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Since 1989

NEW YORK STATE NAACP HOLDS 79TH CONVENTION

By Fern Gillespie “All lives matter even if your skin is black and your uniform is blue,” said Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO of the National NAACP, the keynote speaker on October 10th at the NAACP New York State Conference’s 79th Annual Convention in at the Hilton Long Island Hotel, commenting that violence by police in Black communities is becoming “pandemic.”

“The NAACP is the original Black Lives Matter Movement,” he stressed. “We are in a modern civil rights movement. We have to file lawsuits. We have to take the fight to them. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

The NAACP attendees represented New York State’s 56 branches and ranged in age from teens in the NAACP Youth and College Division to seniors that were veterans in the struggle for civil rights. “We are in an age of activism that is multi-generational and multi-ethnic. This generation is between the past and the present. This generation knows Motown and Hip Hop and James Brown and Drake. In the NAACP every generation has a role.”

Brooks is a former New Jersey resident. Prior to being named to head the NAACP in 2014, he led the Newark-based New Jersey Institute for Social Justice

NY State NAACP Branch Officials PHOTO: Doug Martines

“ All lives matter even if your skin is black and your uniform is blue…”

— Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO of the National NAACP

NAACP New York State Youth PHOTO: Doug Martines

as president and CEO. There, he directed the Institute’s successful efforts to win the passage of three landmark prisoner reentry bills. He’s been a legal Senior Counsel with the FCC, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington and as trial attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The Yale Law School grad, who also holds a divinity degree from Boston College, earned a political science degree from HBCU Jackson State College.

“In one year, President Brooks has literally put the NAACP back on the map as it has not been for a very long time,” said Judge Laura Blackburn, publisher of the NAACP’s historic Crisis Magazine. “This past August he led a multicultural, multi racial group on a 1000 mile, 60 day march from Selma,Alabama to Washington DC. The marchers then lobbied their Congressional representatives. President Brooks is energizing the NAACP branches with this on the ground approach to work on the ‘NAACP Justice For All’ agenda.”

Under the direction of Hazel Dukes, President of the NAACP New York State Conference and Tracy Edwards, Director of the NAACP Long Island Region, the October 9 - 11 convention’s Continued on Page 2

INSIDE T HIS IS SUE :

Education pg.5 PAGE 4 LESSONS IN LIFE?

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NATIONAL

MORE OF NAACP 79TH CONVENTION ...CONTINUED FROM COVER

Frances Pratt, President Nyack NAACP, recipient of the 2015 Presidents Award PHOTO: Doug Martines

Long Island NAACP PHOTO: Doug Martines

theme was NAACP: Pursuing Liberty in the Face of Injustice. It featured workshops examining racial injustices and disparities happening in education, healthcare, economic development, criminal justice and environmental issues.

Speakers included Dr. Rudy

Hazel Dukes and Dr. Rudy Crew PHOTO: Doug Martines

By Extra’s Terry Seymour

CHELSEA CLINTON TALKS PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Chelsea Clinton isn’t only the daughter of Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, she is also an accomplished author and mom herself. Chelsea joining “Extra’s” Terri Seymour at Universal Studios Hollywood to talk about her new book “It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!” also getting candid about her own life and her mother’s campaign.

Chelsea revealing her close friendship with Ivanka Trump will remain intact no matter how rough the campaign gets between their parents, “I love Ivanka and I think friendship always trumps politics and that’s how it should be.”

Terri asking is it is going to be more challenging to hold on to their friendship, Chelsea saying she does not think so, “It hasn’t been so far and I don’t think that it would be in the future because I’m friends with Ivanka for Ivanka not for her parents or any other part of her life.”

And weighing in on her mom’s epic impersonation of Donald on 2 NewYorkTrendnyc

Crew, President, Medgar Evers College, who explained that education begins with parents in the home. “If you get an F, it means you have to go back and try it again,” he said.

“Our young people need to be globally competitive.”

“Saturday Night Live,” “I thought it was fantastic, I think my mom is hilarious.” Saying she is grateful for moments like that because it allows more people to see how funny she is, something she has known her whole life.

The 35-year-old supporting her mom’s bid for the White House, admitting that becoming a mother herself made that support even

stronger, “I didn’t know I could love, and respect, and believe mom more intensely in my mom until I became a mom.” Praising her mom for not only being a mom, but building a career, “She set the bar really high for me and I want Charlotte to feel the same way about me that I feel about my mom so every opportunity I have I want to tell people why I so strongly supporter

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her, not only as a voter but also as a daughter and now a mom.”

Chelsea’s daughter Charlotte recently turning one-yearold, Chelsea gushing over her milestones, “It’s amazing she’s now trying to walk, she is standing, but not walking and she has this look of fierce determination on her face and it’s just such a privilege to watch her push herself forward and be so curious about the world.”

Also saying she loves books, “She never wants to let go of the books she’s reading.” One day she will be able to read her mom’s book, the inspiration behind it, kids, “I kept meeting kids that were so curious about what was happening in their communities and the world, and also kids who were engaged in making a difference and so I thought about trying to bring those things together…When I became pregnant and knew I was going to be a mom I just felt like I had to write this book to help kids get informed about some big issues but also to share inspiring stories of kids that are doing things about those issues here in the US and around the world.” www.newyorktrendnyc.com

IN THE NEWS HILLARY CLINTON HAS A PLAN TO RAISE AMERICAN INCOMES H

ENSURE MORE WORKERS SHARE IN NEAR-RECORD CORPORATE PROFITS. Corporate profits are near record highs—but workers have not shared through rising wages.

