Caribbean American Weekly - Issue 121

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ISSUE 121 VOLUME 21

April 22, 2021

SERVING THE CARIBBEAN AND HISPANIC COMMUNITIES!

How Talcum Powder Became Dangerous to Women’s Health The First 100 Days: Biden On Immigration Detention ....16

BY LINDA N, SPECIAL TO CAW

I

n 2021, women's roles and contributions are even more critical in working through and pulling out of the COVID-19 pandemic.Women are sacrificing their health, career, persons to support family, society, and country. Some are taking up additional roles to meet the demands created by the pandemic, often continued on page 24

What New Yorkers Need to Know About Ranked-Choice Voting ....26

St Vincent Is Burning: Time for the World to Step Up

BY ASSHUR CUNNINGHAM

Hon Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister St Vincent & the Grenadines

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rowing up in one of the villages now classified as a high hazard zone, Chateaubelair (Chateau), on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), La Soufrière or known by locals as Soufrière or "Soufray," was always a towering yet "gentle giant," majestic and unbothered outside my window. I no longer live in St Vincent but continued on page 6

Clarke Calls for TPS for St Vincent .... 16

AG James: Increase Funding for Public Housing ....10

Knowledge is Power when you use it!

Get a FREE Consultation!

Ask the Lawyer:

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ASOIS Statement on Biden’s Climate Change Summit ....2

Brian Figeroux, Esq., Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association

Marcia Griffiths: Essential to Reggae and Dancehall ....21

Ways to Prevent COVID From Killing Your Relationship ....23

Why This Trial Was Different ....4

Things Grandparents Know ....19

The Next Mayor Can End NY’s Maternal Health Emergency ....28

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CARIBBEAN SPECIAL REPORT Caribbean Consulates Anguilla 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-745-0200 Antigua & Barbuda 305 East 47th Street, Suite 6A New York, N.Y. 10020 Tel: 212-541-4117 The Bahamas 231 East 46th Street New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-421-6420 Barbados 820 Second Avenue, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-551-4325 Belize 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1911 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-593-0999 Dominica 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400H New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-949-0853 Dominican Republic 1500 Broadway, Suite 410 New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel: 212-599-8478 Grenada 685 Third Avenue, Suite 1101 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-599-0301 Guyana 308 West 38th Street New York, N.Y. 10018 Tel: 212-947-5119 Haiti 815 Second Avenue,6th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-697-9767 Jamaica 767 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-935-9000 Martinique 444 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-838-6887 Montserrat 845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-745-0200

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AOSIS Statement at US Leaders Summit on Climate Change Organized by President Joe Biden

P

resident Biden, I thank you for convening this very important gathering to address the most significant threat facing our one planet and our one humanity.

We are grateful that the United States and China have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and we look forward to swift action in their transitioning into carbon neutral economies.

We urge other major emitting nations to follow this vital example set by the United States and China.

We remind that the 44 members of the Alliance of Small Island States(AOSIS), through no fault of their own, confront the greatest threats of Climate Change.

The 44 AOSIS members, are the least contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

Collectively, they emit just 1.5 percent of the emissions of industrialized nations, and many of them have already begun to roll out ambitious programs to reduce their small carbon footprint, particularly in renewable energy.

They made ambitious national commitments at COP 21 in Paris and they remain passionately committed to implementing them within their means.

However, the harmful effects of Climate Change are growing, and the cost of mitigation and recovery is being counted in human lives and livelihoods.

The economic situation of our countries was already grave before the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now dire, particularly for tourism dependent nations.

We are literally teetering on the edge of despair.

PM Hon. Gaston Browne Photo: OECS

Over the years, the debt of small states has risen to unsustainable levels, because of repeated borrowings to rebuild and recover from continuous debilitation by natural disasters, arising from climate change.

Mechanisms, introduced by International Financial Institutions (IFIs), for addressing the looming debt crisis are insufficient.

For some small states, even these inadequate instruments are denied, because of the false criterion of middle and high per capita income which ignores the huge vulnerabilities that small states face.

It is urgent that policy makers of the IFIs, instruct that more determining criteria of small size, resource constraints and vulnerabilities, be taken fully into account for concessional financing.

Colleagues, repayment of official debt by small states, including to the Paris Club, is near impossible in the prevailing parlous circumstances.

A permanent solution to the looming debt crisis is compelling and necessary.

This requires action to design new and

enhanced financial instruments and to provide debt relief, including debt cancellation, debt suspension, debt rescheduling, debt restructuring and debt-for-climate swaps.

Worsening Climate conditions are uprooting workers from previously productive sectors and causing a crisis of emigration and refugees. This, too, must be reversed in the global interest.

We should acknowledge the interconnectedness of human civilization; that small states are also markets, providing revenues and employment for larger and richer nations.

Every major country benefits perennially from trade surpluses with small states.

To continue to be viable markets, to remain viable democracies, to uphold human rights and the rule of law; and to provide economic conditions that discourage refugees, we need the following: •Urgent access to COVID-19 vaccines, which should be prioritized based on vulnerability.

•Immediate action to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

•A program of debt forgiveness and debt rescheduling •Concessional financing that takes account of vulnerabilities and, •Funding to compensate for damage, to help reconstruct our economies and to assist in building resilience.

It is our hope that a spirit of cooperation will emerge from this gathering of 40 that can be taken to Glasgow, to inspire a program of action for small states at COP26.

Thank you.l

Panama 1212 Avenue of the Americas, 20th Floor New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel: 212-840-2450 St. Kitts & Nevis 414 East 75th Street, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10021 Tel: 212-535-5521 St. Lucia 800 Second Avenue, 9th Floor New York, N.Y. 10007 Tel: 212-697-9360 St. Maarten 675 Third Avenue, Suite 1807 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 800-786-2278 St. Vincent & The Grenadines 801 Second Avenue, 21st Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-687-4981 Trinidad & Tobago 125 Maiden Lane, 4th Floor New York, N.Y. 10038 Tel: 212-682-7272 For more Consulate information go to www.cawnyc.com/directory

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3

THOUGHTS

Derek Chauvin Trial and Verdict Will Fuel Continued Social Transformation and Racial Reckoning of America’s Democracy

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. —Hosea 4:6 Publisher I.Q. INC. Managing Editor & Editor-in-Chief

Pearl Phillip Legal Advisor Brian Figeroux, Esq. Assistant Editor Marilyn Silverman Graphic & Website Designers Praim Samsoondar Anvaar Sabirov

BY DR PATRICK GRAHAM

T

here was a distant emptiness in the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s eyes as he looked away while rocking his knee deeper into the neck and vertebrae of George Floyd. The look of Chauvin during the killing of Floyd reminded many African Americans and introduced to others the casual disregard too many Black people encounter in our criminal and judicial systems. Chauvin’s act and trial are yet another test of the resilient hope for democracy Black patriots have demonstrated for themselves and others during transformative moments in our country. As the trial of Chauvin approaches its second week, many African Americans are acting jurors in another case deeply entrenched with Chauvin’s fate and the empty look we recognize, the belief in our democracy’s concepts of justice and inclusion for all Americans.

Floyd’s case, and others such as Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, are part of a Black experience at the center of our democracy’s victories and struggles with justice and inclusion. No other social group has been as deeply involved with challenging America to live up to its democratic principles and opening the doors of democracy for others during critical transformative moments in our history. For example, during the struggles to abolish slavery and Reconstruction following the Civil War, African American desires for education and freedom led to voter rights movements, women’s full citizenship movements, and public schools in the shadows of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.

The modern civil rights movement spawned the student movement, the gay

TEAM

Contributors Jennine Estes Erin Telesford Janet Howard Mary Campbell Tarsha Gibbons Travis Morales

Editorial credit: Johnny Silvercloud / Shutterstock.com

liberation movement, new feminists, and others during the 1960s and 70s.

Today’s Black Lives Matter movement has grown out of the protest traditions and ambivalence of Black suffering, discontent, and optimism for change. These historical and present desires for democracy are part of an African American resilience that influences our civic and political landscape for all people. Floyd’s death and Chauvin’s trial is a test of that resilience in the context of this generation’s transformative moment and may further influence the trajectory of our democracy.

There is no doubt that Floyd’s murder and others catalyzed the protests of 2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also created a transformative mood that was less patient and larger than freedom movements of the past. We have witnessed this impatience and new determination in debates over resourcing of police, higher voter participation, questioning of immunities provided to officials in our criminal and judicial systems, corporate attention to racial equity, and dialogues across social and mainstream media platforms. Chauvin’s fate may call into question the authenticity of American desires for true equity and jus-

tice and influence the path our current transformative moment and activists take going forward.

In my opinion, any verdict in Chauvin’s case will provide fuel for a continued transformation and racial reckoning of America’s democracy, no matter the spin or narrative. Even as the defense uses old illogical tactics of questioning Floyd’s character and opioid use to blame the victim, woke Americans are too familiar with the narrative's falsity. Interestingly, the common description for white opioid users is empathy and victimization, which further illustrates the disregard for Black lives and Floyd’s in particular. I digress back to Chauvin’s fate. A guilty verdict means we will have to consider the immunities afforded to law enforcement and officers of the court as instruments of our democracy. Any other ruling will call into question those same immunities and our faith in democracy with harsher realities. Ultimately, African American liberation advocates and our allies must still hold America’s systems to the highest democratic standards. Our Black intellect, hope, and resiliency are gifts we owe to ourselves, which continue to create possibilities for others as well. l

Email info@myiqinc.com Telephone 718-771-0988 Website www.cawnyc.com Dr. Patrick Graham is a public and social sector leader with over 20 years of executive-level and equity policy experience. During his professional career, he served as the President and CEO of the Martin Luther King Center on Long Island, Urban League of Central Carolinas, Charlotte Works-Workforce Development Board. He is the recipient of several awards, including The Distinguished Leader and Advocate for Change Award, National Made Man Foundation, Catalyst Humanitarian of the Year, Uptown Magazine, Citizen of the Year (North Carolina and South Carolina), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc, National Urban League Innovative C.E.O., Community Person of the Year, Long Beach Herald, and others.

Listen to Dr Graham’s interview at www.pppradio.nyc

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CIVIL RIGHTS

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Why This Trial Was Different: Experts React to Guilty Verdict for Derek Chauvin

BY ALEXIS KARTERON, JEANNINE BELL RASHAD SHABAZZ & RIC SIMMONS THE CONVERSATION

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cholars analyze the guilty verdicts handed down to former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Outside the courthouse, crowds cheered and church bells sounded — a collective release in a city scarred by police killings. Minnesota’s attorney general, whose office led the prosecution, said he would not call the verdict “justice, however” because “justice implies restoration” —but he would call it “accountability.”

Race was not an issue in trial Alexis Karteron, Rutgers University — Newark Derek Chauvin’s criminal trial is over, but the work to ensure that no one endures a tragic death like George Floyd’s is just getting started.

It is fair to say that race was on the minds of millions of protesters who took to the streets last year to express their outrage and pain in response to the

killing. Many felt it was impossible for someone who wasn’t Black to imagine Chauvin’s brutal treatment of George Floyd.

But race went practically unmentioned during the Chauvin trial.

This should not be surprising, because the criminal legal system writes race out at virtually every turn. When I led a lawsuit as a civil rights attorney challenging the New York Police Department’s stopand-frisk program as racist, the department’s primary defense was that it complied with Fourth Amendment standards, under which police officers need only “reasonable suspicion” of criminal activity to stop someone. Presence in what police say is a “high-crime area” is relevant to developing reasonable suspicion, as is a would-be subject taking flight when being approached by a police officer. But the correlation with race, for a host of reasons, is obvious to any keen observer.

American policing’s most pressing problems are racial ones. For some, the evolution of slave patrols into police forces and the failure of decadeslong reform efforts are proof that American

Editorial credit: CHOONGKY / Shutterstock.com

policing is irredeemable and must be defunded. For others, changes to use-offorce policies and improved accountability measures, like those in the proposed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, are enough.

Different communities across the country will follow different paths in their efforts to prevent another tragic death like George Floyd’s. Some will do nothing at all. But progress will be made only when America as a whole gets real about the role of race – something the legal system routinely fails to do.

