WCP_82026

The Westchester County Press Post Office Box 152, White Plains, NY 10602

97 YEARS

VOL. XCVII NO. 34

County Press The Westchester

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID WHITE PLANS, NY PERMIT # 5069

“Documenting Our History for the Future.”

ISSN 0043-3373

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026

MEMBER OF NNPA

From left, Mount Vernon Corporation Counsel Brian Johnson; Mount Vernon Commissioner of Planning & Community Development James Rausse; Mount Vernon First Deputy Buildings Department Commissioner Hediye Mamak; Simone Development Director of Strategic Initiatives Kevin Plunkett; Rev. Dr. L’ Judie Matt-Simmons; Simone Development President Joe Simone; Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard; Council President Derrick Thompson; Stagg Group President Mark Stagg; Executive Director Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council Linda Malave; Downstate Development Director Russ Karp; Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins; Deputy County Executive Joan McDonald; Westchester County Planning Commissioner Bianca Lopez; Council Member Cynthia Turnquest-Jones; Mount Vernon Building Department Commissioner Patrick Holder; and Mount Vernon Comptroller Dr. Darren Morton.

$160 Million Investment for QWest Towers Will Help Create New, Transit-Oriented, Affordable Homes in Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON, NY -- Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that construction is underway on QWest Towers, a $160 million affordable housing development that will create 229 homes across two newly constructed residential buildings in the city of Mount Vernon, Westchester County. Located adjacent to the Mount Vernon West Metro-North station, the transit-oriented development replaces vacant, dilapidated buildings with high-quality, energy-efficient affordable homes while supporting the continued revitalization of downtown

Mount Vernon. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, HCR has created or preserved more than 4,500 homes in Westchester County. QWest Towers builds on this progress and is part of Governor Hochul’s $25 billion five-year Housing Plan, which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

“To combat the housing shortage impacting all New Yorkers, we need to build more housing — full stop,” Governor Hochul said.

QWEST TOWERS, Cont’d. on page 8

Digital Copy: www.westchestercountypress.com

2 • The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, 2026

SUNY WCC Launches New Adolescence Education Program to Address Critical Teacher Shortages VALHALLA, NY (August 18, 2026) — In direct response to a growing national and regional demand for qualified educators, SUNY Westchester Community College (SUNY WCC) has officially announced the launch of its new Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS): Adolescence Education (Teacher Education Transfer) Associate Degree program. This comprehensive program features several specialized concentrations designed to prepare students for impactful careers teaching middle school and high school students (grades 7–12).

The introduction of the Adolescence Education program comes at a critical time for the American education system. According to the 2025 update by the Learning Policy Institute, the United States is facing a severe educator deficit, with approximately 411,549 teaching positions either remaining unfilled or being staffed by teachers who are not fully certified for their assignments—representing roughly 1 in 8

of all teaching positions nationwide.

Furthermore, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics highlights a massive ongoing market need, projecting an annual employment requirement of 106,700 new secondary education teachers, including 66,200 for high schools and 40,500 for middle schools, primarily to fill vacancies left by retiring or departing staff.

To help combat these numbers locally, SUNY WCC’s new program aligns its specialized concentrations with the critical shortage areas identified by New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) for grades 7 through 12, including English, History, Mathematics, and Spanish.

“At SUNY Westchester Community College, we are deeply committed to building pathways that not only empower our students but also directly strengthen our community’s infrastructure,” said Dr. Belinda Miles, President of SUNY WCC. “By introducing this Adolescence Education program, we are address-

ing a vital workforce need. We are providing aspiring educators with an affordable, high-quality foundation right here in Westchester, ensuring they are fully equipped to step into local classrooms and inspire the next generation of leadership.”

Structured under the college’s successful Teacher Education Transfer umbrella, the LAS: Adolescence Education program is built seamlessly for forward-transfer success. SUNY WCC already maintains robust transfer agreements for its Childhood Education track with prominent regional institutions— including CUNY Lehman College, Manhattanville University, Mercy University, Pace University, Sarah Lawrence College, SUNY Binghamton University, and SUNY EmDR. BELINDA MILES pire State University.

The college plans to expand includes advanced “2+2+1” program these articulation agreements to in- options at institutions like Mercy clude the new Adolescence Educa- University and Sarah Lawrence Coltion pathway, opening immediate SUNY WCC, doors to lucrative bachelor’s and master’s degree opportunities. This Cont’d. on page 11

New York State Inspector General Creates First-Ever Youth Advisory Council

Statewide virtual program will introduce middle school students to government oversight, public service, and the role they can play in shaping their communities

Applications open August 15th thru September 18th ALBANY, NY – New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang today announced the creation of the Offices of the Inspector General’s (OIG) inaugural Youth Advisory Council, a statewide virtual program that will bring together eighth-grade students from across New York State to explore government oversight, public service, and civic engagement.

“The future of our country will be shaped by young people who are willing to ask hard questions and committed to making government work better,” said New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang. “Our Youth Advisory Council is an opportunity to start that conversation early, help students better understand how we all play a role in government accountability, and bring their per-

spectives into our work promoting public integrity in New York State government.”

The six-session program will run on select Wednesdays in October and November. Each weekly session will be organized around a central question and combine presentations from OIG staff with group discussions, interactive activities, and final student presentations on improving New York State government.

National Back-to-School Prep Day, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis through Friday, September 18, 2026. To apply and learn more about the program, curriculum, eligibility requirements, and application process, visit IG.NY.GOV/YAC. The creation of a Youth Advisory Council builds on Inspector General Lang’s commitment to bringing the public into public integrity by making oversight more accessible, expanding civics education and outreach, and creating new opThe Inspector General’s inaugural Youth Ad- portunities for New Yorkers to engage with OIG’s visory Council is open to eighth-grade students work. who attend school in New York State and have completed, or are currently enrolled in, a United Schools and community organizations interStates history or government course. Applica- ested in OIG’s civics programming can contact tions will open on Saturday, August 15, marking ig.press@ig.ny.gov to learn more.

The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, ,2026 • 3

SUNY WCC Peekskill Center Opens Professional Green Screen Production Studio for Podcasts and Digital Media

PEEKSKILL, NY -- The Peekskill Center of SUNY WCC has just opened a professional green screen production studio that is available to SUNY WCC students as well as the general public. The studio provides an ideal environment for podcasting, film production, interviews, instructional videos, livestreams, and other multimedia projects.

