By Jitu K. Weusi
It was a cold December night with temperature in the 20’s and a stiff wind blowing.
Inside the Boys and Girls High School, Library, over 300 students, parent leaders, educators, community folks and elected and appointed leaders gathered to give a warm welcome to the newly appointed principal, Dr. Bernard Gassaway.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Dr. Lester Young Jr., member of the New York State Board of Regents. He highlighted the importance of Boys & Girls H.S. as a senior high school to the upliftment and advancement of the Community. He applauded the leadership of the late Frank Mickens who “lifted all boats (everything went up)” during his tenure as principal.
Students from the High lead by Ashley who sang, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, followed by Efekoro Beroro, Senior Class President and Deborah Akinbowale, Student Government President, praised the opening months of Dr. Gassaway’s tenure. Parents, who viewed themselves as consumers, were the next speakers of the evening. Ms. Toye Jackson, PTCA President at Boys and Girls High School and Mr. A.K. Matthews, Parent Association President of several feeder schools, spoke glowingly of Dr. Gassaway and presented him with a poetic plaque.
Next to the microphone was the Honorable Councilman Albert Vann. Because of Vann Support for the High, the audience was sprinkled with high ranking elected officials, Congressman Ed Towns, Judges Cheryl Chambers and Robin Sheares, Assemblywoman Annette Robinson, State Senator Velmanettte Montgomery and Councilman Charles Barron were present.
Vann introduced members of the Boys and Girls High School Advisory Board which includes: Colvin Grannum Esq., Phyllis Hurd, Rev. David Hampton, Rev. Conrad Tillard, Ms. Bernice Green-Greaves, Our Time Press publisher, Don Lee Osborne, Dordy Jourdain, CEO of the Bedford Y, Mrs. Brenda Fryson, former Community Board #3 Chair, and former educator Joan Eastmond.
Under Vann’s leadership the Advisory Body presented Dr. Gassaway with a 52 inch Color H.D.T.V.
Dr. Gassaway was appointed on August 17, 2009 and has pledged to take Boys & Girls High School back to the top. He needs the help and support of all of us!
No Shortage of Stimulus Prayers in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn For President Barack Obama
Mt. Pisgah Prepares for First Anniversary of “O” Team Prayers, Jan. 4
By Matrice Brooks
While many throughout the world esteem President Barack Obama for his pioneer efforts to forge global diplomacy in a post-Bush era, here in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, a faith-based troupe, backs up his every encounter with prayer, monthly at historic Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church.
The “O” Team has prayed through every major challenge and honor the President has accepted since he came to office a year ago. And as the nation begins to assess Obama’s 360-plus days as a world leader, the “O” Team is preparing for the first anniversary celebration of their consistent monthly appeals to their Assessor to intercede for the President. Praise services are planned for Monday, January 4, 2010, starting at 7:00pm in Mt. Pisgah’s Fellowship Hall, 760 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, as the President embarks on a new year in office.
Under the auspices of The Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood, the eleven-member core team of men and women, ranging in age from the early 20’s to 60’s, meet on the fourth day of every month, whether that date falls on a weekday or weekend.
“They arrive geared for deliberate intercession on behalf of Mr. Obama and his family, the office of the President, and even his White House staff,” says Rev. Youngblood who conceived the idea for an “O” Team – a group of modern-day disciples on a 21st century mission.
“Neither pressing reforms nor special honor escapes the intercessory efforts of the “O” Team; in fact, we vow to maintain our prayer vigils for the duration of Mr. Obama’s tenure as President,” adds Rev. Youngblood.
Even though the program commences at 7:00 p.m., there are those who arrive as early as 6 p.m. to secure the coveted front-row seats to experience the full breadth of exultant group prayer and praise that has come to distinguish Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, under the guidance of Rev. Youngblood.
“Congregants and guests file in by the dozens. They are loyal and have provided their support without fail since the program’s inception. In a positive way, the prayer services have become infectious,” states Youngblood.
