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ERASE RACISM FILES HOUSING DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT AGAINST NASSAU COUNTY ERASE Racism—a civil rights not-for-profit organization based in Syosset, New York on Long Island— submitted a civil rights complaint to the U.S. Department of Housing V.Elaine Gross, President, Erase Racism and Urban Development (HUD), alleging that Nassau County (the County) discriminates against AfricanAmericans and perpetuates racial segregation in the administration of its housing and community development programs. The Complaint identifies violations committed by the County itself, as well as the County’s failure to enforce federal civil rights requirements on members of the Nassau Urban County Consortium.

Each year, the Nassau County Office of Community Development allocates millions of dollars of housing funds to municipalities that are part of the Consortium. In Fiscal Year 2014, the County received $15,734,513 in HUD block grant funds. Acceptance of the funds obligates the County and members of the Consortium to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the federal Fair Housing Act and the separate obligation to affirmatively further fair housing (“AFFH”). The AFFH obligation requires the County and Consortium members to promote integrated living patterns by overcoming historic patterns of segregation.

The Complaint alleges that the County has not taken the affirmative steps required by

these federal laws, and has continued to fund municipalities with restrictive zoning and housing practices. As a result, the County has reinforced segregated living patterns, rather than working toward their elimination. According to the 2010 Census, Nassau County is part of one of the most racially segregated regions in the country.

While African Americans constitute 11.1% of the overall population of Nassau County, the vast majority of the municipalities in the Consortium have over time maintained disproportionately small or disproportionately large AfricanAmerican populations.

ERASE Racism President Elaine Gross noted, “It has been 50 years since the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964 that made discrimination based on race or color illegal, yet, as this complaint to HUD shows, African Americans are still being denied housing choice and, consequently, equal access to the same opportunities that white residents of Nassau County enjoy.”

In the Complaint, ERASE Racism asserts that the County awards funds and dedicates Countyowned land for affordable housing for families, but does so predominantly in communities characterized by high rates of poverty and large concentrations of African-American families. In contrast, when the County supports affordable housing for families and seniors in majority white communities, it often permits the use of residency preferences or requirements, which reinforce patterns of racial and economic segregation.

Further, the Complaint alleges, the County has provided millions of dollars of HUD funds to highly segregated municipalities with predominantly white populations for purposes other than for integrative housing— such as streetscape improvements, economic development and community centers—even

though such municipalities have long histories of racial segregation and very small minority populations.

The Complaint alleges that the County has not taken the affirmative steps required by these federal laws, and has continued to fund municipalities with restrictive zoning and housing practices. As a result, the County has reinforced segregated living patterns, rather than working toward their elimination.

While the County’s most recent analysis of fair housing impediments finds that “the NassauSuffolk PMSA [Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area] ranks as the third most segregated suburban region” in the country and identifies local opposition to integrative, affordable multi-family housing as an impediment to fair housing choice, it proposes no appropriate actions to actually overcome such barriers. As a consequence, a number of municipalities have engaged in discriminatory land use policies and practices, such as zoning exclusions and residential preferences, which serve to limit the number of African Americans in their communities.

“ERASE Racism felt compelled to file this Complaint because the County has closed its eyes to continuing problems with segregation for far too long,” said Elaine Gross. “We have seen positive outcomes from HUD fair housing complaints in other parts of the country, and are confident that shining a light on Nassau County will lead to increased housing choices for people of color.”

ERASE Racism is represented by Michael Allen and Tom Keary, of the Washington, D.C.-based civil rights law firm, Relman, Dane & Colfax, PLLC.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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GUEST EDITORAL 25 YEARS OF TREND SERVE THE TABLE BUT NEVER SIT DOWN TO EAT…DONALD STERLING & HIS CLIPPERS

By Justin A. Williams Contributing Editor

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the NBA has banned LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling from being involved in the NBA. Sterling will not be allowed to attend any professional basketball games, visit any Clippers facilities, or be involved in any team hiring decisions.

Sterling now has to pay a $2.5million fine. As for now Sterling still legally owns the team and the NBA Donald Sterling cannot force him to sell the Clippers but has urged the Board of Governors and the 29 other owners to take a vote to force a sale. Sterling, 80, is the leagues longest tenured owner having bought the Los Angeles team for $12 million in 1981. A dozen corporate sponsors have dropped the team after a recording of Sterling making racist comments was recently released.

