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Rites of Ancestral Return, The Rev. Herbert Daughtry of the House of the Lord Church, a constant voice for the voiceless, reigned  …
… and roared!
The recent Rites of Ancestral Return tributes honored the ancestors through creative and cultural expressions our ancestors never  enjoyed.  

Through dance, poetry, drums, music, rituals and other cultural, emotional and spiritual outpourings, hundreds of men, women and children celebrated in cities the ancestors played a key role in building without compensation of any sort.
The five-day Rites processional began September 30, 2003 at Howard University in Washington, DC, and journeyed through Wilmington,  Baltimore, Philadelphia and Jersey City before arriving in New York on Oct. 3 for a two-day ceremony.  It ended October 4 with the reinterment of the remains of 419 Africans in the lower Manhattan area — where, in 1991, they were unearthed during a planned excavation. The site (which includes the African Burial Ground Memorial Site) holds the remains of  an estimated 20,000 enslaved African men, women and children  who helped to transform forested, swamp-ridden 17th-century New Amsterdam into bustling New York City.
There are some who say the dead should never have been disturbed; others say it was necessary to tell their story.  Shared was the furtive belief that the Public Voice the ancestors were not privileged to own should echo through  the living decendants.
AWho will speak for the ancestors?@, thundered thespian Delroy Lindo to the huge crowd at Foley Square on Centre Street adjacent to the six-acre original Negroes Burying Ground, now itself buried under paved roads and court buildings.  
From the time of the excavation 12 years ago, the descendant members  and a Federal Steering Committee (formed in the early 90=s by then Mayor David Dinkins) raised that question, and expressed the need to reclaim the ancestors= history — long ago erased.   
Many of the strategies and ideas for how the remains were to be handled, who should handle them, and how they should me honored came from the descendant community and the African Burial Group Project Information office.
Yet, the loudest voice may have belonged to The Rev.  Herbert Daughtry.  He led Agrassroots soldiers@ — members of the descendant community — on the journey by bus, funded by the Schomburg, to each city.  Their intent was to jostle memory, to instill facts and to give voice to the angst-filled continuing history of struggle — personal and community, spiritual and political —  that has enveloped the African Burial Ground, itself, from earliest times to now.  
Writer Claudette Perry, below, acknowledges the significance of the presence of  the Agrassroots soldiers@ at the Ancestral Rites and includes in this army historians, scholars, educators, archeologists, researchers, preservationists, archivists. ASpeaking truth to power and facts to factions  is a challenge we all must face,@ says Perry. 
This perhaps was the thinking behind Daughtry=s move during the Rites Sept. 30 ceremonies in Howard University=s Rankin Hall.  By the time he entered the small chapel, every seat was filled.  Rather than stand silent at the back of the room, Daughtry and his Asoldiers@ fell in line behind the processional of noted speakers and drummers.  They seemed to belong there, as they  usher-swayed up to the pulpit. Daughtry signaled chapel assistants for extra chairs. Although Daughtry was not on the program,  his presence on this leg of the processional will always be remembered.  Invited to  make comments, Daughtry offered a rousing  Ahistory@ lesson that inspired the biggest applause.
Two months after the applause has gone with the wind, Daughtry and his troops are still watching over the sanctity of the Memorial Site in Lower Manhattan, and attempting to maintain respect for its treasure.              BG