Profit sharing is linked to higher pay, benefits, and productivity. That’s why Hillary’s plan creates a 15 percent tax credit for companies that share profits with workers on top of wages and pay increases.

illary believes the defining economic challenge of our time is raising incomes for hardworking Americans.

Too many families are working harder and harder, but still not getting ahead. Our country is standing again, but we’re not yet running the way we should be. From her first day in office to the last, Hillary Clinton will fight for you and for more take-home pay so you can get ahead and stay ahead.

Hillary understands that in order to raise incomes, we need strong growth, fair growth, and long-term growth. And she has a plan to get us there.

Hillary will invest in infrastructure, clean energy, and scientific and medical research to create jobs and strengthen our economy. And she’ll provide tax relief to working families and small businesses.

That’s how we’ll move toward a full employment economy that creates jobs, pushes businesses to compete over workers, and raises incomes.

Provide tax relief for families. Hillary will cut taxes for hard-working families to increase their takehome pay as they face rising costs from child care, health care, and sending their kids to college. She is calling for extending a tax cut of up to $2,500 per student to help deal with college costs as part of her New College Compact, and for cutting taxes for businesses that share profits with their employees.

Unleash small business growth.

Hillary’s father owned a small business—and she understands that small businesses are the backbone of jobs and growth in America.

She’s put forward a small-business agenda to expand access to capital,

HEALTH DEPT LAUNCHES FLU SHOT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

The Health Department launched a public awareness campaign reminding New Yorkers that the flu vaccination is the best protection against “Pain.

Fever. Chills. Misery.” The campaign will feature four English and two NewYorkTrendnyc

provide tax relief, cut red tape, and help small businesses bring their goods to new markets.

CREATE A NEW COLLEGE COMPACT. Hillary’s New College Compact will invest $350 billion so that students do not have to borrow to pay tuition at a public college in their state. Her plan will also significantly cut interest rates on student loans and enable an estimated 25 million Americans with student debt to refinance at today’s lower rates, saving the typical borrower $2,000 over the life of their loans.

BOOST PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. One of the best ways to drive jobs and improve our nation’s competitiveness is to invest in infrastructure and scientific research. Hillary has called for a national infrastructure bank that would leverage public and private Spanish ads, which will run in subway cars. The campaign will also have a social media presence. Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory viral illness that can cause significant illness and death. More New Yorkers die from influenza and pneumonia than from any other infection. Last year, 1,610 New Yorkers died from influenza and pneumonia; 80%90% of influenza-related deaths are among persons aged 65 years and older. Influenza activity is usually at its peak January through March, but it can start as early as November. It is important to get vaccinated now – before influenza season starts.

The NYC Health Department is also producing an informational ‘Influenza Health Bulletin’ for the public in English and 11 other languages. The Health Bulletin and other influenza information can be found by visiting nyc.gov and searching for ‘health bulletins.

funds to invest in projects across the country. She will call for reform that closes corporate tax loopholes and drives investment here, in the U.S. And she would increase funding for scientific research at agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE AND STRENGTHENING OVERTIME RULES. Hillary believes we are long overdue in raising the minimum wage.

She has supported raising the federal minimum wage to $12, and believes that we should go further than the federal minimum through state and local efforts, and workers organizing and bargaining for higher wages, such as the Fight for 15 and recent efforts in Los Angeles and New York to raise their minimum wage to $15. She also supports the Obama administration’s expansion of overtime rules to millions more workers.

LIFT UP PARTICIPATION IN THE WORKFORCE—ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN. For too long, issues like equal pay, paid leave, and affordable child care have been put off to the side as “women’s issues.” Hillary believes they are crucial to our competitiveness and growth—and to lifting incomes for working families.

FAIR GROWTH. Inequality is a drag on our economy, and to get incomes rising again, we need to renew our country’s basic bargain. With near-record corporate profits and stagnant wages, the deck is stacked against working Americans. If you work hard, you deserve to get ahead and stay ahead.

REFORM OUR TAX CODE SO THE WEALTHIEST PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE. Hillary supports ending the “carried interest” loophole, enacting the “Buffett Rule” that ensures no millionaire pays a lower effective tax rate than their secretary, and closing tax loopholes and expenditures that benefit the wealthiest taxpayers to pay for her plan to make college affordable and refinance student debt.

While annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all people aged 6 months and older, it is especially recommended for those at risk of developing influenza-related complications. Those at risk include children under 5, pregnant women, adults aged 65 and older, and people with chronic health conditions, such as heart, lung, and kidney disease, diabetes, morbid obesity and those who are immune compromised. Health care workers and other people who live or work with people at high risk of influenza complications, also need a flu vaccine to avoid infecting others.

their infant by passing on protective antibodies to their infants until they can get their own vaccine at 6 months.

Flu vaccine can help prevent pain and misery of influenza. Flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalizations among several highrisk groups, including persons with diabetes, chronic lung disease and in those over 50 years of age. Pregnant women have a four-fold higher risk of being hospitalized if they get the flu.