On any given fourth, worshippers along with the prayer team settle into the airy, Thomas-Spann Fellowship Hall that sits parallel to the church sanctuary. Liberal seating is arranged for an anticipated one-hundred or more guests. Nine massive columns painted a canary yellow and dark green – symbolizing joy and life – ensconce the area. Music is piped in through huge woofers mounted on opposite ends of the stage. Positioned close to the edge, at center stage, is a large projection screen from which the video stream of Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, the National Black Anthem by James Weldon and Rosamond Johnson, will soon project. This is a staple video clip for the “O” Team.
At start time, 7:00 pm, on any fourth in the life of the program, chatter ceases throughout the hall. The youngest “O” Teamer provides a slam poetry selection, and, without fail, the crowd goes wild. A nine year-old reads a letter to President Obama in the tender voice of Sasha, the youngest Obama. Tears well up.
At the December 4 session, eighth-graders of Mt. Pisgah’s George Henry Murray Preparatory Academy read letters (penned by their own hands) congratulating Mr. Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The crowd marvels at their genius. A petite, teenage girl sings the Lord’s Prayer in South African; this rendering is further accentuated with a South African drum dance, performed by an all-female troupe. The crowd is astonished.
Last August 4 on Mr. Obama’s birthday, the “O” Team celebrated with a message in the dialect of his Kenyan grandmother. There have been dramatizations, too. One recent tribute was to 86 year-old Eugene Allen, who, after a 35-year career as butler in the White House, was honored to see the day the first black President assume residence in the iconic dome at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
On yet another occasion, an operatic rendering of Exodus boomerangs off the hallowed walls. Occasionally, the “O” Team will hand the reins over to worshippers to engage them in intercession for Mr. Obama. The “O” Team takes bold steps to ensure there are no shortage of prayers and no spared talent.
“His administrative duties as Commander-in-Chief are frequently criticized and often minimized,” commented a long time “O” Team member. “So our only choice is to pray.” In fact, while so many remember the Obamas in their thoughts and prayers, the Brooklyn “O” Team is probably the only faith-based group along the Northeastern corridor that’s committed to Mr. Obama’s spiritual welfare – with a dedicated service – on this magnitude.
Now ranked with legendary Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Ralph Johnson Bunche, U.S. Diplomat and Politician and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., respectively 1950 and 1964 awardees, President Barack Obama is the third African-American to have the distinguished award conferred on October 9, 2009 – just nine months into his Presidency. “True to style and grace,” notes Rev. Youngblood, “it is likely Mr. Obama considers the implications of the Nobel Peace Prize as ‘a call to action’.”
“We pray to an omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent God who listens,” says a senior “O” Team member. “We have prayed earnestly from our hearts for Mr. Obama’s success these past twelve months, and there is no shortage of evidence that our prayers are being heard and answered. As more and more change comes about, the atmosphere at home and abroad takes on new fervor. I would like to think it’s because of our prayers.
“Like the walls of Jericho, we must rebuild brick-by-brick and layer-by-layer both our international and domestic human relations. The enormity of that task is achievable through prayer and, certainly, by having the appropriate person poised for the great undertaking. We believe Mr. Obama possesses both the integrity and abilities. That is why we pray constantly,” concludes the senior “O” Team member.
The group welcomes community participation, Monday, January 4, 2010.
(Note: When the fourth falls on weekdays, “O” Team programs are held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. When that date falls on a Saturday, the team convenes at 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Lastly, when the fourth occurs on a Sunday, their program is incorporated into the regular 10:45 a.m. church service at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church.)
So, why did the “O” Team settle on the fourth of every month? That date was selected to represent the significance of Mr. Obama’s birthday (Aug 4), his historic election (Nov 4) and of course he is the 44th President of the United States.
Senator Perkins Raises Question of Potential Wrongdoing in $511 Million Bond Issuance by Brooklyn Arena Local Development Corporation for Nets Arena
Bill Perkins, chair of the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee, is urging Governor Paterson to investigate the $511 million dollar bond issuance by the Brooklyn Arena Local Development Corporation (BALDC) for possible wrongdoing and to halt the sale.
On December 15, 2009, the BALDC a not-for-profit corporation created by the Job Development Authority (JDA), held a bond auction to fund the construction of the arena component of the Atlantic Yards project.
However, the bond issuance is not valid on at least two grounds, outlined in a letter Senator Perkins sent to the governor.