The Brooklyn Atlantic Yards project  was announced at Borough Hall this past December and depending on where you live, it is either a boon for Brooklyn or a Sultan of Subsidies= dream come true, or both.  The plan is for Forest City Ratner Companies to build an arena for the NBA Nets, along with phased-in residential units, commercial and retail space and six acres of public space including an open-air, rooftop skating rink and running track.    The estimated $2.5 billion project is said to be primarily privately funded, with what the press release calls, AIncremental revenues (which) will be derived from sales taxes on tickets, food and merchandise sold at the new arena.@
Job Creation, Mayoral Support
According to the release, the Brooklyn Atlantic Yards is projected to bring Amore than 15,000 construction jobs over 10,000 permanent jobs created and/or retained in the commercial offices, 400 permanent jobs at the arena and additional indirect benefits.@
At the press conference, Mayor Bloomberg said,  AOur administration is ready to put on a full-court press for its approval – just as we=re prepared to team up with Forest City Ratner Companies and with the elected officials and people of this borough to bring the Nets to Brooklyn. We=re rooting hard for their success.@
Economic Opportunity For Brooklyn
In a separate interview, Una Clarke, director of the Brooklyn office of the Empire State Development Corporation, voiced support for the project.   Ms. Clarke said  AWe=re all here today to support and endorse the project and concept, and then look at the mitigating circumstances and concerns of  local people who may not understand the scope of the economic opportunity that this is for the borough of Brooklyn.@   Ms. Clarke asserted that; AMy interest is the participation of minority and women-owned construction firms to be able to be subcontractors in the project.  I=m also concerned that when employment comes, that women in particular, who are qualified for positions, will be in there.@ 
Speaking of the Avisionaries@ who conceived the project, Ms. Clarke, whose state-controlled agency used its power of condemnation to assist another Forest City project, the yet-to-be-built new home of The New York Times, was glad  that they had seen fit to include housing as part of the plan.   And regarding the Astiff@, as she termed it, traffic and parking, Ms. Clarke said; AI=m sure that people who study cities and how they work will be able to design it in a way that everything will fit neatly together in downtown Brooklyn.@
Benefits for
communities of color
Asked about how this is going to benefit the African-American and Latino communities in Brooklyn, Assemblyman Roger Green said, AThe challenge is going to be to put together a formulation that includes opportunities on the investment side, some affirmative- action proscriptions, project labor agreements and enhanced educational services for the project.  If we get that, then I think it=ll be a good thing.@  The assemblyman noted that businessman Bernard King, former basketball player and former resident of Fort Greene Houses, is going to be investing in some of the commercial buildings with his brother Albert.  AJay- Z, who comes out of Marcy Houses, may be one of the partners in the Nets as well,@ he added.
The assemblyman said that ALondel Macmillan is going to be our point person in these negotiations.   Londel started out as a sports agent, he=s on the cover of Black Enterprise this month, he=s going to be the lead person in the negotiations for the African-American and Latino- elected officials as we put our menu of issues together.@
Speaking of how her constituents would view this project, City Councilwoman Diana Reyna (D/WFP), who=s 34th Council District covers Williamsburg and Bushwick, was of the opinion that; AThis is perhaps the revitalization plan we need for Brooklyn, to spearhead job development opportunities and residences that are badly needed.   We need the players to come together and unite all the elected officials and create a package that can deliver to the people of Brooklyn.@ 
Councilman Kendall Stewart (D- 45th CD) added, ANow that we have people at the table there is no doubt that young Black people will have an opportunity to see history in its making and be part of this in terms of economics, in term of opportunity, education, services and that is very good for all of us.  Even the homeowners around the area, their property value will escalate.@ 
Potential is there, but…

Bedford Stuyvesant Councilman Al Vann,(D- 36CD), said he didn=t know yet if the project was a good thing for his community.  AWhat they project in terms of jobs being available, of housing being available for low- income people, all of that sounds good and of course whenever you have that kind of economic stimulus, it can have a tremendously powerful impact on Bed-Stuy and beyond.@  Councilman Vann went on to say that he reserves his personal decision on it, but AI do recognize the possibility and the potential.  When we have an opportunity to have a different kind of meeting with the Ratners and the people involved, then I will be able to speak more publicly about it.  But I know if you=re not in at the beginning of the equation, you won=t be in at the finish.  So before we put our imprimatur on this project, we have to see that we, the community, African and Latinos are there from the beginning to the end.@