A flu vaccine can protect them and

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EXPAND EARLY LEARNING. Hillary’s proposal would work to ensure that every 4-year-old in America has access to high-quality preschool in the next 10 years.

Flu vaccine coverage was 44% for persons aged 18 years and older.

Coverage was lower for younger adults: 35% for persons aged 18-49 years, 50% for persons aged 50-64 years and 64% for persons aged 65 years and older. Vaccination coverage differed by race and ethnicity for older New Yorkers. Among New Yorkers aged 65 and older, there are disparities in the prevalence of flu vaccinations between Black non-Hispanics (53%) compared with White non-Hispanics (69%) and Hispanics (68%), according to the 2014 Community Health Survey.

To get your flu vaccine, check with your child’s or your medical care providers.

Adults (18 years and older), can go to a chain pharmacy or the many independent pharmacies that offer flu vaccine throughout the City. For more information about where to get vaccinated, call 311, visit nyc.gov/flu for the Flu Clinic Locator or text “flu” to 877877.

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COMMENTARY CAN PARENTS USE VIDEO GAMES AS LESSONS IN LIFE?

By Mark Cheverton

that discusses game playing and the positive effectives – both for family closeness and health.

In the history of child development, the widespread participation in the use of video games is not only a relatively new phenomenon, but a widespread one, too.

Ninety-seven percent of children and adolescents in the United States play at least one hour per day, according to the American Psychological Association.

Naturally, many parents and educators worry that this game time is subtracting from healthy skills children should be developing, such as reading.

“As children grow into teenagers and then young adults, finding your favorite novel as a young person, for example, can have immeasurable benefits by answering questions like: Who am I? What do I value? How do I move forward in life?” says Mark Cheverton (markcheverton.com), a former public school teacher of 15 years, an engineer with GE and a father who was inspired to write novels for his son and other children to help teach life lessons.

“Of course, books – whether print or digital versions – are the best sources for in-depth knowledge about anything, from gardening to history to science and more. Establishing reading as a habit is necessary for the well-being of the world.”

Cheverton offers tips for parents who want to encourage healthy habits to their children, including reading and more.

• Find books that reflect video game themes. “Invasion of the Overworld: Book One in the Gameknight999 Series: An Unofficial Minecrafter’s Adventure,” a book by Cheverton,

‘Ninety-seven percent of children and adolescents in the United States play at least one hour per day,.’

— American Psychological Association

is an effective example. What better way to get a kid to read a book than to offer one that’s about the video games they are obsessed with? In this case, it’s about the popular game Minecraft.

• Parent participation can create additional teachable moments for issues like bullying. “I’ve come to love playing Minecraft with my son, who spent months building things on his server: castles, bridges, underwater cities, factories, everything and anything his imagination could conceive,” Cheverton says. “Video games can have its benefits, too, creating opportunities to communicate with your child on those teachable moments we may dread, like when my son was bullied, but other habits ought to balance a child’s life as well.”

• Computer gaming can have positive benefits with family relationships. It turns out that there has been plenty of research out there on the benefits of parents playing computer games with their kids – not by computer game makers, but by respected universities. Researchers from Arizona State University suggest that “Parents miss a huge opportunity when they walk away from playing video games with their kids.” From Brigham Young University, researchers studied 287 families and looked at how they play video games together. The BYU team found that girls from ages 11 to 16, who played video games with a parent, reported better behavior, more feelings of family closeness and less aggression than girls who played alone or with friends. In addition, there is a great TED talk

• Games like Minecraft may offer an interest in engineering, city planning, etc. Many children who take to games that entail building cities may naturally take an interest later in life in the details of building things in the real world.

Of course, children who love video games may want to know how the games themselves work or are of a high quality, which can lead to further interest in technology. Whether it’s a future career in video games, computer programming, engineering or a very long list of high-paying jobs, gaming can lead to good things.

Mark Cheverton (markcheverton.com) majored in physics and math as an undergraduate in college and went on to teach in public schools for 15 years. While teaching he earned a master’s degree in physics. He later went on to work for GE’s Global Research Center, where he researched laser welding , 3D printing, machine vision, process monitoring and machine control.

He began writing his Minecraft series to help explain difficult lessons to his son, now 11. Those lessons include taking risks, a willingness to try something difficult and how to be brave. The books also address the sensitive topic of bullying.

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Send letters of inquiry to nytrendnyc@gmail.com.

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ENTERTAINMENT

#WANNABEHAPPY BABYFACE SETS RELEASE FOR “RETURN OF THE TENDER LOVER” A multi-tiered campaign is underway leading up to the December 4th release of RETURN OF THE TENDER LOVER, the eagerly anticipated new album from 11-time Grammy Award®winning, multi-platinum icon Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds on Def Jam Recordings. iTunes pre-orders for the new album will begin on November 13th.

“We’ve Got Love,” the new album’s first single, a global message of love and connectedness, is closing in at Top 10 on Urban AC radio, following its debut on Steve Harvey’s nationally syndicated radio show.

Kirk Franklin is back with something new and improved just for you. After five years, the multi-platinum gospel recording artist is returning with a single from his forthcoming project that is set to release in November. #WannaBeHappy

High profile television appearances and performances are also slated for Babyface on ABC’s Good Mooring America (12/8) and The View (12/9).