Who can deny that Sterling’s words are despicable? But we as a nation should not be surprised that this type of racism still exists.

Racism is a long existing evil that has survived the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and the post racial efforts of many leaders since then, even our current president. Surely, many of us are not surprised that an old Caucasian billionaire could have some bigoted opinions; but many of us would be surprised to know that this is the type of racism that may never go away.

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This type of racism is a paternal racism that resembles the same type of racism that infected the slave owners centuries ago.

—Justin A. Williams More obvious forms of racism like using the N-word, racial violence or hate crimes are easier to recognize and therefore combat because they are not subtle nor are they hidden. This racism is obvious and so offensive that they repulse both African Americans and Caucasians, alike.

Younger generations who have learned about the obtuse atrocities of the past are often so appalled by their fore fathers racism that they make an effort to undue the centuries of race based damage.

Donald Sterling is an example of the most archaic and subtle racism. He employs African Americans, goes to their games, knows their families and drafts them into the league, but despite his familiarity with the African American community, despite the profits they bring him, Sterling still has prejudice and hate in his heart

LA Clippers in protest

for them according to the statements he made while being recorded. His hypocrisy is confusing, as he was dating a half –black woman. But his hypocrisy simply reveals his tortured nature.

Donald Sterling must be punished, but can we ever punish people like him enough for them to change?

—Justin A. Williams This is a corporate racism that has outlasted most attempts to eradicate it because it exists amongst the financial elite of this country; who are a people that are the inheritors of the wealth and culture of the past. Donald Sterling must be punished, but can we ever punish people like him enough for them to change?

Sterling is a man who thinks he owns not just his team but has a paternalistic ownership of an entire community that he sees as juvenile, unworthy and disgusting. He is no different then the slave owners who thought they knew what was best for their slaves. Their slaves could toil the fields, know his family and be trusted not to run away, yet slaves were never welcome in the house of the slave master as an equal or even as a human being. Slaves could bring food to the table, but never sit down and eat at that same table as their master. Sound like Sterling?

His team of mostly AfricanAmericans can play on the floor in front of him, score points and win games to bring him financial gain, but once they leave the game, are they invited to sit down and eat next to their team “owner?” I think not.

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CHINA BECOMES WORLD’S LARGEST ECONOMY AND IMPACT ON THE CARIBBEAN

By David Jessop

Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

Later this year China will become the world’s largest economy, overtaking the United States roughly five years earlier than was previously expected. Evidence of this is contained in a recent forecast produced by a relatively little known World Bank related body, the International Comparison Programme.

According to the ICP, China’s economy has been growing rapidly - between 2011 and 2014 by 24 per cent - whereas the US economy, over the same period grew by 7.6 per cent. On this basis, analysts forecast that China will overtake the US economy in size later this year.

China disputes this largely for political reasons, but irrespective, the message is clear: either this year or very soon, it will have to accept the implications of being the pre-eminent world economic power.

The news comes after a week-long visit to Latin America and the Caribbean by the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi. During stopovers in NewYorkTrendnyc 25 YEARS

Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil, he made clear China’s belief in what he described as “the historic inevitability” of stronger co-operation.

Over the last decade China has become an important partner for almost every Caribbean nation. Its engagement is extensive not just in those nations that recognise Beijing, but also in some of those that do not.

……the responsibilities that follow from being the world’s largest economy will require China to achieve a better and Caribbean-specific understanding of the region’s values, culture and history.

In strategic terms its predominant focus is on Trinidad in relation to the purchase of liquefied natural gas; in Jamaica its interest is in a proposed US$2billion investment in a transhipment port and manufacturing zone; in the Bahamas, it is on the huge Baha Mar hotel project; in Guyana and Suriname it is in exploring road and port projects that would open up the interior and Brazil’s landlocked provinces; in Nicaragua it is in a new canal across the Central America Isthmus; and in Cuba, with which it politically close, it has multiple investments in the making.

The effect is to make other nations think more about the Caribbean. Firstly it has stimulated newfound interest in the Caribbean Basin among the Gulf States, the sovereign wealth funds and the businesses of Asia that obtain value from following Chinese investment around the world. And secondly and paradoxically, it has heightened transatlantic awareness, encouraging the US, Canada and Europe to respond separately and jointly to this change; although it has to be said with some uncertainty, as senior figures on both sides of the Atlantic speak both about the opportunity of working with China while more guardedly wondering about a long term strategic threat.