By issuing the bonds through the BALDC, the JDA (which is a unit of the Empire State Development Corporation) avoided its statutory obligation to receive approval from the Public Authorities Control Board and the State Comptroller.
Additionally, according to a recent Court of Appeals decision, the BALDC does not have the authority to grant a property tax exemption for land leased for the proposed Nets arena. “Consequently, payments-in-lieu of taxes cannot be used to secure the bonds, and they are effectively worthless. If ESDC knowingly misrepresented the legitimacy of these bonds, this raises the specter of fraud,” Sen. Perkins writes.
“It is unacceptable that these entities would violate the public trust and subject taxpayers to hundreds of millions in debt obligations and issue debt outside the statutorily mandated review, especially during our current financial crisis” argues Sen. Perkins. “I am equally concerned by the fiction engaged in by the ESDC. Their purpose is to promote economic development in the best interest of the people of New York, not seek murky loopholes costing New Yorkers millions in property tax revenues from wealthy private developers like Forest City Ratner.”
Furthermore, it appears the ESDC was in part motivated to issue the bonds before the IRS tax exempt stadium deadline of December 31, 2009.
“Earlier this month Governor Paterson signed landmark public authority reform legislation into law. However, it is clear that some have not received the message. My committee will review these actions and continue to seek transparency and accountability on behalf of the people of New York,” Senator Perkins says.
The View From Here
This first year of the Barack Obama presidency has been spent setting the stage for the what’s to come. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are far from over, but they seem to have faded in the popular consciousness, but not for the men and women overseas fighting, their families here at home, those trapped in the war zone and the drain on our treasury. By the end of next year, we hope and pray that the president’s plan for disengagement will succeed and we will begin to see the end of this military adventure.
The global-warming crisis is the biggest threat to people around the world and it will only be worse next year, continuing to cause death by drought, flood and famine, and causing mass migrations as people move to escape rising sea levels and find food, water and resources. The just concluded United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen has been criticized as producing no set goals for nations to achieve, but they will have another chance to set definitive timetables in Mexico at the end of next year.
For me, one of the most disheartening scenes to watch this year has been what has been called the health care debate, but which has devolved into the shameless purchase of the government by the pharmaceutical and health industrial complex.
In November of 2008 we wrote of President Obama, “The leniency shown to the turncoat Senator Joe Lieberman should also not be misconstrued as weakness. As distressing as it appears to some Obama supporters, they should keep in mind Godfather Vito Corleone saying ‘There may come a day I will ask you for a favor.’ Joe will be granting Obama favors many times in many ways for supporting him to remain as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.” Boy, were we wrong. It has been a sorry sight to see Senator Lieberman imposing his will on the country by demanding that there be no public option in the health care bill despite the polls saying the majority of people want it, and the facts showing how much money it would save. Either Senator Lieberman double-crossed the president or Obama knew Lieberman’s position all along, but was never going to push for a public option anyway. The wiping out of the public option, and the non-consideration of a single-payer system in any form, is a triumph of money over people, and will result in more deaths by non-treatment, 45,000 last year and a population forced to pay for the profits and administrative costs of the health care industry. All of those brightly painted insurance company RV’s we see with the workers setting up tables on the street are paid for by health insurance premiums and they have nothing to do with health care, only trolling for customers at our expense.
But money saved by the people, is money lost as far as the insurance companies are concerned and they are not having it and neither will their minion in the halls of congress, cementing the perception that we have the best democracy money can buy.
So now we are saddled with supporting the lifestyles of the rich by being forced to select which crook to allow to pick our pockets. And while these corporate welfare addicts are making out beautifully, we find that Black businesses are being shut out of the stimulus dollars at the same time their communities are suffering the highest unemployment rates.
We always understood that the last thing a Black president would do is show favoritism to the Black community, but after receiving over 90% of the Black vote we did expect something approaching fairness from this administration. To be so wrong on this item is particularly painful.