In advance of the album release, Babyface will be the featured guest on Harvey’s show on December 7th. Babyface will also guest on Tom Joyner’s nationally syndicated radio show on December 10th.

Babyface just returned from a tour in South Africa and is currently touring through the end of December in the U.S. with more dates to be announced for 2016 in support of his new album.

RETURN OF THE TENDER LOVER is the 10th studio album by the poignant tune-smith, prolific hit maker/ producer, superstar recording artist, and revolutionary label owner Babyface. The album is filled with eight beautiful new

original tracks of unapologetic R&B, intended to bring feel-good grooves back to music. Babyface plays on every track on the album including, although not limited to, his amazing and widely-praised guitar work.

RETURN OF THE TENDER LOVER’s title commemorates and pays homage to Babyface’s breakthrough album of 1989, the RIAA triple-platinum Tender Lover. His second studio LP, it spun off a quartet of career-defining solo R&B/pop cross¬over hits, “It’s No Crime” (#1), “Tender Love” (#1), “Whip Appeal” (#2), and “My Kinda Girl” (#3).

Babyface reigns as one the most prolific and successful producers in pop music history. A sample of the artists he has produced and written (or co-written) hits for would include Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Eric Clapton, Colbie Caillat, Jennifer Hudson, Michael

Jackson, Toni Braxton, Aretha Franklin and Celine Dion.

Earlier this year, Babyface shared the Best R&B Album GRAMMY Award® with multi-platinum 7-time Grammy Award®-winner Toni Braxton for Love, Marriage & Divorce, released February 2014 on Def Jam Recordings. The album took off behind “Hurt You,” the Urban AC #1 duet hit co-written

by Toni Braxton & Babyface (with Daryl Simmons and Antonio Dixon), and produced by Babyface, who handled all guitar, drums, and keyboard programming on the track. “Hurt You” hit Top 40 pop and R&B, and rose to #1 on the Adult R&B Songs chart, where it spent more than six months.

Love, Marriage & Divorce was Babyface’s first new studio album in nearly seven years, since Playlist (September 2007), which hit Top 10 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart on the strength of his Top 10 AC version of James Taylor’s “Fire & Rain.”

MAGAZINE SHATTERS ‘AMERICA’S FAVORITE BLACK FAMILY IMAGE’ Ebony Magazine, one of the oldest and most respected African American publications, has shattered America’s favorite Black family. The November 2015 issue features a 20-year old picture of the Huxtables from the infamous “Cosby Show”, but in the picture, Bill Cosby’s smiling face is obscured by broken glass. Inside, readers will also find an intense, no holds barred article entitled, “Cliff-Hanger: Can ‘The Cosby Show’ Survive? Should It?”.

The cover, although controversial, does reflect in reality what has happened to Cosby’s clean image after more than 50 women have recently accused him of drugging and raping them over the past four decades.

Kierna Mayo, editor-in-chief, commented, “I believe with everything that our collective healing (from this and all traumas) is tied to baring truths, confronting selves, and dismantling crutches. We aim to uplift. However, sometimes before you rise up, you break down.”

She told CNN, “Neither Cosby nor his effect on black America, good or bad, can be ignored.” She continued, “Ebony is not shattering anything. We’re just asking African Americans to have an honest, forthright conversation about what (the Cosby scandal) means.”

Meanwhile, social media has been set afire. On the magazine’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, all sorts of comments and tweets can be found. People’s reactions range from: “Who cares?” to “How could you?” to “It’s about time!”

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ENTERTAINMENT

TRACY MORGAN

SIDNEY POITIER HONORED WITH SPINGARN MEDAL

The NAACP National Board of Directors along with NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks announced Sidney Poitier as the 2015 NAACP Spingarn Medal recipient. Mr. Poitier is the 100th recipient of the Spingarn Medal. The medal is presented annually to the man or woman of African descent and American citizenship who has made the highest achievement during the preceding year or in consideration of an overall body of work by an individual.

“I am grateful Mr. Poitier’s upbringing did not subject him to the deference often expected in our society, and he chose to move outside the barriers of expectations to pursue his dreams and offer his gifts and talents,” said Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman, NAACP National Board of Directors. “The honors and awards for Mr. Poitier over the years have been phenomenal.

He raised expectations, created opportunities, and is especially deserving of our highest honor – the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal.”

Sidney Poitier received his first Academy Award nomination in 1958 as Best Actor in the film The Defiant Ones. In 1964, he won an Oscar for Lilies of the Field, the first African American

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to win for a leading role. In 1967, he took on three different characters in three different movies, all dealing with race, racial issues, and breaking down social barriers: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, To Sir with Love, and In the Heat of the Night.

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“Sidney Poitier is a pioneer not only in respect to the depiction of African American men in fiction, films, music and the arts,” said NAACP President Cornell William Brooks. “But he is also an extraordinary counterpoint to the character, intelligence, vulnerability and breadth of the African American man. He had the courage to take on groundbreaking roles and will always stand out to other actors as an example of excellence in the arts.”

Although Mr. Poitier has retired from acting, he remains one of America’s most respected African American actors.

The Spingarn Medal was instituted in 1914 by the late J.E. Spingarn, then Chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors.

For more information about the Spingarn Award and a list of past recipients, please visit http://www.naacp.org/ pages/spingarn-medal.

