black people did not have rights and retaliation would have led to the death of one’s family or self. Peacefully protesting was our only recourse. Studying about the history of my people and the blood that was shed for us to have rights that all humans deserve, truly makes me appreciate Dr. King, Bayard Rustin, Ameila Boynton Robinson, Rosa Parks and all the important figures of the Civil Rights Movement. This trip has opened my eyes and caused me to want to use all the emotion I have from this experience to create change for the betterment of others and myself.

Skye Matthews, 16 … In Greensboro, North Carolina, there were a series of n o nv i o l e n t protests called the Greensboro Sit-ins. These sit-ins were started because of the Greensboro Four: Ezell Blair, Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil on February 1, 1960. This event occurred in downtown Greensboro at Woolworth’s lunch counter where African Americans were not allowed to eat at the same counter as whites. The police were called and so was the media. The fact that police officers could not act on the four students due to the lack of incitement and/or stimulation caused whites to become exasperated. When the Rediscovering Lost Values Tour visited the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, we had the opportunity to experience a simulation of a lunch counter sit-in. This is an experience I will never forget. As I sat at the counter, I put on the headphones, closed my eyes and put my hands on the counter. I began to hear a bunch of threats being thrown at me in my left ear and my right ear. It felt so real! I put myself in the shoes of my ancestors and felt the racist segregationist kicking me, shaking my chair, calling me n****r and threatening to stab me in the neck with a fork. This made me very upset and angry. I know the people who were involved in the sit-ins were angry, but they didn’t let their anger get the best of

them, they used it to create change. Being able to experience the lunch-counter simulation shows me how strong our people are. Shows how determined they were to create change for future generations even if not their own. This experience truly has motivated me!

Shavonnie Adams, 17… Brown Skin That’s all the difference was But it was enough to justify: Slavery Lynchings Police Brutality Mass Incarceration Slavery Husbands ripped from their wives Children ripped from their parents Because of their brown skin Lynchings Dragged out of the safety of their homes Publicly humiliated and tortured Because of their brown skin Police Brutality Innocent teens being shot and killed Young Black men being targeted Because of their brown skin Mass Incarceration Minority teens arrested for crimes they didn’t commit Kids and teens tried as adults Just because of the color of their skin

India Cordero, 17 … Dr. King: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Upon entering the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, I really didn’t know what to expect. The structure was originally named Second Colored Baptist Church; then to coincide with the street, it was named Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Lastly, the structure was renamed again to its current name to pay homage to former pastor and Civil Rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church is memorable in that it brings forth experiences of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. Although Blacks were frequently being mistreated by whites, they looked forward to congregating and worshipping with each other once they entered through the church doors. Churchgoers knew once they entered the building, church was a safe haven for themselves and their family members. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the congregation from 1954 to 1960. In his years of life, Dr. King stood against segregation and oppression. Dr. King was not only the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the organizer of the march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama, he was also the leader of the African American Civil Rights Movement. The murals in church depict the struggles and prejudice of the Civil Rights Movement. As told to me by the Tour Director, Ms. Wanda Howard Battle, the church played a pivotal role

during the Civil Rights Movement and in history today. I felt, and still feel, honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to enter into the same sanctuary where Dr. King delivered many sermons. I›m thankful for having the opportunity to have an opportunity. As my mom always reminds me, “To whom much is given, much will be required.” Therefore, I will not be silenced!

from voting. Some of the disenfranchising laws included charging African Americans a poll tax or requiring us to pass a literacy test for the right to vote. I saw weapons that were used by the white state troopers to prevent the nonviolent protesters from crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They used pen guns, tear gas, bats and all types of things, out of hate and cruelty.

Brianna Ingram, 16 …

Christopher Adams, 13 …

During my time on the Rediscovering Lost Values Tour, I learned a lot about Black History. I thought I knew about my history, but this trip broadened my horizons about not only Black History, but the history of other groups and the oppression they faced. When visiting the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, I learned about human rights and that, for example, in China they enforce censorship on the citizens and their Internet usage. In China, the citizens are not permitted to talk about any controversial topics on social media; if they refer to anything that questions the government’s ability or choices, that will create severe bots on the site to neutralize the “problem” and steer the conversation away from the controversial information that may cause other people to form their own opinions and think that maybe what’s going on isn’t right. The museum has a simulation of a lunch counter sit-in. In school, our class watched videos about the training sit-in participants had to endure to ensure that they would not fight back and make the sit-in peaceful and nonviolent. As our group walked up to the lunch counter, we sat down, put on headphones and placed our hands on the counter and closed our eyes. With our eyes closed, we listened. During the simulation, my chair began to shake and I heard voices of men who were a part of the nonviolent protest and what they went through. They were hassled, beaten, threatened and they were all attacked by a mob. After the simulation was over, I had a new perspective on what the participants went through, the experience is something that changes from just reading and watching videos about it. The simulation should be experienced by all students and adults.