Objections to arena project
AThis project is a bad idea,@ said Councilwoman Tish James of the 35th District where the project is located.   Ms. James was speaking at a community forum held at the Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church.  Declaring her support for residential Ahousing, housing, housing@,commercial and community-centered development including recreational programs for young people, Ms. James is opposed to the arena component and the size of the envisioned complex.  
Health and community impact concerns
Citing health concerns, Councilwoman James says the 19-20,000 seat arena would add to the traffic density and air pollution.  AWith the high rate of asthma and other respiratory problems already in the community, this project has serious environmental concerns.@ 
Speaking of what she called the Adisruption to the character of a vibrant community@, what the councilwoman found Aparticularly offensive,@ was Athe exercise of eminent domain in taking private land, homes and places of business, for a private commercial development.   Eminent domain is supposed to be used for public projects, not for private developers.@
Public financing an issue
Then there are the tax dollars used in the project.  AWe just had a property tax increase, and at a time when the schools are crumbling, they=re closing firehouses, and services are being cut back, this is not the best use of public resources.@ 
The public financing Ms. James refers to is Atax increment financing;@ a method of financing a project that uses the increase in tax revenue generated by the project to pay for the costs of development.  (See AWhat is a TIF? page 8)
On the issue of jobs created, Ms. James said that she has looked at arena projects in other cities and there is no real evidence of net job gain.   She added that most of the jobs created will be at the low end of the wage scale.   (The arena is also not a very efficent job-producer, providing a job for every 2,000sq. ft. while the commercial space provides a job for every 216.7sq. ft.)
 Francis Byrd, Democratic District Leader and State Committee person for the 57th Assembly District,said that the scope and magnitude of the project was a major objection.  Mr. Byrd said that canvassing by the Prospect Heights Action Coalition has shown that over a thousand people with homes and businesses would be displaced.  AWe have to see what we can do as  a group to stop this project.@
Explaining her stance on the project, Ms. James asserted that AThis is not a payback for Prospect Heights voting overwhelmingly to put me into office.  As I stood on the corner looking at the railroad tracks, I don=t think it makes sense.  It goes against the character of the community.  I think it=s going to destroy Prospect Heights and Fort Greene and divide the two communities.  These are young communities with a lot of children.  And I don=t believe you want to live in residential towers taller than the Williamsburg Bank Building or an arena in your backyard.   You want better schools, more day care, some character in the community, some commercial, some retail and we need more housing. 
AEminent domain requires legislation which means they have to go to the state legislature or the city council.  I=m not prepared to accept this and I don=t want to hear any further discussions about; >Well, when are you moving?  When can we begin negotiations with Ratner?=@
AThey  tell you  it is private financing but that=s not true at all.  Tax Increment Financing are funds that should be going to city coffers to pay for schools and social services.@ 
James says that Ratner has several hurdles to get over.  AFirst; he=s in a war with New Jersey, he still has to buy the team; two, he has to get past some elected officials, eminent domain has to be approved by the state and the city.  Three, he has to get past all of you and a bunch of environmentalists who are very concerned about the impact on the area.@                              
AWe are prepared to fight this.  I am with you and you are with me, we are one.  One shared purpose and one shared common destiny to stop this.@

AI=m here to support our councilwoman,@ said State Senator Velmanette Montgomery.   AShe=s the captain here and I=m an excited soldier,@ Ms. Montgomery warned that there was a disinformation campaign being waged in the press and by some of Aour colleagues who believe what they have been told.@ They believe Athis is going to be a boon to the economic development of Brooklyn.  It=s going to benefit small businesses in the area.  Bring in new jobs and we=re all going to be happy and richer.@  AI don=t know where an arena has added to the economic vitality of a neighborhood ….I think we=re being sold a bill of goods.@
Regarding the misinformation, Senator Montgomery said that her new office in the YWCA building at Third and Atlantic gave her a view of Atlantic, Flatbush and the beginning of Lafayette Avenue.  AAt 3 o=clock; the cars are just parked on all those avenues.@  The senator said there was a report that the people downtown had higher rates of lung diseases. AWell, there=s more to come.@ 
We have to send the message that we will not accept the burden of this  traffic, pollution, and uprooting of our community, to benefit other people.@    I can guarantee you it is not going to be built with private money.  This is an opportunity for a developer to make a lot of money and we should not have to pay for it.@
The Prospect Heights Action Coalition is a neighborhood organization that is investigating the area to be condemned.  Organization member Patti Hagan reported that a census the  PHAC is taking has so far revealed that over a thousand people will be displaced, Aand for many of them, their homes are their businesses.@   Among the businesses, Ms. Hagan lists are a violin maker, a jewelry maker, artists, writers, home care attendants, movers, truck drivers, storage companies, carpenters, canvas stretchers and frame fabricators, and more.   Some of these are multigenerational businesses.  The Atlas Auto Service on Vanderbilt Avenue, for example, has been owned by the Sarno family since 1960. 
ANext door the Privat=s, a Haitian family, has been there for 40 years running World Class Auto.@  Owner  Leslie Privat was raised on Vanderbilt Avenue and is raising his children there now.  AThese are the homes and the businesses that Marty Markowitz and Bruce Ratner want to bulldoze,@ says Ms. Hagan.  AEminent domain is to be used for public purpose only.  In this plan they have only eleven acres  over the train tracks.  An additional ten acres are privately owned.  They want to seize it. During the public comments a supporter of the arena project said she and her friends thought it was a good idea because of the jobs it would bring.  Councilwoman James said the arena will only bring a few hundred Abasically low-skilled and low-wage jobs.@  Ms. James drives home the point about jobs by bringing attention to MetroTech. AYou have a housing development with 75% unemployment right across the street from MetroTech and its been that way since MetroTech was built.  They did not hire from the community. @
Local resident Sue Metzer was of the opinion that Athe content and the process are despicable.@ and that Agovernment has not consulted us anywhere along the way.   We have two elected officials here and we have to support them.  Markowitz has been a traitor to our community, he=s selling our community and he has no right to do that.@   AWe don=t need places to watch the game, we need places where the kids can play the game.   We need subsidized housing, but not towers.   The government has been captured by the private developers so it is political work we have to do.@
Standing like a general calling her troops into action  Ms. James, AThis is not a done deal as of yet.  Do not concede anything to Ratner, the borough president, or any powers that be.  I am not prepared to say we are defeated.   I am prepared to fight this and the question is, >Are you with me?=@   Declaring they were, many signed the committee sheets in the back of the church for  the upcoming fight. If  Bruce Ratner is able to buy the Nets, it will be a tough fight to win.    Reports in The Brooklyn Papers are that the project would be a state imposition that bypasses the city=s Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP), allowing no input from the community boards, city council or the City Planning Commission.

