Our Time PressThe Local Paper with the Global View

By Tequila Minsky

The February 22 swearing-in has been postponed until after the Board of Elections certifies the count which will be March 6. While state law does not require residency to run for a council seat, and in fact, 6 of the recent candidates were not district residents, it does require residency to “hold a seat.” It is undisputed that Dr. Eugene, prior to the election, resided in Canarsie. Supporter Gerard Cadet explained that Eugene signed a lease on a three-bedroom apartment off Flatbush Ave. in the district on February 1 and has been sleeping there.
Much of the family household items were moved on February 19. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the council have asked the attorney general to weigh in on the residency issue. There are no state laws regarding length of residency for city council seats, no actual precedent. It is expected that the ultimate decision will pass back to the city council and the Eugene camp is confident that all legal requirements have been met and that his swearing-in will take place without further conflict next week.
With the backing of Una and Yvette Clarke, the former holders of the 40th City Council District seat, and  the influential health care workers union 1199 along with the numbers in the Haitian community who came out to vote,  a landslide victory on February 20 was enjoyed by Dr. Mathieu Eugene in his bid for a seat on the New York City Council.
Support came from other sectors, too. Musicians Wyclef Jean, King Kino and others performed for his campaign at a gathering over the weekend before the election. Congressman Anthony D.  Weiner, from the 9th Congressional District (parts of Brooklyn and Queens), endorsed him.
And so Dr. Mathieu Eugene became the first Haitian to be elected in New York City politics, the first Haitian in the NYC Council, filling  the seat vacated by Yvette D. Clarke, who was just elected to Congress.
Other members of the Haitian community had supported and picked another candidate, scientist and health professional Ferdinand Zizi, who withdrew to narrow the field while his petitions were being challenged (in fact, he didn’t have enough valid signatures).
This left Eugene, who runs a youth center in the district, to compete with 9 other candidates-7 with Caribbean heritage. This particular central Brooklyn district has a very high Caribbean population.
In recent days, the streets of the district saw a flurry of political placards attached to poles and on Election Day, cars plastered with candidates’ posters cruised polling sites. Some candidates were spotted handing out leaflets. (One was challenged after he gave out a leaflet on the steps of a polling site.  Electioneering cannot take place within 100 feet of the entrance to the polls.)
As the day progressed,  candidates were seen checking the numbers who voted at polling sites.  Luck held for the weather that February day.
With 65,000 registered voters, 5% were expected to vote, more with good weather.  By day’s end, 5900, 9% of those registered, voted, a high turnout for a winter special election; fortuitously, it was  mild and dry.
Eugene received 34%  (2,013) of the vote, more than double of second place contender Jennifer James, fundraiser for Clarke’s congressional bid, who received 15% (890) of the vote.  In third place was Wellington Sharpe, who has unsuccessfully run for a number of offices including State Senate; he received 12%, 704 votes. 
As for the other candidates: Harry Schiffman- 445, Jesse Hamilton-438, Moe Razvi-421, Zenobia McNally-363, Joel Toney-254, Ricky Tulloch-286, Karlene Gordon-65.
The 40th City Council District in central Brooklyn covers parts of Flatbush, Crown Heights and historical home district of Ditmas Park.  This district elected the first Jamaican, Una Clarke, to city council in 1991; her daughter Yvette succeeded her in 2001.
The Clarke camp endorsed Eugene amidst much fanfare at City Hall in mid-January demonstrating their strong continuing involvement in local politics.  
At the victory party of nearly 200 people at Caf‚ Alta, Una Clarke functioned as the Mistress of Ceremonies making sure the minions were thanked and everything was in order. 
“This is extraordinary because we’re seeing history being made right before our eyes,” Representative Clarke said on victory night. “The city council district has an extraordinary new member who will fight for the concerns of all the people of this district.”
Eugene, who stated as he does time and again, that he represents all the people in the district reiterated this sentiment.  A Muslim constituent and a religious Jewish constituent were among those who spoke at his victory gathering. There was a seemingly endless but sincere list of   thank-you’s enumerated including those to his wife and two teenage children.