This is my third consecutive year going on the Rediscovering Lost Values Tour. On this year’s tour, we ventured off to the south and visited a number of museums and historic sites. Some of the places that we visited were EJI (Equal Justice Institute), the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, Edmund Pettus Bridge and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. The place that had the most profound impact on me was the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Although we visited the bridge on the previous trip, we walked the bridge, which made me feel like I was walking in the footsteps of my ancestors. I felt powerful, fearless and proud as I marched across that bridge. The thought of me walking on the same bridge as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then, ultimately, President Barack Obama, was very empowering. The blood shed on that bridge that Sunday was disheartening and sad, but it was a sacrifice that I am very grateful for. Another reason why the bridge had an impact on me was because it represents perseverance and strength. Despite all of the slaughtered and brutally-beat people, others still came out and built up the courage to stand up for their rights. Every person on that bridge was trying to gain the right to vote, even white supporters. Americans should never disregard the right to vote, especially when our ancestors were murdered and beat to gain voting rights. I am truly excited to exercise my right to vote when I come of age. I thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, for giving me an opportunity that not a lot of African American youth get to experience.

Madison Tubbs, 14 … March 7, 1965 was a terrifying day in American history. “Bloody S u n d a y,” the day where approximately 600 people crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in an attempt to march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama for voting rights. State troopers violently attacked the peaceful demonstrators to stop the march. When the Rediscovering Lost Values Tour went to the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, Alabama, I learned that Southern State Legislatures passed and maintained a series of discriminatory laws that disenfranchised African Americans across the South, prohibiting us

Khailer Walker, 17 … I was blessed with an opportunity to attend the Rediscovering Lost Values Civil Rights Tour. This tour opened my eyes to the struggles my people went through which I was not aware of. To my knowledge, neither high schools nor collegiate education teaches the lessons of the horrific events that African-Americans suffered in this country. During the tour, I was most impacted by the lynching exhibits. The amount of hate expressed through the killings was unbearable. Lynching is a practice of murder by a group of people by extrajudicial action. A “practice” that predominantly victimized approximately 4,400 African Americans between 1877-1950, a time where we were supposed to have our civil rights. Hate spurred killings, beatings, rapes, all without ➔➔ Continued on page 10

VOL. 23 NO. 24

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

Rediscovering Lost Values continues

he May 21 issue of The New York Times noted the impact of Bryan Stevenson’s Legacy Museum and Lynching Memorial on the economy of Montgomery, Alabama. Since its opening in April 2018, these sites have attracted more than 400,000 visitors; 100,000 hotel rooms were sold in 2018 than the year before it opened. The annual tour of Brooklyn Anti-Violence Coalition, Inc. (BAVI) were among those Visitors, last year. Our Time Press accompanied the group, led by Taharka and Bianca Robinson and Bruce Paul Green, for the second year and noticed changes since our first visit. The Alabama capital’s entire downtown area near or around Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative offices on Coosa Street -- where Africans were marketed and sold into slavery -- is under reconstruction. Around the corner from the 10,000 square-foot museum housed in Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative law offices – where imprisoned and condemned inmates are represented – a parking space for 150 vehicles, a visitor’s center and a soul food restaurant are being built. Nearby a hotel is being renovated, and a dilapidated commercial building is being restored to house office space and residential space. In addition, to BAVI non-profit, we noticed trucks from Brooklyn’s MarJam construction products supplier. The company is ahead of the game; It has owned a lumberyard in Montgomery since 2009. One of its offices, located on Dexter Avenue, is within walking distance of the Historic King Memorial Baptist Church. More than history is being made in Montgomery. Beyond the brick-and-mortar transformation of this Southern city into a metropolis of sorts, there is another evolution going on; one not televised. It’s internal. It’s emotional. It is louder than jackhammers, quieter than time passing by. As one BAVI traveler told us, “The spirits were flowing, and they were overwhelming.” BAVI young people and the adult travelers were moved. It started with the official welcome of Ms. Wanda Battle, Director of Tourism at the church where King served for six years as its 20th pastor. A section from the diary of fellow traveler Glen Beck, US Marine & Executive Protection Specialist, follows:

A Perspective Reconstructed Glen Beck’s Journey Continues - Pt. II Originally, I had planned to stay outside, then decided differently. I am not a churchgoer, but I wanted to experience as much of the trip as I could for myself. I went along. Aside from our group, there was another in attendance, predominantly white children approximately 7 to 10 years of age, accompanied by few adults. They were on a church outing. Bruce Green, president of Bed-Stuybased Brooklyn Anti-Violence Coalition, had been taking video of Ms. Battle’s rousing narrative. Green made it known that Taharka Robinson was indeed a reverend whose “Rediscovering Values” tour was teaching the gritty history of treatment of Blacks in America and life lessons from it. Ms. Battle instructed us to stand, lock hands, and spread out into a full circle around the pew. She then gave the floor to Rev. Robinson to lead us all in prayer. Although church and faith are not my thing, I certainly know a man’s strength when I see it, or hear it, and unquestioningly, Reverend Robinson, in one of the most historic sanctuaries in the world delivered a thunderous, rousing, powerful prayer message. Everyone’s head bowed deeply, with eyes closed and grasping the hand of the brother or sister besides them and received his words. Taharka changed before my eyes from a guy I knew as Hark for years to the religious force, as if

anointed by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. It was that very moment, which led me to want to write this piece about the trip. I’m glad I went inside. We exited the monumental church with a plan in place: to head for a quick bite to eat before heading to the hotel. After taking attendance, I turned the key of the van, put it in drive for a moment, then shifted back into park. I got out and walked into the middle of the street with my cell phone in hand and took a photo of the Montgomery capital building, several hundred yards from the church. The blue open skies and sparse, inviting clouds added to the beauty of the architecture that lay before me. This downtown area of Montgomery was clean, even a pleasure to drive through, considering it was the middle of the week. There was no foot traffic at all, and practically not a single car on the road, driven or parked. Following the GPS towards the lunch spot, we drove a short distance, nearing Alabama State University. I’d been there in mid-2001 as a bodyguard for a Hip Hop performer, both then and now as I recall, the area nearest the university was dilapidated in contrast to the picturesque downtown just minutes away. The onestory brick buildings reminded me of New York City’s project housing in the late 80s and early 90s, although they are ➔➔ Continued on page 10