One lesson that the region’s partners in Europe have now largely learnt is that as much as it might wish to see Latin America and the Caribbean as one region for reasons of administrative neatness, this does not work.

To operate successfully in the Caribbean it is May 8, 2014 - May 14, 2014

necessary for any state or business to recognise that Caribbean sensibilities and responses are not those of Latin America because its history and its consequent cultural and social development has been very different. Put more bluntly, there is a need for China to demonstrate why its approach is developmental and not as some suggest in private, a new form of economic colonialism. While the region is an ideal platform for transhipment and manufacturing and is interesting from a strategic standpoint, its strong sense of self-identity and independence requires engagement by every partner in a manner that is demonstrably genuine and which passes beyond self-interest.

There is also a real and pressing need for China to address what it has learnt from its early start in Africa and make clear that its mistakes there and subsequently difficult relationships will not be repeated in the Caribbean.

What is also striking, at a time of greater corporate social responsibility, is how little China says about its social role. While it is important for Caribbean Governments to insist on this, rather than simply see much needed investment as an end in itself, the best global investors for instance all undertake impact assessments and go out of their way to understand and be socially supportive of the concerns of everyone from fisherfolk to environmentalists.

In the end, the biggest challenge will be for China to establish a cultural affinity with the Caribbean. This is not about teaching Chinese or programmes that try to have the region understand China. While these are of value, it is about the reverse. It is about demonstrating that the Caribbean and its culture matters and that what is now happening is about more than the region being a servant of Chinese investment.

This is not to be critical of the important role that Chinese development through investment has to play. Rather it is to suggest that the responsibilities that follow from being the world’s largest economy will require China to achieve a better and Caribbean-specific understanding of the region’s values, culture and history.

David Jessop is the Director of the Caribbean Council and can be contacted at david.jessop@caribbean-council.org www.newyorktrendnyc.com

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ENTERTAINMENT THE WHISPERS & JEFFERY OSBORNE AT THE NYCB THEATRE AT WESTBURY ON SAT. MAY 10TH!

The Whispers

at Westbury on Saturday, May 10 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $59.50,$49.50, and $39.50 and are available online at www.ticketmaster. com, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or at the Westbury box office. Event, date and time subject to change. All ticket prices are subject to applicable service charges.

For further information, please visitwww. thetheatreatwestbury.com. The Whispers and Jeffery Osborne will also appear at New Jersey’s Newark Symphony Hall on Friday, May 9th.

Jeffery Osborne

Live Nation in association with Marquee Concerts is pleased to present The Whispers and Jeffery Osborne at The NYCB Theatre

One of R&B music’s most legendary and beloved groups, The Whispers began their timeless career in 1963, perfecting their

tight harmonies on the street corners of Los Angeles and in nightclubs around the San Francisco area. With an impressive catalogue of hits over the course of forty years, they continued to rack up seven gold albums, two platinum albums, and a Love Thing.”

Launching his professional career in 1969 with the popular funk & soul group L.T.D., Jeffery Osborne always knew that R&B was for him. After a decade with the band as the lead vocalist, he decided to pursue a solo career, which produced such Top 40 hits as “Don’t You Get So Mad,” “Stay With Me Tonight,” and a duet with Dionne Warwick, “Love Power.”

ANTHONY HAMILTON COMES TO LONG ISLAND, JULY 16TH WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 AT 8PM TICKETS ARE $49.50 & $69.50 TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 25 AT 10AM

ANTHONY HAMILTON SPECIAL GUEST KEKE WYATT

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ENTERTAINMENT NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE & THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM PRESENT “DUTCHMAN”

BY LEROI JONES (AMIRI BARAKA) relevant current events that recall the themes of the play through interactive Community Engagements they will curate to enrich the theatrical experience. In addition to symposia and weekend talkbacks, an exhibit tentatively titled, Where Are We Now? Retrospective on Black Theatre Movement, will be unveiled during the Opening Night Gala on Saturday, May 3 and remain on public display at National Black Theatre.

