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BACK - TO - SCHOOL 1 — Herald Community Newspapers
August 19, 2021
— August 19, 2021
Resetting Expectations
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BTS: Resetting Expectations
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Vol. 23 No. 34
AUGUST 19 - 25, 2021
Facing challenges many others don’t Community leaders push for further support of Black-owned businesses By RoBERT TRAVERSo rtraverso@liherald.com
Christina Daly/Herald
Style and grace Selene Meera Ferdinand, 8, walked the runway in a blue floral dress during Elmont’s inaugural Youth Gift of Empowerment Fashion Show fund-raiser on July 31. More photos, Page 3.
During August, which is National Black Business Month, community leaders in Elmont and Franklin Square are calling for residents to support local Black-owned businesses. Alicia A. Ray, creative director of Black-Owned Long Island, a selfdescribed curated guide to these businesses, said that they build a sense of community and create jobs for local residents and others across Long Island. Formed in 2017 by a small group of business leaders and consumers interested in the challenges faced by Black business owners, the platform works to “find and support businesses and organizations that are owned and operated by black entrepreneurs and influencers
to continue to build wealth in the black communities on Long Island,” BlackOwned Long Island’s website states. Ray also emphasized a cultural element of Black-owned businesses: They help drive diversity and inclusion, expanding residents’ cultural horizons and making business owners feel like they belong on Long Island. The businesses, she said, work to “bring a different flavor to our economy and experiences as consumers on Long Island.” One major problem they face, Ray said, is that their owners often don’t receive the same level of capital that often keeps businesses afloat during hard times. Black-Owned Long Island endeavors “to recognize that, and do whatever we can to help accelerate and advance the Black community,” she Continued on page 2
Residents divided on a fourth round of stimulus checks By RoBERT TRAVERSo rtraverso@liherald.com
A fourth round of stimulus payments to boost the economy amid a spike in coronavirus cases, which has the support of some residents of Elmont and Franklin Square, is being pushed by millions of Americans and nearly two dozen members of Congress. Many Americans remain economically vulnerable because of the pandemic, which shut down several major industries that provide jobs for thousands of workers, despite three sets of stimulus payments administered by the federal government
since the health crisis began last year. “Yes, that would be nice for people,” Sabrina Adonus, of Elmont, said of the idea of another round of federal stimulus checks amid many Americans’ continuing economic struggles and the spike in Deltavariant coronavirus cases that began last month. Adonus, a health care worker, said that while her work has not slowed during the pandemic, the situation is different for those who work in industries that have seen downturns since last March. “I’m not saying that we don’t
need it, but we, on the first line, are always on the job,” Adonus said, adding that because of the economic downswing that began last year, some people remain unable to pay rent or provide food for their families. A survey conducted by the financial services firm TransUnion found that four in 10 people now have a smaller income than before the pandemic. “We have to think for others, and for those people with jobs who were really affected by [the pandemic],” Adonus said, “it would be nice.” Twenty-one U.S. senators, all
Democrats, signed a letter addressed to President Biden this March calling for recurring payments for eligible Americans. Additionally, an online petition that calls for a fourth round of stimulus payments — a check for $2,000 for adults — amassed over three million signatures last month. A separate effort from Democratic lawmakers in January pushed for $2,000
monthly checks until the pandemic ends. N o t eve r yo n e, h oweve r, believes that another round of stimulus checks would be beneficial. “I think enough is enough,” said Lisa DelliPizzi, president of the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce. DelliPizzi emphasized the Continued on page 11