Ossining Community Enjoys Back to School Summer Festival

By Yvonne B. Bert

OSSINING, NY -- The “Back to School Summer Festival” was a fun time for all, as children and families joined in the festivities on Saturday, August 15, at Nelson Park in Ossining. Sponsored by the Ossining Collective which includes Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church, The Kindle Community, and the Ossining Youth Bureau, the event was free to the community.

The day was filled with activities – a soccer match, arts and crafts, games, free food and ice cream to cool off. The DJ kept the festivities lively with music throughout the day and even had some of the crowd dancing. A highlight of the day was the sneaker giveaway, sponsored

by Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church, with a donation of over 350 pairs of stylish new sneakers to start off the school year. The Ossining Youth Bureau and Kindle Collective donated fancy backpacks for all the youth, while other organizations donated school supplies.

Partnering organizations and agencies were present and presented the youth and their parents with information and tips on having a healthy and successful school year. They included the Alliance of Black School Educators, WMC Health Network, Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Teachers, Affinity Healthcare, NAACP Ossining Branch, IFCA, Westchester Legal Aid Society, Family Services, Hope’s Door, Smart Test Prep, the Ossining Public Library, and the Westchester Ballet Company, who offered free classes for youth 3-18 years of age.

The Ossining Police and Fire Departments were on hand to mingle with members of the community and to share tips on fire safety.

Thanks to the generosity and well wishes of the sponsoring organizations to help start the school year off on a positive note, it was a productive and enjoyable day for the hundreds who attended.

4 • The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, 2026

PUBLISHER

1986-2009

M. Paul Tells All

By M. Paul Redd, Sr. August 11, 1928 - January 9, 2009

Why We Must Vote

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper Chairman of the Board of Directors, NNPA

DR. JOHN E. WARREN

The Westchester

County Press

(ISSN 0043-3373) is published weekly on Thursday in White Plains, New York. Copies: 40¢. Yearly Subscription: $25.00, two years: $45.00. National Advertising representative: National Newspaper Publishers Association. Local and national advertising rates on request.

Paper founded August 1, 1928 to serve the County of Westchester, New York.

Sandra T. Blackwell President, Publisher & Editor Carolyn B. Coleman Vice President Alyce T. Coleman Executive Editor Bruce L. Bozeman, Esq. Legal Counsel Celeste Coleman-Housey, Ed.D. Art Director/Managing Editor Editorial & Advertising Offices P.O. Box 152 White Plains, NY 10602

Telephone:(914) 953-2620 Member: National Newspaper Publishers Association

How to Donate Blood Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

As the summer comes near an end, usually marked by Labor Day, political candidates and activities will increase. Many of us, who are already tired of hearing about the coming Midterm elections, will begin to tune out for a variety of reasons. Some have never voted and don’t think their votes make a difference. Some are busy working multiple jobs, struggling with bills like food, housing and gas, all of which have increased greatly and show no signs of relief.

If you have housing, healthcare or food supplement assistance, prepare for it to disappear, if it has not already. To date, there are now more than 26 million Americans without healthcare insurance and the numbers will increase. Local hospitals are closing with no plans to replace their services and many of the jobs that some think are secure could soon go away.

The answer to all of this is YOUR VOTE. Who you vote for

is secondary to the fact that you need to vote. If you do your homework, your vote could keep more people who support Donald Trump out of office. Your vote, here in California, can ensure that a Trump supporter like Steve Hilton does not become Governor of this state. That issue is greater than your disagreements with the Democratic alternative. Your vote can ensure that a Republican like Jim Desmond, who is a Trump supporter, does not get elected to a Congress that already refuses to exercise its Oath of Office against Trump’s abuse of the Constitution. Your vote could put in office another person who will take action against the Trump agenda and open the doors to recovering our economy and way of life now under attack by Trump and his supporters.

Your vote must take the long view both of the past and the future. The past involves remembering the sacrifices, beatings, and deaths of so many who thought our right to vote was worth dying for; the future involves voting for people who will restore and improve our current way of life.

Just consider, if we were not mobilizing the vote to bring an end to the Trump era, he and the Republicans would not be working harder at blocking our votes than presenting answers to our economic problems as a means of getting our votes. Their reality is: “If we can stop or limit the vote, we can continue things as they are.”

Let’s get registered and prepared to vote. By November 3rd, we will know who to vote for if we don’t already.

The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, ,2026 • 5

Kimberlé Crenshaw: A Voice for Justice

By BlackPressUSA Newswire

Photo: Kimberle’ Crenshaw

Kimberlé Crenshaw is an American civil rights scholar, lawyer, and professor whose work has profoundly influenced the way people understand race, gender, and inequality. She is best known for developing the concept of intersectionality, a framework that explains how different forms of discrimination can overlap and affect people in distinct ways.

Crenshaw was born in Canton, Ohio, and went on to earn degrees from Cornell University, Harvard Law School, and the University of Wisconsin Law School. Her academic and legal career has focused heavily on civil rights and the experiences of people who face discrimination because of multiple aspects of their identity.

The idea of intersectionality became particularly important through Crenshaw’s legal scholarship. She argued that traditional approaches to discrimination sometimes treated race and gender as separate issues, making it difficult to recognize the experiences of Black women, who could face discrimination specifically because they were both Black and women.

Crenshaw introduced the term “intersectionality” in her influential 1989 legal article examining the experiences of Black women in employment

discrimination cases. Her argument was that the Crenshaw has taught at leading law schools, law needed to recognize how different systems of including UCLA School of Law and Columbia discrimination could intersect rather than examin- Law School. Through teaching, writing, public ing each form of discrimination in isolation. speaking, and activism, she has helped generations of students and advocates think more deeply One of her important examples involved about the relationship between law, race, gender, Black women whose experiences could not be and power. adequately understood by looking only at discrimination against Black people or discriminaShe also helped establish the African Amerition against women. Their experiences occupied can Policy Forum, an organization that addresses an intersection where race and gender could oper- issues involving racial justice, gender equality, ate together, creating forms of discrimination that and social policy. Through this work, Crenshaw might otherwise remain invisible. has continued to connect academic research with public discussions about inequality and social Crenshaw’s work eventually expanded be- change. yond academic law journals and became part of broader conversations about social justice, femiKimberlé Crenshaw’s legacy extends far benism, civil rights, and public policy. The concept yond the legal concept she introduced. Intersecof intersectionality is now used in universities, tionality has given people a language for discussnonprofit organizations, journalism, and discus- ing experiences that can be difficult to describe sions about inequality throughout the world. when race, gender, class, and other social forces overlap. Her work has challenged institutions to She has also been an important voice in exam- look more carefully at people who can become inining the ways the legal system can overlook vul- visible when society examines inequality through nerable communities. Her scholarship encourages only one lens. policymakers and institutions to consider people whose experiences may fall outside traditional Based on reporting by The Positive Commucategories used to understand discrimination. nity.

