Our Time PressThe Local Paper with the Global View

By planning to circumvent the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) in the proposed West Side Complex in Manhattan and the Nets Arena in Brooklyn, Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki and financial-driven interests, are conspiring to deny not only New Yorkers in general (a voice in the future of the city), they are specifically targeting the black and brown majority by ensuring that white- male controlled entities will continue to receive black and brown tax dollars for generations to come according to the New York City Independent Budget Office. 
As the report states, ” HYIC approach leaves three-fourths of the debt service for the Phase I infrastructure investments to be paid after 2020, long after the subway extension and the platform are built and beyond the useful life of some of the assets being financed. Some payments will continue through 2054. By comparison,
43 percent of GO debt service would be paid by 2020. When using long-term debt to finance infrastructure, the public sector is responsible for safeguarding the welfare of future generations as well as the current generation. Under the HYIC plan, because much of the debt service costs from 2005 to 2019 will be borrowed and then refinanced in 2020, users of the new infrastructure in the first decades of the project will enjoy the benefits of the investment while leaving much of the cost to be borne by future taxpayers.”
We contacted Bonnie Brower, executive director of City Project, who said that future taxpayers are going to have a lot of paying to do. “There is an increasing proportion of every new revenue dollar that is going to pay off old debt.”  Municipal Assistance Corporation bonds, which would have been paid off in five years, have been extended for 30 years.  “This refinancing of old operating debt is especially appalling,” “This plan means it will have taken.three and a half  generations to pay off the 70’s fiscal crisis.”  
With the approval of the NBA to the sale of the New Jersey Nets to Bruce Ratner, Mr. Ratner has crossed one hurdle on his run for a 24-acre Nets arena and housing/commercial complex.   But local politicians and community groups came up with ten more at a press conference on the steps of City Hall last month.  Declaring that the NBA “blew the call” in approving the sale of the New Jersey Nets to Bruce Ratner, City Councilmember Letitia James and Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB) called on the city government to scrutinize the developer’s $2.5 billion plan, which they characterized as a “secretive, taxpayer-subsidized, sweetheart arena deal.” 
Defining the nature of the conflict, Councilwoman James declared, “I didn’t get elected to serve the interests of big developers and corporations.  I was elected to serve the interests of the people and that’s why I’m here.”
James and DDDB were joined for the first time by City Council Members Larry B. Seabrook (Bronx) and Deputy Majority Leader Bill Perkins (Harlem), as well as by Christine Quinn (West Side), whose district faces the proposed Jets stadium, Francis Byrd (57th AD, Assembly District Democrat Committeeman) and Scott Turner, coordinator of Fans for Fair Play.
To ensure  public oversight and accountability, they demanded the following:

Step #1: Immediate implementation of the city’s standard Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) to allow community review of the Ratner Plan. The city council must demand that the mayor and governor ensure that this plan goes through ULURP.

Step #2: As part of the ULURP process, open public hearings to explore and establish (a) the best development plan for the MTA/LIRR’s Atlantic Yards and (b) the best and most appropriate location for a proposed Nets arena (possible alternative sites to be considered — Coney Island, East New York, Brooklyn Navy Yard, sites to be determined in Queens).

Step #3: Full public disclosure of all city and state subsidies being requested by the developer, including but not limited to:  True cost of the rail yards, based on intended use; moving and/or platforming over the rail yards; true cost of the city streets to be acquired and demapped; development and improvement of infrastructure, including (but not limited to) new and/or upgraded roadways and transit facilities, schools, police and fire services, sanitation, water, power, etc.; subsidies to incorporate tenants to induce them to occupy the office space; rent paid by city or state agencies to occupy the office space.

Step #4: Open bidding process to determine true value of the MTA/LIRR’s Atlantic Yards site – which Ratner is proposing to use for his development – including an independent, verifiable, published appraisal based on the intended future use of the site, not its current state.