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TRAVEL VISIT SOUTH AFRICA FOR YOUR HOLIDAY ABROAD

South Africa is a beautiful and large country, home to amazing cities with tons of attractions and breathtaking sights. Capetown, Durban, and Johannesburg are just three of the most celebrated cities of South Africa that are a must-see for any travelers coming to spend a vacation in South Africa. These cities are steeped in history and also offer great shopping malls, restaurants, and attractions. Down Under Endeavours can create a custom itinerary showing you all the highlights of South African cities for your next holiday abroad.

CAPE TOWN Known as ‘The Mother City’ and nestled beneath the dramatic Table Mountain. Meander through the city center and see over three hundred years of influence from Europe and the East. Elegant whitewashed Cape Dutch buildings, with thatched roofs and shuttered windows, are scattered amongst British monuments. The local Malay curry can be found at one of the many quaint restaurants lined along the cobble stone street in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood.

Table Mountain is one of southern Africa’s most beautiful

and impressive natural wonders.

The views from its summit are aweinspiring. The mountain rises more than 3,500 feet above the city, and its distinctive flat top is visible to sailors 40 miles out to sea.

A short distance outside Cape Yown is Boulders Beach, home to an African penguin colony.

Join a cruise to discover the Cape Peninsula. 44 miles of mountains trailing down to the Cape of Good Hope, its landscapes are scattered with 18th century Cape Dutch manors, wineries and white-sand beaches.

The historic Winelands are just 45 minutes east of Cape Town, and are home to some of South Africa’s best restaurants.

Stellenbosch has oak-lined streets complete with historic architecture, good restaurants, and interesting galleries and shops. Franschhoek, enclosed by towering mountains, is the original home of the Cape’s French Huguenots, and their French heritage runs strongly through the region.

The Bo-Kaap Museum was built in the 18th century, as the home of Abu Bakr Effendi, and has been furnished to re-create the lifestyle of a typical Malay family in the 19th century. The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest building in the country and was built in 1665 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Wander through the Company’s Gardens, where a portion of the original garden

laid out in 1652 still remains. The South African National Gallery houses a good collection of 19thand 20th-century European art, but its most interesting exhibits are the South African works, many of which reflect the country’s traumatic history. Robben Island was at various times a prison, leper colony, mental institution, and military base. It is finally filling an empowering role as a museum.

Famous as the prison housing Nelson Mandela it is now also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

DURBAN Visit the Umhlanga Rocks, a popular holiday spot on the Kwa Zulu Natal north coast. Spend your next nights at the Beverly Hills Hotel with its exceptional beachfront location and superb sea views. The Beverly Hills Hotel is an upmarket and luxury hotel in Umhlanga and is known for its exceptional service, beautiful beach views and its proximity to Umhlanga attractions and activities. Arrange a scenic trip into Durban, a bustling port city known for its rich Indian culture, shopping malls and oceanarium.

JOHANNESBURG – ‘THE CITY OF GOLD’ Johannesburg with an exhilarating trip to Gold Reef City, a visit to Kyalami to see the Lipizzaner horses, or shopping at some of the exclusive nearby malls with their trendy restaurants, boutiques and coffee shops.

Westcliff Hotel is situated on the hillside with beautiful views over the upmarket northern suburbs, and is just a 15min drive from the world-class Sandton Shopping Centre. With heated swimming pools, tennis courts and endless views, Westcliff is an exclusive Johannesburg hotel. Explore Johannesburg with an exhilarating trip to Gold Reef City, a visit to Kyalami to see the Lipizzaner horses, or shopping at some of the exclusive nearby malls with their trendy restaurants, boutiques and coffee shops.

Down Under Endeavours handcrafts luxury vacations designed around your wants, needs, timeframe and budget. To get a taste of what’s possible, take a look at their sample family vacation itineraries.

The itinerary they create for your trip of your lifetime will be unique to you and your family. Start planning your trip now no matter how far in advance! Visit www. downunderendeavours.com.

ELECTRONICS|NBPC PARTNERED WITH SILICON HARLEM TO DEVELOP GAMES FOR TV & WEB

National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), the Harlembased media arts organization, announced winners of its firstever Hack360, produced in partnership with Silicon Harlem at the Silicon Harlem 2nd Annual Tech Conference on Friday. The theme of the inaugural NBPCSilicon Harlem Hackathon was gamification, and participants worked over two days to create prototypes for games to promote the TV and Web series they are developing. Hack360 is thought to be the first hackathon in Harlem to create companion games for series.

The Jury prize of $3,000 went to Sultan Sharrief and Oren Goldenberg, producers of the broadcast TV series Street Cred, a reality show documenting the challenges 12 Detroit high school students must overcome to meet entertainment/production skillbased tasks as they compete for a 8 NewYorkTrendnyc

chance to win a dream internship.

The goal of the Street Cred Movie Mogul game app is for players to build their film company and work their way toward getting their name on a Hollywood star and becoming a movie mogul.

Gamers—the app is targeted at high school students—complete film-based challenges and logic games designed to teach them how the film industry works and demystify the path to success.

The Audience prize of $1,000 was awarded to Damon Colquhoun, producer of the fictional urban fantasy Web series Pixie Dust,

about a teen girl, Faye, with magical powers to quell the mental illness in her mother. Pixie Dust: Home to Mom, is a puzzle-style video game for desktop and mobile that challenges gamers to use young Faye’s fairy powers to safely navigate a community littered with unstable characters who threaten her mental health. The game is designed to illustrate how navigating a population rife with mental stressors can, over time, deplete one’s own mental health.