The victory gathering-with a majority of Haitians-enjoyed all the ceremonials, but eventually the crowd started bristling a bit in anticipation for other celebratory activities like dancing.
The bubbly came out; Haitian food  including  the tradition rice dish, djon-djon,  was served and the  packed room of celebrants danced unto the wee hours to a variety of  DJ rhythms. The American, Jamaican and Haitian flag were displayed.
The following day, Eugene walked the streets of Flatbush shaking hands and thanking his new constituency.  On an interview on NY1 he said,  “We are a Haitian.” then he corrected himself, “We are an emigrant community. Those with green cards, I will encourage to become citizens.  Those who are citizens, I will encourage to register to vote.”       
It’s now up to the attorney general.
This special election temporarily fills the city council seat until the next general election. On September 11, a Democratic primary for this seat will take place followed by the November General Election. Clarke’s council seat will then be filled for the two years remaining on her term.               
The number of New Yorkers of Haitian descent in the metro area could be as high as 200,000. In the recent election that sent Jamaican-descent Yvette Clarke to Congress, many Haitians donated money and worked very hard on her campaign. It was said sometimes you only heard Creole spoken at her headquarters.
The 40th City Council District has about an equal number of potential Jamaican and Haitian voters, 8-10,000.  There are 5,000 unregistered Haitian voters in the district. This is untapped electoral territory.
This district is within the 11th Congressional District.  Democratic winner for Congress Yvette  Clarke did not receive a majority (she garnered 31.2% of the vote) in the primary election.
One political observer noted, “If supporting a Haitian was tactical, it was a smart thing to do.” By joining Haitians with their Jamaican base, the Clarke’s are solidifying their support in the community.  Creating a voting block of Haitians and Jamaicans would go unmatched. Congressional elections take place every two years.
The 11th Congressional District was designed to empower its minority residents; its most famous officeholder was Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman member of Congress, succeeded by progressive Major Owens.

By Aminisha Black

Life Beyond the NYS Mathematics Test
  The Math tutoring business has been booming for the last month or so.   Anxiety has probably risen considerably in the home over the same period of time.   Why?  The upcoming Math test!  
While I don’t have any magic formula for students to ace the Math test, I do have a  formula for mastering all subjects and, consequently, all tests.  The goal should be to have our children gain the skills necessary to solve problems in the real world.  Since our homes exist in the real world and as adults, parents know what’s needed to manage their homes successfully; the ball is in our court.    Just notice that you may be working more hours, buying more trinkets but still sweating your child’s future because someone or something else is pulling the strings. Perhaps we can translate the frenzy of last-minute prepping for this test into a resolution to turn the theory of the classroom into practice at home and have real-life experiences make the theory more meaningful for our children.
At the risk of being redundant, children are born with genius.  Involving them as early as possible in home management makes it easier for you, gives them a feeling of being worthwhile (being a contributor), responsible and capable and I daresay excel in school.  We won’t use the word “chores” because somewhere along the line, “chores” have gotten a bad reputation.   Nelson Mandela, who herded sheep at the age of five, is my shining example of the benefits of growing up being responsible and contributing.    Let’s look at some ways of developing a comfort with Mathematics by merging it with the real world – making home a Math Lab.   The kitchen is a great place to start, provided of course, you’re still preparing and eating meals at home.  If not, make that the first on your list of priorities -not only to teach Math but also to ensure optimum health of your family, and as a bonus, your child’s self-esteem receives a major boost.
Gather the family and establish menus for the week.  This allows children to make input into the meal planning and allows discussions for linking food to health.  Stressing balanced meals, you can come up with percentages or fractions of food types for each meal.
Making the shopping list requires counting the people who will eat, estimating how much each will need, adding to get purchase amount.  In the case of beverages, converting ounces to quarts.