6 • The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, 2026

$160 Million Investment for QWest Towers Will Help Create New, Transit-Oriented, Affordable Homes in MV Cont’d. from page 1

“We continue to work closely with developers and municipalities to identify opportunities to bring modern, affordable homes to places like Mount Vernon. Our investment in QWest Towers will offer the development’s residents the benefit of modern apartments in a transitoriented neighborhood while also supporting the ongoing revitalization of the city.”

QWest Towers consists of two mixed-use buildings that will include a combined 229 apartments affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income.

The two buildings will include a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments designed to serve households of varying sizes.

The development will include 12 units to accommodate residents with mobility disabilities and seven units to accommodate residents with sensory disabilities. The development will also include approximately 3,300 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Located within the Mount Vernon West Transit-Oriented Development Zone, QWest Towers will provide its residents with direct access to Metro-North rail service, connecting them to employment opportunities throughout Westchester County, New York City, and the Hudson Valley. The project replaces several vacant and dilapidated buildings advancing the city’s long-term vision for higher-density mixed-use development surrounding the transit hub.

QWest Towers’ residents will have access to a wide range of amenities, including rooftop recreation areas and community rooms.

The development will also include two structured parking garages providing a combined 170 parking spaces for residents and commercial tenants.

QWest Towers is designed as an all-electric development and will meet Energy Star Multifamily New Construction and Enterprise Green Communities standards. Sustainability features include landscaped roofs, electric vehicle charging, Energy Star appliances, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and low-emitting construction materials that improve indoor air quality while reducing energy consumption.

QWest Towers is being developed in partnership between Stagg Group, Simone Development Companies and Rev. Dr. L’Judie

Matt-Simmons.

Financing for QWest Towers includes a mix of public and private sources, including Federal and State Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) that are expected to generate more than $69 million in equity, $32.5 million in HCR subsidy loans and $5 million through Empire State Development’s (ESD) Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund. Additional public funding includes more than $19 million from Westchester County through its Housing Flex Fund and New Homes Land Acquisition Program.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Governor Hochul has made expanding housing supply one of New York’s highest priorities, and developments like QWest Towers demonstrate how strategic investment can deliver affordable homes in areas with significant housing shortages. By transforming underutilized properties in a transit-rich neighborhood into 229 modern, energy-efficient apartments, this project will expand housing opportunities, support economic growth and strengthen the future of Mount Vernon.”

Empire State Development President, CEO, and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “QWest Towers turns vacant, underutilized land next to Metro-North into nearly 230 new affordable homes. With new commercial space and direct transit access, this project will connect more people to jobs, bring new activity to the surrounding neighborhood and advance Mount Vernon’s long-term revitalization.

ESD is proud to support this transformation through our Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund, helping build a downtown ready for growth.”

Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chairs Dr. Marsha Gordon and Dr. Kristine Young said, “Expanding the supply of affordable housing is essential to the Mid-Hudson region’s continued growth and competitiveness. QWest Towers responds to that need with a sustainable, transit-oriented development that will serve households of different sizes and incomes while supporting Mount Vernon’s vision for a more vibrant and connected community. The MHREDC is proud to see this vision come to life, and we

look forward to watching QWest Towers open its doors to new residents.”

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said, “Breaking ground on QWest Towers in Mount Vernon represents an important step forward in our commitment to creating more affordable housing opportunities for our residents. This project is about more than building 229 affordable homes — we are taking underutilized space and transforming it into a vibrant community asset that will provide safe, stable and affordable housing for Mount Vernon families. We know that housing affordability is essential to the strength and vitality of our neighborhoods, and we are proud to partner with Governor Kathy Hochul on housing developments that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of our residents.”

Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn PattersonHoward said, “Mount Vernon is proud to be a pro-housing community, and QWest Towers demonstrates what can happen when we pair bold local leadership with meaningful state investment. The $160 million investment in this development by Governor Kathy Hochul and New York State Homes and Community Renewal is a significant investment in the future of Mount Vernon and in the working families who deserve quality, affordable homes in the communities where they work and raise their families. QWest Towers is workforce housing, transit-oriented development, and neighborhood reinvestment all coming together in one transformative project. We thank Governor Hochul and HCR for believing in Mount Vernon, investing in our city, and helping us advance a vision of revitalization that creates housing, expands opportunity, strengthens neighborhoods and builds a more vibrant and inclusive city for generations to come.”

Simone Development Companies President Joseph Simone said, “As someone who grew up in Mount Vernon, seeing QWest Towers reach this milestone is incredibly meaningful. This project represents years of collaboration and a shared commitment to creating high-quality affordable workforce housing while helping transform the gateway to this city. We’re proud to partner with Rev. Dr. L’Judie Matt-Simmons, Stagg Group and

QWEST TOWERS, Cont’d. on page 11

The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, ,2026 • 7

COMMENTARY: What Two Fathers Talk About at Lunch

By Ben Jealous

The slander against Black fathers is as old as the country. The men who owned us knew better. So does modern social science.

Last week I had lunch with an old friend.

He is a Black Republican and a popular commentator, which means we have spent twenty years disagreeing in public and liking each other in private. He would be welcome in any barbershop in America. He keeps it real in the way men in any true community require of one another.

We talked about our kids. That was most of the lunch.

Nothing about that would surprise any Black man reading this. Nothing about it would surprise most Black people.

But every Black father carries something else around with him. We know the stereotypes: that we do not stay, that we do not provide, that we are not there.

Those stories are as old as the country itself.

So is the proof against them. And the proof was written down by the men who owned us.

In November of 1836, a man named Richard escaped near Morganton, North Carolina. He got away while the brother of the man who claimed him was hauling him to Alabama.