Why this trial was different Ric Simmons, The Ohio State University

The guilty verdicts in the Chauvin trial are extraordinary, if unsurprising, because past incidents of police lethal use of force against unarmed civilians, particularly Black civilians, have generally not resulted in criminal convictions.

In many cases, the prosecuting office has been reluctant or halfhearted in pursuing the case. Prosecutors and police officers work together daily; that can make prosecutors sympathetic to the work of law enforcement. In the Chauvin case, the attorney general’s office invested an overwhelming amount of resources in preparing for and conducting the trial, continued on page 5

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5

CIVIL RIGHTS Experts React/ continued from page 4 bringing in two outside lawyers, including a prominent civil rights attorney, to assist its many state prosecutors.

Usually, too, a police officer defendant can count on the support of other police officers to testify on his behalf and explain why his or her actions were justified. Not in this case. Every police officer witness testified for the prosecution against Chauvin.

Finally, convictions after police killings are rare because, evidence shows, jurors are historically reluctant to substitute their own judgment for the split-second decisions made by trained officers when their lives may be on the line. Despite the past year’s protests decrying police violence, U.S. support for law enforcement remains very high: A recent poll showed that only 18% of Americans support the “defund the police” movement.

But Chauvin had no feasible argument that he feared for his life or made an instinctive response to a threat. George Floyd did nothing to justify the defendant’s brutal actions, and the overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecutors convinced 12 jurors of that fact.

The ‘thin blue line’ kills Jeannine Bell, Indiana University Like other high-profile police killings of African Americans, the murder of George Floyd revealed a lot about police culture – and how it makes interactions with communities of color fraught.

Derek Chauvin used prohibited tactics —keeping his knee on Floyd’s neck when he had already been subdued — to suffocate a man, an act the jury recognized as murder. Three fellow Minneapolis Police Department officers watched as Chauvin killed Floyd. Rather than intervene themselves, they helped him resist the intervention of upset bystanders and a medical professional. They have been charged with aiding and abetting a murder.

The police brotherhood — that intense and protective “thin blue line” — enabled a public murder. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, unusually, broke this code of silence when he testified against Chauvin.

Research shows that even if officers see a fellow officer mistreating a suspect and want to intervene, they need training to teach them how to do so effectively. The city of New Orleans is now training officers to intervene. Once training is in place, police departments could also make intervention in such situations mandatory.

When some officers stand by as other officers ignore their training, the consequences can be dangerous – and potentially lethal – for civilians.

Minnesota faces its racism Rashad Shabazz, Arizona State University This verdict reflects a little-known truth about Minneapolis: As the city and metro region have become Blacker and more

Editorial credit: Hayk_Shalunts / Shutterstock.com

diverse, police violence against Black people has intensified. This is not to suggest that things have always been good for Black Minneapolis residents. Indeed, Minneapolis’ Black population – a group without political power or visibility – has faced segregation, police violence and Northern Jim Crow policies in its downtown music venues for decades.

White Minnesotans and Minneapolitans developed a false belief that somehow they were above racism; that their form of neighborliness known as “Minnesota nice” was an antidote to anti-Blackness and that – most of all – race didn’t matter in a place as nice as Minnesota.

That false assumption was easy to believe when the Black population was small, contained and largely out of sight.

But Black Minneapolis’ population

growth in recent decades, and the torrent of police violence that has followed, proved otherwise.

The murder of George Floyd last year and Daunte Wright’s killing in a nearby community last week demonstrate that despite the state’s liberal posture and Lutheran ethic, institutional anti-Black racism is as Minnesotan as ice fishing, untaxed groceries and “ya, sure, youbetcha” memes.l Alexis Karteron is an Associate Professor of Law, Rutgers University, Newark.

Jeannine Bell is a Professor of Law, Maurer School of Law, Indiana University. Rashad Shabazz is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Transformation, Arizona State University. Ric Simmons is a Professor of Law, The Ohio State University.

New Yorkers:

Double Masking

Offers Even More Protection Against COVID-19

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6

ISLAND FOCUS: ST VINCENT St Vincent is Burning/ continued from page 1 hearing about the eruption of Soufriere was a shock to both the Diaspora and residents. And even if the volcano was your view daily—as it was mine—an eruption was honestly in the fringes of most people's minds.

After all, decades have passed since it has last shown its strength, erupting last in 1979. However, when it started to erupt effusively back in December of 2020, Vincentians were doubtful that it would be explosive. It is now being compared to the worst eruption in St Vincent's history in 1902 when as many as 1,600 people were killed. The St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Emergency Management Organization called the scene a “battle zone."Thankfully, there have been no reports of anyone being killed or injured.

Before the eruption began, the government ordered people to evacuate the most high-risk area around the 4,003-foot (1,220-meter) volcano after scientists warned that magma was moving close to the surface.

Images shot by the UWI Seismic Research Centre show gray scenes that resemble images from the moon, not a tropical island usually considered a vacation paradise. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said water supplies to most of the island had been cut off and its airspace is closed because of the smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash moving through the atmosphere. “Agriculture will be badly affected, and we may have some loss of animals, and we will have to do repairs to houses. But if we have life and we have strength — we will build it back better, stronger, together,” he said.

Well indeed, on April 9, La Soufrière exploded back to life. April 9 was a day filled with trepidation because the questions loomed if residents were genuinely ready, even with a four-month alert, starting with effusive eruptions before its big explosion. As I heard of the news, I called my relatives back on the island, and as I spoke with the youngest of my aunts, she said, "Kishon, I am emotional because it brought back bad memories from 1979."

She reminisced that they were displaced then, and she knew that this would be the same fate for many residents who had to be evacuated. Aunty Rudy expressed her grief: seeing the elderly transferred from their homes, knowing that they had to leave their comfortable beds, showers, and kitchens, for makeshift shelters— schools, churches, or community centers—away from the hazard zones to seek

refuge; possibly to a location that doesn't even have sufficient cots or beds to house them. Another relative questioned the structural fitness of shelters, the schools particularly, to safely house evacuees.

My cousin Catoya pointed out that the schools had metal or wooden window louvers, which are unfit to completely block ash, one of the most dominant substances expelled from the volcanic eruptions of La Soufriere.

It's been a few days now, and Aunty Rudy is working along with my organization Young Black Travelers and the United Vincie Cultural Group of Brooklyn as we raise funds for the dislocated residents of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. After a recent phone conversation with her, she expressed how heartbroken she was and indicated that the shelter residents were highly vulnerable.

Aunty Rudy pointed out a particular case of an elderly lady crying uncontrollably, without apparent cause, but she said it was because the lady was displaced after assessing the situation. Aunty Rudy noted that she is concerned about the mental impacts the eruption will have on Vincentians. She also pointed out that the staff at her shelter is doing their very best to make residents as comfortable as possible. She also articulated that residents felt deprived since they now have to line up for everything. Their most basic freedom of independence has been stripped away as a result of La Soufriere's eruption. Some are even afraid to ask for their most basic needs because, after all, Vincentians are a very independent and hardworking group of people.

Furthermore, the uncertainty of not knowing when it will end—as eruptions are predicted to persist for weeks and even months—is unsettling. Two of my aunts who reside in New York also reminisce on their experiences from 1979.

They tell the story of how the eruptions lasted for months and months. They were away from Chateaubelair for an extended period. It was the 1979 eruptions that caused the two of them to relocate from Chateau to Campdempark, a safe zone now, as it was also considered back then.

However, as the eruptions persist, and we use history and the images we have seen—of villages in the north that are

now enveloped in ash—as a measure and comparison of La Soufriere's impact, we cannot deny that La Soufriere is a wonder that disrupts. The ash that has fallen is a nuisance that the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the international community will have to remedy significantly since eruptions negatively impact both health and the environment.

We know that they all have a long road ahead of them. And when this is no longer world news, many of them will return to their villages to uncover houses with collapsed roofs, as well as livestock and agriculture that has been decimated.

From thousands of miles away, I keep a watch on St Vincent and keep hope alive. I hear from relatives and friends how dire the situation on the ground is. It heart breaks my seeing pictures of submerged villages and hearing reports from shelter managers of the state of need, especially water and basic supplies.

Hearing from individuals who experienced the 1979 eruption, SVG is now in an even greater state of emergency than

they were then. In this increasingly globalized world, we must bring urgency to global leaders to ensure that they do their part to ensure that the small island state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines rebound stronger than before. I must also bring the plea home to the government of the United States to do more. Temporary Protected Status—formally known as TPS—is a remedy.

Simply put, St. Vincent is not in the position to accept many of its people who live and work here without documentation. If they return to SVG today, it is almost a guarantee that they will face extremely harsh conditions and possibly cause so many more to struggle even more than they currently are. SVG is experiencing a humanitarian crisis. The Biden Administration the people of St Vincent both here in the US and back home Nevertheless, let's pray that the day comes soon when Soufrière will again return to its state of slumber. And hopefully this time, for decades on end. l

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7

DIASPORA CONCERNS

Is Bankruptcy Right for You?

BY CHRIS TOBIAS

A

ccording to an article by Yahoo Finance, the pandemic-induced recession has led to a notable number of Black women to declare bankruptcy. This is according to a report by nonprofit bankruptcy, Upsolve. The report came from a bankruptcy questionnaire of 17,000 low-income users over the past year and found that COVID-19 has pushed many to seek bankruptcy protection. Robert Lawless, a consumer bankruptcy expert and a professor at the University of Illinois, confirmed this with Yahoo Finance. He said, “Black people are overrepresented in bankruptcy, and also Black women are especially overrepresented in bankruptcy.”

What is Bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a financial practice that allows you to officially declare that you cannot repay your debts now and do not see how it will ever be possible in the future. Declaring Bankruptcy is a big step. For some people, there are other ways to get out of debt, like debt consolidation or negotiating with your lenders.

However, if your best option for getting out of debt is bankruptcy, then you should take steps to make this financial situation work in the best possible way for you. A financial profession can help

you do that. In any case, before you jump into anything, you need to fully decide if bankruptcy is right for you.

First, it is important to learn as much as you can about bankruptcy. For individuals, chapter 7 and chapter 13 are the two types of bankruptcy that can be filed.

There are other options for businesses and entities. Learn the difference between the two so you can see how they work. If bankruptcy is right for you, you must be aware of your obligations and your lenders’ choices.

Eligibility Next, check out the requirements for eligibility for declaring bankruptcy. If your debts are too high and your income too low, you probably will not qualify for chapter 13 bankruptcy. On the other

hand, if your income is too high and your debts too low, you probably will not qualify for chapter 7 bankruptcy. In some cases, you may not qualify for either and this is a sign that you did not think through your other choices.

Consider all of your property and debts if you do qualify. What will happen to your home? Your car? Your retirement plans? Make sure that you understand how your property will or will not be taken. Also, it is important to begin compiling lists of your assets and debts.

Remember that some debts cannot be wiped out, like child support payments.

When should you consider filing for bankruptcy?

You may also want to file bankruptcy when you are constantly borrowing

money from one credit source to pay another credit source. If you need to start taking cash advances of more than $500 just to pay for living expenses.

Do you borrow to meet regular expenses like food and utility bills. You have stopped answering your phone because the only calls you receive now are from creditors.

Are there creditors that are threatening to sue you? They have even already taken some legal action against you. You will find that these all are signs that there is something terribly wrong and these are signs that you may want to consider filing a bankruptcy.

Getting Help Then it comes to the decision of what sort of bankruptcy you need to file for.

The most common are chapter 7 and chapter 13. With a chapter 7, you will find that it will wipe all your debt clean, and it will also give you that immediate fresh start. With chapter 13, you will be making payments for three to five years.

Once you have all your information compiled, you can begin the declaration process. It is best to work with an experi enced lawyer to complete this task and remember to always be completely honest. Declaring bankruptcy is an opportunity for fresh start and new beginning. l

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HOUSING

8

The Challenges of Fair Housing in New York: What You Need to Know

BY LINDA N. SPECIAL TO CAW

T

he year 2021 marks the 53rd anniversary of celebrating the Fair Housing Act, which guards against acts of discrimination during the rental, sale, and financing of housing due to race, national origin, religion, or color.