Taking inventory; Ask your child to help you determine what’s needed by looking at the fractions of items you still have. How much bread? A quarter of a loaf? What about milk? Half a gallon?  A third or half of a dozen?  You don’t have to actually measure – it’s an exercise in estimating and talking fractions.
Fine-tune your list by reading supermarket sales and gathering manufacturers and store coupons being offered for foods on your shopping list.  Spice up the savings hunt by letting the child know that savings at the supermarket or elsewhere will result in money he or she can use to get a wanted item.  Allow child to compare prices at different stores to determine where the best prices are and have her add the savings.
At the supermarket allow your child to weigh produce on the store’s scale.  Let him add and reduce amounts in order to count the number of marked ounces that add up to one pound.  Child can also weigh packaged food and compare the weight on the package to that on the scale.  Having child figure out cost-per-unit improves his ability to estimate and predict and helps you get the most for your money.
Cooking the meals requires measuring ingredients, dividing or multiplying depending on servings recipe yields. Baking involves time and temperature formula.
These are but a few ways to teach Math on a regular basis that will help children of all ages understand what Math
is about. There’s more in the kitchen as well as throughout the home and community. And it doesn’t stop with Math.  Let’s give real meaning to parent involvement by bringing the learning home.   The HomeWorks! Seminar is committed to establishing the authentic home team and a community that honors the gift that our children are.  For on-line resources, visit www.nettrekker.com.
Comments and questions should be sent to parentsnotebook@yahoo.com

By Conrad Worrill, Ph.D.

As the Houston Chapter of the National Black United Front has so eloquently stated, we must stand against the war because “we understand that Global White Supremacy is the driving force behind much of America’s foreign and domestic policy.”
As the Houston Chapter of NBUF proclaims, we must say, “No To War! YES TO REPARATIONS!”
We should listen to the wisdom of our great ancestor, the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, on the question of war. Garvey said, “If the war is not yours… never go into war foolishly. Never sacrifice your life without good results for your cause. War is the best time to take advantage of your transgressor, whoever he may be. Whenever he is engaged in war and he promises you nothing, you will never get anything from him in time of peace.” All of the forces that represent the world of white supremacy and that oppose the just demands of African people for reparations will not prevail in their efforts to disrupt, diminish or stifle the mass momentum that we are witnessing by African people in America and throughout the world who are organizing, day-by-day and block-by-block, around the issue of reparations just because they are involved and obsessed in an unjust war in Iraq.
On April 27, 1993, the great African scholar and thinker, Chinweizu, presented a paper at the second plenary session of the First Pan-African Conference on Reparations in Abuja, Nigeria. I think it is timely in the face of the attacks on the Reparations Movement and the United States’ involvement in the war on Iraq, to refer to the keen insights that Chinweizu presented in this paper. Chinweizu put forth the following historical background:
Contemplating the condition of the Black World is vexatious to the spirit: that is probably the strongest impetus which has brought us all here today.
For many centuries, and especially in the last five, the Black skin has been a badge of contempt. For instance, it used to be said in Brazil that if you are white and running down the street, you are an athlete, but if you are Black and running down the street, you are a thief! And in most parts of the world today, if you are white and rich, you are honored and celebrated, and all doors fly open as you approach; but if you are Black and rich, you are under suspicion, and handcuffs and guard dogs stand ready to take you away.
Yes, the Black skin is still the badge of contempt in the world today, as it has been for nearly 2,000 years. To make sure it does not remain so in the 21st century is perhaps the overall purpose of our search for reparations.
We are gathered here today, thinkers and activists who want to change Black people’s condition in the world. What things do we need to change, both in the world and in ourselves, if we are to accomplish the mission of reparations? What changes must we make in structures, in psychology, in historical consciousness and much else?
We might begin by noting that Blacks are not the only people in the world who are seeking, or who have sought, reparations. In fact, by only now pressing our claim for reparations, we are latecomers to a varied company of peoples in the Americas, in Asia, and in Europe. Here is a partial catalogue of reparations, paid and pending, which are 20th century precedents for reparations to the Black World.