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

Rediscovering Lost Values Continues ➔➔ Continued from page 9 much shorter. The heavily in-need-of-care, wooden homes situated nearby were also a far cry from the glitz and glamour of bigger cities. For whatever reason, the GPS took us onto the campus grounds, with no restaurant in sight. But we found our way to a place we could dine, and another we could call home for the night. The next day, May 17, would bring another “journey” of sorts. Ten minutes from the hotel where we stayed was the “The Legacy Museum.” There was no way of knowing my life was about to change. A visitor easily can walk right by the museum, mindlessly swiping through their cell phone thinking this imposing, historic place is a movie theater. However, the dark recessed doorway hid a terrible treasure. This is where my ‘Awakening’ came. The museum was a literal road map of events concerning the plight of Africans taken from their homeland and placed into lifetimes of generational slavery.

It was in this place that I was pulled into something that was more than just myself or any experience I had had. I became thrust into an emotional roller coaster of experiences of a history that still unfolds; knowledge about the deep-seeded, and the ugly that to this day, weigh heavily on this country. The general populace does not know what they don’t know about slavery in America. Many still say, “Sure, I know about it. But that was a long time ago.” That stain still seems to be a forgotten occurrence. One of the most upsetting timeframes in American and World history gets thrown around like a punch line. But not at this museum. The Museum, in great detail, through viscerally graphic and upsetting videos, photos, news clippings, narratives and retold stories captures poignantly and unapologetically the deepest, indelible stain on American history. Along my 65-minute walk through the exhibit, I encountered terror and the terrible: the actual experiences of what happened to human beings who were tortured,

demeaned, and separated from their families for no reason other than the color of their skin and ... for profit. It took a heavy toll on me. The walk-through time that I endured in silence was chilling and threatening. Although I didn’t have long conversations with them, I’d come to know the teens on the “Rediscovering Values” tour as being truly good-natured young people normally pulling and pushing, always armed with jokes and laughter, or sometimes, bored and ready to keep it moving. But NOT today. As we traveled together through time in the quiet venue that held us all accountable for a period of irredeemable tragedy, I tried to read their emotions, but they were all tightlipped, and solemn with faces of stone ... and I felt compelled to watch over them, and to protect them. I learned more about the enslavement of Africans in America in just slightly over one hour’s time than I have in the fifty-three years I’ve lived on this earth. (US Marine Glen Beck is an Executive Protection Specialist. His journey continues in Our Time Press later this month.) Bernice Green

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VOL. 23 NO. 24

Reflections ➔➔ Continued from page 8

repercussion. The reason being, government officials agreed with the violence that took place and at times encouraged it. Our people have struggled at different stages in America: we faced slavery, Jim Crow Laws and now various forms of oppression. Yet, we continue to prevail and succeed no matter the traumatic events that take place in our lives. We are a resilient people! The Rediscovering Lost Values Tour is a valuable gem that should not be taken for granted and it will humble whomever has an opportunity to have the experience. Again, I am grateful for such an opportunity and I thank the Robinson family and the adults that took me under their wing and educated me about my history that I would not have learned on my own. I will share what I learned with other brothers and sisters.

Nia Robinson, 15… “ B l o o d y Sunday,” March 7, 1965: As 600 people crossed the steel-arched bridge spanning the Alabama River, marchers gazed up staring at the name of a Confederate general and reputed grand dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan, Edmund Pettus. The name stared right back at them in big block letters emblazoned across the bridge’s crossbeam. My ancestors marched with dignity and pride in church clothes for a right that so many take for granted today – the right to vote. When they crossed the bridge, they were met with pure, vicious violence, evil and wickedness. After the brutality African Americans faced on that bridge that was witnessed nationally, the effects of “Bloody Sunday” galvanized public opinion and mobilized Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act, which President Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965. Today, the bridge is now a landmark in history.

Kylen Ifield, 14 … J i m m i e Lee Jackson was born on Dec. 16, 1938 in Marion, Alabama. He was the youngest deacon at his church. He fathered a daughter and fought in the Vietnam War. Even as a veteran, Jimmie Lee experienced southern exclusion and was denied the right to vote. Jimmie Lee tried to register to vote five times in the State of Alabama and was denied every time. On February 18, 1965, Jackson participated in a night march in protest of the arrest of a field secretary for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Local police and state troopers attacked the marchers. Jackson took his mother Viola and grandfather to safety in a nearby restaurant. State troopers pursued Jimmie Lee and his family. When Jimmie Lee attempted to help his mother from a brutal police assault, he was shot twice, and then beaten as he tried to flee the building. One week later, Jimmie Lee Jackson died. Jimmie Lee’s death inspired the Selma to Montgomery March on March 7, 1965.