In New York State, the Human Rights Law extends to identity, age, status, and legal source of income.

Under these provisions, it is unlawful for housing lenders and providers to discriminate based on any of these criteria, including not making required changes to accommodate people living with disabilities. April serves as a month for increasing awareness and efforts toward fair housing rights, recognized as the National Fair Housing Month.

In recognition of the mission, the New York State Division of Human Rights (DHR) organized a webinar to cover a statewide discussion on how to break down fair housing factors' barriers with participants from across various agencies in the sector. Facilitated by the head of

the agency, Commissioner Johnathan Smith engaged the group of discussants in talking about the various initiatives towards the mission.

Advocacy and Fair Housing Starting the conversation, one of the panelists, Aaron Carr, who leads the Housing Rights Initiative as the Founder and Executive Director, shared how his nonprofit enforces change through collecting and analyzing data. This data is used for targeting, investigating, and resolving housing issues from various categories of properties. There are four major problems facing housing in New York: half the City's residents are rent-burdened, they spend more than a quarter of their monthly income on rent.

Second, there is vacancy deregulation, where a landlord decides to deregulate a rent-stabilized apartment and charge an unlimited rent for financial gains.

Unfortunately, the numerous challenges in housing policies have contributed to creating an enabling environment for fraudulent landlords whose gains far outweigh any penalty from defying any

housing legislation. What's more, the isolated treatment of complaints by tenants against landlords, on a per-issue basis, the lack of coordinated systemic response encourages landlords and owners to continue in their action for lack of a significant deterrent. According to him, "…systemic problems require systemic solutions," which is the role of his agency— providing enough evidence to contribute to policy changes.

Adding a new perspective, Alejandro Ortiz, Senior Staff Attorney at the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU), shared the program's impact, which he oversees in promoting fair housing. The program, 'The Racial Justice Program', aims to preserve and extend constitutionally guaranteed rights to people often denied. He explains that the program tries to push policies that historically work against some minority groups and people, such as people with criminal records, minorities, and other categories of people. He said, "...the program imposes an obligation on private landlord … after all, there is no clear relationship between a person's criminal record and not allowing someone to live in a house."

How Unlawful Housing Discrimination Looks Nowadays In exploring some of the practical issues in the field, the Commissioner invited another panelist, Elaine Gross, to share some of their valuable experiences. Their regional civil rights organization in Long Island exposes and tackles the various effects of historical and ongoing structural racism on housing. Her work has used research findings to reveal how structural racism contributes to housing discrimination and segregation. The Founder and president of the ERASE Racism organization revealed that despite the numerous excuses by the realtors and property owners, they often reject the explanations presented as justifications for specific actions. She claims, "fair housing is not about anyone's transaction, it has a contextual framework, so we take into account what has come before." She explained that specific policies, as proven by research, often work against the interest of people of color. Supporting this view, Aaron Carr agreed that stakeholders operating in the real estate sector must be willing to adhere to the rules and

regulations to protect the interest of all concerned. "…no reason for breaking local and state fair housing laws, separate the issues …if you can't follow the law, don't be in a real estate business." This view also serves as feedback to the challenges raised by property owners and management organizations' that refuse housing vouchers according to the Section 8 stipulations. A Housing Choice Voucher Program, which serves as a rental subsidy, is run by the federal government under HUD for qualified lowincome tenants.

Panelist reveals that some homeowners are skeptical about accepting tenants that are part of the section 8 program.

However, with the pandemic and the fallout, they have become open to the idea.

Supporting the point, Aaron Carr says, "…so it speaks to your point, there is an awakening… we are in a pandemic where people lost jobs, …we want steady revenue to come in, what is steadier than a voucher from a section 8."

Solutions to the Fair Housing Crisis Next, the discussions addressed efforts made by different organizations in addressing the challenges created to the section 8 program by previous administrations. Alejandro Ortiz acknowledged the difficulty caused by the policy but also explained that they stopped working with the policy "…at this point, we have been ignoring the policy." He shared the example of the lawsuit filed by ACLU Minnesota against the City of Faribault over its racially discriminatory ordinance targeted at deliberately reducing the number of people of color living in rental houses within its borders. The City's occupancy restriction ordinance affected some people of color disproportionately and served as an example of how government policies contribute to racial injustice. However, despite the obvious, advocates maintain the importance of upholding fair housing legislation, especially as a human rights issue.

Homebuyers and the Fair Housing Law To discuss prospective home buyers, Elaine Gross reiterated the importance of good information action, citing the report continued on page 10

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LANDLORDS USING CONSTRUCTION AS A FORM OF TENANT HARASSMENT IS ILLEGAL. TO FILE A COMPLAINT CALL 311 AND ASK FOR DOB’S OFFICE OF THE TENANT ADVOCATE. Renters have rights, including not being intimidated or harassed by landlords.

Construction can be used as a form of tenant harassment. This can include cutting off essential services like heat, hot water, or gas and doing excessively noisy work at odd hours.

The Office of the Tenant Advocate. Enforcing tenants’ rights when landlords are wrong.

WWW.NYC.GOV/BUILDINGS

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HOUSING

10

AG James Calls on Congress to Increase Funding for Public Housing

N

ew York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 14 attorneys general in strongly urging Congress to invest in the nation’s public housing systems. In a joint letter to congressional leadership, Attorney General James and the coalition express concern that the $40 billion in funding for public housing allocated as part of President Joseph Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan — although a good start — is insufficient to address the years of neglect and underfunding towards the nation’s public housing systems. The coalition, instead, estimates that the nation’s public housing portfolio requires at least $70 billion for capital needs to return to a good state of repair, growing to $90 billion through 2030.

Additionally, Attorney General James and the coalition urge the federal government to commit to providing a dedicated fund for Public Housing Authorities (PHA) that need lead abatement.

“The right to safe and adequate housing is a human right, and our nation’s public

housing stock plays a critical role in granting low-income families access to that right,” said Attorney General James.

“But adequate housing requires adequate funding, and for far too long, our nation’s policy towards public housing has been one of neglect. The time for change is now. While $40 billion is a good start, it’s simply not enough. We are calling on Congress to renew its commitment to supporting public housing and the individuals that rely on it for stability by finally giving public housing the actual funding it needs and deserves.”

Because of its reach and its ability to serve low-income families that might otherwise become homeless, public housing is a vital resource for cities, neighborhoods, and the 1.2 million families that call it home. In order to keep public housing units affordable for lowincome families, federal regulations cap rents at 30 percent of a family’s income.

While this cap ensures affordability, the amount of rent collected by the nation’s 3,300 PHAs is insufficient to cover the

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costs of operating and maintaining the properties they oversee.

When the federal public housing program was created in 1937, it was understood that PHAs would need ongoing operating and capital support from the federal government to close the gap between the rents charged to those in public housing and the actual cost of building operations and maintenance.

The amount that each PHA is entitled to receive from the federal government is set each year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through a formula. However, it is Congress that appropriates money to these funds, and, in most years, the appropriation does not match the total amount that PHAs require for maintenance and operation under the formula.

In recent years, especially, as Attorney General James and the coalition notes, the political will has not existed to fully fund the gap between public housing rents paid and the cost of building operations and maintenance. For example, the amount appropriated by Congress has only matched the need, as stated by HUD, twice between 2000 and 2018, and, in some years, the amount has been less than 85 percent of the need. Further, in the past 10 years alone, the Public Housing Operations budget has been reduced by nearly $1 billion. This has resulted in a massive backlog in necessary repairs and maintenance and has led to deteriorating and damaging conditions for the families living in public housing.

In the letter, Attorney General James and the coalition call on Congress to allocate sufficient funds to address the repair backlog, a forward-facing commitment to fund capital funding gaps, and a dedicated fund for lead remediation.

Specifically, the coalition also notes that HUD estimates that 62,000 public housing apartments need lead abatement, but the amount of funding made available to PHAs for abatement has been a mere drop in the bucket. For example, in 2019, $27.8 million was awarded to 38 public housing agencies, but these grants came out of funds, which are already insufficient to meet existing capital needs. Attorney General James and the coalition urge the federal government to commit to providing a dedicated fund for PHAs that need lead abatement to ensure the health and safety of children living in public housing.

Joining Attorney General James in signing the letter today are the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.l

Fair Housing/ continued from page 8

from research by Ann Choi et al. and reported in Newsday. The findings from the 3-year investigation revealed widespread unequal treatment of different minority groups by real estate agents on Long Island. According to the report, minority groups have different treatments—over 18% Asians, 35% Hispanics, and 48% Blacks. The report shows blacks go through the most discriminatory treatments as potential homebuyers and communities than other minority groups on Long Island.

Interestingly, the Long Island's leading residential brokers contributed immensely to the racial separations. The report revealed that these brokers often directed their white customers toward whitedominated neighborhoods and directed the minority buyers to more integrated neighborhoods. These brokers also avoided conducting business in communities with a large minority population.

According to her,"…sometimes, people think they are discriminated against, you have to do your work to be sure that you are seeking help from experts. She explained that although it is more difficult now, and first-time homebuyers especially are prone to making mistakes, having adequate information enables them to avoid making an expensive mistake. The panelists recommended resources that are useful in gathering the required data to help people navigate the treachery waters of homeownership.

On the side of the government, there is a continuous effort to support an end to housing discrimination. Several campaigns to raise awareness are being sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The campaign under Biden's administration strives to recognize efforts to end housing discrimination by increasing awareness of fair housing rights in communities across the country and striving toward achieving racial equity.

Consequently, it is essential to seek expert judgment, such as getting advice on your income level, knowing your housing rights, research resources.

Relevant nonprofits and agencies such as the NYS Department for Human Rights Housing are good resources. After all, every person should live in a safe and comfortable home without fear of harm or intimidation. l

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11

EDUCATION

NYC to Pay $500 to Nearly 1,000 Parents to Address Mental Health Needs at Schools

BY ALEX ZIMMERMAN CHALKBEAT

T

he education department is launching a training program next month for parents, paying them $500 to become “wellness ambassadors” addressing mental health needs in their school communities.

The initiative will pay the stipend to parent leaders from roughly 950 schools in neighborhoods hardest hit by the coronavirus, according to Adrienne Austin, an acting deputy chancellor who oversees parent outreach. She revealed a “sneak peek” of the plan Thursday to members of the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council.

“We’re looking to support parent leaders in those schools to become ambassadors for wellness,” Austin told parents.

The mental health toll on the nation’s largest school system this year has been enormous. Many families have suffered from job losses, increased food insecurity, and the death of loved ones. Parents have had to make difficult decisions about whether to send their children back to school buildings or keep them home full time.

More than 70% of children opted to learn exclusively from home, but many of those who returned to buildings did so part time or experienced frequent shutdowns because of positive coronavirus cases.

Parents have also had to juggle jobs on top of supervising remote instruction or scramble to find child care. Children have struggled with the isolation that comes with virtual learning and a dearth

of opportunities to socialize.

With many of those issues in mind, city officials have pledged to make mental health a priority for the coming school year including expanding the number of schools that partner with community organizations, hiring additional social workers, and conducting mental health screening when students return.

‘We Don’t Want to Fail’ The new parent-facing program hinges on peer-to-peer support. Parent association leaders will be responsible for participating or selecting another parent to complete a four-part training between May and August focused on “traumainformed, healing-centered care.” In the fall, those parents will be expected to work with their schools to lead familyfacing sessions, officials said.

“Students thrive when teachers and families work together, and this innovative initiative will bring our parent leaders into the mental health conversation and help amplify the important socialemotional work happening in schools,” education department spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said in a statement.

“Whether in schools or at home, we want caring adults to have the tools to support

our young people when they are in crisis.”

Education department officials did not say how much the program will cost, but noted it will be fully funded by private dollars from the Robin Hood, Gray, and Tiger Foundations.

Rasheedah Harris, a parent leader who helped develop a detailed proposal to address trauma and create more supportive school environments in The Bronx, said she sees value in involving parents in discussions about mental health.

But she worries that parents like her, who have already been working with the education department on school climate

and mental health issues, have not been sufficiently consulted.

“A parent ambassador just sounds like they’re selecting a parent to do what? I’m not quite sure,” she said. “It doesn’t work if there’s no true community engagement and true community relations and understanding what families and school communities need.”