The enslaver bought newspaper space to get him back. His advertisement did not guess where Richard was headed. It told readers exactly where to look.

Richard had a wife, a free woman of color named Jane Tucker. She was arranging to return to Raleigh.

The ad said there was no doubt her husband would try to get to her.

The man who owned Richard was not speculating. He put money behind it. He had seen enough men run toward a wife or a child to know where to send the search party. He expected his readers to know it too.

Historians have been collecting

Ben Jealus is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and former president and CEO of the NAACP.

those advertisements for years. The Freedom on the Move project indexes close to ninety thousand. They name wives. They name children.

They name the road the man was likely taking to reach them.

Capture meant brutal punishment. Escape itself could be deadly.

They ran anyway.

They did not wait for the war to end, either.

On December 27, 1862, Henry Christian placed a notice in a Philadelphia newspaper. He was searching for Richard, Rebecca, and Rachel Christian. His children. Last known to be traveling out of Winchester, Virginia.

Historians at Villanova University have recovered nearly five thousand notices like it. Freed people paying for newspaper space, year after year, hunting for family sold away. Judith Giesberg, who leads that project, estimates the success rate may have been as low as 2 in 100.

They kept paying anyway.

Many of those notices were placed by men. Fathers. Husbands.

Brothers.

Herbert Gutman went through the records community by commu-

nity. In the places he studied, most Black families had both parents at home. In some rural areas, it ran above eight in ten.

Now come forward to our own time.

Among fathers living with their small children, Black fathers were the most likely of the groups the study counted to bathe, dress, and change them every day. Seventy percent did. For White fathers, 60 percent. For Hispanic fathers, 45.

Among fathers of school-age children, 41 percent of Black fathers helped with homework or checked it daily. For White fathers, 28 percent.

That study covered 2006 to 2010.

It is still the most recent we have, because the government stopped asking.

A later look at federal data, from 2017 to 2019, found the pattern holds for fathers living apart from their children. Nearly six in ten Black fathers saw their children weekly. For White fathers, about four in ten.

That survey also has the hard number, and I will not skip it. Fortythree percent of Black fathers have at least one child living somewhere else. For White fathers it is 14.

That is not a shortage of men who

want to father. Black fathers who live with their children are among the most involved in this country.

The ones living apart report showing up more than anybody.

Something keeps pulling them out of the house.

Work left those neighborhoods.

Violence rose. Prisons filled. Researchers have spent forty years untangling how the three feed one another.

None of it is new. None of it is only ours. It hit Black neighborhoods first and hardest, then kept going until it reached everybody.

Next week I will show you those numbers. They belong to every man in America.

My friend and I did not talk about any of this over lunch. We talked about our kids.

That is what fathers do.

Ben Jealous is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and former president and CEO of the NAACP. Based on reporting by Milwaukee Community Journal.

8 • The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, 2026

COMMENTARY: Property Is Power!

The Last Generation to Start from Zero Based on reporting by Michigan Chronicle.

By Dr. Anthony O. Kellum, Contributor Source: Black Press USA Wire

Perhaps success is becoming tually becomes unnecessary. the last generation that has to start A child who inherits a stable from zero. home does not begin where their parents began. A young entrepreI have been thinking about neur whose family owns a comthat idea lately because it chal- mercial building approaches risk lenges something deeply embed- differently from one whose first ded in the American definition of obligation is paying rent. A colachievement. We tend to measure lege graduate who leaves school progress by how far a person trav- without having to financially resels in a single lifetime, the neigh- cue the generation before him has borhood they escaped, the degree choices that another equally talthey earned, the profession they ented graduate may not have. A entered, the income they even- family that owns land, businesses, tually commanded. For Black investments, or income-producAmericans especially, there is un- ing property possesses something derstandable pride attached to be- more consequential than money. ing first the first in the family to They possess a different starting graduate from college, to become point. a doctor, to own a business, to We like to imagine America buy a home, to reach the execu- primarily as a meritocracy of fintive suite. ish lines. Work hard enough, beBut what happens after the come educated enough, make the first? correct decisions, and eventually That question interests me you will arrive. There is truth in more than the achievement itself. that, but wealth operates accordBecause there is another form ing to another logic; wealth is of success that receives consid- deeply influenced by where the erably less attention: creating a race begins. family in which being first evenAn inheritance does not have

to arrive as a million-dollar check; sometimes, inheritance is simply the absence of a burden.

It is graduating without debt, it is living in a family-owned property while starting a business, it is receiving $30,000 toward a first home, it is having parents who can help rather than parents who require help, it is inheriting a duplex with a mortgage nearly paid off, a piece of land purchased decades earlier, shares in a family business, or simply the knowledge of how money works.

None of those advantages guarantees success, but they create room for it.

We talk about wealth as though its principal benefit is a larger house, a better automobile, better vacations, and a more comfortable retirement. But the deeper value of wealth is optionality.

Wealth gives people the ability to make decisions based on opportunity rather than immediate necessity.

A person with assets can sometimes afford to wait; they can turn

down the wrong job; they can survive a business failure; they can relocate for an opportunity; they can help a child with a down payment; they can think in decades because not every decision has to be solved by Friday.

The Federal Reserve’s most recent comprehensive Survey of Consumer Finances found that the typical White family held roughly six times the wealth of the typical Black family in 2022. There was encouraging movement beneath that number: Black ownership of homes, stocks, and businesses increased, but the underlying disparity remained enormous.

There is another number that helps explain why these gaps can be so stubborn. Federal Reserve research found that nearly 30 percent of White families had received an inheritance or substantial gift, compared with about 10 percent of Black families, and among families receiving inheritance, White families tended to receive larger amounts.

That difference is not merely about what one generation receives. It affects what that generation is capable of leaving; this is where the mathematics of legacy becomes unforgiving.

A family that inherits capital can invest sooner. A family that invests sooner benefits from more years of appreciation and compounding. Those assets can then become collateral for additional assets. A house can produce equity that helps purchase another property. A business can finance another enterprise. Land acquired before development arrives can become valuable decades later.