The Brooklyn Atlantic Yards project  was announced at Borough Hall this past December and depending on where you live, it is either a boon for Brooklyn or a Sultan of Subsidies= dream come true, or both.  The plan is for Forest City Ratner Companies to build an arena for the NBA Nets, along with phased-in residential units, commercial and retail space and six acres of public space including an open-air, rooftop skating rink and running track.    The estimated $2.5 billion project is said to be primarily privately funded, with what the press release calls, AIncremental revenues (which) will be derived from sales taxes on tickets, food and merchandise sold at the new arena.@
Job Creation, Mayoral Support
According to the release, the Brooklyn Atlantic Yards is projected to bring Amore than 15,000 construction jobs over 10,000 permanent jobs created and/or retained in the commercial offices, 400 permanent jobs at the arena and additional indirect benefits.@
At the press conference, Mayor Bloomberg said,  AOur administration is ready to put on a full-court press for its approval – just as we=re prepared to team up with Forest City Ratner Companies and with the elected officials and people of this borough to bring the Nets to Brooklyn. We=re rooting hard for their success.@
Economic Opportunity For Brooklyn
In a separate interview, Una Clarke, director of the Brooklyn office of the Empire State Development Corporation, voiced support for the project.   Ms. Clarke said  AWe=re all here today to support and endorse the project and concept, and then look at the mitigating circumstances and concerns of  local people who may not understand the scope of the economic opportunity that this is for the borough of Brooklyn.@   Ms. Clarke asserted that; AMy interest is the participation of minority and women-owned construction firms to be able to be subcontractors in the project.  I=m also concerned that when employment comes, that women in particular, who are qualified for positions, will be in there.@ 
Speaking of the Avisionaries@ who conceived the project, Ms. Clarke, whose state-controlled agency used its power of condemnation to assist another Forest City project, the yet-to-be-built new home of The New York Times, was glad  that they had seen fit to include housing as part of the plan.   And regarding the Astiff@, as she termed it, traffic and parking, Ms. Clarke said; AI=m sure that people who study cities and how they work will be able to design it in a way that everything will fit neatly together in downtown Brooklyn.@
Benefits for
communities of color
Asked about how this is going to benefit the African-American and Latino communities in Brooklyn, Assemblyman Roger Green said, AThe challenge is going to be to put together a formulation that includes opportunities on the investment side, some affirmative- action proscriptions, project labor agreements and enhanced educational services for the project.  If we get that, then I think it=ll be a good thing.@  The assemblyman noted that businessman Bernard King, former basketball player and former resident of Fort Greene Houses, is going to be investing in some of the commercial buildings with his brother Albert.  AJay- Z, who comes out of Marcy Houses, may be one of the partners in the Nets as well,@ he added.
The assemblyman said that ALondel Macmillan is going to be our point person in these negotiations.   Londel started out as a sports agent, he=s on the cover of Black Enterprise this month, he=s going to be the lead person in the negotiations for the African-American and Latino- elected officials as we put our menu of issues together.@
Speaking of how her constituents would view this project, City Councilwoman Diana Reyna (D/WFP), who=s 34th Council District covers Williamsburg and Bushwick, was of the opinion that; AThis is perhaps the revitalization plan we need for Brooklyn, to spearhead job development opportunities and residences that are badly needed.   We need the players to come together and unite all the elected officials and create a package that can deliver to the people of Brooklyn.@ 
Councilman Kendall Stewart (D- 45th CD) added, ANow that we have people at the table there is no doubt that young Black people will have an opportunity to see history in its making and be part of this in terms of economics, in term of opportunity, education, services and that is very good for all of us.  Even the homeowners around the area, their property value will escalate.@ 
Potential is there, but…