In the Americas, from Southern Chile to the Arctic north of Canada, reparations are being sought and being made. The Mapuche, an aboriginal people of Southern Chile, are pressing for the return of their lands, some 30 million hectares of which were, bit by bit, taken away and given to European immigrants since 1540. The Inuit of Arctic Canada, more commonly known as the Eskimo, were in 1992, offered restitution of some 850,000 sq. miles of their ancestral lands, their home range for millennia before European invaders arrived there.
In the USA, claims by the Sioux to the Black Lands of South Dakota are now in the courts. And the US Government is attempting to give some 400,000 acres of grazing land to the Navaho, and some other lands to the Hopi in the southwest of the USA.
In 1988, the US Government admitted wrongdoing in interning some 120,000 Japanese-Americans under Executive Order 9066 of 1942 during WWII, and awarded each internee $20,000.
In Europe, after WWII, the victors demanded reparations from Germany for all damages to civilians and their dependents, for losses caused by the maltreatment of prisoners of war and for all nonmilitary property that was destroyed in the war. In 1921, Germany’s reparations liability was fixed at 132 billion gold marks. After WWII, the victorious Allies filed reparations claims against Germany for $320 billion. Reparations were also levied on Italy and Finland. The items for which these claims were made included bodily loss, loss of liberty, loss of property, injury to professional careers, dislocation and forced emigration, time spent in concentration camps because of racial, religious and political persecution. Others were the social cost of war, as represented by the burden from loss of life, social disorder and institutional disorder; the economic cost of war, as represented by the capital destroyed and the value of civilian goods and services foregone to make war goods. Payments were made in cash and kind- goods, services, capital equipment, land, farm and forest products; penalties were added for late deliveries.
Perhaps the most famous case of reparations was that paid by Germany to the Jews. Reparations were paid by West Germany to Israel for crimes against Jews in territories controlled by Hitler’s Germany and to individuals to indemnify them from persecution. In the initial phase, these included $2 billion to make amends to victims of Nazi persecution; $952 million in personal indemnities; $35.70 per month, per inmate of concentration camps; pensions for the survivors; $820 million to Israel to resettle 50,000 Jewish emigrants from lands formerly controlled by Hitler. All that was just the beginning. Other, and largely undisclosed, payments followed. And even in 1992, the World Jewish Congress in New York announced that the newly unified Germany would pay compensation totaling $63 million for 1993 to 50,000 Jews who suffered Nazi persecution but had not been paid reparations because they lived in East Germany.
With such precedents of reparations to non-Black peoples in four continents, it would be sheer racism for the world to discountenance reparations claims from the Black World.
Let us continue to keep building the Reparations Movement throughout the African World Community!
BC columnist Conrad W. Worrill, Ph.D., is the National Chairman of the National Black United Front (NBUF).

Time is running out for those who participated in rescue, recovery and cleanup following the collapse of the World Trade Center to preserve their right to file for 9/11-related workers’ compensation benefits. Workers and volunteers who fail to register with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board by August 14, 2007 will be barred from filing a claim even if they develop a 9/11-related physical or mental illness in the future.
   Only a small minority of  workers and volunteers-less than 7,000 of the estimated 100,000 eligible-has registered under a new workers’ compensation law, according to the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH), a nonprofit educational advocacy organization.
   “It is imperative that people who worked within the boundaries or at the sites detailed in the law register with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board, whether they are sick or not,” said Joel Shufro, the organization’s executive director.  “Failure to register will prevent individuals who may develop cancer or other slow-starting diseases from receiving benefits.”
Under New York State’s Workers’ Compensation Law, most workers would be barred from filing a claim two years after an injury.  But in August 2006, the state legislature enacted legislation that allowed workers to preserve their right to file a claim, now and in the future by registering with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board.
  A week before 9/11’s fifth anniversary, a study released by Mount Sinai Medical Center detailed the drastic damage to health faced by 9/11 workers and volunteers who inhaled the toxic dust.  More than 70 percent of the 9,500 patients examined developed a potentially serious respiratory illness.  Additionally, the study stated that the longer-term health consequences of exposure are still unknown.