VOL. 23 NO. 24

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

NAUW Brooklyn Celebrates 65 Years of Service & Commitment!

n Saturday, June 8 th, the National Association of University Women (NAUW)-Brooklyn Branch celebrated its 65th Anniversary with a very inspiring Scholarship and Awards brunch. One of the highlights was the presentation to Dr. Una S. T. Clarke, member of the CUNY Board of Trustees, by NAUW and by her daughter, the Honorable Yvette D. Clarke. Congresswoman Clarke sounded the urgent call for civic engagement and Census 2020 participation. The NAUW honored four “Legacy” Honorees who have given more than 50 years of service to the organization: Doris Alexander, Doris Douglas, Wimberly Edwards and Fannie Porter (posthumous). The four “Activist” Honorees represented leaders in the fields of

NAUW Activist Honorees

Scholarship: NAUW Scholarship Winners

politics, education, civil rights and health care: Dr. Una Clarke, NAACP Brooklyn Branch; L. Joy Williams, President; Robert Gore, MD, Founder, Kings Against Violence Initiative; and Herold Simon, MD, Founder, Aesclepius Medical Society. Dr. Gore’s colleagues at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County

- Emergency Department were event sponsors. The fundraiser provided four new college scholarships and two continuing scholarships for students already in college. A tribute was made to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954, which coincided with the founding year for NAUWBrooklyn Branch.

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LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS FREEDOM M O RT G AG E CORPORATION, Plaintiff AGAINST ARNOLD FRASER, et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated February 19, 2019 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201, on July 11, 2019 at 2:30PM, premises known as 110 ROGERS AVENUE, BROOKLYN, NY 11216. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, BLOCK 1239, LOT 25. Approximate amount of judgment $693,470.51 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment for Index# 501869/2016. JEFFREY DINOWITZ, ESQ.,

4, 2019 For sale information, please visit Servicelinkauction.com or call (866) 539-4173 63733

Referee Gross Polowy, LLC Attorney for Plaintiff 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 62254 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, Plaintiff AGAINST Ifeyinwa Ifemesia; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated May 2, 2019 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY 11201 on July 11, 2019 at 2:30PM, premises known as 300 Van Buren Street, Brooklyn, NY 11221. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of NY, Block: 1615 Lot: 24. Approximate amount of judgment $1,166,952.63 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 3403/13. Helene Blank, Esq., Referee Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: June

STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF KINGS GREEN TREE SERVICING LLC, Plaintiff, vs. DAVID ZOIMEN, et al., Defendants NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the office of the County Clerk of Kings County on June 7, 2017, I, M. Randolph Jackson, Esq., the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on June 20, 2019 at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, County of Kings, State of New York, at 2:30 P.M., the premises described as follows: 9 West 9th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 SBL No.: Block 534 Lot 46 ALL THAT TRACT OF PARCEL OF LAND situate in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 7136/10 in the amount of $852,493.88 plus interest and costs. Megan S. Kale, Esq. Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP, Plaintiff’s Attorney 700 Crossroads Building, ➔➔ Continued on page 14

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VOL. 23 NO. 24

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

CENTRAL BROOKLYN SMALL BUSINESSES UNITE FOR WORLD PRIDE

Coalition Forms to Promote Safe Cultural Experiences for Global Revelers

Local Development Corporation of East New York

elebrates 40Years, June 19 The Local Development Corporation of East New York (LDCENY) will celebrate its 40th anniversary Wednesday, June 19 at Liberty Warehouse, 260 Conover Street on the waterfront in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Honorees include: DeCosta Headley, CEO of Strong Power Consultants who will receive the Community Service Award; Belmont Metals, a manufacturer of non-ferrous metals that has operated in East New York for 123 years will be the recipient of the Manufacturer Award; The Arker Companies, a real estate development firm that started in 1949 will receive the Developer Award; and Sadia Seymour, CEO, Behind the Rack, will take home the Rising Star Award. LDCENY stakeholders, seen here, left to right, are: Richard Roberts; Vicki Been; Mark Migliacci; Geoff Flournoy; Meredith Marshall; Joy Simmons; Sherry Roberts; Gary Rodney and Sharmi Sobhan.

rooklyn, by far, is one of the most celebrated, culturally diverse communities in the world. Of New York City’s 62.8M visitors, over 1/3 cross the famed Brooklyn Bridge in search of an authentic experience and Brooklyn delivers. In honor of World Pride, Destination Brooklyn: Pride presents a series of locally produced safe events and curated activities throughout Central Brooklyn. “As a small business owner and member of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s important that we collectively come together to provide our global visitors a culturally enriched Brooklyn experience,” stated restauranteur Calvin Clark. In concert with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, BK Reader, Our Time Press and New York Amsterdam News, Destination Brooklyn: Pride events and activities continue thru 30th at various locally owned and operated shops and venues within a safe radius from Barclays Center. Over 50 minority and women-owned businesses, creatives and club promoters in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Park

Danielle Moodie-Mills

Calvin Clark

Slope are participating and providing a variety of programs, events and safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ global community to enjoy an authentic Brooklyn experience. In addition to live performances, restaurants and neighborhoods for revelers to explore, Destination Brooklyn: Pride will produce several signature events. This will include a Press Conference scheduled to take place at 10:00 AM, Tuesday, June 18 at Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY. This affair will be followed by Destination Brooklyn: Pride Honors at 11:00 AM. The program will salute a few Brooklyn-based LGBTQ+ members. Honorees are LGBTQ+ Business Owner/Restauranteur

is t e p y e m n a w c o i r n r k u “I ah n i e m welco on center.” ti evacua

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Aisha Moodie-Mills

Calvin Clark; entrepreneur Andre Springer, aka Shaquanda Coco Molatta, innovator of Shaquanda Hot Pepper Sauce and Bedford-Stuyvesant’s own power couple, Aisha & Danielle Moodie-Mills. During the day, Destination Brooklyn: Pride will host a series of special activities and workshops at Calabar Imports, 351 Tompkins Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11216. Events scheduled to take place include The LGBTQ Culture Series featuring seven key events. They are: Bed-Stuy LGBTQ Open House; Black and Latino LGBTQ+ Film Shorts, a Bed-Stuy Arts Stroll: The Pride Edition; Wine-Tasting, an LGBTQ Creatives Party/Mixer and Live Body Painting. The LGBTQ Learn Series at Calabar