Capital creates the possibility of

PROPERTY, Cont’d. on page 11

The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, ,2026 • 9

Westchester Youth Tackle Invasive Species in ELOC’s Sixth Annual Summer Program Written by Marvin V. Church Associate Executive Director of Environmental Leaders of Color

YONKERS, N.Y. — Some 115 students from across Westchester County gathered at the Yonkers Riverfront Library on Thursday, August 13, 2026, to close out the Environmental Leaders of Color (ELOC) program’s sixth annual summer session, capping six weeks of environmental education with a showcase of student-led research projects on invasive species and ecology.

Now in its sixth year, the program has grown into one of the county’s premier summer youth initiatives. It brings together students from different communities who might not otherwise cross paths, giving them a shared platform to tackle a real environmental issue affecting their region’s waterways and natural spaces.

and disrupt local ecosystems — and what communities can do about it.

Each student was responsible for engaging with the subject matter and participating actively in classroom sessions. From there, students took their learning into the field, observing invasive species issues firsthand in local waterways and green spaces.

Private industry professionals and Westchester County government officials with hands-on expertise in invasive species management supplemented the coursework, giving students direct exposure to the people working on these issues day to day.

John Pavacic of Con Edison addressed the students, sharing insight into the utility’s environmental initiatives and career opportunities in energy, infrastructure, and sustainability.

Six Communities, Throughout the program, ELOC One Mission facilitators and interns mentored The program drew participants each team, coaching students not from six Westchester County com- just on environmental science but munities: the Youth Bureaus of Port on presentation skills and project exChester, Mount Vernon, Ossining, ecution. This year’s curriculum was and Peekskill; the Booker T. Wash- designed by ELOC’s PhD consulington Vocational Program in New tants.

Rochelle; and the Yonkers YMCA. Field Learning at Hilltop Each Youth Bureau and partner organization sent a team of students Hanover Farm to take part, ensuring that the program reached young people across a As part of the program, students wide swath of the county — from the also visited Westchester County’s Long Island Sound waterfront com- Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmunities in the south to the Hudson mental Center, where they learned River communities to the north. about the importance of food production and the practice of crop roA Six-Week Deep Dive Into tation.

Invasive Species

This year’s program focused on invasive species and ecology, a topic with direct relevance to Westchester’s rivers, parks, and shoreline.

Over six weeks, students moved between classroom instruction and hands-on fieldwork, building a wellrounded understanding of how invasive species take hold, spread,

Winning Projects - 1st Prize: “Think Before You Sink” – Mount Vernon Youth Bureau

PCBs. We are attempting to implement biopods in the Hudson River area to potentially reduce the impact of various types of pollution. This will only restore the environment in the area but also benefit the fishing industry restoration and boost New York’s economy.

2nd Prize: “Sea Savers” – Booker T. Washington, New Rochelle Description: Our group looked into the issue of pollution in the local Long Island Sound. Water pollution has multiple sources, and has become increasingly concerning due to negative outcomes such as endangering species, forcing migration, and dangerous water quality.

Our solution is to mitigate industrial pollution by implementing a pollution capture device in the LIS. One of the main initiatives we discuss to prevent pollution from reaching consumers is adopting eco-friendly methods, such as renewable energy sources.

3rd Prize: “The Clean Up” – Yonkers YMCA / Garden Club Description: Our mission as a group is to effectively address the harm everyday littering causes to our ecosystem, such as wildlife, plants, public health, and property value in Yonkers. We developed an effective response by creating a youth-run volunteer group, “The Clean Up,” with paid participants (ages 10–17); they will also receive payment and daycare access. The clean up participants will take education classes about their ecosystem and have 2 weekly cleanups.

Honorable Mention: “Waternet” – Yonkers YMCA / Garden Club

Description: Our project is an overview of pollution in the Hudson Description: Our project is River to bring awareness and find meant to provide a solution that will solutions for problems like sewage clean the Hudson River of dangerdumping and the lasting effects of

MARVIN CHURCH

ous types of pollution like PCBs and sewage waste. It uses a floating chemical filter that will rid the river of these chemicals while preventing future waste from entering. Our aim is to restore the native organisms of the Hudson by helping clean and filter the water to prevent a nutrient imbalance caused by the sewage waste.

Honorable Mention: “Paving the Way for Peekskill with Permeable Pavement” – Peekskill Youth Bureau Description: Students investigated how climate change, heavy rainfall, and impermeable pavement contribute to flooding in Peekskill.

After comparing materials for drainage, strength, and cost, they identified a combination of sand and gravel as a promising foundation for permeable pavement that could reduce runoff while creating strong, durable surfaces.

Elected Officials Recognized Westchester County’s State Assemblymembers and State Senators representing the communities served

ELOC’S SUMMER,

Cont’d. on page 15

10 • The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, 2026

QWEST TOWERS, Cont’d. from page 6

our public-sector partners to deliver a development that will serve residents and strengthen the Mount Vernon community for generations to come.”

Stagg Group CEO Mark Stagg said, “QWest Towers demonstrates what can be accomplished when the public and private sectors work together toward a common goal. Through our partnership with Simone Development Companies, Rev. Dr. L’Judie Matt-Simmons, New York State, Westchester County and the City of Mount Vernon, we’re not just building housing — we’re helping write the next chapter for this community. We’re proud of what this partnership has accomplished, and we’re proud to be part of Mount Vernon’s future.”

Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York’s housing crisis and making the State more affordable and livable for all New Yorkers. Since FY23, the Governor has worked to increase housing supply to make housing more affordable by launching a $25 billion five-year comprehensive Housing Plan, enacted the most significant housing deal in decades and implemented new protections for renters and homeowners. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, HCR has created new programs that jumpstart development of affordable and mixed-income homes — for both renters and homebuyers. These include the Pro-Housing Community Program, which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. There are currently 450 certified Pro-Housing communities throughout the state, including the city of Mount Vernon.

As part of Governor Hochul’s 2026 State of the State, the Governor proposed her “Let Them Build” agenda, a series of landmark reforms to speed up housing and infrastructure development and lower costs. This initiative will spur a series of common-sense reforms to New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have significant environmental impacts, but for too long have been caught up in red tape and subject to lengthy delays.

The FY27 Executive Budget completes the Governor’s current five-year Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. Close to 86,000 affordable homes have been created or preserved to date. The Executive Budget also invests $250 million in capital funding to accelerate the construction of thousands of new affordable homes.

SUNY WCC, Cont’d. from page 2

lege, allowing students to earn their associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in an accelerated timeframe.