Harris said she is eager to learn more about how the program will work, but noted it could be difficult to lean on parent leaders to provide mental health support at schools that don’t already have strong parent associations or other systems for involving parents.

“It’s hard to do on this scale as fast as they want to roll out,” Harris added. “It’s something that we don’t want to fail at.”l This story was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. This story was published on April 12, 2021 by THE CITY.

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HOME OWNERSHIP

12

How to Make Your House More Eco-Friendly eco-friendly materials that ensure proper temperature regulation in your home. In addition, they are usually double glazed and paned in order to control the entry of UV rays which slows down the rate at which curtains and furniture fade.

BY CHRIS TOBIAS

W

hether you want to save a little money on your energy bills or help to save the environment, making your house more eco-friendly is always a good idea. The following home improvement tips will allow you to do exactly that: 1. Use a smart meter Energy costs can really eat into your budget — especially during the winter months when your home needs extra heating. One of the best ways to control your energy consumption is by installing a smart meter. This is a device that is programmed to regulate heating in the home and ensure that you only use as much energy as you actually need. A smart meter can turn the heating on when you most need it and off when you don't. This ensures that you don't leave the heating on unnecessarily and drive your energy bills up in the process.

2. Invest in LED lighting There are a number of reasons why installing LED lighting is an excellent way to make your home more eco-friendly. First, LED lights are up to 80 percent more energy efficient than fluorescent

4. Utilize low flow toilets Low flow toilets use a significantly lower amount of water compared to regular toilets. The typical low flow toilet uses 1.6 gallons of water while a regular toilet uses 3.5 to 6 gallons of water per flush.

The EPA estimates that you can save up to $2000 in water bills over the course of a low flow toilet's life span, in addition to helping conserve water and helping the environment. lighting. Second, they have a longer life span which means less waste going into landfills. Third, they distribute light more evenly in a room which means more uniform lighting. Finally, they are not made from toxic materials which means that they do not contaminate nearby land and water sources when disposed of.

3. Install energy efficient windows Install large and more energy efficient windows to let in more light and prevent heat loss from your home. Energy efficient windows are made from Low-E glass, polymer structural foam and other

5. Use Natural Environmentally Friendly Household Cleaners Many people use a vast array of chemical-laden household cleaners and products around the home on a daily basis.

What they may not be aware of is the fact that many of these chemicals can be damaging to their health when inhaled.

Apart from the inhalation aspect, skin irritations often occur when coming into contact with many chemical cleaners.

Many disinfectants contain phenol (aka carbolic acid) or cresol. These can attack

the central nervous system, liver, kidneys, spleen, and pancreas.

Many artificial air-fresheners releases nerve-deadening agents, which can interfere with your sense of smell. Natural aromatherapy oils would be a much safer bet.

In a time when respiratory illnesses such as asthma are at an all-time high, we should be looking to a more natural and gentle way of keeping our homes clean.

Using all-natural, non-toxic cleaning products around the home is the best defense against dirt and grime, while keeping our bodies healthy, being kind to the environment, and not tested on animals. Everyone's a winner.

Buying from a well-known ethical, cruelty-free company is the best way to go.

Then, not only should their products be natural, safe and non-toxic, and they should also be environmentally friendly and not tested on animals.

In Closing Making your home eco-friendly doesn't have to be difficult. By following the advice laid out in this article, you will soon be the proud owner of a home that is cheaper to run and better for the environment.l

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IN THE NEWS

13

Pfizer, Moderna Say Booster Shots Probably Needed

BY RALPH ELLIS, WEBMD NEWSBRIEF

A

pril 16, 2021: People who’ve received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines will probably need a booster shot this year, top executives for those two pharmaceutical companies said this week.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people who’ve gotten both doses would likely need a third shot within 12 months and might need an annual shot thereafter.

"There are vaccines ... like polio that one dose is enough, there are vaccines like pneumococcal vaccine that one dose is enough for adults, and there are vaccines like flu that you need every year," Bourla said on a CVS Health Live event, “Race to Vaccinate.” "The COVID virus looks more like the influenza virus than the polio virus."

A top Moderna executive said the United States is in a good position to move into booster shots because of its vaccine rollout, whereas many other nations are still getting first vaccinations.

"It is likely that the countries that have already achieved high vaccine coverage are going to be ready to shift their focus to boosters in 2022 and possibly even starting at the end of this year," Corinne M. Le Goff, PharmD, Moderna's chief commercial officer, said during a call with investors, Business Insider reported.

Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel made similar comments to Business Insider

this week.

"I hope this summer to get the vaccine authorized for a boost so that we can help people getting boosted before the fall, so that we all have a normal fall and not a fall and winter like we just saw in the last 6 months," he said.

Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky told CNBC in February that people may need to get vaccinated against COVID19 annually, just like seasonal flu shots.

And David Kessler, MD, of the Biden administration’s COVID response team told a congressional committee on Thursday that Americans should expect to receive booster shots to protect against coronavirus variants, CNBC reported.

“We don’t know everything at this moment,” he told the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

“We are studying the durability of the antibody response,” he said. “It seems strong but there is some waning of that and no doubt the variants challenge ... they make these vaccines work harder.

So I think for planning purposes, planning purposes only, I think we should expect that we may have to boost.”

The CDC says almost 126 million people in the U.S. (37.9% of the population) have received one dose of vaccine and that 78.4 million people (23.6% of the population) are fully vaccinated.

Earlier this month, Pfizer said studies show its vaccine is 93.1% effective 6 months after the second dose. Moderna said studies show 90% effectiveness in its vaccine after 6 months. l

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FAMILY MATTERS

14

Domestic Violence Calls for Help Increased During the Pandemic – But the Answers Haven’t Gotten Any Easier

BY TARA N. RICHARDS & JUSTIN NIX THE CONVERSATION

D

omestic violence rose globally in 2020 – so much so that doctors have called it “a pandemic within a pandemic.”

The National Commission on COVID19 and Criminal Justice, a team of national experts tasked with assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the justice system, recently estimated that in the United States, domestic violence incidents increased 8.1% on average following stay-at-home orders. Worldwide, the United Nations estimates there was a 20% increase in domestic violence incidents across its 193 member states during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns.

We are criminologists with expertise in domestic violence and policing, respectively. To understand whether and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted calls for help for domestic violence in the U.S., we examined short- and long-term trends in 911 calls about domestic vio-

lence after stay-at-home orders in five U.S. cities and one county: Cincinnati, Ohio; Montgomery County, Maryland; New Orleans, Louisiana; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Seattle, Washington.

In five of the six places – all but Cincinnati – pandemic stay-at-home orders increased domestic violence-related 911 calls. But 911 calls tell only part of the story about how the pandemic affected calls for help for domestic violence. Another forthcoming study shows that emergency hotlines that provide crisis support to victims of domestic violence also saw a sharp uptick in calls.

In five of the seven cities we examined – Baltimore, Maryland; Cincinnati; Hartford, Connecticut; Salt Lake City and St. Petersburg, Florida – emergency hotlines experienced an increase in calls in early March 2020. We estimate that because of the pandemic, the emergency hotlines collectively received 1,671 more calls from March to October 2020 than they would have if not for social distancing during the pandemic.

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Experts expected the increase in domestic violence victims seeking help last year. Victims and their children were forced to spend more time with their abusers. They were cut off from support systems like school, work and church.

Times were stressful and uncertain.

And when the pandemic is over, victims of domestic violence and their children will continue to need help.

Pandemic makes victims’ plight worse According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four women will experience domestic violence victimization in her lifetime.

Women stay with abusers because they have nowhere else to go. In the best of times, women who experience domestic violence face an increased likelihood of being unemployed or underemployed, struggle to find safe and affordable housing and face a higher risk of eviction.

Since women make up two-thirds of the lowest-paid workers in the U.S., those who seek to leave an abuser may have little chance of moving out.

The COVID-19 recession has put more women in this precarious, dangerous position. They comprise the majority of employees in child care, fast food, cleaning services and hair and nail salons.

Women in these jobs were always struggling to pay their bills and support their families, but because of COVID-19, their jobs are disappearing altogether.

Housing authorities and landlords often have “zero-tolerance” crime policies – so when a victim of domestic violence calls 911 to seek help, they risk being evicted.

And since eviction records can make people ineligible for public housing, this leaves fewer options to escape abusive relationships, continuing the cycle of violence and trauma for women and their children.

There are federal and state protections against evicting victims of domestic violence, but few victims are able to secure their housing rights.

Help for the future The economic problems associated with domestic violence have never been easily or quickly solved. The pandemic may well mean even fewer women will be able to leave their abusers.

In the years ahead, these victims and their families will need significant financial, legal and housing support.

In March, Congress approved a US$1.9 trillion stimulus bill, which included $24 billion to help stabilize the child care industry, $15 billion for child care subsidies and $450 million for domestic violence services. This money will undoubtedly help some victims leave their abusers.

More recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 1620, a reauthorization of the Violence Against

Women Act which provides resources and legal protections for women who suffer domestic violence. HR 1620 is currently awaiting consideration in the Senate.

Among other provisions, HR 1620 would prohibit firearms purchased by individuals convicted of domestic abuse or stalking.

Firearms are used in 3.4% of intimate partner violence incidents – meaning over 4.5 million women will be threatened with or victimized by domestic gun violence in their lifetime. When guns are used during domestic violence incidents, the attack is more likely to be deadly than if the abuser uses some other type of force.

Changing the system Meanwhile, highly publicized incidents of police violence have led to widespread calls to redefine what police do and how they do it.

In the midst of the increase in calls for help by victims of domestic violence, “reimagining policing” could include discussions of how police and victim service agencies can better use data to support coordinated community responses to domestic violence.

For example, police often hold mistaken beliefs about domestic violence.

Studies show many officers believe that responding to domestic violence calls is unusually dangerous when in fact, our research shows that officers are significantly more likely to be assaulted or injured when responding to nondomestic incidents.

Law enforcement agencies might consider offering more training to police on domestic violence incidents, eviction prohibitions for victims and traumainformed interviewing techniques.

While victim service agencies are important for what’s called safety planning – where abuse survivors brainstorm with advocates about how to stay safe in a future crisis – police are still the main responders for crisis intervention and welfare checks.

While much attention has rightly focused on the increase in calls for help for domestic violence during the height of COVID-19, the pandemic has also highlighted longstanding limitations in responses to victims when they seek help. The problem isn’t new – it’s just getting bigger.l Tara N. Richards is an Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska Omaha Justin Nix is an Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska Omaha

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15

FAMILY MATTERS

Raising Big Dreamers

P

re-pandemic, Take Your Child to Work Day was an opportunity for children to peek behind the mysterious veil of “work” – to see what their parents do all day and begin to dream about the careers they might like to pursue when they grow up.

For some parents, every day might feel like Take Your Child to Work Day. For others, health and safety concerns might make it impossible to bring children to their workplaces. That doesn’t mean it’s any less important to take some time to help your children imagine turning their passions into careers.

“Children need exposure to the possibilities that exist so they can envision themselves doing what inspires them in the future,” said Content Architect Rashelle Chase from KinderCare Learning Centers’ education team.

“Learning about different career options also helps children learn about how the world works and the different types of roles and systems that are in place to help society function.”

Consider these tips to help you infuse some of the Take Your Child to Work Day spirit into everyday life.

Expose your children to a variety of career options. Young children tend to

ence your children could do, or a club they could join, that would help nurture that passion and expand their skillset.

Break career stereotypes. Point out diverse people doing jobs as you see them in the community or in books or media – like female firefighters, male teachers or biracial female vice presidents – and talk about the diverse viewpoints and experiences each person can bring to his or her career. Be active about squashing gender stereotypes whenever you see or hear them. Encourage your children to pursue their ambitions and let them know you believe in them and their ability to succeed in whatever career they want. think of careers in terms of the kinds of jobs they see adults doing, like doctors, firefighters and teachers. Help your children discover careers that are new to them. Talk about essential workers and why they are depended on so heavily.

Share details about the work your immediate and extended family members do – perhaps you could arrange a virtual call so your children can see a family member at work. Point out other kinds of workers as your child encounters them, whether that’s during a walk around the neighborhood or while reading a book.