The two final projects were awarded cash prizes of $500: POPS, the Web documentary series dispelling myths about Black fathers (producer: Garland McLaurin) and Black Broadway on U, an interactive Web project unlocking the rich Black history of the culturally vibrant U Street corridor in Washington, D.C., dubbed “Black Broadway” by entertainer Pearl Bailey (producer: Shellée Haynesworth). POPS+LIFE

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is a mobile scavenger hunt mixing arts, music, culture and history in city neighborhoods and historical sites; fathers and their children work to explore and solve missions while building relationships. Duke’s DC: Just Jumpin’ and Jivin’ is an interactive scavenger hunt and quiz for Web and mobile that takes users on a walking tour of the lavish dance halls, upscale theaters and afterhours nightclubs and saloons where D.C. native and arguably the world’s greatest jazz composer, Edward “Duke” Ellington, was a mainstay in the early 20th century.

NBPC, the nation’s only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to media content about the Black experience, launched NBPC 360 in the fall of 2014 to identify and fund new series for public television or Web. Four projects won, and were awarded between $50,000 and $100,000 in funding for their series pilots. www.newyorktrendnyc.com

THE ARTS SONS, SEEING THE MODERN AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE

Project is both timely and relevant. Recent events point to the urgent need for conversations about the contemporary Black American male.

Any effort, however humble, to foster an understanding of this largely misunderstood and often maligned segment of the American population is of the utmost importance.

SONS, the Photographic study by photographer Jerry Taliaferro, will premiere at the African American Museum of Nassau County in Hempstead, NY (Long Island) on 2 February 2015. This landmark exhibition will available for touring starting March 2016.

To learn more visit blackartphotoart.com/SONS.htm or contact us at newtribe8@cs.com or phone 980.236.7171.

‘THE PRICE OF HONOR’

GETS WORLDWIDE RELEASE

“The Price of Honor” premiered at the popular Lakewood Theater in Dallas on Sept. 7,2014. Since then, the film has debuted in over a dozen international film festivals and haswon several awards for best feature documentary as well as two humanitarian awards.

The film, directed by Xoel Pamos and Neena Nejad, tells the story of Amina and Sarah Said, two American sisters from just outside Dallas who were murdered by their father Yaser Said in an “honor killing” in 2008. He has been in hiding ever since and remains at large.

An honor killing is the act in which a family member, usually a female, is murdered by another member, usually a male, for disobedience, promiscuity, being raped or other transgressions of cultural norms in the traditional societies of the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, North Africa and immigrant communities worldwide.

An estimated 20,000 women and girls are victims of this practice every year.

When it comes to the United States, the AHA Foundation estimates that 28 girls and/or women are killed in the name of honor annually.

The film made history on June 10, when it was brought for a private screening for members of Congress in the United States Capitol to discuss the issue, and where the Department of Justice released its first-ever study on honor violence in America.

Emails and letters that Amina left behind, close friends’ testimonies and home footage that the killer took of his victims are the main foundation of “The Price of Honor.”

“The film ends with the sound of your own heart snapping in your chest,” wrote Suzanne Mahadeo from the Global Fund for Women in a review of the film.

Yaser Said frequently stalked the girls with a video camera, bugged their

“ The making of this film has been a melancholic but breathtaking and inspiring ride.” cars, threatened and harassed them daily, sexually abused them as young children, assaulted them physically, tried to control who they socialized with and was trying to arrange forced marriages for them in Egypt to strangers for a large dowries.

Shortly after the film premiered, Yaser Said was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list and the reward for his capture increased to $100,000.

“Every time this case is pushed into the national spotlight, we receive information,” says FBI spokeswoman Katherine Chaumont.

“Our main mission with the film was to give a voice to Amina and Sarah and to makesure that Yaser’s face was spread all over the media so everybody can recognize him,” adds director Neena Nejad.

“The Price of Honor” is being released on VOD on Oct. 20, exclusively through VHX with an additional forty minutes of bonus material and will arrive to other platforms by Christmas, including Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox, iTunes and possibly Netflix.

“The making of this film has been a melancholic but breathtaking and inspiring ride. I attribute that to the heroic spirits of Amina and Sarah.”

HBO DOCUMENTARY 31⁄ 2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS EXPLORES DEADLY IMPACT OF RACIAL PREJUDICE Michael Dunn, 45, fired ten bullets at the car full of unarmed teenagers, and three of those bullets hit 17-year-old Jordan Davis, who died at the scene.

Dunn fled, but was arrested the next day, when he claimed he shot in selfdefense. The timely documentary 31⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS uncovers the truth behind the incident, reconstructing the night of the murder and revealing how hidden racial prejudice can result in tragedy, and debuts MONDAY, NOV. 23 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. On Nov. 23, 2012, Michael Dunn, a middle-aged white male and Jordan Davis, a black teenage male, exchanged angry words at a Jacksonville, Fla. gas station over the volume of the music coming from the younger man’s car.