With this launch, SUNY WCC positions itself as one of the few select regional community colleges offering a dedicated associate degree pathway tailored specifically to secondary teacher preparation.

Prospective students interested in shaping the future of education can learn more about the program requirements, financial aid, and specific concentration offerings by visiting the program page at www.sunywcc.edu/programs/majors-programs. ### About SUNY Westchester Community College: SUNY Westchester Community College provides more than 20,000 full-time and part-time students with an education taught by award-winning faculty at one of the lowest tuition rates in New York State. The college offers more than 65 degree and certificate programs, including offerings in high-demand fields such as Cybersecurity, Health Information Technology, and Digital Filmmaking.

SUNY WCC proudly reflects the rich diversity of Westchester County and remains committed to student success and workforce development. Learn more at: www.sunywcc.edu

The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, ,2026 • 11

PROPERTY, Cont’d. from page 8

additional capital.

Meanwhile, the family, beginning with nothing, may be doing everything right and still spend its most productive years building the foundation another family will inherit. That is why income alone cannot tell us whether a family is becoming wealthy.

There are Black households today earning incomes their grandparents could scarcely have imagined. That is genuine progress. But a household earning $200,000 while building few transferable assets may ultimately leave less economic power behind than a household earning considerably less, spending 30 years acquiring property, investments and businesses.

The distinction becomes especially important now because America is approaching an extraordinary economic transition. Cerulli Associates now estimates that roughly $124 trillion could transfer between generations and to charities between 2024 and 2048, an increase from its earlier $84 trillion projection. Rising values of financial assets and real estate are major reasons the estimate has grown so dramatically.

Think about what that actually means.

While much of America is discussing wages, inflation, interest rates, and affordability and understandably so another economy is operating quietly underneath it. Houses purchased in 1987 are becoming inheritances. Businesses started in 1994 are changing hands. Stock portfolios accumulated over 40 years are being transferred to children.

Land purchased when nobody wanted it now sits in the path of development.

It changes how we think about the family home. Perhaps the first instinct should not always be to sell Grandma’s house and divide the proceeds. Sometimes the more important question is whether that property can remain an asset. It changes how entrepreneurs think about real estate. If you operate the same business in the same neighborhood for twenty years, should the next generation inherit only the business or the building beneath it?

It changes how we think about land. Some property does not need to produce an immediate return to have strategic value. Sometimes patience itself is the investment. It even changes how we think about lifestyle. There is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying the fruits of one’s labor. Wealth without living is merely accumulation. But there is a difference between enjoying success and consuming all evidence that success ever occurred.

An abundance mindset is sometimes misunderstood as simply believing there is enough opportunity for everyone. I think it requires something more demanding: believing that my economic decisions should extend beyond my own lifetime.

That means replacing some short-term questions with longer ones.

Not merely, can I afford this, but what will this become?

Not merely, how much do I make, but how much of what I make becomes ownership?

Not merely, what can I buy, but what can I build that remains after me?

Property belongs at the center of that philosophy, but property should be understood broadly. A home matters. So does a rental property, a business, land, intellectual property, equities, and ownership in enterprises that can appreciate and transfer. The objective is not to worship real estate. The objective is to understand the difference between earning money and converting a portion of that money into things that can outlive the person who earned it.

At roughly half a percent of Black America’s population, we are

PROPERTY, Cont’d on page 15

12 • The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, 2026

THE BOZEMAN LAW FIRM, PLLC Attorneys & Counselors at Law 200 Mamaroneck Avenue, Suite 500 White Plains, New York 10601 (914) 668-4600 • (914) 669-6371

www.bozemanlawfirm.com Serving Metro-New York and Westchester County PRACTICE AREAS REAL ESTATE (Residential and Commercial)

WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES (Guardianship and Elderlaw)

FAMILY (Adoption)

RELIGIOUS /NON-PROFIT (Administration & Tax Status)

BUSINESS LAW (Corporations & Partnerships & Limited Liability Corporation) *Bruce L. Bozeman, Esq., * Carla Lewis-Burnett, Esq. John S. Savage, Esq. ~ of counsel, Leticia Arzu, Esq. *Principals of the firm serve as seminar speakers, upon request.

Appointments Preferred.

Missed your printed copy of The Westchester County Press?

Get a COMPLIMENTARY DIGITAL COPY sent to your email

Email us: westchestercountypress@yahoo.com

County Press The Westchester

Blood crisis NOW: Immediate Need for Blood Donations

Red Cross issues rare crisis call for donors as summer blood shortage intensifies Patient care threatened as critical blood type levels continue to fall For only the second time in history, the American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis — and patients may already be feeling the impact. Donors are asked to act immediately to help save lives.

Blood donations have fallen to a four-year summer low, worsening this season’s emergency blood shortage. All blood types are needed, but the situation is especially dire for type O blood as the Red Cross is now limiting distributions of these blood products to hospitals. The supply of type O positive blood has now dropped below a one-day supply.

Help end this crisis and stabilize the blood supply. Book an appointment to give blood now by using the Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood. org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). As a thank-you, all who come to give by July 31 will receive a Fandango Movie Ticket by email (up to $15 ticket price and fees). See RedCrossBlood.org/July.

Tthose who come to give Aug. 1-31, 2026, will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card by email. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/August.

The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, ,2026 • 13

ELOC’S SUMMER, Cont’d from page 9

by ELOC were recognized for their continued support of the program.

Featured Speakers Kylie Robinson, a rising junior at the STEM Academy of Mount Vernon, shared her experience earning a full scholarship to the Mayo Clinic’s premier two-week pre-healthcare program in Rochester, Minnesota—one of only 100 students selected nationwide.

Dr. Aaron Mair, the first African American elected as the the 57th president of the Sierra Club, closed out the program with a speech on the urgency of climate action.

Looking Ahead

As ELOC’s sixth annual summer program comes to a close, organizers are already looking toward next year, continuing a track record of pairing Westchester County youth with real environmental challenges, expert mentorship, and a platform to share what they’ve learned., Marvin V. Church is Associate Executive Director of the Environmental Leaders of Color

County Press The Westchester

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) # 2026 – 02 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES FOR THE MUNICIPAL HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR THE CITY OF YONKERS The Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers (MHACY) hereby solicits proposals from qualified firms and/or organizations to provide Case Management and Technical Assistance Services to the residents of the MHACY owned/and or managed eleven (11) housing sites and the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program as specified in this Request for Proposals (RFP).