Help your children imagine turning their passions into careers. Not every block builder turns into an architect.

Some go into construction, some into engineering and some pursue other careers entirely. When children express an interest in a specific career or type of work, help them think about the kinds of skills they could work on now to help turn that dream into a reality. Help your children make connections between the things they like to do now and the kinds of careers that could lead to. Maybe there’s an activity or volunteer experi-

Help your child to see “work” and “jobs” as positive things, especially after rough days. Be honest about the struggles and successes you have in your own career. Celebrate your successes and talk with your children about how you problem-solve or persevere through tough times. Model coping skills your children can apply to their own “job” – school. It’s important for children to understand one can still find fulfillment and passion in a career even if there are tough moments.l(FamilyFeatures)

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IMMIGRATION

16

Clarke Calls for TPS Designation for St Vincent

R

ep. Yvette D. Clarke, Chair of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, released the following statement regarding the emergent environmental crisis in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“The volcanic devastation of St Vincent and the Grenadines requires an urgent humanitarian response from our US government, and the anemic response of our State Department and affiliate USAID causes me great concern. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated due to the recent volcanic eruption.

Plumes of ash and gas have suffocated the island, contaminating water supplies, spewing dense volcanic debris, called pyroclastic flows, have destroyed crops, bringing life and the economy of this island to a halt. Many of the displaced people are now living in less than 100 shelters that do not have the means to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — an already emergent crisis in the region — through social distancing measures.

Others have been evacuated to cruise ships and are awaiting further instructions. However, in an official statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against travel

Congresswoman Clarke.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

on cruise ships because the chance of contracting COVID-19 is greatly exacerbated,” said Clarke. “This is a humanitarian crisis that has not been adequately addressed by the US State Department or any other International Aid Organization.

In fact, the United States has only allocated approximately $100,000 to address this emergent crisis, and USAID has only allocated $20,000. This funding is, simply put, a symbolic gesture and merely

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scratches the surface of the St. Vincentian people’s needs and does little to combat the catastrophic disaster that continues to unfold. It falls woefully short of our humanitarian capacity. It does not, in any way, truly reflect what we as a nation are capable of; the magnitude of this crisis requires more. It requires focused, competent humanitarian assistance commensurate with the crisis faced by the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I am calling on the US State Department to immediately allocate an appropriate level of funding to support our neighbor’s rescue, recovery and rehabilitation, and I am calling on Secretary Mayorkas to designate TPS status for the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and neighboring islands that are located within the red zone.”

Since April 9th, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and neighboring island nations, have been devastated by eruptions of the La Soufrière volcano. More than 20,000 people have been evacuated from their homes since the La Soufrière volcano began erupting, many of the displaced people are now living in less than 100 shelters that do not have the means to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — an

already emergent crisis in the region — through social distancing measures.

Crops — including coconut, breadfruit, mango and soursop trees, plantain and banana crops, which comprise much of the island’s agricultural economy, outside of tourism — have been destroyed.

Access to clean water has risen to priority one, as the Island’s main water supplies have been contaminated. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the volcano's eruption had left the entire population of St. Vincent, 110,000 people, without clean drinking water or electricity.

“With all of this in mind, I have written a letter to Secretary Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security urging him to assign Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for St. Vincent, the Grenadines and neighboring island migrants within the red zone. These island nations have direct ties with the United States, and many have familial ties within the Vincentian-American diaspora community of my district that will prevent any temporary relocation from becoming a stress on our economy,” said Clarke. “The U.S. must comply with international legal obligations and allow all migrants access to the asylum system. As DHS processes this request, I urge Secretary Mayorkas to consider the plight of our neighbors in St.Vincent, the Grenadines and the neighboring islands, living through this extraordinary environmental disaster while facing a pandemic, the likes of which our global community has never seen.”

TPS is a temporary status given to eligible nationals of designated countries present in the United States. This status is afforded to residents from some countries affected by armed conflict, or natural disaster allows persons to live and work in the United States for limited times. The secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) if conditions in the country meet statutory requirements regarding ongoing armed conflict, natural disasters (including epidemics), or other extraordinary and temporary conditions in the country that temporarily prevent its nationals from returning safely. The Secretary of Homeland Security has the discretion to designate a country for TPS for periods of 6 to 18 months and can extend these periods if the country continues to meet the conditions for designation. l Yvette D. Clarke has been in Congress since 2007. She represents New York’s Ninth Congressional District, which includes Central and South Brooklyn.

Clarke is Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Taskforce on Immigration, a Senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and a Senior Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

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IMMIGRATION

17

The First 100 Days: Biden on Immigration Detention

BY KATY MURDZA

T

eflecting on his release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, Thomas,* a man who fled near-death in Cameroon, said: “I will always remember that day, it felt like Christmas day. I was overwhelmed with joy, it felt like the darkness had finally been lifted. I had dreamed of my freedom for so long and now I was finally given a fresh start.”

Thomas spent 18 months in ICE detention when he could have been pursuing his claim for asylum in the United States from the home of a sponsor.

Unfortunately, Thomas’ story is far from unique.

When ICE released its new enforcement priorities, the agency narrowed its focus to those suspected of being a threat to national security, border security, and public safety. Many of those in ICE detention do not fall under any of those categories. Yet, thousands of people who are not enforcement priorities and many who remain at high risk of serious illness from COVID-19 are still needlessly locked in detention.

President Joe Biden. Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

As part of the Biden administration’s new approach toward immigration enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would conduct a 100-day review of its enforcement policies beginning on President Biden’s first day in office.

That deadline for the 100-day review is approaching. However, ICE has yet to announce a formal process to review the cases of everyone in its custody for release, including those who are not enforcement priorities.

Immigration detention is traumatic, dangerous, and dehumanizing. It should be replaced with humane, communitybased programs for those who need them and universal legal representation. The money that could be used for these holis-

tic and protection-centered approaches is instead being funneled to private prison companies. This establishes perverse incentives for over-incarceration and the prolonged detention of those who are seeking protection in the United States.

The most fundamental human need— safety—should be met with humanity, not an overly punitive system rife with inadequate medical care, flouted COVID-19 protocols, and an overuse of solitary confinement. People like Thomas are treated like criminals for their legal pursuits of asylum.

The Biden administration can and must act immediately to release more individuals from immigration detention, including those who fall outside the interim enforcement guidance and those at heightened risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

Nothing is lost by releasing people from the harsh conditions of detention. Studies show that immigrants released from detention still attend their court hearings in high numbers. So much is gained from a more humane and community-based approach to immigration services—not the least of which is a return to our country’s identity as a refuge for those fleeing harm.l

NPNA Urges Lawmakers to Include Immigrants in Access to Counsel Act WASHINGTON: The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), a leading coalition of 41 immigrant & refugee rights organizations, urges lawmakers to include immigrants as it moves forward with important legislation that protects due process and prohibits discrimination. Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the NO BAN Act (H.R. 1333) and the Access to Counsel Act (H.R. 1573), both pieces of legislation that address the pressing issues of discrimination based on religion and the lack of access to counsel in secondary inspection at airports and other points of entry.

“Together, these bills would be a victory for our values as a nation of refuge, equality, and freedom from discrimination,” said Nicole Melaku, executive director of NPNA. “But while the Access to Counsel Act provides protections to some, it excludes a group of immigrants who need access to legal representation the most — namely asylum seekers,” she added.l

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JOBS & RECESSION

18

Is A Seasonal Business A Timely Fit For You? 4 Ways to Make It Work

A

n ever-changing economy creates new opportunities for entrepreneurs, even during these rocky times that COVID-19 has caused.

Whether people are looking for a better work-life balance, a new job after having lost one, or an extra source of income, opening a seasonal business is one strategy that fits those goals, says Chris Buitron, president of Mosquito Authority® “Many people are taking this route as a reliable way to generate income,” Buitron says, “because although the economy is changing dramatically in some ways, seasonal businesses still fulfill annual consumer needs.

“The benefits for a seasonal business owner are attractive: more freedom, both in running a business and having the ability to take a few months off; the satisfaction of providing a service or product to which customers stay loyal; lower overhead costs than a year-round business; a solid second income; or, if done right, a sufficient income by itself.”

Buitron offers these tips on how to run a seasonal business successfully: Carefully construct your business model. Since you won’t be open year-

business, their authority and strengthen their place in the community. “Your target audience is just as accessible in the offseason,” Buitron says. “You can reach out to them and offer exclusive pricing, or create a rewards program. Publish blogs and post updates on the sites your customers follow. Give them content that can educate them beyond the reach of your business’ services. Showing you care about their lives and the community helps them remember you.” round, it’s important to account for downtime in your cash flow. “If the seasonal business is your main or only source of income, you’ll need to put in extra work during the season in order to make it through your off-season,” Buitron says. “Make sure you have access to credit and plan your budget very specifically. It’s a bonus if you can find ways to diversify income streams for your seasonal business in the off-season.

Determine the other needs of your customers and how you can fulfill them.”

ings from the previous season,” Buitron says. “Seek customer feedback to assist your evaluation. Overall, determine why some things worked and others didn’t.

The analysis will help you build a solid plan for the next season. Look at areas such as staffing, inventory, and other expenses. Did you have enough employees and how did they perform? Which products or services weren’t successful?

Should you introduce new ones? Would it be cheaper in the long run to buy your equipment rather than lease it?”

Evaluate the past season and plan accordingly for the next season.

“Analyze your successes and shortcom-

Connect with the public year-round to build your brand. Social media allows a seasonal business owner to build their

Your Success in Real Estate Starts Today

Attend networking events and workshops. The off-season is the time for selfimprovement that leads to business improvement. “Learning and networking opportunities help you and your business grow,” Buitron says. “Local business events, trade shows and conferences are great ways to gain new partnerships and skills.”

“A seasonal business comes with an array of unique demands,” Buitron says.

“But with the right combination of good business practices and the passion to make it a way to enhance others’ lives, it can be a profitable and enjoyable experience for the seasonal business owner.”l

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19

GENERATIONS

Things Grandparents Know

B

aby boomers seem gifted with perpetual youth. But they are also people of passion. From the moment this generation arrived on this earth, they seemed to be bringing a mission and a different vision for society than had existed before. This sense of knowledge and of vision accounts for the incredible drive baby boomers have shown throughout their adult lives which have resulted in changes to society so profound that life in America today only faintly resembles how we lived in the 50s and 60s.

Challenges Each era of life has brought its own challenges to baby boomers. As parents, baby boomers were committed to having a different kind of relationship with their children. They are more hands on, participatory and interactive with children in a much greater way than generations before. In a very real way, baby boomers’ parents sought to be both parent and best friends to their children. The outcome has not always been positive, but you do see a sense of family unity and emulation of parents in children of boomers that is even more committed than the family model of the past because baby boomers viewed parenting as a mission and job one of their lives.

As baby boomers move out of the parent-

ing role, at least in terms of having youngsters at home, they now have an opportunity to define in their own terms what it means to be a grandparent.

Becoming grandma and grandpa may be a bit difficult for a generation that has always fought the coming of aging and resisted even adulthood much less old age. But if baby boomers embrace the concept of being the kindly and wise old grandparent and filling that role in the lives of their children and grandchildren, they can have an influence on another generation beyond them to pass along their insights and guidance in ways that only grandparents can do.

Grandma and Grandpa Are Special Children see grandma and grandpa in a different light. Naturally, they love them and love the opportunity to visit their

grandparents if for no other reason than grandma always has cookies for them.

But sitting on granddads knee and hearing his stories or just enjoying his love and teasing is part of growing up that children cherish long into their adult years. And it is a time that even baby boomers can embrace and thoroughly enjoy.

There was a great book out not long ago named “If I knew being a grandparent was this much fun, I would have done it first.” This amusing concept reflects that the joy of being grandpa and grandma to your children’s children is fulfilling in ways that even surpass the important role baby boomers had as parents. Children listen to their grandparents because they are wise and old, and it gives them a sense of security to see that it’s possible to go through life successfully and still

be full of life and fun even when old age is upon us. That is why children intuitively know that there are things grandparents know that they want to learn while on granddads lap and they cherish the lessons they are taught from a revered elder.