Step #5: Formal analysis by NYC’s Independent Budget Office, the State and City Comptrollers, the City Council’s Economic Development Committee and the State Financial Control Board to establish the economic impact of the Ratner Plan on the taxpayers of New York City and State.
Step #6: Eminent domain and the threat of eminent domain must NOT be used for this project. Therefore, full public disclosure of the exact boundaries of the Ratner Plan footprint to determine which residences, businesses and community resources will be directly affected, must be forthcoming immediately.
Step #7: Public Scoping Hearing to determine which elements of the Ratner Plan requires an environmental impact study and how that study will proceed.
Step #8: Signed, legally binding guarantees from the developer (or developers) regarding pollution, noise and rat abatement if and when construction begins.
Step #9: Signed, legally binding contract with the City committing to publicly promised job creation and affordable housing targets based on Brooklyn’s median income with clear definitions and specific numbers for all categories.

Step #10: Approval by City Council, State Assembly and State Senate of any Memorandum of Understanding executed by unaccountable state corporations and/or authorities (MTA, ESDC) and a private developer that commits any city or state subsidies to the project.
“We are willing to go to court on any and all of these items,” Goldstein said.  “If Mr. Ratner thinks that Brooklyn is going to roll over and play dead the way the NBA did, he’s got another think coming.”
“They tell me this is all about money,” said Councilmember James.  “They tell me money will win the day.  But people will win the day.  Taxpayers will win the day.  They will not separate us by race, by class.  We all stand together.”

SCHOMBURG CENTER’S FIRST ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION of AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND
REINTERMENT RITES,  ST. PAUL  COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH’S M.A.A.F.A., OTHER TRIBUTES
REMEMBERS AFRICANS of THE MIDDLE PASSAGE, THE DIASPORA AND EARLY AMERICA
Accompanied by Lem Peterkin photos of chambers being lowered into the ground, and Irsa Greene photo of lid cover¼and photo of the African Burial Ground sign. BG photo of Keith in suit in studio.  Keith photo in workshop.

Ancestral Presence

ENDURING CONNECTIONS: KEITH EVERSLEY
and “PREMIER” BURIAL CHAMBERS

Bernice Elizabeth Green

Keith Eversley was on his way to work one day in 1991 when loud protests coming from Broadway and Duane commanded his attention.
He had no idea what was going on so he walked over to the area near — what he later learned was — the African Burial Ground site, and observed from a distance.  He continued on to his job, several blocks away, as operations manager for a restoration company.  He later often found himself walking past the grounds, and each time he read with heightened interest the sign describing the death and lives of the 17th and 18th century enslaved Africans in Colonial New York. There was no way he could have known that a little more than a decade later he would be very much involved with those grounds   and connected with those remains.