Andrea Springer

Imports will also include six experiential workshops from Brooklyn’s select presenters: a DJ Workshop, Drag Fashion Styling and Makeup, Screenprint Workshop, Cocktails Workshop, Hemp Healing and Wellness Workshop, and a Beer-Making and Tasting Demo. Destination Brooklyn: Pride is an ad hoc collation of business owners, restauranteurs, club proprietors, promoters and entrepreneurs of color with experience, a rich history and commitment in serving and celebrating LGBTQ+. The coalition seeks an opportunity in providing the anticipated 4 to 6M revelers safe places to engage its historical communities while offering an authentic, cultural and enriched experience.

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

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LEGAL NOTICES ➔➔ Continued from page 12 2 State St. Rochester, New York 14614 Tel.: 855-227-5072 NOTICE OF SALE Supreme Court County Of Kings HSBC Bank USA, National Association, as Trustee for Nomura Asset Acceptance Corporation Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2006AF1, Plaintiff AGAINST Chaim Meisels, 75 Franklin LLC, Broet al, Defendant Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated 7/24/2018 and entered on 8/14/2018, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY on June 20, 2019 at 02:30 PM premises known as 75 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the County of Kings, City and State of New York, BLOCK: 1885, LOT: 1. Approximate amount of judgment is $690,394.48 plus interests and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 028070/2008. M. Randolph Jackson, Referee FRENKEL LAMBERT WEISS WEISMAN & GORDON LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION, Plaintiff AGAINST ROSITA TORO, et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated September 29, 2015 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201, on June 20, 2019 at 2:30PM, premises known as 176 NICHOLS AVENUE, BROOKLYN, NY 11208. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, BLOCK 4121, LOT 58. Approximate amount of judgment $519,666.58 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment for Index# 10276/2010. MICHAEL F. KING, ESQ., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC Attorney for Plaintiff 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 63303 NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF KINGS, AJ PARTNERS,

Help Wanted JOB OPPORTUNITY $18.50 P/H NYC $15 P/H LI $14.50 P/H UPSTATE NY If you currently care for your relatives or friends who have Medicaid or Medicare, you may be eligible to start working for them as a personal assistant. No Certificates needed. (347)462-2610 (347)565-6200 Home Improvement June July AFFORDABLE NEW SIDING! Beautify your home! Save on monthly energy bills with beautiful NEW SIDING from 1800Remodel! Up to 18 months no interest. Restrictions apply 855-773-1675 Home Improvement June July BATHROOM RENOVATIONS. EASY, ONE DAY updates! We specialize in safe bathing. Grab bars, no slip flooring & seated showers. Call for a free in-home consultation: 888-657-9488. Internet June Earthlink High Speed Internet. As Low As $14.95/month (for the first 3 LLC, PLAINTIFF, against, SUZIE BLACKSTOCK, et al., DEFENDANTS. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated December 11, 2017 and entered December 29, 2017, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at Room 224 of the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, on the 20th day of June, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. those certain premises being in the County of Kings and State of New York known as 1246 New York Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11203 and more particularly described as follows: Block 4949, Lot 23. Amount of judgment $196,071.63, plus interest, costs and attorneys fees. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of judgment, terms of sale and prior first mortgage. Index No. 602349/2016. Joel Elliot Abramson, Esq., Referee. Lawrence & Walsh, P.C., Attorneys for Plaintiff, 215 Hilton Avenue, Post Office Box 1200, Hempstead, New York 11551. SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS WITH NOTICE Index No.: 510643/2018 Date Filed: 04/11/2019 Plaintiff designates Kings County as the Place of Trial. Designation of Venue is based upon the situs of the Subject Property. Subject Property: 393 Essex St., Brooklyn, New York 11208. SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK: COUNTY OF KINGS U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR RASC 2007-EMX1, Plaintiff, -against- SABRINA FRANCIS AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF AARON A. FRANCIS A/K/A AARON FRANCIS A/K/A AARON ANTHONY FRANCIS, if living, and if dead, the respective heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignors, lienors, creditors and successors in interest, and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise of any right, title or interest in and to premises described in the complaint herein, and their respective husbands, wives or widows, if any, and each and every person not specifically named who may be entitled to or claim to have any right, title or interest in the property described in the Complaint; all of whom and whose names and places of residence unknown, and cannot after diligent inquiry be ascertained by the Plaintiff, ET AL, Defendants. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the attorneys for the Plaintiff within twenty (20) days after the service of this Summons,