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Directed by Marc Silver (“Who Is Dayani Cristal?”), 31⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS intercuts exclusive, riveting footage from Michael Dunn’s trial with intimate scenes of Davis’ parents, Ron and Lucy, revealing their struggle to cope with unimaginable loss while

fighting for justice for their son. The film includes police interrogation footage, prison phone recordings between Dunn and his fiancé, who was at the scene of the shooting, interviews with the others at the scene that night, including Jordan’s friends, Leland Brunson, Tommie Stornes and Tevin Thompson, and news reports, telling a powerful story about the devastating effects of racial bias.

Shot over a period of 18 months beginning in summer 2013, the documentary draws on 200 hours of footage and follows several other narratives in addition to the trial itself.31⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS chronicles the journey of Jordan Davis’ parents from unimaginable loss to activism; explores public opinion on the right to self-defense in a state that

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has passed the “Stand Your Ground” law; follows Dunn from his son’s wedding to the act of committing a life-changing crime; and examines perceptions of Davis when he was alive, in director Marc Silver’s words, “from initial reports of him being a ‘thug’ to who he truly was.”

“I was drawn to Jordan Davis’ story because it appeared to be the perfect storm of racial profiling, access to guns and laws that give people the confidence to use those guns with no sense of duty to retreat from a situation,” says Silver.

The documentary made its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Award for Social Impact and was hailed as “heartbreaking” and “provocative” by the Hollywood Reporter. www.newyorktrendnyc.com

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THE ARTS SUN, SAND AND CINEMA

The Bahamas International Film Festival is the ultimate destination for travelers wanting to add a splash of culture, and maybe even some Hollywood pizazz, to their vacation.

Imagine one of the world’s most paradisal locations – tantalizingly blissful, exotically laid-back, and at the same time vibrant and exciting – and then add the buzz of the film world to the mix for 12 starstudded and artistically diverse days in December.

The Bahamas International Film Festival runs this year from December 1-12, with screenings, events and awards presentations taking place in the bustling tourist hub of Nassau, and additional festival happenings on the nearby island of Eleuthera.

Whether you want to take in just a few films or see everything on offer, or explore your dream vocation

by immersing yourself in expert panels featuring world renowned film makers and professionally-led masterclasses in writing, production, even film music, the festival offers a feast of cinematic activity.

The festival has welcomed many stars over the past 12 years since it began, including Johnny Depp, Chaz Ebert, Sir Sean Connery, Roger Corman, Sophie Okonedo, Roger Guenveur Smith, Lee Daniels, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Debra Messing, Danny Glover, Heather Graham, Alan Arkin, Daryl Hannah, Anna Faris, Naomie Harris, Zoe Kravitz, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and many more.

You never know who you might see walking along the seashore or enjoying a cocktail in the seat next to you on a balmy December film festival evening.

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BACKWARDS ON PURPOSE: THE WRONG-WAY WORLD OF JOBS AND PRISONS BY JEFF SMITH

If I heard it once during my nearly year-long incarceration for federal election law violations, I heard it a dozen times. It’s what correctional officers (COs) told prisoners nearing their release date, especially those who had “slick mouths” or who otherwise created problems. “Jackasses like you are how I know I’ll always have a job,” one officer frequently said – his way of reminding us that not only did he expect us to return, but his livelihood depended on it.

The hard truth is that as the federal and most state governments have reduced operating costs per prisoner since 2008, prisons haven’t cut staff or their salaries. Instead, they’ve pared back many “non-essential” programs, such as substance abuse counseling, mental health services, and vocational training.

Unfortunately, that undercuts what a robust body of research tells us: That GED courses, literacy classes, vocational training, and even rare opportunities for postsecondary education increase odds for postrelease employment, reduce recidivism, and facilitate post-prison success. One particularly successful program is the Bard College Prison Initiative, which offers full-time college seats in six New York State prisons. Participants have a recidivism rate of just 4%, and a team of them recently bested a trio of Harvard undergraduates in a formal debate.

Social entrepreneurs have also developed effective educational programs that don’t cost taxpayers anything but that make a big difference for inmates. Case in point: the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP). It partners with the Texas Department of Corrections and

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hundreds of volunteers to lead 200 prisoners annually in an intensive, seven-month, MBA-level course, certified by Baylor University. PEP trains prisoners to develop full-length business plans and, as their final exam, present their plans to a panel of CEOs and venture capitalists. PEP also teaches life skills – a factor in why 100% of participants are employed within three months of release.

The warden at one facility told me that the relationship between COs and prisoners had improved since the introduction of PEP; perhaps when inmates get a chance to learn and advance, COs treat them more humanely.

Then there’s American Prison Data Systems (APDS). It provides prisons with computer tablets equipped with vocational training software.

APDS not only offers prisoners abundant instructional materials; the tablets can also help prison staffers match educational opportunities for inmates with employment needs in neighboring communities.

No question, prison education programs can be a hard sell. No politician has ever lost an election for being too tough on crime or too harsh on prisoners. “We have a student loan debt crisis for non-offenders,” some will ask, “so why should we subsidize college tuition for criminals?”

The answer: cost-effectiveness and better public safety. Each year, more than 650,000 ex-inmates return to their former communities across the nation and try to succeed where they have failed before—now with the added baggage of prison records.