Eversley now owns his own restoration company, Premier Restoration located just blocks from the African Memorial Ground Site.  His company created — what he calls the  burial chambers  — for the 419 coffins containing the remains of enslaved 17th- and 18th- century Africans who worked and barely lived in Colonial New York.  The term crypt is shrouded in mystery and darkness, he says.  “It is disrespectful to the ancestors who have helped us to see the light.”
 I started in the restoration business in 1979,  said the Guyana native, a former world-class soccer player who came here to find the opportunity that would help him send his children to college.  I did not know where the business would lead me.  But I was focused on doing something with my hands, something that I could pass down to my children and other children. I never chose this for myself, it just happened. I wanted to learn a skill.”
In conjunction with the work of the Ghana-based manufacturer who — with carvers from the village of Aburi — designed and created the coffins, Eversley’s creations are the most enduring image of the recent six-city, five-day  Rites of Ancestral Return  observances.  Now, with the ancestors’ blessings, he may be on his way to becoming the  premier  refinishing company in Northeast United States.
Eversley credits “focus” for his success and he relates his personal story in Sankofa fashion; he never forgets to pay tribute “out of respect” to his Guyana roots for bringing him to where he is today.  His journey to October 4 (when the chambers were lowered into the grounds from which the remains were exhumed during a 1991 excavation), is intricately connected to his late mother, Celestine Eversley.
 My Mom, Celestine, had a business in Georgetown where I was born, selling groceries and vegetables, and that s where I got my start at the age of 10-12. I purchased apples to sell and make a profit from money received at Christmastime.   His Dad worked at the Gettysburg dock as a stevedore. And Eversley sometimes worked there with him.  I was raised to think and to make decisions for myself.
At Chatham High School, he connected through the media and books with men in American who spoke their minds: Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Martin Luther King Jr., and H. Rap Brown.  “I connected with the suffering of African men.  There was also the curiosity factor; although I never felt racism in Guyana, I was connecting with the experience in America.  As an athlete, I was actually incensed, that I could be treated differently because of the difference in the color of my skin.  
Eversley, 6 3 , was considered the best soccer player in the midfield position.  Like the point guard in basketball, he controlled the offense and the defense, and basically ran the Santos Football Club team.
In 1979, he left Club to  put the family s needs ahead of my own,” venturing to The Bronx, NY to find work.  He eventually moved to Brooklyn where he, his wife of 31 years and their three children lived for a decade.  
He found a job with a Manhattan piano restoration firm on East 19th Street where he became an expert sander, stripper and prepper  for the guys who stained sprayed.   He learned the  art of touching up  furniture from the craftsmen, there.
After 8 years, he joined Premier Technologies, a company specializing in historic restorations (St. Regis Hotel and The Jewish Museum) whose list includes Fortune 500 companies, for a touch-up artisan, and Eversley was ready for it.   The clients would ask for me to come down.  I was conscientious and focused on what I was doing.   In 1989, company owner Mark Schlossberg promoted Eversley to manager of operations.  You have the skills,  he told Eversley.  Later, with Schlossberg’s encouragement Eversley started his own business, Premier Restoration, which is located at the Premier Technologies site.
In 1991, “when I stopped at the African Burial Ground on my way to HSBC for a restoration job,    I was just a stranger passing by. I never knew I would ever be involved.  It got away from me until about 9 years later. One day Judy Kunoff, a building project manager, who knew of my restoration work, informed me that GSA was looking for an African American to build the burial chambers for the ancestral remains.  I was drawn to it and to being involved in something so historic. 
Brainstorming and planning sessions were called under the initial leadership of the project development director, Ron Law.  Unfortunately, there was no connection between Eversley and Dallytex, makers of the Ghana-based coffin artisans.   I just knew they were being made in Africa.
In the 5,000 square feet Premier Restoration shop, a dozen men, including his youngest son, 28, worked on the seven chambers.  At times, Eversley, dressed in work clothes, assisted.  I felt honored.  I felt motivated to produce something respectful.   And he did.  In addition to producing the mahogany burial chambers, Eversley selected the Adinkra symbols that are attached to the seven chambers’ covers.’
 Ron Law insisted that there be no nails in any part of the chambers; we used glue and wooden plugs.  Everything was handmade.”
 Over a period of time the mahogany chambers will disintegrate, naturally. That was the whole idea; everything will go back to the beginning; everything will go back to the natural state.
 My life is reordered in so many ways because of this experience,  he says.   In school, I never had the detailed information on slavery. Until now, the images of the ships and the shackles, and remnants of history are all that I knew.
 On October 4, I went down to the observance. I never knew I would feel so spiritually connected to the past; I could feel it in my body, in my bones. When the chambers were being lowered, I watched outside of the gate looking in, not inside on site. I wanted to feel connected to the people.