Amiri Baraka

Actor Sharif Atkins (“White Collar,” “Hawaii,” “ER”) will star as Clay in the co-production of “Dutchman”

by LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) by Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre (NBT) and The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH). The two theater companies are mounting the production 50 years after the March 1964 world premiere of the play at the Cherry Lane Theatre and in tribute to the late theater great Baraka, who died on January 9. Ambien Mitchell stars opposite Atkins as Lula and Lorenzo Scott joins the cast as the Conductor. Previews of the Carl Cofield-directed show begin on April 30 and run through May 2, and performances run from May 3 through May 23 at National Black Theatre in Harlem.

“Dutchman” is a classic political allegory on race relations that immediately preceded the 1960s Black Arts Movement, the artistic flank of the Black Power Movement of the 1960s, which Baraka helped to start in Harlem. The shocking one-act play won an Obie Award for Best American Play in 1964 and went on to receive the Hollywood treatment in 1967 with a film starring the late Al Freeman, Jr., and Shirley Knight.

“My mother (Dr. Barbara Ann Teer) and Amiri Baraka were comrades in the fight to liberate black artists (people) from the confounds of mental slavery by telling the unapologetic truth of who we were born to be; thus raising consciousness around important issues that African-Americans in this country were facing and dying for, even today,” said NBT Chief

The play features scenic design by Christopher Swader and Justin Swader, costume design by Rachel Dozier-Ezell, lighting design by Alan C. Edwards, and sound design by Eric Sluyter.

Executive Officer Sade Lythcott. “Although they often had different approaches, they both were aligned against the same forces. In fact, she helped raise money for his defense fund when charges were brought against him out of the 1967 Newark riots.” “‘Dutchman’ is an incredible piece of literature that does more than strike a chord; it creates a symphony of discords in the minds and hearts of all who experience it. The play profoundly asks: In order to express myself in any endeavor, am I actually suppressing who I am? Do I, unwittingly or not, suppress others for my own gain? How seductive is access and privilege, and what’s the price of chasing it?” stated CTH Producing Artistic Director Ty Jones.

The producers will take a retrospective look at the Black Theatre Movement as well as

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Tickets are on sale now for Dutchman, which is playing at National Black Theatre located at 2031 Fifth Avenue between 125th and 126th Streets in Harlem. Previews run Wednesday, April 30 to Friday, May 2; preview tickets are $25. The production opens May 3, celebrated by an Opening Night Gala that includes a reception starting at 7 pm and a show time of 8 pm. Performances will run on Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2 pm; Sunday performances will be at 4 pm. The final week will additionally include three 2 pm matinee weekday performances on May 20, 21 and 22. Tickets are $35 general admission with the following exceptions: all seats for the evening shows during the final week are $40 and Opening and Closing Night Gala tickets (May 3 and May 23) are $50. Discount tickets are available for groups (10+), senior citizens, students and active military members as well as veterans. Tickets can be purchased online at www.nationalblacktheatre.org, by calling NBT directly at (212) 722- 3800 or at NBT’s Box Office from 1 pm to 6 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

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ENTERTAINMENT LATIN SINGER JOSE FELICIANO BACK IN THE BRONX

By Deardra Shuler

Multi-Award winning Latin singer, composer and guitarist, Jose Feliciano, will be back at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx after a four year absence. The singer appeared at Lehman in 2006, 2008 and again in 2010. So, returning to Lehman Center, located at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, on Saturday May 10th at 8:00 pm, the day before Mother’s Day, will be like old home week for the musical star.

The Lifetime Achievement Award winner is best known for his chart-topping recording of “Light My Fire” which catapulted him to pop super stardom in 1968. The famed tenor possesses an unmistakable voice and has been influencing pop, soul and Latin music for over two generations, singing in English, Spanish and Italian. His megahits include “Che Sera” and “Feliz Navidad.”

Feliz Navidad has been among the “25 Greatest Holiday Songs of the Century” noted ASCAP. Jose has recorded forty-five gold and platinum records and received nine Grammy Awards. He has garnered countless honors and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jose Feliciano

and jump in. This became the routine after every performance,” recalled Feliciano of his teenage idol days.

Cantar”, “Cuando El Amor Se Acaba” and “Porque Te Tengo Que Olvidar?.” His latest release in 2012, was The King, a tribute to Elvis Presley.