This RFP package contains submission requirements and terms and conditions and other pertinent information for submitting a proper and responsive proposal. This RFP is the only information provided to prospective bidders (hereinafter “Responders”) and is available online starting Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at www.mhacy.org.

The RFP questions deadline is Friday, September 11, 2026, at 3:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Any and all questions must be emailed to procurement@mhacy.org by the deadline. It is the responsibility of the proposer to see that any proposal submitted shall have sufficient time to be received by the proposal due date and time. No telephone calls and/or written communication sent via mail will be accepted.

Proposals must be received by MHACY no later than 3:00 P.M. (EST) on Friday, October 2, 2026. Late submissions will be handled in accordance with the provisions in Form HUD-5369B. Proposals will be evaluated on the criteria stated in the RFP. Negotiations may be conducted with contractors who have a reasonable chance of being selected for the award. After evaluation of the proposal revision, if any, the contract will be awarded to the responsible firm(s) whose qualifications, price and other factors are considered to be the most advantageous to MHACY. MHACY reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and waive any irregularities or informalities if it is in MHACY’s best interest to do so. MHACY reserves the right to cancel this RFP or to reject, in whole or in part, any and all proposals received in response to this RFP, upon its determination that such cancellation or rejection is in the best interest of MHACY. MHACY is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sexual orientation, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, or family status. MHACY solicits and encourages the participation of minorities and small businesses in procurement.

Contact, related to this procurement, with members of MHACY’s Board of Commissioners, or MHACY’s officers and/or employees other than the contact person shown above, during the procurement process could result in disqualification of a proposal.

Wilson Kimball President & CEO Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers 1511 Central Park Avenue Yonkers, New York 10710 Project No. RFP 2026-02

14 • The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, 2026

Community Calendar

CALENDAR SUBMISSION: Please use a brief paragraph to describe your event. The paragraph should include event name, date(s), time, location and contact information. Send calendar information via email to westchestercountypress@yahoo.com. Please type “CALENDAR EVENT” in the subject bar.

Saturday, August 22

The St. Catherine AME Zion Women’s Ministry is hosting a BUDGET STORE BUS TOUR to the Super Walmart and Ollie’s Bargain in Middletown, NY, 8AM to 5PM. Cost is $45 and includes a breakfast snack. Please contact church for details at 914235-0001.

Sunday, August 23

Please join RANWP on Sunday, August 23rd, in person at the Somers Library (182 Primrose Street) or on Zoom. We are delighted to have a special presentation this month on African American Artists: The Untold Story.

Karen M.A. Renna is an artist who retired from teaching in 2021 and recognized, as a teacher, that there were no African American artists mentioned in any of her Art History books when she first began teaching. For the 27 years that she taught, she continued to compile lists of more and more African American artists and put together her own files of their artwork. It is her joy and pleasure to share with you just a few of the artists she has collected. Join us at 2:00 for a social half hour and refreshments. At 2:30, we will begin our presentation, which will be followed by a discussion. For those of you unable to be with us in person, this meeting will be hybrid (in person/Zoom). Please join us online at 2:30. A link will be sent the day before. We look forward to seeing you on August 23rd! In amity, The Steering Committee, Race Amity of Northern Westchester & Putnam

Tickets are on sale now at The Fair’s website, https://nysfair. ny.gov. Packed with value, a single admission ticket costs $8 and includes access to all grounds entertainment and The Fair’s awardwinning concert lineup. In addition, a Frequent Fairgoer ticket option is available for $25. The Fair continues to be one of the most affordable fairs in the nation, with admission remaining free for those aged 65 and older along with children 12 years old and under. Founded in 1841, The Great New York State Fair showcases the best of New York agriculture, provides top-quality entertainment, and is a key piece of the state’s CNY Rising strategy of growing the Central New York economy through tourism. It is the oldest fair in the United States and is consistently recognized as being among the top five state fairs in the nation. The New York State Fairgrounds is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. Audiences are encouraged to learn more about The Great New York State Fair online, browse photos on Flickr, and follow the fun on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

Tuesday thru Friday September 8 - 11

To honor the lives lost and forever changed by the events of September 11, 2001, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins and Volunteer New York! will host the 16th annual 9/11 Days of Service across Westchester County from Sept. 8-11.

Thursday & Friday, Wednesday, August 26 September 10 & 11 The Great New York State Fair

Westchester County will host two starts Wednesday, August 26, and commemorative events to honor runs through Labor Day, Monday, the memory of those who perSeptember 7. All concerts are inished in the tragic events of Sepcluded in the price of admission. tember 11, 2001, and those who

later died from 9/11-related illnesses. The events will feature an Interfaith Prayer Vigil on September 10, and a September 11th Memorial Service on September 11.

INTERFAITH PRAYER VIGIL Thursday, September 10 | 5 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 11th MEMORIAL SERVICE Friday, September 11 | 2 p.m.

Sunday, September 13

From 3–5 p.m, at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater, Peekskill, N, The Robeson in Peekskill Project presents its third annual commemoration of the Peekskill Riots and celebration of Paul Robeson’s legacy. Hosted and narrated by Shana L. Redmond, award-winning author of Everything Man: The Form and Function of Paul Robeson, with visuals by documentary filmmaker and historian Jon Scott Bennett, the program brings together music, storytelling, history, youth voices, and community performers in an afternoon rooted in history and alive with the energy of the present. Featured performers include Resistance Revival Chorus, Cole Quest and the City Pickers, AMAUTA, Bria The Artist, and the Peekskill City Singers. Together, they will create an afternoon that is rooted in history, alive with the energy of the present, and designed to invite audiences of all ages to reflect, connect, and sing.

Tickets are available at tinyurl. com/SWSTIX. Admission is $35 regular; $25 seniors 65+; $15 students; $5 kids 12 and under accompanied by an adult.