New Role It’s good when baby boomers embrace this new role. Just as when boomers embraced parenthood, they threw themselves into the challenge with a passion that changed the definition of parenting for the better. So too, baby boomers can bring their passion, their sense of deep commitment and their love of family to the role of grandparent and give their grandchildren the gift of a wonderful grandma and grandpa who not only always had love and fun for them but also always seemed to know the right answer.

Passing Along the Wisdom Look to your time with your grandkids as a time to pass along the wisdom that 5060 years of life has given you. While children need the guidance and knowledge of their parents, the role of teacher, disciplinarian and rules maker sometimes clouds the parent relationship.

That is why grandchildren are open to hearing what grandma or grandpa has to say because the relationship is more clear cut and they see their grandparents as fountains of wisdom always given in love.l

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Grammy Academy Recognizes These Jamaican Women as Essential to Reggae and Dancehall

BY STAFF WRITER, JAMAICANS.COM

T

he Recording Academy, which presents the prestigious Grammy music awards, has named some of the women who were instrumental in shaping the sounds of reggae and dancehall music. Most people think of Bob Marley when they think of reggae, but women have had an integral role in building much of the music scene in Jamaica from its beginnings in the 1960s.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Academy highlighted four of the women it identified as foundational to the development of reggae and dancehall.

Sonia Eloise Pottinger, the first woman Jamaican record producer and OD recipient, created her own role in the early days of the island’s music industry.

She is considered one of the greatest of Jamaica’s record producers, working with ska and rocksteady musicians who preceded reggae, as well as gospel artists from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s through her record labels Gay Feet, Excel, Pep, High Note, and Glory. She and her husband Lindon Pottinger founded several labels, a shop, and studio that recorded seminal artists. She was the first woman to be the co-owner of the first music facility in Jamaica that was owned and operated by a Black individual. After her friend producer Arthur “Duke” Reid died, she inherited the catalog of his Treasure Isle Records and its recording

Marcia Griffiths, Photo: Jamaicans.com

studio, bringing in notable performers like Marcia Griffiths and Beres Hammond and licensing Treasure Isle tracks to companies overseas, including Trojan Records. Her business skills, vision, and ear for music contributed to the worldwide influence of reggae music.

Pottinger died in 2010, but her legacy lives on.

The legendary Marcia Griffiths has one of the longest careers in reggae, performing since 1964. Her vocals are featured on ska, reggae, rocksteady, and dancehall records. She began singing with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, and then went on to record duets with artists like Bob Marley for Studio One, the label owned by Coxsone Dodd. She released her first single “Feel Like Jumping” in 1968, and in 1970, came to global fame

with her duet with Bob Andy in the reggae cover of “Young, Gifted and Black.”

With Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt, Griffiths formed the I-Threes in 1974, backup singers for Bob Marley. The group continued to release music after the death of Marley, and Griffiths continued to produce records as a solo performer. In 1983, her “Electric Boogie” single inspired the dance still popular today. She has more than 15 albums to her name, and in 2014, received he Jamaican Order of Distinction for her contributions to reggae music.

Patricia Chin, 83, has run VP Records for more than 40 years. The legendary distributor, shop, and record label is dedicated to dancehall and reggae. Chin and her husband Vincent “Randy” Chin left the political violence of Kingston behind and moved to Queens, New York, where they founded VP Records in 1979. VP Records is the largest independent recording label, distributor, and publisher of reggae and dancehall music in the world. It has over 25,000 song titles, and the company is woman-owned and operated. In 2015, Chin became the first woman to be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Association of Independent Music. The label has helped to launch the careers of artists like Lady Saw, Maxi Priest, Bounty Killer, and Beenie Man. In Kingston, the Chins operated Randy’s Records, a distribution and recording

studio that began in the late 1950s and produced sessions with Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and others working at the intersection of ska, rocksteady, and reggae. She pioneered the compilation album format at a time when the market favored singles. DJ Kool Herc, the founder of hip-hop, said that “What “What Berry Gordy was to Motown, Patricia Chin is to VP Records and the reggae industry.”

Sister Nancy’s 1982 dancehall recording “Bam Bam” is the most-sampled reggae song in history, but Sister Nancy, born Ophlin Russell, broke through as the first woman dancehall deejay when she was still in her teen years and dominated the previously all-male sound system culture of Kingston. Her debut record “One Two” was recorded in 1982.

While its other songs were not popular in Jamaica, “Bam Bam” was a massive hit.

Sister Nancy moved to the US in 1996 and worked as an accountant. Despite the popularity of her song, she never received any compensation for it. “Bam Bam” was credited instead to producer Winston Riley. When she heard the song used in a Reebok commercial in 2014, she sued and won, receiving a decade’s worth of royalties, as well as 50-percent rights to the original album and publishing credits. After winning the lawsuit, Sister Nancy left her accounting job and began to perform again around the world.l

Caribbean Banana Split

E

njoy the flavors of the Caribbean with this unique dessert

—luv2cook, Allrecipes.com Ingredients 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 bananas, cut in half crosswise then lengthwise ¼ cup dark rum ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 quart vanilla ice cream ¼ cup chocolate syrup ½ cup whipped cream

Directions Step 1 Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bananas in butter until they are browned and begin to soften, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; stir in rum, nutmeg and cinnamon. Use a long match or lighter to carefully ignite the liquid in the pan. Allow to burn for 15 to 30 seconds; if necessary, extinguish by placing lid on pan.

Step 2 Continue to cook until sauce has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice;

cook for 1 additional minute.

Step 3 Divide ice cream between 4 serving bowls. Top each with the warm bananas and rum sauce mixture. Drizzle each sundae with chocolate sauce, and top with whipped cream.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 450 calories; protein 6g; carbohydrates 58.5g; fat 19.5g; cholesterol 71.4mg; sodium 130.1mg.

General Prep: 10 mins Cook: 8 mins Total: 18 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 4 banana split sundaesl

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22

TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE

6 Tips for Hitting the Road Again

N

ot surprisingly, Americans sharply reduced the overall number of trips they took in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. While a certain level of travel has been necessary throughout the pandemic, many travel vendors are seeing increased reservations going into the spring and summer and are expecting business to continue to rise in the second half of 2021 as the COVID-19 vaccine becomes widely administered.

Are you among those considering or planning a trip in the coming months? If so, here are six key tips for making it a safer and cleaner experience.

Research your destination ahead of time. Since travel restrictions can be put in place by jurisdictional leaders, different destinations can have different policies in terms of quarantine requirements, the wearing of masks in public, maximum allowable gathering sizes and the categories of businesses that may remain open to the public. On top of that, your travel destination may quickly change its restrictions in response to prevailing fluctuations in COVID-19 levels. CNN's compilation of pandemic-related restrictions by state may help keep you informed.

Book reservations with cleanliness and flexibility in mind. As you make your

to keep a lower number of people to a certain window of time, avoiding crowded areas.

transportation and lodging selections, prioritize companies that offer flexibility and prioritize cleanliness. Many car rental and hotel companies have adjusted policies to enhance their cleaning procedures and allow customers to change their plans if required due to the pandemic.

Pack cleaning/sanitizing products in your luggage. Keep disinfecting wipes close at hand to help clean surrounding surfaces during your journey. And, while there is typically hand sanitizer in most public places now, it's a good idea to pack travel size sanitizer for immediate needs. If you're traveling with others, encourage them to also use hand sanitizer along the way. Also remember to pack extra masks to replace those that may get dirty or be misplaced.

Wipe down hard surfaces along the way. When possible, disinfect hard sur-

faces throughout your trip to limit the spread of germs. Some travel companies have made this easier. Enterprise RentA-Car, for example, has teamed up with Clorox to add a one-count disinfecting wipe to every vehicle rented throughout the U.S. and Canada. The program is partly in response to a survey showing 80% of Enterprise customers feel more comfortable renting when they're able to use the disinfecting cloths on their vehicles themselves. Clorox's in-house scientist Mary Gagliardi recommends disinfecting all the hard, nonporous surfaces in any car - cup holders, the steering wheel, door handles, seat buckles, radio knobs, etc. on a regular basis.

Select low-touch options. Most attractions, restaurants as well as some car rental companies and hotels allow you to make reservations or check in, in advance online so you can avoid lines or crowds. This also allows the businesses

Choose socially distant activities. Seek out dining, lodging and other activities that allow for social distancing. The CDC also recommends choosing outdoor activities, when possible, avoiding common areas and ensuring staff wear masks. According to Cleveland Clinic experts, when you apply everyday COVID-19 precautions to your travels, the risks can be minimized significantly.

"As we eventually return to more activities outside our homes, it will remain vital even after vaccination for us all to wear masks that properly fit, maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others, avoid crowded areas and get tested if you have symptoms," said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. In fact, just recently, the CDC updated its guidelines recommending that fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. at low risk to themselves.

Travel can be safer and more comfortable for you and your family if you pack wisely, plan ahead and take time to scout out the most viable accommodations.

(BPT)l

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23

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

6 Ways to Keep COVID Restrictions from Killing Your Relationship nitely has something wrong. The fact is, sometimes you're going to get on each other's nerves. Actually, the likelihood is that the more face time you get with your partner, the more annoying things tend to become. Don't panic, this is perfectly normal.

While bickering and arguing are normal in any relationship, what is counterproductive is holding on to anger or resentment. Negativity breeds negativity. Lingering negative feelings can become toxic for your relationship, and are usually easily avoidable. Most of the time all you have to do is talk about it instead of bottling it up.

BY MARY CAMPBELL 311DIVORCE.COM

L

et's face it. Being stuck at home sucks in a lot of ways. It is bad enough to be locked in the confines of the square footage of your home, but going stir-crazy can also have terrible impacts on your relationship.

This is especially true for couples who live together and even more so for couples who work remotely from home together as well. Here are some helpful tips to keep confinement from messing with your relationship.

1) Respect Each Other's Personal Space No one wants someone in their face 24/7, and the truth is when people go long periods without breaks from one another even the simplest of habits can get annoying quickly. Nitpicking can become an easy fallback. People often nitpick without even realizing they do it, but it can get annoying quickly.

Set up some divisions of space to avoid smothering your significant other.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, even if it's from another room in the

house. Giving one another a little bit of extra space goes a long way in maintaining balance in your relationship.

Sometimes a little "me time" is just the ticket.

2) Plan a Date Night Lockdown means that going out and doing normal couple things is limited to supermarket visits and rendezvous in the local pharmacy aisles. That does not exactly scream romantic, nor do the sweatpants you've been bumming in for

2 weeks. The truth is social confinement doesn't have to mean a dating drought.

Pick a night to get dressed up and have a nice candlelit dinner in the comfort of your own home, or move all the furniture out of the way and have a dance party in the living room. What you do doesn't matter so long as you take some time to focus on each other.

3) Argue, but Don't Dwell Any couple that can get through months of confinement without arguing defi-

4) Speaking of Talking...

One of the unspoken side effects of COVID confinement is social anxiety.

With a worldwide campaign stressing the importance of distance, it is easy to apply that to your relationship as well.

That is likely to put a strain on communicating with your partner.

Don't forget to take the time to talk to your partner. Even if it is just to check in and just say hi, remaining approachable gives your partner a sense of security. continued on page 25

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24

HEALTH Dangerous to Women’s Health/ continued from page 1 leaving them feeling exhausted and in need of some care. Women are not new to making sacrifices. However, it becomes unbearable when they face health challenges arising from the use of products acclaimed to be safe for their delicate bodies. This issue is one of the bases for an argument on the varying lawsuits against manufacturers of talcum powder, a line of products that promoted as safe by Johnson and Johnson in particular, and other manufacturers like Colgate -Palmolive.

Johnson and Johnson, to date, is facing over 21,500 lawsuits from consumers that claim its talc products, specifically talcum powder, caused them ovarian cancer. Deane Berg, in 2009, filed the first lawsuit against the health product manufacturing giant after her 2006 ovarian cancer diagnosis. Despite the defendant's denials over the years, the case has made progress. For instance, they have made private settlements worth millions of dollars to several plaintiffs, including Deane Berg. He offered a confidential settlement of over $1 million and other paid settlements as instructed through verdicts. According to an article in the New York Times, in 2019, they recalled some of their Baby Powder when the authorizing body found traces of the cancer-causing agent (asbestos) in the product and have announced the withdrawal

of the sale (2020) of their line of Baby Powder from North America. However, they continue to sell the product in other parts of the world.