Bedford Stuyvesant Councilman Al Vann,(D- 36CD), said he didn=t know yet if the project was a good thing for his community.  AWhat they project in terms of jobs being available, of housing being available for low- income people, all of that sounds good and of course whenever you have that kind of economic stimulus, it can have a tremendously powerful impact on Bed-Stuy and beyond.@  Councilman Vann went on to say that he reserves his personal decision on it, but AI do recognize the possibility and the potential.  When we have an opportunity to have a different kind of meeting with the Ratners and the people involved, then I will be able to speak more publicly about it.  But I know if you=re not in at the beginning of the equation, you won=t be in at the finish.  So before we put our imprimatur on this project, we have to see that we, the community, African and Latinos are there from the beginning to the end.@

Objections to arena project
AThis project is a bad idea,@ said Councilwoman Tish James of the 35th District where the project is located.   Ms. James was speaking at a community forum held at the Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church.  Declaring her support for residential Ahousing, housing, housing@,commercial and community-centered development including recreational programs for young people, Ms. James is opposed to the arena component and the size of the envisioned complex.  
Health and community impact concerns
Citing health concerns, Councilwoman James says the 19-20,000 seat arena would add to the traffic density and air pollution.  AWith the high rate of asthma and other respiratory problems already in the community, this project has serious environmental concerns.@ 
Speaking of what she called the Adisruption to the character of a vibrant community@, what the councilwoman found Aparticularly offensive,@ was Athe exercise of eminent domain in taking private land, homes and places of business, for a private commercial development.   Eminent domain is supposed to be used for public projects, not for private developers.@
Public financing an issue
Then there are the tax dollars used in the project.  AWe just had a property tax increase, and at a time when the schools are crumbling, they=re closing firehouses, and services are being cut back, this is not the best use of public resources.@ 
The public financing Ms. James refers to is Atax increment financing;@ a method of financing a project that uses the increase in tax revenue generated by the project to pay for the costs of development.  (See AWhat is a TIF? page 8)
On the issue of jobs created, Ms. James said that she has looked at arena projects in other cities and there is no real evidence of net job gain.   She added that most of the jobs created will be at the low end of the wage scale.   (The arena is also not a very efficent job-producer, providing a job for every 2,000sq. ft. while the commercial space provides a job for every 216.7sq. ft.)
 Francis Byrd, Democratic District Leader and State Committee person for the 57th Assembly District,said that the scope and magnitude of the project was a major objection.  Mr. Byrd said that canvassing by the Prospect Heights Action Coalition has shown that over a thousand people with homes and businesses would be displaced.  AWe have to see what we can do as  a group to stop this project.@
Explaining her stance on the project, Ms. James asserted that AThis is not a payback for Prospect Heights voting overwhelmingly to put me into office.  As I stood on the corner looking at the railroad tracks, I don=t think it makes sense.  It goes against the character of the community.  I think it=s going to destroy Prospect Heights and Fort Greene and divide the two communities.  These are young communities with a lot of children.  And I don=t believe you want to live in residential towers taller than the Williamsburg Bank Building or an arena in your backyard.   You want better schools, more day care, some character in the community, some commercial, some retail and we need more housing. 
AEminent domain requires legislation which means they have to go to the state legislature or the city council.  I=m not prepared to accept this and I don=t want to hear any further discussions about; >Well, when are you moving?  When can we begin negotiations with Ratner?=@
AThey  tell you  it is private financing but that=s not true at all.  Tax Increment Financing are funds that should be going to city coffers to pay for schools and social services.@ 
James says that Ratner has several hurdles to get over.  AFirst; he=s in a war with New Jersey, he still has to buy the team; two, he has to get past some elected officials, eminent domain has to be approved by the state and the city.  Three, he has to get past all of you and a bunch of environmentalists who are very concerned about the impact on the area.@                              
AWe are prepared to fight this.  I am with you and you are with me, we are one.  One shared purpose and one shared common destiny to stop this.@