   Consequently, all responders should register now even if they are healthy.  By doing so, they will be eligible to file for benefits later should they become ill – even for conditions that might develop twenty to thirty years later.
   The law applies to most people who did paid or unpaid, rescue, recovery or cleanup work in lower Manhattan south of Canal or Pike Streets, between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 12, 2002.  It also applies to those who worked at the Staten Island landfill, the barge operation between Manhattan and Staten Island or the New York City Morgue (or any of the temporary Morgues set up during that period).  Immigration status-whether documented or not-does not affect a person’s eligibility.
   If you are in doubt about whether or not you qualify, find out.  For detailed information, contact your union, visit the NYCOSH Web site at www.nycosh.org <http://www.nycosh.org/> , or call the toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-866-WTC-2556.  Information is available in Spanish and English.  Find out about registration requirements now before it’s too late.

By Mary Alice Miller

A Dropout Summit was held Feb. 23 at Baruch College. In collaboration with Directions for Our Youth, the United Way and the National Dropout Prevention Center, the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus of the NYC Council presented a power-packed conference that was attended by several hundred of NYC’s most influential public and private sector education advocates.
Robert Jackson, chair of the NYC Council Education Committee, warmly welcomed all in attendance, grateful for the expressions of concern regarding NYC’s dropout crisis. According to Jackson, “The future of our city depends upon well-educated youth. We must provide adequate resources in order for our young people to reach their potential.” (Jackson has demonstrated his commitment to the problem of unequal distribution of resources for education by leading a decades-long fight for equitable funding from NY State via the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. Recent judicial decisions and budget appropriations have proved him right.)
Although we think we know how bad the situation is, Directions for Our Youth provided some shocking statistics: NYC is in the top three for the worst high school graduation rates of the nation’s 50 largest school districts, with a grad rate of 38%. In 2005, more than 21,000 students dropped out of NYC public high schools. There are 506 failing schools in NYS, 409 of them in NYC. New York City’s dropout factories (where 100 or more students dropped out from the class of 2005) include (in Brooklyn): Lane, Adams, Madison, South Shore, FDR, Lafayette, Boys and Girls and Bushwick. Similar results exist in all other boroughs.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced the formation of a task force on Middle Schools, which will be holding hearings this spring. Quinn feels the dropout problem starts in middle school.
Keynote speaker Jonathan Kozol, darling of liberal educators, gave an entertaining yet empty presentation. Kozol admits his experience is in teaching elementary school. For all his talk (and writings) about education, he doesn’t have a clue of what goes on in middle and high schools. What is most offensive is his repeated assertation that in order for minority students to get a quality education, they must sit next to white students in the classroom. This begs the question: in dense urban areas, where are you going to get enough white students to put one in every classroom? Do classrooms without the requisite white student doom minority students to failure? Let’s get real.
Congressman Charles Rangel, newly appointed chair of the House of Representative’s Ways and Means Committee, brought the dropout issue home. “Lack of education and poverty is dangerous to national security.” Rangel related the dropout rate to costs for society. He said the common thread in gun violence between the youth who is shot and doing the shooting is dropping out. The youth who is shot requires extensive and expensive emergency room services. A paralyzed kid may cost $2,000,000 over their lifetime. Both are generally unemployable. Once caught in the criminal justice system, the recidivism rate is 50%.
Rangel said the average salary in the Army is $30- 40,000. Even if a youth wanted to use the armed services as an employer of last resort because of dropping out and a criminal record many cannot reach even the Roosevelt Standard of minimal qualifications.
According to Rangel, it is unfair to tell a 16-year-old, ‘Sorry, your life is over.’ Rangel recommends the public and private sector create jobs that do not require a high school diploma.
Bronx Borough President Adolpho Carrion said we no longer need think tanks and magic curriculum; we know what works- early intervention and small class size. We also need second-chance schools to capture 16-21-year olds.