Too many return to prison – and a big reason is the financial struggle resulting from unemployment. www.newyorktrendnyc.com

TRUMP IS RIGHT ABOUT 9/11

By Peter Beinart Donald Trump utters plenty of ugly untruths: that undocumented Mexican immigrants are “rapists,” that Syrian refugees are committing “all sorts of attacks” in Germany and represent a “Trojan Horse” for ISIS. But he tells ugly truths too: that “when you give [politicians money], they do whatever the hell you want them to do.” And that “the Middle East would be safer” if Saddam Hussein and Muammer Qaddafi were still in power.

His latest ugly truth came during a Bloomberg TV interview last Friday, when he said George W. Bush deserves responsibility for the fact that “the World Trade Center came down during his time.”

Politicians and journalists erupted in indignation. Jeb Bush called Trump’s comments “pathetic.” Ben Carson dubbed them “ridiculous.”

When the Bush administration took office in January 2001, CIA Director George Tenet and National Security Council counterterrorism “czar” Richard Clarke both warned its incoming officials that Al Qaeda represented a grave threat. During a transition briefing early that month at Blair House, according to Bob Woodward’s Bush at War, Tenet and his deputy James Pavitt listed Osama Bin Laden as one

Would the Bush administration have stopped the 9/11 attacks had it taken the threat more seriously?

Then, on July 10, Tenet and CIA counterterrorism head Cofer Black held an emergency meeting with Rice to push for action against Bin Laden.By this point, staffers at CIA counterterrorism headquarters had grown so dejected that they, like Clarke, debated asking for a transfer. of America’s three most serious national-security challenges. That same month, Clarke presented National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice with a plan he had been working on since Al Qaeda’s attack on the USS Cole the previous October. It called for freezing the network’s assets, closing affiliated charities, funneling money to the governments of Uzbekistan, the Philippines and Yemen to fight Al Qaeda cells in their country, initiating air strikes and covert operations against Al Qaeda sites in Afghanistan, and dramatically increasing aid to the Northern Alliance, which was battling Al Qaeda and the Taliban there.

But both Clarke and Tenet grew deeply frustrated by the way top

SUPERSTAR CHEF PAUL PRUDHOMME

Photo provided by Eater

REMEMBERED

National Urban League President and CEO and former New Orleans Mayor Marc H. Morial today issued the following statement in response to the death of superstar chef Paul Prudhomme: “Chef Paul’s culinary creativity helped drive the international awareness of New Orleans’ Creole and Cajun cuisine. He was beloved and admired – not only in New Orleans, but the world over. I personally just loved his cooking. It was artistry that stands above even the greats. In his death, he remains one of New Orleans’ and America’s true cultural treasures. We send our prayers to his Lori.”

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Real.” On July 1, the Brief predicted that an attack “will occur soon.”

Bush officials responded. When that April meeting finally occurred, according to Clarke’s book, Against All Enemies, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz objected that “I just don’t understand why we are beginning by talking about this one man, bin Laden.” Clarke responded that, “We are talking about a network of terrorist organizations called al-Qaeda, that happens to be led by bin Laden, and we are talking about that network because it and it alone poses an immediate and serious threat to the United States.” To which Wolfowitz replied, “Well, there are others that do as well, at least as much. Iraqi terrorism for example.”

The warnings continued. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Clarke’s anti-Al Qaeda plan was sitting on Bush’s desk, awaiting his signature. It was the ninth National Security Presidential Directive of his presidency.

By early summer, Clarke was so despondent that he asked to be reassigned. “This administration,” he later testified, “didn’t either believe me that there was an urgent problem or was unprepared to act as though there were an urgent problem.”

Possibly. On August 3, a Saudi named Mohamed al-Kahtani tried to enter the United States in Orlando, Florida, allegedly to participate in the 9/11 plot. He was sent back home by a customs official whose only concern was that he might become an illegal immigrant. On August 16, FBI and INS agents in Minnesota arrested another potential hijacker, Zacarias Moussaoui, after being tipped off by his flight instructor. But despite numerous requests, they were denied permission to search his apartment or laptop. These incidents “might have exposed the” 9/11 plot, writes Eichenwald, “had the government been on high alert.”

During that same time period, the CIA was raising alarms too.

According to Kurt Eichenwald, a former New York Times reporter given access to the Daily Briefs prepared by the intelligence agencies for President Bush in the spring and summer of 2001, the CIA told the White House by May 1 that “a group presently in the United States” was planning a terrorist attack. On June 22, the Daily Brief warned that Al Qaeda strikes might be “imminent”.

But the same Defense Department officials who discounted Clarke’s warnings pushed back against the CIA’s. The CIA fought back.

“The U.S. is not the target of a disinformation campaign by Usama Bin Laden,” declared the Daily Brief on June 29, noting that the Al Qaeda leader had recently told a Middle Eastern journalist to expect an attack. The following day, the CIA included in its Daily Brief an article entitled “Bin Laden Threats Are

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Would the Bush administration have stopped the 9/11 attacks had it taken the threat more seriously?

The Bush administration could have done similar in 2001. Would that have foiled the 9/11 attacks? “There was a chance,” Clarke argues, but top Bush officials “didn’t take it.”

When Donald Trump hurls insults at his opponents, respectable people generally roll their eyes.

But it is precisely Trump’s refusal to be respectable that helps him spark debates that elites would rather avoid. And sometimes, those debates are important to have. www.newyorktrendnyc.com 11

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