months.) Reliable High Speed Fiber Optic Technology. Stream Videos, Music and More! Call Earthlink Today 1-855-970-1623 Miscellaneous A PLACE FOR MOM has helped over a million families find senior living. Our trusted, local advisors help find solutions to your unique needs at no cost to you. Call: 1-800-404-8852 Miscellaneous June Get DIRECTV! ONLY $35/month! 155 Channels & 1000s of Shows/Movies On Demand (w/SELECT All Included Package.) PLUS Stream on Up to FIVE Screens Simultaneously at No Additional Cost. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918 Miscellaneous June July DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. 1-800-943-0838 exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York) in the event the United States of America is made a party defendant, the time to answer for the said United States of America shall not expire until sixty (60) days after service of the Summons; and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME.SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOUR CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY. SENDING A PAYMENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $ 542,400.00 (said loan was modified to $ 514,779.70 via loan modification agreement executed as of August 25, 2011) and interest, recorded in the Office of the Clerk of Kings on November 30, 2006, in CRFN 2006000662108, covering premises known as 393 Essex Street, Brooklyn, New York 11208 - Block 4004-Lot 140 fka Lot 1.The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. The Plaintiff also seeks a deficiency judgment against the Defendant and for any debt secured by said Mortgage which is not satisfied by the proceeds of the sale of said premises. TO the Defendant SABRINA FRANCIS AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF AARON A. FRANCIS A/K/A AARON FRANCIS A/K/A AARON ANTHONY FRANCIS, the foregoing Supplemental Summons with Notice is serve upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. Noach Dear, JSC of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Kings, dated March 4th 2019. Dated: April 10, 2019 New

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Rochelle, NY MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC By: /s/__Matthew Smith, Esq. Attorneys for Plaintiff 145 Huguenot Street, Suite 210 New Rochelle, NY 10801 914-636-8900 914-636-8901 facsimile HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE. The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department at 1-877-BANK-NYS (1-877-226-5697) or visit the department’s website at WWW.BANKING.STATE. NY.US. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AT THIS TIME. You have the right to stay in your home during the foreclosure process. You are not required to leave your home unless and until your property is sold at auction pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale. Regardless of whether you choose to remain in your home, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY and pay your taxes in accordance with state and local law. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services.

VOL. 23 NO. 24

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

“Let me be clear: Black and Latino children do not need to sit next to White children in order to learn and achieve at the highest levels. The problem is that educational, material and financial resources follow white children.”

65 Years After Brown: We Are Doing Worse Than Ever

t’s official now. According to a new report, Harming Our Common Future: America’s Segregated Schools 65 Years After Brown, New York State has the most segregated public schools in the nation. Over 65% of students of African ancestry attend “intensely segregated minority schools.” We need to remember that New York State’s segregation is driven mainly by New York City, with a little assistance from cities like Buffalo and Rochester and help from extremely segregated school districts like Roosevelt and Wyandanch, Long Island. In observing the 65th anniversary of the landmark Brown v Board of Ed Supreme Court case, we would have hoped that substantial progress would have been made in both integration and student achievement since 1954. Unfortunately, national trends show a retreat from the concept of integration, and connected to that, less commitment to issues of equity and equality. As many may recall, the Brown v Board of Ed (Topeka, Kansas) decision, argued brilliantly by then NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall, established that segregated schools were “inherently unequal” and in violation of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. Brown was seen as the legal undoing of the Plessy v Ferguson decision of 1896 that legalized segregation throughout the United States, but especially in the post-Civil War South. While the Brown

■■

By Basir Mchawi

decision was designed to have a direct impact on education, it was most effective in desegregating public accommodations across the nation. The Civil Rights Movement felt legally empowered to challenge southern segregation, both in the courts and in the streets. Segregation practices that were established first by Black Codes and then by Jim Crow laws, had the legal underpinning supporting such behaviors removed. Without legal protections, segregation began to be dismantled in all geographic regions of the United States. The Brown decision had several weaknesses both as applied to education and to “public accommodations.” First, in most instances there were no goals or timetables for achieving school desegregation. Schools were to be desegregated “with all deliberate speed.” This made the desegregation process mainly voluntary. Schools and school districts that sought to comply might make token gestures involving sending a sprinkling of Black bodies into majority white schools. This was “integration” in the minds of many. Second, the Brown decision led to the dismantling of numbers of successful majority Black schools and school districts. In several cases, Black teachers and administrators were removed from their positions when their schools came under the control of previously all white school districts.

Alongside this, thriving Black business areas that had been developed to make the Black community self-sufficient began to wither and die as the promise of integration tempted residents to take their money to white-owned establishments. Third, it had become apparent during the Brown case that Black schools and White schools were not funded equally. “Separate but equal” was very separate but rarely equal. A logical provision in the Brown remedies would have been to fund ALL schools at equal levels until a time when practical “integration” could be achieved. 1988 is seen as the year in which school integration reached its highest point all across the United States. Ironically, the one geographic area that actually saw a decline in school integration by 1988 was the Northeast. We tend to think of New York, Boston and Philadelphia as cosmopolitan bastions of progressive politics and racial harmony, but the reality is quite different. Some of the fiercest school integration battles have taken place in these same “liberal” cities. White communities in the North often participated in physical confrontations to prevent their neighborhood schools from being “integrated.” Blacks and Latinos, on the other hand, used school strikes and boycotts to break down barriers to quality education. New York has a particularly sordid racial history which public school curricula make

little mention of. The current failures of our educational system are firmly rooted in that history. I will address some of that history in a future article. While the current educational focus is on the dismal number of Blacks and Latinos admitted to the elite high schools, there are at least 190 middle and high schools that “screen” their students without an admission test. Several of these schools have Black and Latino admission rates lower than Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech! These screened schools are under the direct control of Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza. They have the authority to “integrate” these segregated screened schools now. Let me be clear: Black and Latino children do not need to sit next to White children in order to learn and achieve at the highest levels. The problem is that educational, material and financial resources follow white children. It is majority-white schools that have the best buildings, the newest educational materials, the most computers and the most experienced teachers. Until communities can take control of their own schools and wrest authority away from the Mayor, “integration” is a flawed but necessary method of beginning to level the educational playing field. If integration is good enough for Mayor de Blasio’s family, especially his children, then it should be good enough for ALL New Yorkers. It is time for the Mayor to act.