AI=m here to support our councilwoman,@ said State Senator Velmanette Montgomery.   AShe=s the captain here and I=m an excited soldier,@ Ms. Montgomery warned that there was a disinformation campaign being waged in the press and by some of Aour colleagues who believe what they have been told.@ They believe Athis is going to be a boon to the economic development of Brooklyn.  It=s going to benefit small businesses in the area.  Bring in new jobs and we=re all going to be happy and richer.@  AI don=t know where an arena has added to the economic vitality of a neighborhood ….I think we=re being sold a bill of goods.@
Regarding the misinformation, Senator Montgomery said that her new office in the YWCA building at Third and Atlantic gave her a view of Atlantic, Flatbush and the beginning of Lafayette Avenue.  AAt 3 o=clock; the cars are just parked on all those avenues.@  The senator said there was a report that the people downtown had higher rates of lung diseases. AWell, there=s more to come.@ 
We have to send the message that we will not accept the burden of this  traffic, pollution, and uprooting of our community, to benefit other people.@    I can guarantee you it is not going to be built with private money.  This is an opportunity for a developer to make a lot of money and we should not have to pay for it.@
The Prospect Heights Action Coalition is a neighborhood organization that is investigating the area to be condemned.  Organization member Patti Hagan reported that a census the  PHAC is taking has so far revealed that over a thousand people will be displaced, Aand for many of them, their homes are their businesses.@   Among the businesses, Ms. Hagan lists are a violin maker, a jewelry maker, artists, writers, home care attendants, movers, truck drivers, storage companies, carpenters, canvas stretchers and frame fabricators, and more.   Some of these are multigenerational businesses.  The Atlas Auto Service on Vanderbilt Avenue, for example, has been owned by the Sarno family since 1960. 
ANext door the Privat=s, a Haitian family, has been there for 40 years running World Class Auto.@  Owner  Leslie Privat was raised on Vanderbilt Avenue and is raising his children there now.  AThese are the homes and the businesses that Marty Markowitz and Bruce Ratner want to bulldoze,@ says Ms. Hagan.  AEminent domain is to be used for public purpose only.  In this plan they have only eleven acres  over the train tracks.  An additional ten acres are privately owned.  They want to seize it. During the public comments a supporter of the arena project said she and her friends thought it was a good idea because of the jobs it would bring.  Councilwoman James said the arena will only bring a few hundred Abasically low-skilled and low-wage jobs.@  Ms. James drives home the point about jobs by bringing attention to MetroTech. AYou have a housing development with 75% unemployment right across the street from MetroTech and its been that way since MetroTech was built.  They did not hire from the community. @
Local resident Sue Metzer was of the opinion that Athe content and the process are despicable.@ and that Agovernment has not consulted us anywhere along the way.   We have two elected officials here and we have to support them.  Markowitz has been a traitor to our community, he=s selling our community and he has no right to do that.@   AWe don=t need places to watch the game, we need places where the kids can play the game.   We need subsidized housing, but not towers.   The government has been captured by the private developers so it is political work we have to do.@
Standing like a general calling her troops into action  Ms. James, AThis is not a done deal as of yet.  Do not concede anything to Ratner, the borough president, or any powers that be.  I am not prepared to say we are defeated.   I am prepared to fight this and the question is, >Are you with me?=@   Declaring they were, many signed the committee sheets in the back of the church for  the upcoming fight. If  Bruce Ratner is able to buy the Nets, it will be a tough fight to win.    Reports in The Brooklyn Papers are that the project would be a state imposition that bypasses the city=s Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP), allowing no input from the community boards, city council or the City Planning Commission.

First Saturday at Magnolia
Accenting the role of METC as a community resource, First Saturdays at Magnolia will offer a  monthly series of workshops on the first Saturdays of March, April and May.    
March 6th workshops are below.  Please send suggestions for future workshops to: Arthur Shepherd, Executive Director, Magnolia Earth Tree Center, 677 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11216.