In February 2021, the health care giant announced that it had set aside over $3.5 billion as settlement reserves against any talc lawsuit.

Talc and its Usage Talc is a naturally occurring mineral mined from the earth. It has many uses in cosmetics and other personal care products. Did you know that beyond the production of talcum powder, the naturally occurring substance talc is also used to manufacture and produce various industrial and household items such as ceramics, paper, and beauty products, dating to Egyptian times? In finely ground form, Talc finds use as a cosmetic, lubricant,

paper fillers. Amongst several other items. Professions like sports, designers, metalwork, and pharmaceutical and food technology use talc, for instance, in the making of ingestible like pharmaceutical tablets, candy, and chewing gum(it's the white coating on some chewing gum and candy products for the prevention of wrap stickiness).

Using talc in powder production, many would wonder if talc existed for such a long time and vastly used, including baby powder production. It claims that it prevents diaper rash (although not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics because of its danger to respiration). Why does the talc found in powder acclaimed to cause ovarian cancer?

According to the American Cancer Society experts, only contaminated talc, which can occur during the extraction of

the talc mineral, and contact through inhaling or intimate use leading to cancer. It is worth noting that there is a difference between talc with asbestos and asbestos-free talc. Both substances (talc and asbestos) are naturally occurring minerals, are found in the distance from each other during mining. However, asbestos is a known cancer-causing agent (a carcinogen) that causes mesothelioma when inhaled. There is a high possibility of talc contamination with asbestos during extraction, requiring rigorous testing in selecting talc mining sites. Curiously, insufficient evidence exists about asbestos-free talc and cancer.

In 1958, asbestos became linked to ovarian cancer. The investigation didn't start until 1970, when according to reports on the U.S Food and Drug Administration, investigations commenced into the controversial view of the link between talc and ovarian cancer.

However, it has remained non-conclusive owing to the inability to substantiate the hypothesis through studies.

Progressively, since 2020, the FDA opened a platform for gathering additional evidence in the form of scientific data and information in addition to initiating public meetings related to talc-based cosmetic products, potentially harmful mineral contaminants, and some asbestos in products. According to the FDA website, the focus is to test methods, define terms continued on page 25

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HEALTH

Ways to Keep COVID Restrictions From Killing Your Relationship/ continued from page 23

Dangerous to Women’s Health/ continued from page 24 and gather criteria for the standardization and methodology for testing of asbestos in cosmetic products containing talc.

To protect consumers, in 1976, the body that covers cosmetics, toiletries, and fragrances (CTFA) introduced suggestions on standards for ensuring that all talcbased cosmetic products remain free from any detectable amounts of asbestos.

As well, researchers have tried to investigate whether it is exposure or a substance that causes cancer. Unfortunately, neither has proved holistically accurate.

According to the American Cancer Society, studies have suggested that there is a possibility of cancer causality in the ovaries through talcum powder use: when the powder particles are used on diaphragms, condom, sanitary napkins or applied to the genital area traveled through feminine body parts like the vagina, through to the ovary. However, there remain mixed findings, ranging from high to no increase in risk. In the case of lung cancer, the report didn't find any increased risk from the use of cosmetic talcum powder.

Court cases against Johnson and Johnson Talcum Powder During the lawsuit hearings, and according to a (Reuters) investigative report, lawyers to the plaintiffs revealed that internal memos and reports indicated that Johnson & Johnson was knowledgeable

and nursed concerns about the traces of asbestos in its talc for over half a century.

Despite this knowledge and concern, they marketed the product as a safe feminine product during the period. In a 2017 article by the Los Angeles Times, there was a lawsuit between Johnson and Johnson and Eva Echeverria, which totaled $417 million in compensation and punitive damages, with $70 million to the plaintiff. The defendant's lawyers argued against the ruling claiming there is no connection. Now, the FDA has returned to investigating the issue, which Daniel W. Cramer 1982's study used during the lawsuit showed that women who used talc on their genitals had more than 90% increased risk for ovarian ranks eighth most common cancer. According to the report, patients with ovarian cancer makeup over 1.2% and cause cancerrelated deaths after diagnosis among women in the U.S. There is hope for compensation for the negligence.

However, until more information is available and final guidelines are enforced, concerned consumers should consider avoiding the use of talcum powder or limit the use of talc-based products.l

Available at Amazon.com

Talking to one another can also significantly decrease the number of arguments or misunderstandings you have.

5) Find a Mutual Hobby Boredom can be the worst relationship killer. It is like cancer that, if left unchecked, can spread to various aspects of a person's life. Boredom promotes laziness, depression, and feelings of inadequacy. That in turn can bleed into mood and attitude, and even sexual appetite.

Stay away from boredom by finding something to do that you both can enjoy. Paint a mural on your wall, do a DIY home improvement project, or put together a 3D puzzle. Staying entertained together is an easy way to keep connected with your partner.

6) Don't Neglect Intimacy There is a line that is easily crossed between sexy and bumming. While the

sweatpants and oversized tee shirt looks cute for the first 20 days, don't forget you have an entire closet of clothes and most of them don't have holes in them.

It's not fair to keep them locked up while you're in couch-potato mode.

Making time to be intimate with your partner can actually accomplish more than one thing. Not only does it provide some much-needed physical activity, but it can also be a great release of tension or pent-up stir-crazy. Go on and strut those pumps around your house before they take a tumble around your bed. You're worth it!

While confinement can sometimes feel overwhelming and restrictive, these six tips will help keep you and your partner from losing the spark in your relationship. Feeling stuck in a relationship is even worse than being stuck at home, but it does not have to feel that way. Don't let house arrest complicate your relationship.l

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26

NYC ELECTIONS

The Top 10 Things New Yorkers Need to Know About Ranked-Choice Voting

BY VICTORIA FALK

T

he June 2021 primary elections will be the first time New Yorkers will experience ranked-choice voting. New York is joining other less populated states, such as Vermont, Maine, and Alaska, which have already begun utilizing the ranked-choice voting system in their elections. "Ranked-choice voting was passed in 2019, by the will of the voters," stated Rebecca C. Lewis during a public forum held on February 25, 2021, on ranked-choice voting. On Election Day, November 5, 2019, question one on the New York City Ballot pertained to rank-choice voting. A large majority of voters supported the implementation of the ranked choice voting system.

According to the online encyclopedia, Ballotpedia.org, 73.61% of voters said "Yes" in favor of ranked-choice voting, while 26.39% of the voters responded "No." They include New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, amongst those who favor ranked-choice voting. "This has the opportunity to strengthen the people's vote, getting more people to come out, saving money, ending negative campaigns, it seems like a win-win to me," stated Williams, according to Ballotpedia. The Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus of the New York City Council is reportedly opposed to rankchoice voting.

Despite most voters in favor of rankedchoice voting, the world has changed in various ways since the elections in 2019.

Since that time, as we face a global pandemic that has sparked a health and economic crisis, limited attention has been given to ranked-choice voting. The upcoming primary elections set for June 22, 2021, are of high priority for many New Yorkers looking for candidates with strong leadership ability to help the city rebuild. Thus, it is necessary to aid the public by taking deliberate action to ensure that people are informed regarding the new voting system that will be implemented as New Yorkers select the next Mayor of New York City.

Community-based organizations, ethnic media groups, churches, and others, are doing what they can to educate the public about the ranked-choice voting system to aid in the upcoming elections. This public education includes preventing pitfalls and supporting positive outcomes for New York City voters.

City & State New York held a 5-part online series to educate New Yorkers on the ranked-choice voting system. These public forums included guests such as community leaders, community media, New York politicians, and contenders for New York City Mayor's race to discuss ranked-choice voting. New York's Path to Ranked – Choice Voting: Manhattan Forum, City and State Public Forum, was

held on February 25, 2021. During that public forum, some of the contributors to the discussion about ranked-choice voting included: Political Consultant Sean Dugar, New York State Assemblywoman Carmen de la Rosa, LGBT Activist, Allen Roskoff, former President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Hazel Dukes, New York State Senator, Brian Benjamin, and Rebecca C. Lewis, of City and State, who moderated the conversation. Despite the efforts made during the public forum to explain ranked-choice voting to New Yorkers, some of the participants in the public forum had their questions, controversy, and confusion about ranked-choice voting that was revealed during the discussion.

How do you educate voters on a new system of voting during a global pandemic? During the public forum on ranked-choice voting held on February 25, 2021, Political Consultant Sean Dugar stated, "We need to do training in senior citizens' homes to make sure individuals are included." Carmen de la Rosa, who is running for City Council District, added, "Ethnic media needs to be better utilized." She addressed concerns that people who do not speak English may not be getting adequate information about the new voting system.

However, legendary LGBT Activist Allen Roskoff shared his concerns during the public forum on ranked-choice voting. "There will be a lot of people out there who are not attached to social media, who are elderly and homebound.

Efforts to educate the public are limited due to the pandemic, language barriers, and people being homebound," stated Roskoff. "This is an experiment…and we need to make sure this is helping disenfranchised people. Even with the best education, we still won't be able to reach everyone," added Roskoff.

Who is responsible for educating the community on ranked-choice voting?

During the public forum on rankedchoice voting, New York State Senator

Brian Benjamin stated, "It's not the candidates' responsibility to teach voters about ranked-choice voting." Although it may or may not be the candidates' responsibility, there seem to be apparent benefits for those candidates who choose to speak to voters about the ranked choice voting system. Carmen de la Rosa discussed how speaking to public members and answering their questions has been helping her connect with voters.

Political Consultant, Sean Dugar, had this to say, "Everyone is equally responsible for educating voters on rankedchoice voting: including community organizations, long-established organizations that have wide and deep roots. It benefits candidates to educate voters on ranked-choice voting. Voters tend to favor the candidate who explained it to them."

While some community leaders are stepping up to help explain rankedchoice voting to New Yorkers, some critics want to do away with this new system altogether or postpone implementing a future election. Hazel Dukes, former President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), had strong feelings regarding the ranked choice voting system. "People don't want to hear about ranked-choice voting. People are concerned about stimulus checks and vaccinations. How can I get a vaccine? When can I send my children back to school? It's too late to be having this conversation about rankedchoice voting," stated Hazel Dukes during the February 25, 2021, public forum on ranked-choice voting presented by City & State New York. Like some other critics of ranked-choice voting, Dukes expressed concern that there has not been adequate time for New Yorkers to understand ranked-choice voting.

Rank Choice Voting is the Law However, political consultant and strategist Brian Figeroux, Esq. of IQ Inc Consulting, stated, "You can't just scrap a law. Where were these community leaders and their organizations before ranked-choice voting became a law? If

they opposed ranked-choice voting, they should have been fighting then. Now that ranked-choice voting is here, we must find community leaders who are knowledgeable about the system to educate our community." "It is the law," stated Bertha Lewis, community leader and President of The Black Institute, regarding rankedchoice voting, during an exclusive interview with People, Power, and Politics Radio Show. Ms. Lewis spoke enthusiastically about ranked-choice voting as she explained, "Ranked-choice voting empowers the voter. You are not forced to select only one candidate when there may be two or more candidates you like.

Ranked-choice voting allows you to rank your choices in order of who you like most. But if you want to vote for only one candidate, you can do that too, and your vote will still count."

Top 10 things New Yorkers need to know about ranked-choice voting Despite the varying opinions about ranked-choice voting, the ranked-choice voting system will indeed be implemented for the first time in New York during the June 22, 2021, primary elections.

Thus, here are the top 10 things New Yorkers need to know about rankedchoice voting, as explained in the online encyclopedia, Ballotpedia.org, and by Ms. Bertha Lewis, during the exclusive interview with People, Power, and Politics Radio Show.

1. Ranked-choice voting is the law.

2. Unlike previous elections in New York, where voters selected only one candidate for office, voters can rank-up to 5 candidates for a given office by preference on their ballot.

3. If, for whatever reason, voters decide to select only one candidate for a given office, then they can choose just one candidate, and their ballot will still count.