Tickets for the show can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718960-8833 or by going on line at

“My parents were concerned how I was going to make a living but fortunately I took a liking to the guitar and with continued practice, I perfected it. Having been born into meager circumstances, I listened to the blues. I understood the music of Muddy Waters. I tried to combine my Latin roots with my soul roots. Outside of Spanish music, I was influenced by singers like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and I listened to a lot of Motown and was very impressed by Stevie Wonder who wrote a lot of his own compositions. It took a while, but I finally began to write some of my own music as well,” remarked Feliciano.York Hair Products.

Feliciano became a star throughout Central and South America, as well as in Mexico and the Caribbean. When he met producer Rich Jarrard, it was Jarrard who encouraged the singer to record a Doors’ song “Light My Fire.” By the time he was 23, José Feliciano had performed the song throughout most of the world and earned five Grammy nominations, winning two for his album Feliciano. That same year (1968) José caught the world by surprise when he became the first artist to ever stylize and publicly perform the “National Anthem.”

It went on to chart the Top-40. With his own style of acoustic guitar, jazz and American vocal inflections, Jose created the pathway for new generations of stylization of the anthem.

Feliciano’s major break was in the Spanish market when, after an amazing performance at the 1966 Mar del Plata Festival in Argentina, RCA executives in Buenos Aires asked him to stay and record an album of Spanish music. His first single, “Poquita Fe” was a smash hit, and “Usted” was even bigger. Infusing long-time standard boleros with his own guitar and vocal styling, he became the teen idol of the day. “Being a teen idol was wonderful but it could be scary too. I could feel hands touching me from all directions and sometimes I would become disorientated.

Finally I worked out a routine where my people would open the car door and form a barrier and I would just run straight ahead until I felt the car

In 2008, his album Señor Bachata won a Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Tropical Album as well as a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Album.

Fans have enjoyed countless Feliciano songs, which include “Rain”, “Chico and the Man”, “California Dreaming”, “Destiny”, “Affirmation”, “Ay Cariño”, “Ponte A

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“I continue to count my blessings,” says Jose.

“America has been good to me. My fans are important to me. But I cannot leave God out, because without God, nothing can happen. So I do not take my stardom for granted. I try to remain humble. I think part of being a good entertainer is never forgetting your beginnings so I continue to appreciate everyone who helped me along the way,” stated the very humble Jose who was born blind into humble beginnings in Lares, Puerto Rico in 1945.

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May 8, 2014 - May 14, 2014

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THEATER APOLLO ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 2014 SPRING GALA The Apollo Theater, a leading not-for-profit performing arts institution, announced that its 2014 annual Spring Gala will be transformed into an epic birthday celebration in honor of the storied Theater’s 80th anniversary, Tuesday, June 10, at 7pm.

Departing from its tradition of inducting legends into the Apollo Hall of Fame, this year’s Gala will celebrate the eight decades of artistic brilliance that has been presented on the Apollo stage since 1934. The evening will include special tribute performances by the music industry’s biggest artists, some of whom call the Apollo their musical home, including Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, The Isley Brothers, and more.

Hosted by Emmy Award-winning and Grammy nominated entertainer Wayne Brady.

“Over the last 80 years, the Apollo Theater has been a constant in changing the face of popular music and culture here in Harlem and across the world. Some of the world’s most legendary artists have not only graced this stage, but were nurtured and developed at the Apollo in the beginning of their careers,” stated Jonelle Procope, president & CEO of The Apollo Theater. “Instead of honoring

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one or a few Legends, this year’s gala will pay homage to and spotlight the eight decades of music at the Apollo that changed entertainment forever. ” Additionally, the Apollo will present Richard D. Parsons with the Leadership Award in honor of his many years of leadership and service to the Apollo. Parsons has served as Chairman of the Board for the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., since 2001 during which he has played an integral role in the revitalization of the Theater. This one of a kind award will be presented by Ronald O. Perelman.

Each year at the Spring Gala, the Apollo also recognizes a corporation for its outstanding philanthropy and community leadership.

This year’s recipient of the Corporate Award is BNY Mellon. Chairman & CEO Gerald L.

May 8, 2014 - May 14, 2014

Hassell will accept on behalf of BNY Mellon.

“The Apollo Theater is both a historic landmark and a cultural icon, with an extraordinary legacy of launching and advancing the careers of African-American artists and making their contributions accessible to broader audiences in New York and around the world,” said Gerald L. Hassell, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, BNY Mellon. “As a company that grasps the power of diversity to make institutions stronger and neighborhoods richer, we salute the Apollo for its incomparable contributions to New York’s cultural tapestry.”