The Most Racially Progressive any NYC Teacher can be is to be Effective

s a principal, I’ve met teachers I wouldn’t want anywhere near my kids, and then there were many great and wonderful teachers who I’d hire 100 times over, regardless of that teacher’s race or nationality. Black students can’t wait for America to get its “racial act” together; they need a quality instructional experience, immediately. I often tell school administrators that it’s important to “stay focused” on their school and the children and ignore the “political noise” that always surrounds public education. That “noise” will have little or nothing to do with effective teaching and learning, except to hinder them! As a NYC high school principal, I wasn’t interested in the NYCDOE “central-office-cavalry” coming to “save” my school by integrating white children onto our rolls. My position was that we were morally, ethically and professionally committed to producing the best public educational experience possible for all our students. That resulted in many schools (NYC Specialized High Schools included) visiting our school from all over the city, state, nation and world in order to learn from our operational and educational ideas. When it came to our very diverse staff, I honestly confess that I didn’t know the “racial feelings” that existed in their hearts. I only knew about the quality feeling of their work product. I did utilize a “hiring rubric” for interviewing prospective teachers, and during the course of those interviews many teachers

■■

By Michael A. Johnson

of all races and nationalities came up short. That criteria was: (1) Did the teacher have a high level of self-esteem and self-confidence (not to be confused with “uncoachable cockiness”)? (2) Was the teacher “intellectually smart,” creative, content-subject knowledgeable, wellversed in current pedagogical ideas? (3) By way of past employment and/ or “field placement” observations, ratings, recommendations and the “demonstration lesson,” did the teacher have first-level instructional methodology skills (are they excellent teachers)? (4) The presence of strong efficacious skills and the accompanying philosophy. That is, did the teacher-candidate believe themselves to be the single most critical factor (regardless of parent income/education, or the academic deficiencies of the child) in a student being able to effectively learn in that classroom? (5) What did the teacher think of our “oldschool” approach to overcoming difficulties and challenges by investing extra time and effort in recitation-tutorial teaching and study? Did they see the “curriculum standards” as the starting place “floor” learning objectives for the school? Viewed standardized exams not as an “enemy,” but rather as a way to inform and improve instruction, and as a good diagnostic tool to support student learning? (6) Is that teacher properly focused on professional standards and student learning

High School Students and Parents

success rather than on the many work rules and contractual blockages to student learning success? (7) Did the teacher share our vision version of “keeping it real” by keeping their instructional practice “really” aligned with the “standards-based examinations” and rigor the students would face throughout their schooling and adult lives. In this context, “racism” by any teacher, regardless of race, was defined as not challenging and preparing our students to perform at their best competitive selves. Superintendents, you know (because you’ve experienced it) that it’s very easy to get paid staff to sit quietly through a “professional development” (PD) session, smile and even lie on the “feedback form” (you probably did that also!). The problem is that silence does not signify agreement, learning or internal personal change. Veteran educators know (and “newbies” soon discover) that the “PC” response to bad PD can be as one NFL player once said: “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” And that’s why my (2000-2003) CSD 29Q staff put so much effort and strategic thought into developing the district’s approach to PD. We weren’t interested in doing PD as noisy and symbolic “political theater,” we actually wanted to improve the quality of instruction and raise student academic achievement. We did both, district-wide. In public school systems, a dangerous enemy of progress and success is “passive resistance,” which can occur when a staff

member feels disrespected and diminished and is afraid to express those feelings. Or staff persons are “officially” discouraged from raising legitimate questions (watch the HBO-TV series Chernobyl to see how that approach turns out!). Leadership is Learningship. I’m fortunate that the Science Skills Center HS Guidance Counseling Department was very patient with me as they helped me to evolve on LGBTQ (and other) issues; one sign of love is that you want the other to grow. I shudder to think where I would be today if they had designated me as “enemy of the movement,” or interpreted my questions and concerns as “oppositional thinking.” As good educators, they understood that I had a lifelong and deep, every Sunday without fail, churchgoing, acolyte and K-12 Sunday school classes experience to unpack. And knowing myself, if they had casually and callously dismissed my religious life experience, I probably would have hardened in my ignorance and miss the reward of that importantly wonderful PD experience. Michael A. Johnson has served as a public schoolteacher, principal and school district superintendent. His book on school leadership is titled: “Report to the Principal’s Office: Tools for Building Successful High School Administrative Leadership.” [http:// reporttotheprincipalsoffice.net/] TAGS: NYC Department of Education, Race, Diversity, Bias, Racism, Professional Development, Principal.