“Why are there so few new teachers of color in the NYC public schools this year?”
From a writer, Bettie Terrie, who is of African and Native American descent and lives in Brooklyn¼¼
Chancellor Klein welcomed new teachers to the NYC Department of Education at Martin Luther King High School in late August.  To an observer, it looked as though fewer than 20 percent of these new teachers were people of color-in this city where children of color are almost 75% of the school population.  In addition, no bookstores representing communities of color were seen at the teacher material and information fair.
The topic for the book distributed for the 2004 NYC Dept.of Education new teacher orientation was “children at risk”.  This selection as a text for new teachers indicates a different and opposite approach to the recommendations of the report from the Commission on Students of African Decent submitted to the then NYC Board of Education several years ago.
In that report, Dr. Asa Hilliard, a noted educator and author of African descent, notes that in the world of learning and teaching, far too many teachers are receiving negative messages about our children.  Quoting Hilliard, he says teachers are incorrectly taught that our children, “‘¼are seen as ‘culturally deprived’, or ‘at risk’.  With such a limited and distorted problem definition, and without recognition or respect for African ethnicity, it is impossible to pose valid remedies of low student achievement, including the design of valid teacher education.” (p.5)
As people of color it is critical that we break new ground and do an all out campaign to encourage and support our students to become teachers and press for more government support for training, and requiring cultural competency as a crteria in certification tests. Also, there are teachers of color (and teachers of European descent) who do not pass Eurocentric cultural-bound tests, but who have excelled in teaching children of color to succeed.
The participation of college students in the civil rights movement was a test of their strength and courage.  Today we need to think about how to develop programs, and specific strategies to support the growth of culturally competent teachers.  In addition, we need to let our children know we are there to help them be not the talented “tenth” but the talented 100%.

From a woman of African descent who is a writer, activist and urban development specialist in New York City¼¼¼¼¼¼
I think the reason the majority of teachers are not people of color is because for decades all educators allowed in the system were European and they serviced the needs of the  immigrant waves of children for the first half of the last century.   This and the “last hired- first fired” policy that kept blacks and browns from promotion and tenure, not to mention inhospitable union and Board of Education policies that resulted in negative as opposed to affirmative actions, all contributed to this imbalance. Since the 1950s, NYC public school students have reflected immigrants of color who hail from the Caribbean and South and Central American. Thus, we have the situation where there is a disconnect between the teachers’ culture and community and the students’ culture and community. They don’t live in the same place, have the same family structures or history, or share the same value systems. You can’t teach teachers to care about students/families they don’t know or particularly like. But you can, with planning, arrange the delivery of knowledge through systems that mesh well with the new immigrants’ cultural mores and expectations. The planning of knowledge delivery is a foreign concept to most Americans, but should be thought of as an important aspect of regional planning and strengthening civic participation to its highest possible rate.
People in today’s world are really circles of knowledge, culture and community that frequently overlap and feed into one another. This is the answer for public education, letting the people do with the money what they will to educate their children on a neighborhood- by -neighborhood, almost block- by- block basis. Parents are the first teachers and must express their dreams for their children in comfortable settings that acknowledge their right to exist as human beings, with flaws, but also with grace enough to entrust those who say they know to teach their children something parents may not have the skills to teach them. More succinctly, I think further assignment of the responsibility for public education is needed, perhaps to the library and social agency level, such that people are involved because they cannot be other than involved.
The goal of the question is to explore the fact that 50% of Black men are out of work in New York City and tuition at City College, which trains many NY teachers, is no longer free as it was many years ago. In the 50’s and 60’s there was a question asked of all city employees, ” Are you now or have you ever been a member of the communist party.” Today the question is, “Can you pass the fingerprint test with no arrests in your record.” Our children are being arrested in school buildings on a daily basis and the prison population of black men exceeds that of our colleges.
Niamo Nancy Mu’id, director of Development Services at The City College of New York / CUNYOffice of Development and Institutional  Advancement Convent Avenue at 138th Street, Shepard Hall, Room 154, New York, NY 10031 212-650-8115 212-650-7149 (fax)  nmuid@ccny.cuny.edu visit The City College of New York Web Site: www.ccny.cuny.edu—