September 16-20

The wait is over—registration is now open for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF)’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC)! September 16–20, 2026, Walter E. Washing-

ton Convention Center, Washington, D.C. Join us for five days of impactful conversations, thoughtprovoking policy discussions, networking opportunities, and celebrations that bring together leaders, advocates, professionals, students, and changemakers from across the nation. This year’s ALC is especially significant as we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of CBCF—a milestone that honors five decades of cultivating leaders, advancing equity, and creating pathways for future generations. Together, we’ll reflect on our legacy, celebrate our progress, and look ahead to the future of Black leadership and civic engagement. For more information about the Annual Legislative Conference, please email our team. Registration: eventsupport@cbcfinc.org ALC Sponsorship Opportunities: rd@cbcfinc. org

Thursday, Sept. 17

Westchester County Board of Health Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 17 at 8:30 a.m. in the Westchester County Health Department Office, 11 Martine Avenue, 12th Floor, White Plains, NY 10606. Members of the public may view this meeting online at: meetings.westchestercountyny.gov

Friday, Sept. 18

Artrider Productions is excited to welcome visitors back for Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst, one of the Hudson Valley’s premier fall shopping events, returning September 18–20, 2026. Set against the spectacular autumn landscape of the historic Lyndhurst estate overlooking the Hudson River, this annual event offers an unforgettable weekend of shopping, fine craftsmanship, delicious food, family activities, and

The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, ,2026 • 15

CALENDAR, Cont’d from page 14

the beauty of the season. Visitors can shop from 200 accomplished artists and makers from across the country, featuring an extraordinary selection of original handmade jewelry, ceramics, clothing and accessories, home décor, fine art, specialty foods, and much more. Show hours are Friday, from 10am-5pm, Saturday, from 10am-6pm, and Sunday, from 10am-5pm. Advanced online ticket purchase available and strongly encouraged. Tickets available at www.artrider.com. Group rates are available and tour buses are welcome. Mansion tours are an additional fee and best reserved in advance via Lyndhurst’s website.

Crafts at Lyndhurst is held at Lyndhurst, located at 635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY. Parking is free and the show is outdoors, rain or shine. While we love our furry friends, no pets, with the exception of service animals, are allowed within the show site. More details are available at www.artrider.com.

Saturday, Sept. 19

September 19th, 2026, Times Square at Noon LOVE OUR MOTHER Concert Calming/Celebration/Party. Join us, as we honor and strengthen the message for the upcoming September 21st, the UN International Day of Peace at Noon WORLDWIDE, 193 Counties in the UN Agreed to participate and 1.6 billion people are aware (McKinsey Co.) of Peace Day...we want 8 billion to join in at noon (Put down the guns, anger and make love not violence) around the world for a MOMENT/MINUTE OF SILENCE FOR PEACE, Ringo Starr will lead the Minute/Moment:) Peace & Love and may it continue FOREVER Here is a message from the Executive Producer about why we should all get involved and why for 24 years, our nonprofit, Good News Corporation, has: :https://pausetheworldforpeace. org/reverend-paul-sladkus-all-faithsand-spiritual-producer-of-earth-andpeace-day-concerts-for-24-yearsshares-why/ Thank you all for caring for our world and those living in it…

Our Good News Community hasn’t deviated since our first Good News Broadcast on July 4, 1998, through to the establishment of our Inter-

national Day of Peace Concerts in 2002. WE CONGRATULATE YOU ALL FOR YOUR DESIRE TO SEE MEDIA AND EVENTS PROMOTE THE GOOD

Wednesday, Sept. 23 thru Sunday, Sept. 27

JazzFest White Plains Sept. 23-27, 2026 | White Plains, NY JazzFest White Plains returns this fall with a bold, artist-driven lineup that reflects the vitality of jazz today.

Across five days, 19 performances will bring legendary artists, contemporary innovators and emerging voices to downtown White Plains. Featuring five GRAMMY Award winners and nominees, the festival offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience the living evolution of jazz—from its foundational masters to the artists defining its future.

Saturday, Nov. 7

PROPERTY, Cont’d from page 11

talking about hundreds of thousands of people. If those households began accumulating even one additional meaningful asset – a home, rental property, parcel of land, business interest or investment portfolio – the immediate effect would matter, but the more interesting effect would not appear on next year’s balance sheet.

It would appear 20 or 30 years from now.

Children would inherit property instead of merely photographs of the house where their grandparents once lived. Young entrepreneurs would inherit capital along with ambition. Families would enter difficult economic periods with assets they could borrow against, rather than with the desperation they had to borrow through. Some children would still fail; others would squander opportunities; there are no guarantees in capitalism or in families.

For generations, Black America understandably celebrated how far we had traveled from where history placed us. There is another stage of economic maturity, however, in which progress is measured not only by distance traveled but by how much of that distance the next generation does not have to travel again.

That is legacy.

Legacy is not the amount of money people remember you having. It is the amount of struggle your decisions made unnecessary for someone who came after you. The goal is not to raise children who never have to work. Work has dignity, discipline, and purpose. The goal is to raise generations whose work can begin at a higher level because someone before them has laid the foundation.

Maybe your grandparents couldn’t do it.

Maybe your parents didn’t know how.

Maybe circumstances required that everything they earned simply be used to survive.

But somebody eventually has to interrupt the pattern.

Somebody buys the first property.

Somebody keeps the land.

Somebody starts the company.

Somebody creates the estate plan.

To live well, certainly. To accomplish something meaningful, absolutely. But also to reach the end of one’s economic life knowing that the people coming behind us will have problems of their own to solve just not all of ours.

Perhaps success is becoming the last generation that has to start from zero, and perhaps Property is Power is ultimately about making certain that once a family finally builds something worth keeping, it never has to start from nothing again.

Property is Power!

Join us for our biggest celebration of the year, the 2026 Benefit for ArtsWestchester, on Saturday, November 7, 2026 featuring a concert by Grammy®-nominated, classical-meets-hip-hop duo Black Violin. It’ll be a full evening with fabulous dinner stations, an open bar, live and silent auctions, a world-class music performance and a dessert after-party -- all in the company of people who love the arts as much as you do. Don’t miss this special evening to ensure the vibrancy and accessibility of the arts in the greater Westchester region. A Benefit for ArtsWestchester Featuring a Concert

by Black Violin Saturday, Nov. Property is Power! is a movement to promote home and communi7, 2026 VIP Dinner & Reception ty ownership. Studies indicate homeownership leads to higher gradu5:00PM | Concert 7:30PM. ation rates, family wealth, and community involvement.

Based on reporting by Michigan Chronicle.

County Press The Westchester

16 • The WESTCHESTER County Press • Thursday, AUGUST 20, 2026