If’ you’d like to report on sports and club activities at your school for Our Time Press, Then send the name of the school and your contact information to: dbgmedia@ourtimepress.com

OUR TIME PRESS June 13 – 19, 2019

Friday, June 14th JUNETEENTH AWARDS P.S. 13 Roberto Clemente School 557 Pennsylvania Ave., 6-9pm, (doors open 5:30) FREE. The office of Council Member Inez Barron honors community contributors Victory Dance, Purelements and Arts East NY at a Juneteenth celebration with the theme, “Reparations Now!” Featuring keynote speaker Keron Alleyne and cultural dance and music performances. The program includes screenings of the short films Durban 400 and ENY African Burial Ground. Refreshments from 6-7pm. HOME MOVIES: CAMILLE BILLOPS PROGRAM Anthology

Film Archives 32 Second Ave., Manhattan 7pm, $12, students & seniors $9, 12 & under $7. Sculptor, filmmaker, educator and Black culture archivist Camille Billops died on June 1st. Part of her enduring legacy is this pair of films, which will screen together. Finding Christa (1991) chronicles the aftereffects of her decision to give up her four-yearold daughter for adoption as the two reconnect. Her very first film, Suzanne, Suzanne (1982) profiles her niece’s attempts at processing a history of childhood abuse within the context of a family who seemingly let it go unchallenged.

VOL. 23 NO. 24

together to celebrate the 1865 end of slavery. Performances, history, traditional rhythms, Africentric fashion show, cultural market, face-painting, food and more.

Monday, June 17th CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY BY LYNN NOTTAGE New

Dance Studio 247 Herkimer St., 6:30-8:30pm, Pay what you wish. A coming-of-age with the backdrop of working-class Brooklyn. Earnestine’s seventeen-year-old world is turned upside down after her mother dies and her father moves her and her sister from Pensacola to Brooklyn. This memory play examines racism, feminism and the challenging nature of change. Directed by Joe Morton, it was commissioned in the ‘90s by Second Stage, as part of their program for teen audiences.

Lynn Nottage

Wednesday, June 19th BROOKLYN JAZZ HALL OF FAME CEREMONY Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, 1368 Fulton Street, 6pm, $35. Celebrate Black Music Month and African American Freedom Day (also referred to as Juneteenth) and posthumously induct jazz master Randy Weston into the Hall of Fame. The program features the Jazz-

Camille Billops

CEMOTAP Center 135-05 Rockaway Blvd., Queens 2pm, FREE Dr. Lewis speaks on “African Lifestyle Leads to African Health: How to Have A Life Free of Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hypertension and Obesity” at this CEMOTAP forum. He’ll distribute material that simplifies ways of changing one’s lifestyle and answer personal questions relating to health issues. Call 347-907-0629 to RSVP.

Borough Hall 209 Joralemon St., 10am3pm, FREE. This event features free health screenings, sneaker giveaways (while supplies last), a continental breakfast, yoga and meditation and a presentation on healthy eating. There will be personal health consultations and a symposium featuring medical and mental health specialists, including a podiatrist, ophthalmologist, oncologist and more. RSVP at brooklyn-usa.org.

STORIES FROM THE STAGE MARATHON View at WORLD Chan-

Saturday, June 15th 19TH ANNUAL JUNETEENTH FAMILY DAY FESTIVAL

Sono Jobarteh

Saturday, June 22nd DR. ARTHUR LEWIS

FOURTH ANNUAL MEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR Brooklyn

Cuyler Gore Park on Fulton St. at Greene Ave. 12-6pm. This always vibrant and celebratory event brings the community

teenth Freedom Ensemble, Emmanuel Baptist Church Praise Choir and Shanto’s Drum Procession. Rising star flutist Gabrielle Garo will receive the Deacon Leroy Applin Young Lioness Award in recognition of her achievements in the jazz community. Tickets at Eventbrite.

Gabrielle Garo

nel website (worldchannel.org) and also livestreamed on the WORLD and Stories from the Stage Facebook pages. 24 hours: 7pm to 6:30 pm Sun. FREE. The binge-a-thon consists of true stories told by real people around widely resonating themes. Storytellers from the U.S., Poland, Zimbabwe, India, the Dominican Republic and all points in between, take up immigration, food, family, physical

World TV Marathon

challenges, holidays, illness, sexuality, activism, and more.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Wednesday, July 10th 42: THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY Jackie Robinson Park 85

Bradhurst Ave., Harlem, music at 6pm, film at 8pm FREE. Imagenation Cinema presents this screening honoring the centennial of the baseball legend’s birth. In 1946, Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford), legendary manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, defies major league baseball’s notorious color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the team. Co-presented with the Jackie Robinson Museum and the Historic Harlem Parks. Family-friendly R&B/Soul and conscious Hip Hop by DJ Mike. Co-presented with the Jackie Robinson Museum and the Historic Harlem Parks.

Sunday, June 23rd SONA JOBARTEH

Peter Norton Symphony Space 2537 Broadway, Manhattan, 8pm, $30. Sona is the first female kora virtuoso to come from a prestigious west African Griot family. She is a modern pioneer in an ancient, male-dominated hereditary tradition that has been historically and exclusively handed down from father to son for the past seven centuries. Until now. A composer, producer, educator and multi-instrumentalist, Sona blends musical styles and addresses cultural identity, gender, love, and respect while rooted firmly in her traditional cultural heritage. Her music is accessible worldwide audiences drawn to her captivating voice, strong rhythms, and addictive melodies. Info and tickets at worldmusicinstitute.org.