Proceeds from the 80th anniversary bash will support the Apollo’s year-round performing arts programming, innovative education initiatives, and community programs.

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HEALTH/LOCAL NEWS SNOWDEN RECOGNIZED FOR LIFETIME CONTRIBUTIONS TO MENTAL HEALTH POLICY Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy by the American Psychological Association (APA). The award honors a psychologist who has made a distinguished empirical and/or theoretical contribution to research in public policy, either through a single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of work dedicated to informing public policy through psychological understanding.

“Snowden represents the best among psychologist doing research with critical public policy implications,” stated the APA about his selection. “Perhaps more than any other clinical/community psychologist, [he] has addressed disparities in access and quality of mental health care from a mental health policies, systems, and program perspective.”

Lonnie Snowden

For extraordinary lifetime contributions, Lonnie Snowden, a mental health policy expert and Professor of the Graduate School at UC Berkeley School of Public Health, was recently named the winner of the 2014

The award acknowledges the more than 35 years Snowden has dedicated to improving mental health treatment access and quality of care, with a particular focus on effectiveness of care to minority and underserved populations. His research of the financing and organization of mental health services has

important implications for current health care reform policy.

Snowden has made frequent contributions to the mental health services research literature, including more than 150 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. At the invitation of then U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, Snowden contributed to “Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General” and was co-scientific editor of “Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity: A Supplement to: ‘Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General.”

The award will be presented to Snowden at the APA’s 2014 Annual Convention in August, in Washington, D.C. , where he will also present an invited address on Poverty, Safety Net Programs, and African-Americans’ Mental Health.

Snowden’s past awards include The Society for Community Research and Action’s Distinguished Contributions to Theory and Research in Community Psychology, the Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Award, and the Berkeley Citation.

LIAACC’S DAY OF NETWORKING & PAMPERING IS A HUGE SUCCESS!

By Phil Andrews, President LIAACC

On April 3, 2013 the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. hosted its monthly Business Card Exchange and “Breakfast Series” which included Networking, Pampering and a free photo shoot. The Business Card Exchange featured guest speaker Lorrette Farris, President and CEO of iBoss.com and the topic was “Raising Capital in the New Capital Market”.

“The Day of Networking and Pampering was a huge success attracting a wide variety of Small Business Owners, Professionals, Corporate Leaders, and Non-for-Profits in the New York metropolitan area. The event provided attendees an opportunity to exchange cards and develop future trade opportunities.” Phil Andrews, President, Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. The Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.’s monthly Business Card Exchange and Breakfast Series is designed to help facilitate trade and foster business growth through a variety of channels such as networking events, informational sessions, access to capital, and technical assistance.

NewYorkTrendnyc 25 YEARS

Left to Right: First Row – Keith H. Burgess, Secretary, LIAACC, Sharon Davis, Vice President, LIAACC, Phil Andrews, President, LIAACC, Vanessa Best, Board Advocate, LIAACC

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TRAVEL EXQUISITE FASHIONS FROM DOWNTON ABBEY TV SERIES ON VIEW AT DELAWARE’S WINTERTHUR MUSEUM

By Jim Weaver

Millions of television viewers have watched the British period drama Downton Abbey on public television (PBS) for the past three seasons. Now there is an opportunity to see many of the exquisite costumes from the series. “Costumes of Downton Abbey,” an original exhibition of fashion designs from the awarding-winning television series, began in March at Delaware’s Winterthur Museum.

The U.S. premiere exhibition will run through January 4, 2015.

Winterthur Director David Roselle says, “Costumes of Downton Abbey will not only showcase authentic designs from the television series, but provide a remarkable educational experience by holding up a mirror to both institutions and societies. We think it’s going to be a real treat.”

A co-production of Carnival Films and Masterpiece, Downton Abbey depicts life in the British household of the fictional Earl and Countess of Grantham and is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed period dramas ever produced. It has won a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding

Miniseries, among many other awards. It was the most watched television series on both ITV and PBS and subsequently became the most successful British costume drama series since the 1981 television serial Brideshead Revisited. By the third series, it had become one of the most widely watched television shows in the world. The Guinness World Records recognized Downton Abbey as the most critically acclaimed English-language television series of 2011.