4. Ranked-choice voting will only apply to primary and special elections in New York City.

5. It will take about 2 ½ weeks after votes are in to get the results.

6. The first candidate who has the majority of first-preference votes is declared the winner.

7. The majority of votes is considered 50% plus 1.

8. If no candidate wins an outright majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated.

9. The process of elimination continues until there are two candidates left.

10. When there are only two candidates left, the candidate with the majority of the votes will be declared the winner.

Learn More Listen to People, Power & Politics edition on Rank Choice Voting at anchor.fm/pppradio or on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker and RadioPublic.l

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28

NYC ELECTIONS

The Next Mayor Can End New York’s Maternal Health Emergency

BY BARBARA CARESS, URBAN MATTERS

T

here is a maternal health emergency in New York City. It’s deeply rooted in racism. And it’s one the next mayor can do a lot to stop.

Every year, 3,000 women in the city almost die, or die, from a pregnancyrelated cause. Black women are eight times more likely to die and three times more likely to almost die than white women. At least 60 percent of these deaths are preventable.

The city and the US as a whole register excessive maternal death and serious maternal morbidity rates compared to other high-income countries. The causes are many. Chief is structural racism and gender oppression. Being Black is the marker. Racism is the killer. It further complicates the already-corrosive effects of a medicalized health system that treats pregnancy as a disease and is systematically inattentive to the needs of expectant and birthing people.

In 2017, Black women gave birth to 23 percent of New York City babies, yet accounted for 55 percent of maternal deaths – continuing a decades-long pattern.

Serious illness resulting from pregnancy and childbirth is also much more common for women of color in New York City. For each maternal death, about 100 women will suffer a life-threatening and often life-altering event during or after childbirth. Examples of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) are heavy bleeding, blood clots, kidney failure, stroke, or heart attack. Black women are three times more likely to experience SMM than white women and Latinx women are twice as likely as white women.

In measuring these outcomes, race matters more than income or social status.

Black women living in high-income New York City communities experience SMM at four times the rate of white women who live in very low-income communities. College-educated Black women have higher rates of severe pregnancyrelated outcomes than all other women who did not complete high school.

Black, brown, and Asian women contend with the daily injustices of racism and the intentional disinvestment in neighborhoods where they live. These conditions can result in chronic stress and chronic illnesses that increase the risk of pregnancy complications. They

are further exacerbated by disrespect for women overall, and particularly for women of color, resulting in women not being listened to and experiencing trauma when seeking health care.

In short: Structural racism undermines the capacity of the health system to support pregnant women and erodes their trust in that system. “If black women delivered at the same hospitals as white women,” one recent study found,” our results suggest that nearly 1,000 black women could avoid a severe morbid event during their delivery hospitalization annually in New York City.”

The next mayor cannot fix the damage a lifetime exposure to racism has wrought. But the next mayor does have the power to initiate major reforms that recognize this reality, combat it, make pregnancy and birth institutions safer, and require the respectful and dignified care that is every woman's right.

The City’s Department of Health is already implementing pieces of a solution. Since 2017, it has led a clinical and social autopsy of every maternal death while also establishing a network with 14 maternity hospitals to initiate SMM case reviews and develop quality improvement projects. It also funds neighborhood-based Birth Justice Hubs that include Birth Justice Defenders, people who have experienced or are connected to someone who has had a traumatic birth experience, and who organize actions to prevent such outcomes.

The next mayor will have direct authority to encourage and expand this data collection and analysis and neighborhood-based work.

The mayor can also do a lot, to the extent it’s practical and advisable, to demedicalize pregnancy and birth. The current system treats pregnancy as a condition to be diagnosed and mothers as patients whose care should be managed.

But pregnancy is not a disease and most birthing women need support, not treat-

ment.

There is compelling evidence that midwife-led birthing services lead to better maternal health outcomes: lower mortality and morbidity, reduced stillborn and preterm births, less use of harmful interventions like C-sections for low-risk deliveries, and improved maternal psychosocial well-being.

For the past 20 years, NYC H+H, the city’s public hospital system, where nearly a quarter of all births in the city take place, has maintained integrated midwifery services at three of its 11 maternity hospitals. Building on that, the next mayor should: •Create integrated midwifery services at all 11 H+H hospitals.

•Support H+H establishment of freestanding birthing centers in non-hospital settings. Separating delivery from the hospital is the best guarantee for making the process natural not medical.

•Advocate for creating midwifery programs at the CUNY colleges (Hunter, Lehman, and the College of Staten Island) that offer master’s level nursing programs.

•Establish a pipeline to midwifery programs for people of color, including doulas, and remove financial barriers to attending midwifery school.

These steps would not only improve maternal health; they would also cost far less than the status quo. If one-quarter of the city’s tens of thousands of uncomplicated annual deliveries took place in birth centers rather than hospitals, the system would save an estimated $57 million.

There’s also a long agenda the mayor should work on jointly with the City Council, State and Federal policymakers, and New York’s large and influential non-profit hospital networks. It would include: •Expanding existing City and State family leave and paid sick time provisions.

•Enacting stricter workplace protections for expectant parents so that they can attend prenatal visits without fear of losing jobs or income.

•Immediately opting in to the extension now permitted by Federal law of Medicaid coverage for postpartum primary care to a full year – up from the 60 days now covered in New York State.

Pregnancy and childbirth should be a safe and joyous experience. But as with our Covid-19 pandemic experience, the story of maternal deaths and injuries in our city exposes persistent and stark inequities. Black women suffer the most.

The good news is that making New York the best and safest place to give birth is possible.l Barbara Caress has worked for many years in non-profit, union, and public agency health care and administration.

She teaches health policy at Baruch College.

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29

CONVERSATIONS

Suicide Prevention During COVID-19: The Healing Power of Connection and Mutual Support

BY KENNETH FUNG & JOSEPHINE PUI-HING WONG THE CONVERSATION

T

he mental health crisis is a parallel pandemic of COVID-19 across the globe. There are increased concerns about pandemic-related risks of suicide in Canada and elsewhere. Studies from different countries present a complex picture with varying suicide trends, but increased rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation were found to be consistent across countries.

Data from previous pandemics show a significant positive association between pandemic and suicide. The Toronto Transit Commission reported a nearly one-third increase of suicide attempts or fatalities during the first eight months of the pandemic. Suicide prevention is a critical public health response to COVID-19.

There are many complex pandemic-

related risk factors for suicide: •Anxiety and fear of being infected and becoming a contagion for one’s family; •Financial stressors; •Decreased social interactions with friends and community activities, disruption of life goals and normal activities; •Catastrophic thinking; •A sense of hopelessness and helplessness; •Increased family stressors due to working/schooling from home; •Relationship conflicts and break-ups;

•Increased risk of family violence.

A recent study shows that people in quarantine are twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts.

The impact of diminished coping resources is particularly critical to vulnerable populations experiencing preexisting social, economic and health inequities. Elderly people are cut off from supportive programs and in-home services, and those in long-term care homes have had family visits restricted.

People with pre-existing mental illness are more likely to experience deteriorated physical and mental health. Some children and youth are beset by the uncertainty of learning modes and disruption of social connections; many report experiencing difficulty focusing on online learning.

For Indigenous, Black and racialized communities, pre-existing social inequities are translated into disproportionate burden of COVID-19 cases relat-

ed to increased risk of workplace exposure, inadequate housing and reliance on public transportation. For immigrants and refugees, disruption of community support and limited access to linguistically appropriate services are worsened during the pandemic.

These increased stressors and decreased coping resources may interact to escalate the risk of self-harm and suicide.

The following vignettes are anonymized composites of cases based on real clinical presentations. They provide a human story behind the complex issues at hand: Ms. Smith Ms. Smith is a veteran intensive-care nurse. She presented to the emergency department with worsening depression and suicidal thoughts, with an unsuccessful overdose attempt after a recent breakup. She feels that her partner did not show understanding when she came continued on page 30

WE’RE ALL TIRED OF COVID-19 But COVID-19 isn’t over yet.

Neither is our fight.

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GET TESTED IMMEDIATELY IF YOU FEEL COLD OR FLU SYMPTOMS

STAY MASKED AND DISTANCED

AND WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN, GET VACCINATED

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 starts with knowing if we have it. TESTING IS AVAILABLE AT NO COST TO YOU.

Visit testandtrace.nyc or call 212-COVID19 *If you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you do not need to get tested, unless you have COVID-19 symptoms.

There may be different testing requirements in certain settings.

NYCH+H_TestingRefresh_Pub_ImmigrantsJournal_10x6.75_EN_V1_FINAL.indd NYCH+H_TestingRefresh_Pub_ImmigrantsJournal_10x6.75_EN_V1_FINAL.indd 1 VISIT WWW.CAWNYC.COM FOR THE LATEST CARIBBEAN

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4/14/21 2:24 PM 4/14/21

30

CONVERSATIONS Suicide Prevention/ continued from page 29 home from her shift exhausted, and they had frequent fights. She suspects that her partner is abandoning her to avoid the risk of infection.

Every day, work is like a war zone, always short-staffed, and the manager seems heartless. She is resentful that many colleagues are taking sick time, and that the system learned nothing from the first wave. She cannot take care of patients like she used to due to isolation precautions and work demands, and she is feeling numb facing so much illness and death.

While she gives reassurances to anxious families and dying patients, she feels like a fraud and a failure, ashamed of her own helplessness and hopelessness. She blames herself for not having more positive thoughts and not doing more meditation, and has begun to use alcohol to fall asleep at night.

Ms. Chan Ms. Chan is a 75-year-old widow living alone with multiple medical illnesses.

She does not speak English. All her regular community activities and medical appointments have been shut down and she has been feeling terrified because of her high-risk COVID-19 category.

At the beginning of the pandemic, most people were not wearing masks and gave her dirty looks for wearing one. She was

anxious about people disregarding elevator capacity at her apartment, sometimes seeming to crowd around her deliberately. Once, while lining up at the grocery store, the person behind her yelled at her to go back to her home country. She was so shocked that she left her cart there and headed straight home.

She began to feel useless and hopeless.

Her daughter started dropping off food for her at the door weekly. She tried to get her daughter to come in to listen to her fears, but her daughter angrily told her that she could not take any more stress and stormed off. Ms. Chan asks if she can get medically assisted suicide to end her meaningless suffering.

Proactive outreach These brief composite cases illustrate the complex contextual determinants of sui-

cide risk. People become vulnerable when multiple internal and external factors conspire to overwhelm their capacity to cope. There is a need to proactively reach out to those who are isolated, disadvantaged and marginalized, as well as to front-line health-care workers at high risk of burnout.

Suicide prevention is possible through increased public awareness of the warning signs, responsive mental health care and access to comprehensive interventions that address the complex psychosocial and structural determinants.

In response, our PROTECH (Pandemic Rapid-response Optimization To Enhance Community resilience and Health) team has applied our resiliencebuilding Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment model to address pandemic stress and sense of hopelessness associated with suicide. The PACER online intervention integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and social justice-based Group Empowerment Psychoeducation, comprising six self-guided reflective online modules with live video group conferencing.

Participants are encouraged to acknowledge and make room for their distressing thoughts and feelings without believing in them, while finding renewed value and meaning in their life. The group sessions facilitate social connection and mutual support. The social jus-

tice perspective supports participants to make sense of their suffering in a larger social context, enabling them to engage in “self-care” and “we-care” actions that promote personal and collective resilience.

Since June 2020, we have implemented 12 cohorts of PACER (Pandemic Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment Response) training with two priority populations: front-line health-care providers and the Chinese/Asian Canadians who experienced COVID-19 related racism. Our preliminary results showed significant reduction in distress and increased resilience.

We have used the train-the-trainer approach and mentored 20 PACER graduates to become co-facilitators. We will continue to start new PACER cohorts biweekly over the next six months with a goal of delivering 30 additional cohorts.

The global pandemic has had a devastating impact on us all. To combat catastrophic demoralization, it is critical to proactively support people to reconnect with their values, meaning of life, one other and the larger world. Our spirit to survive and thrive collectively is bigger than the virus. l If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, you need to know you’re not alone. If your life or someone else’s is in danger, call 911 for emergency services.

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