Marie Toussaint “The Haitian Jazz Sensation” is the name of the CD and what a wonderfully satisfying listening experience it is.  These liner notes from jazz historian Stan Myers gives an idea of what’s in store for the listener.
As she so adroitly informs us on the opening cut of this debut recording, her name is Mari! A native of Brooklyn who has been singing, according to her, “all my life.” Born of Haitian parents, she brings that island’s truth and directness to her renderings.  Miss Toussaint wrote lyrics for the first two tunes, “Mari’s Blues” and “Far Away”.
Mari has worked throughout the metropolitan area as well as abroad with some of the leading artists in jazz. Hearing her you would have to wonder (as I did why she hasn’t recorded before now.  Listen to her on Duke’s “Don’t Mean a Thing,” followed by Ida Cox’s “Wild Women”… we are presented with a cross section of choice selections.
Lend an ear to Mari’s reading of Johnny Mercer’s lyrics on “I Remember You,” breathing new life into an old standard. The French-imported “Autumn Leaves” is presented in its native tongue by Ms. Toussaint displaying her knowledge of her parents’ language.  Equally at home on ballads as well as up-tempos, Mari easily moves from one mood to the next. Jobim’s “Dindi” gives the special touch that completes the package.
Check out Coltrane’s “Niama” and hear the poetic, deep-feeling performance by the talented actress, writer, educator and activist Yaa Asantewa Nzingha. It is well- known that a singer depends greatly on musicians who can easily make or break a recording. Mari has shown extreme care and respect by her wisely chosen rhythm section.
Born in New York City, pianist Isaac ben Ayala was reading music and playing piano by the age of 7. He received his degree in classical piano and composition from Oberlin in Ohio. Working as music director and composer, playing with a ‘Who’s Who’ list of jazz artists, it is no wonder that he is one of New York’s most sought-after musicians. Listen to his Latin tinge on “Dimples”.
Using the bow, bassist Bryce Sabastien expertly displays an almost lost art in jazz. Pause for his arco work on “I Remember You”. Swoon as the rhythm takes you to another place. A Virgin Islands native, Bryce earned his undergrad degree from the Conservatory of Puerto Rico and master’s at New York University. Currently a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, he has worked with the likes of Hamiet Bluett and Duke Jordan.
On drums we have another New Yorker, Ronnie Williams. He is a student on scholarship at Long Island University.  Ronnie has worked throughout the United States as well as  Europe with touring bands as well as vocalists.
And how about Sabor, master percussionist! Specialty…congas. He has performed with most of the leading lights in jazz, including work in films. Hear Sabor’s seasoned artistry on “Dindi” and “Dimples”.  So there you have the picture. Mari, consummate vocalist, intelligent choice of material, and backed by some of the best talent available. It doesn’t get any better, trust me!
Stan Myers, Jazz Historian