Saturday March 6
Workshop # 1 Parenting 11:00am-12noon, Parlor Floor
Raising Children With A Feeling of Self Worth – Proactive Techniques
Presenter: Willa Jones, Executive Director, The Association of Black Social Workers
       This workshop is designed to help the prospective parents, parents of infants, toddlers, and preschool children. It can also be helpful  to extended family adults, who have inter-generational interactions with infants, toddlers, and preschool children.
During this workshop we will explore a variety of techniques, which can be effective in:
(1) helping children to develop a positive self-image, and to enhance their self esteem.
(2) helping parents, guardians, and other adults deal with problems common to the growth and development of young children.
(3) helping parents and guardians establish short – term and long – term goals for their children=s growth and development.
(4) helping parents and guardians be Aproactive@, by providing them with an opportunity to gain a better understanding of Aappropriate@ child guidance techniques, before they engage in Ainappropriate@ child guidance techniques.
(5) helping parents and guardians to gain knowledge of possible Areactive@ techniques they may use to help correct/alter a particular behavior, or a variety of behaviors exhibited by a young child.
Workshops are free but space is limited.  To reserve a space, call The Magnolia Tree Earth Center 718-387-2116.
Workshop #2 1:00pm-2 :00pm Foreclosure prevention, mortgage assistance.
Presenter: James Carr, Pratt Area Community Council
Ground Floor
space limited please call for reservation.
(First Saturday=s at Magnolia is part of  The Hattie Carthan Way Project, whose aim is to develop a sense of community along AHattie Carthan Way@ (Lafayette Avenue between Bedford and Stuyvesant Avenues), and to increase the impact of the Magnolia Earth Tree Center on the general Bedford-Stuyvesant community.)

February=s All About  Feelings
February- 2 B Feb. 27: An Exhibition of Works by Tom Feelings, sponsored by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College will be presented in the college=s Charles Innis Memorial Library.  Other tributes honoring the late artist to take place during the month include: a memorial celebration at Medgar Evers= Founder=s Auditorium, 1650 Bedford Avenue on Friday, February 27, followed the next day, on Saturday, Feb. 28, with a memorial service at Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood=s St. Paul=s Baptist Church, 859 Hendrix St.; and an exhibition of his works at the MoCADA Gallery beginning Sunday, February 29 through April.  The National Conference of Artists and Tom Feelings=family and friends are also sponsor/hosts of these events.  For details and information on times and scheduling please call ( 212)410-7892 or  e-mail to:   ncanewyork@aol.com.

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12n – 2pm: African Burial Ground Project Black History Month site tours. Tours are every Tuesday and Thursday during the month of February. The tours describe the artwork installed to commemorate the site and begin in the lobby at 290 Broadway, located between Duane and Reade Streets, N.Y.C. This is a free event held in the federal building and reservations are required. For more information call (212)337-2001.

4
6:30pm: Excellence Charter School Kindergarten and 1st grade information sessions, for families of boys entering Kindergarten and 1st grade during the 2004-2005 school year. Excellence Charter School, a public school, prepares young boys to enter, succeed in and   graduate from outstanding college preparatory high schools and colleges. Please call (718)771-7701 to attend a session on 2/4, 2/11, 2/25 and 3/6. Sessions will be held at Brooklyn Tabernacle, 600 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. (between Nostrand & Marcy Avenues).

7
5pm – 11pm: Brooklyn Museum of Art=s free First Saturday celebrates Valentine=s Day a week early with an evening of music, poetry, art and dance.  For more information call (718) 501-6330. The museum is located at 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y.

4pm: Free Your African Mind. African education, expanding our African understanding. St. James Presbyterian Church, 141st St. and St. Nicholas Ave., N.Y.C. For additional info. call Mother Kefa Nephthys (212)368-7353.

9am-12n: Medgar Evers College. The Male Development and Empowerment Center will present a community legal forum for people who are living under the supervision of the New York State Division of Parole. The workshop is designed to inform parolees and their family members about how to avoid parole violations and subsequent reincarceration. There will also be information about employment and drug treatment resources.  1150 Carroll Street, Brooklyn, N.Y.

6
7pm:   INAUGURATION & AWARDS CEREMONY for the JAMES DAVIS STOP  THE VIOLENCE FOUNDATION at The Rose Castle, 380 Flushing Avenue, corner of Franklin Avenue. FREE ADMISSION.  Award recipients include: The Rev. Herbert Daughtry, House of the Lord Church for Lifetime Community Achievement; the Weekend Review Team of 98.7 KISS FM for Media Information, and Dr. Roy Hastick, Sr., Founder, Caribbean- American Chamber of Commerce for Humanitarianism.  On the program: Guest Speakers, Spoken- Word Performance, Fashion Exhibit, Auction and Open Buffet. Dress is Formal.  Advance Registration is required.  Call 718-493-8105.