They say it takes miles to bring an ocean-going oil tanker to a stop and I bet that’s a lot like changing the habits of a bureaucracy the size of the federal government, so I guess the president could be cut a little slack. Obama has a lot of work to do in this second year because if the Black community has to endure another year like his first, the lesson he will leave us with is that having a Black president may be good for the soul, but it’s the effect on the pocketbook and the dinner table that will be the ultimate judge. May you have a merry Christmas and a happy Kwanzaa.
A GREAT TIME FOR ALL AT OLDTIMERS ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
More than 250 supporters and devotees of the Brooklyn Oldtimers Foundation, Inc. gathered Sunday, December 13 afternoon at Antun’s in Queens Village to applaud the group’s exceptional record of stellar service to New York City during its 37 years of existence.
The classy annual affair recognizes young people, business owners, educators, professionals and association members who have made outstanding contributions to the communities they serve, said Mr. Reuben C. Bankhead, BOF President.
Over the past 37 years, the BOF, through these annual fundraising events, has awarded 124 scholarships totaling nearly $350,000. “In each of these years, the BOF with the help of its friends, has granted financial assistance to more than 200 Central Brooklyn High School graduates,” he said. “We have also acknowledged and celebrated the work of a pantheon of prominent community leaders by listing them on our distinguished Honoree Scroll. “It’s the chance to recognize our own.”
The scholarship awards were presented to Naytira S. Baker, from George Wingate H.S. and on her way to Daemon College; Keith G. Salhab, graduate of Boys & Girls H.S., who is now at Howard University; Paul Robeson High School alumnus Avion Alexander of NYC College of Technology and Robert Garcia, who attended Thomas Jefferson, and now is excelling at NYC College of Technology. Each student received $1,000 per year for a period of four years.
The Foundation’s in-kind work with the students, including nurturing them, positioning them, counseling and being a phone-call away if there are any problems can easily bring the total scholarship gift over the past 37 years to $1 million dollars.
This year, the Foundation honored Jennifer P. Small, one of its former scholarship recipients, now a Client Service Representative with Citi’s Prime Finance Division, by listing her with the Honoree Roll Class of 2009. That list also included Doris D. Bell, Director of the Frank R. Bell Funeral Home; Dyrnest K. Sinckler, Executive Vice President and Chief operating Officer of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (BSRC); Bernice E. Green and David M. Greaves, publishers of Our Time Press; and architect T. Barrett Stanley, BOF Board Member and Founder/President of Stanley Architects/Planners of Brooklyn, NY.
Our Time Press publishers were very proud of their induction with fellow and sister community servants into the Oldtimers’ Honoree Roll and to be in the company of previous inductees Sydney S. Moshette, Jr., MSW, an Oldtimers’ Board member; Samuel Pinn, chairman, Fort Greene Council, Inc. and award-winning athlete Mary DeSaussure Sobers, who were present at the December 13 event.
Others in the tony crowd included: community activists Doris Pinn andEdna Moshette; The Rev. Johnny Youngblood, pastor, Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church and pastor emeritus of St. Paul’s Community Baptist Church; Writer Matrice Brooks; Colvin Grannum, President and CEO, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corp.; Councilman Al and Mildred Vann; socialite Barbara Sidbury; Bernard Gassaway, principal of Boys & Girls H.S.; Father Garver Israel of St. Philips Episcopal Church; and so many more.
Brooklyn Borough President, an unfailing presence at the Oldtimers’ annual events, was sidelined by a minor traffic accident that rainy day, but his fond wishes made it to the event and were well-received.
Highlighting “the afternoon of nostalgia and remembrance” was a rousing “Circle of Brothers” ceremonial march; and call and shout by the Oldtimers Foundation. Board and associate members.
Board Member deftly handled the Lawrence Boatwright master of ceremonies duties at this lively, classy event, which featured the lively music and rhythms of The Ron Anderson Band.
This year’s event was organized and elegantly hosted by BOF’s Board of Directors, including Mr. Bankhead, James N. Tempro, Alfred S. Welch, Mr. Stanley, James Dupree, Mr. Moshette, Roger P. Montgomery, G. Nesbitt Benjamin, Charles P. Coombs, Edwin S. Douglas, Jr., Charles A. Foster, Elisha R. Gill, Thomas R. Leach, Darnley Osborne, Mr. Boatwright and John Johnson. Bernice Elizabeth Green