Charles Barrons theme of “White Men Have Too Much Power” has resonated throughout the town.  He is the only Black elected official bold enough to make that statement to expose the racist makeup of New York City and State government.  White men currently serve as governor, mayor, chancellor, speaker of city council, speaker of state senate, speaker of state assembly, police commissioner, and fire commissioner.  Charles Campaign for Mayor is also a campaign against white male supremacy and the conspiracy to destroy Black males.  We must be clear that it is no accident that 50% of Black males in N.Y.C are unemployed and that 70% of our youth drop out of H.S.  The relationship between education and employment are apparent.  What is not so apparent are the racist policies that have suppressed Black male leadership in the Department of Education. 
The over 100 year history of the Department of Education has been dominated by white men.  The only Black men serving as Chancellor were brought in from outside of N.Y.C. They obviously did not know the political landscape of N.Y.C. I is believed by many that the system killed Dr. Richard Greene and Rudy Crew  was run out of town by Mayor Guiliani.  NO N.Y.C Black educator was ever Chancellor of the Department of Education.  I do not consider this an accident.  Neither is it accidental that not one Black male was selected to serve as Superintendent of any of the 10 school regions. The system is making a statement that Black males will not be allowed to serve in top-level education positions in this administration.  Again white men have too much power. This is wrong and unacceptable given the plight of Black males and the history of white male supremacy.  A study should be done on the current state of Black male leadership. This should include the impact of the mass exodus of some of our most prominent educators and their frustration with the Department of Education.
Dr. Lester Young recently announced his retirement from the Department of Education after 35 years of dedicated service.  He was the top Black in the Klein administration; however he has far more educational credentials that Joel Klein.  Dr. Young has served as the Associate Commissioner of the New York State Department of Education, Superintendent of School District 13, Principal and Teacher.  Dr. Young was interviewed for the position of Chancellor by Mike Bloomberg and with all the qualifications was passed over for Joel Klein who did not have the required qualifications.  Mr. Klein received a special waiver of the requirements by the State Commissioner of Education so that he could become Chancellor. 
Mr. Frank Mickens, the nationally acclaimed Principal of Boys and Girls High School is rumored to be retiring any day now.  Mr. Mickens has served with distinction over 36 years.  He turned Boys and Girls H.S around and has written two books on urban education.  Due to his independent leadership Boys and Girls H.S will become apart of an autonomous zone this school year.  This is a major accomplishment and victory for our community.  For over 18 years, Mr. Mickens has run the safest zoned H.S in the system yet he has had to struggle each day against persons who have never spent 10 minutes on Fulton Street.  He has never been granted the respect that he deserves. 
Mr. Ray Haskins was forced to retire from the system after serving for over 3 decades.  Ray too had served our community with distinction.  A Black woman Superintendent is responsible for Mr. Haskins being removed from M.S 390 even after he received 3 bonuses for raising both reading and math scores at his school.  Ray received massive support form community leaders including Councilman Al Vann.  This support fell on the deaf ear of the Chancellor and his subordinates who know more about the culture of Albany Avenue than Ray and Al Vann. 
Mr. Michael Johnson, former principal and founder of Science Skills H.S and Superintendent of District 29 has also left the Department of Education.  Michael Johnson and George Leonard of Bedford Academy are the best in the system at preparing Black youth to take standardized tests.  He would have made a great Deputy of Instruction.
Mr. Basir Mchawi was founder and former principal of Freedom Prep.  He also served as special assistant to Chancellor Richard Greene.  Mr Mchawi introduced the concept of starting an all Black male H.S over a decade ago.  He was told it was illegal and discriminatory.  Shortly thereafter an all girls H.S was started by white women in Harlem.  This year an all male Charter School started by a white man will open in Bedford Stuyvesant.  It is being enthusiastically supported.  Imagine how many Black males Basir’s school may have saved if his ideas were embraced over a decade ago.

All of the above mentioned Black male educators if given the opportunity and proper resources could greatly impact the education of Black males.  They have all struggled to maintain their dignity as Black men in a system that has suppressed their brilliance.  A new Million Man march might have to be called in N.Y.C to outline a plan to stop the destruction of Black males.
The past month Syl Williamson owner of “Trophies by Syl” joined the ancestors.  Syl was an institution and one of the strongest Black male role models in our community.  His firm handshake was legendary and would stop you cold and make you aware that you were in the presence of a powerful man.  Syl while not in the school system was a great educator.  As a young boy growing up I felt safe in his store and was inspired by his profound wisdom about life, politics, business, art and culture.  The afrocentric mural on the outside of his store was the first of its kind in our community.  The tile on his floor was red black and green and his plaques were all masterpieces done with love.  The loss of Syl Williamson, Chief Bey, and Sonny Carson are monumental.  It is unfortunate that the school system never embraced and promoted them as role models to Black males.  We must seize control of the system.