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum recommended an expansion of Career and Technical Education, citing the example of Clara Barton H.S.
Sheila Evans-Trannum, Associate Commissioner of the NY State Education Department, provided an informative overview of the role of government in education. Trannum reminded us that the Constitution of the U.S. placed education in the hands of the states, which in turn, delegates responsibility to local education agencies (LEA’s). The NYS Ed. Dept. is responsible for oversight and monitoring. The State sets standards; LEA’s set curriculum.

Do you wonder why NYC dropout rates are different from NYS numbers? Trannum states NYS does not count summer graduation rates. Neither does NYS count GED’s. Reason? NY State wanted to discourage LEA’s from pushing students toward GED’s because GED standards vary. NYS also includes the graduation rates of special education students. Referring to JetBlue Airline’s recent media attention, Trannum pointed out that JetBlue’s CEO has ADD, which did not stop him from starting three airlines. We should not count special-ed students out. Trannum believes we should hold schools accountable- not students.
Deputy Mayor Dennis Wolcott presented a litany of Bloomberg’s reforms, starting with Children First in 2002. Other changes in the past 4 years include the end of social promotion, longer school days, reduction in achievement gap and the hiring of 1400 parent coordinators. In 2005, Chancellor Klein created the Office of Multiple Pathways to Graduation, which focuses on youth development. The Office of Multiple Pathways administers 25 transfer high schools, 100 GED programs and 20 young adult centers that focus on learning-to-work. NYC has received $1.3 billion allocated to create 102,000 new classroom seats by 2010. Walcott states lower class size requires space.
When asked how NYC would staff these new, smaller classrooms and what workforce management strategies the city has to move substitute teachers (who are working on certification and have passed required teacher tests) into these positions, Walcott states he did not know anything about substitutes. He did say the city intends to move qualified teachers into these positions. This answer seemed odd, considering the Teaching Fellows program currently puts unqualified “teachers” directly into classrooms with only summer training. Teaching Fellows assists and pays for the requisite master’s degree, assists these fellows with passing certification tests while providing them with full teacher salary and benefits. No one can say Teaching Fellows are qualified, yet there they are in the classroom. Many Teaching Fellows (recruited from outside the city) cannot deal with classroom management issues urban students bring, and therefore leave before completing the mandated 2-year program participation.
Substitute (per diem) teachers are experienced with classroom management issues and are prepared with myriad lesson plans as a result of going into a variety of classes and schools on a sometimes-daily basis. In 2004, there were 12, 400 substitute teachers working in NYC with no medical benefits, substandard pay scale, no summer income and virtually no union advocacy despite UFT dues deductions. Yet substitutes are necessary to the functioning of NYC schools because certified teachers are required to participate in training that regularly takes them out of the classroom. Substitutes fill in during these required teacher absences. Substitutes are so necessary to the smooth functioning of schools that in 2005, Klein introduced SubCentral, a computerized system to provide substitute labor to schools in an egalitarian way. So far, SubCentral has been successful.
A commonsense approach to staffing the new classroom seats in 2010 is for NYC to create a workforce management program specifically for substitutes NOW, along the lines of programs already available for para-professionals (assistant teachers) as well as Teaching Fellows.
The most refreshing part of the Dropout Summit was the participation of young people. A couple of hundred students attended the afternoon session with Walcott. (No, they were not playing hooky; schools were closed due to the midwinter break.) It was good for the deputy mayor to hear directly from students currently navigating the NYC school system. Walcott got to hear the variety of student concerns, ranging from inadequate availability of books in small schools, to metal detector’s inability to pick up drugs smuggled into schools and student desire to participate in the formulation of school policy at the building level.
Another interesting aspect of the summit was breakout groups focusing on the role of family, school, teacher, community, government, student and the school district. These sessions happened concurrently, so that it was impossible to attend more than one. They did give participants the opportunity to attend the session they were most interested in.
We all know the problems caused by dropping out. We have some solutions. Now let’s get to work.