8
3pm-6pm: A community conversation with renowned cultural critics   Powell and  hooks will discuss Black Men and Masculinity. Newsday=s  Katti Gray will moderate. For more info call (718)919-5553. Brooklyn Music School, 126 St. Felix St. Brooklyn, N.Y.

10
6pm: Metropolitan-Chapter of the Victorian Society in America. Free February 10th lecture takes a behind- the- scenes look at nineteenth- century World=s Fair displays. Nineteenth -century World=s Fair methods of display and their influence on American museums are the subjects of a talk by Kathleen Curran, associate professor of fine arts at Trinity College, Hartford, Conn.  Further information may be obtained by calling (212)886-3742.
 

11
 9am-7:30pm: Brooklyn Campus- Long Island University. African Diaspora sponsored by the Dance, Art, English, Music, an Media Arts departments. Conference features music and movement workshop; Griot presentation: Harambee Dance Company; film presentation; contemporary Kenyan art and reception. For more info call (718)488-1051.

14 & 28
4pm: Free Your African Mind.  Ancient Future Parts 1 and 2. St. James Presbyterian Church, 141st St. And St. Nicholas Ave. N.Y.C.  For more info call Mother Kefa Nephthys (212) 368-7353.

17
6:00 p.m: The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College will sponsor a book -signing and discussion for Keith Gilyard, author of Liberation Memories: the Rhetoric and Art of John Oliver Killens (Wayne State University Press, 2003). This discussion is a preconference activity for the Seventh Annual National Black Writers Conference: A Tribute to and Symposium on John Oliver Killens (Culture and Politics of Black Literature) to be held at the college. Using a holistic approach that evaluates John Oliver Killens, the man, writer, teacher, activist, and organizer, Gilyard gives us a comprehensive portrait of an important writer and literary artist=s work from the perspective of Killens= vision, rhetorical form, and use of the vernacular
17-19
Brooklyn Based Head Start Community-Based Literacy Intiative. The Brooklyn Head Start Community Based Literacy Initiative in Bedford-Stuyvesant will  host  its fourth annual literacy conference.The theme of this years conference is ABuilding futures through literacy.@ For further information contact Cynthia Cummings, Executive Director.at (718) 771-4002.
18
A  Blues For Nina:  Electrifying Art pays homage to Nina Simone. Black Women Artists on Race, Gender, and the Legacy of Nina Simone. Soulful, sassy and socially conscious songstress, Nina Simone will be remembered at  the Tribeca  Art Gallery at Borough Manhttan Community College.199 Chambers St. N.Y.. For additional information about the exhibit, please visit at http://www.abluesfornina.com.
21
12n- 4pm: African Burial Ground Project Black- History Month Film Festival. The day=s highlights will include viewing three films. A question- and- answer session as well as a guided tour of the federal office tower which houses artwork that commemorates the site. For more information please call (212)337-2001. This event is free and reservations are required.

22
3pm-5pm: Brooklyn Museum of Art. Music in the Galleries will present :@Africa to the Americas.@ Noted storyteller and musician Linda Humes takes listeners of all ages on a musical journey from Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas. 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y.  For more info call (718)501-6330.

28
6pm-11pm: The Annual Tribute to the Ancestors of the Middle Passage Fund-raiser. Fashion Show 2004. New York Top Designers: Moshood, Raif, Annette, and Akeem Collection. Special Performances by: Abu Muhammad the Poetician, Shanto, Crown Heights Youth Collective, Kowteff, and New Kemit Society. Medgar Evers College Auditorium 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. For more info call (718)270-4902.

Through February 29
Kenyan Art is on view simultaneously at four Brooklyn galleries plus the Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza, 718-783-4438.  About 100 paintings and works on paper from Kenya, most of which have never been seen outside of Africa, are part of the collaborative exhibition that can be see at Five Myles, 558 St. John=s Place, 718-783-4438; Salena Gallery at LIU, Brooklyn Campus, 1 University Plaza at Flatbush Avenue Ext., 718-488-1198; Welancora Gallery, 410 Jefferson Avenue, 718-919-0344 and Kentler International Drawing Space, 353 Van Brunt St., 718-875-2098.
MILLION WOMAN MARCH REGROUPING FOR OCTOBER 2004
The 7th Anniversary of the Million Woman March takes place October 25, 2004.
Please celebrate the remembrance with us, in your own community. Plan activities for this fall and winter to help yourself, your family, and your community.  Now is the time to come together, talk to each other, and spend time together. E-mail us with you ideas for the seventh anniversary at
comments@mwmsisters.com.