Approximately 40 historically accurate costumes from the television show will be displayed in Winterthur’s largest gallery space. The costumes will be supplemented by photographs and vignettes inspired by the fictional program and by real life at Winterthur. The costumes are lent by Cosprop, the world’s leading costumier to film, television, and theater.

T:9.875” In addition, Winterthur will host a wide range of lectures, workshops, and events, including “Other Downtons,” focusing on aspects of

the country house in Britain and the United States. There will be a variety of programs for adults and families focusing on entertaining and country house life. Learn more at winterthur.org.

Winterthur — known worldwide for its preeminent collection of American decorative arts, naturalistic gardens, and research library for the study of American art and material culture — offers a variety of tours, exhibitions, programs, and activities throughout the year.

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SPORTS COMMENTARY NBA SHOULD HAVE BANNED DONALD STERLING A LONG TIME AGO

By Luther Campbell

Sterling’s comments “are deeply offensive and harmful” and “are Karma contrary to the principles of finally inclusion and respect that form the caught up foundation of our diverse, multito Donald Sterling, the cultural and multi-ethnic league.”

slumlord owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Just when his team is finally thriving and competing for an NBA championship, the man upstairs gave The Donald a good ole kick in the balls.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life after the world got to listen to secretly recorded tapes of the billionaire making racist comments to his ex-girlfriend, V. Stiviano, a woman who is of Mexican and African-American descent.

For many black people, banishing Sterling from being associated with the NBA is akin to union soldiers liberating slaves on a plantation during the Civil War. But it’s sad the NBA didn’t boot Sterling a long time ago. It’s even sadder that the NAACP and some of the former and current players, coaches, and team owners had embraced this nasty bigot for such a long time.

For many black people, banishing Sterling from being associated with the NBA is akin to union soldiers liberating slaves on a plantation during the Civil War. My friend and ESPN columnist Jemele Hill, who is African American, tipped me off to a 2009 investigative piece she helped research about Sterling that appeared in ESPN, The Magazine. In the story, many of the characters currently condemning Sterling didn’t have a problem with the man, who at the time had been exposed as a vile racist. He was so vicious to his minority tenants he paid a record $2.7 million to the Department of Justice to settle a discrimination lawsuit.

The article recounted, among other atrocities, how one of Sterling’s tenants, an elderly black NewYorkTrendnyc 25 YEARS

woman named Kandynce Jones, was living in a flooded apartment caused by a serious leak in building, owned by the Clippers’ don.

When Sterling was told Jones wanted to be reimbursed for the water damage and her ruined property, he replied, “I am not going to do that. Just evict the bitch.”

This man has committed just about every wicked act there is. He degraded women and offered to pay them for sexual favors. He committed sexual harassment and adultery. He cheated people out of money.

However, Silver’s predecessor David Stern did nothing to sanction Sterling when his despicable acts against his minority tenants were exposed. Instead, Stern rewarded him by letting him snatch Chris Paul after vetoing a trade that would have sent the all-star point guard to the L.A. Lakers.

Everyone who enabled Sterling is now trying to save face.

The irony is that Silver says he is going to get the owners to force Sterling to sell the Clippers, allowing him to make billions of dollars. That’s not right.

Follow Luke on Twitter: @unclelukereal1 and @unclelukesempir.

Comments are those of the writer and not representative of New York Trend or newyorktrendnyc.com

Those allegations didn’t stop NBA celebs from praising Sterling.

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, told the magazine: “I like Donald. He plays by his own rules.” Yet, minutes after Silver banned Sterling, Cuban tweeted: “I agree 100% with Commissioner Silvers findings and the actions taken against Donald Sterling.”

Cuban is not the only hypocrite.

Current Golden State Warriors Head Coach Mark Jackson told ESPN, The Magazine he “never had a problem” with Sterling when he played for the Clippers from 1992 to 1994 or at any other time during his playing career. He added, “I heard about the housing case — what can I do about that?” Three days ago, Jackson was telling Clippers fans to protest by staying home for game five at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The NBA head honchos also bear responsibility for allowing Sterling to go unchecked. At his press conference yesterday, Silver said Sterling’s comments “are deeply offensive and harmful” and “are contrary to the principles of inclusion and respect that form the foundation of our diverse, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic league.”

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