Home Blog Page 16

Brooklyn Org’s Dr. Jocelynne Rainey

Fern Gillespie
-
0
Brooklyn Org’s Dr. Jocelynne Rainey

By Fern Gillespie
As the holiday season winds down, charities are revving up their end-of-the-year push for donations. Our Time Press reached out to Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, Ed.D., President and CEO of Brooklyn Org, Brooklyn’s major community-based philanthropic organization. Under her leadership, Brooklyn Org has surpassed $130 million in total giving and also expanded its commitments to Brooklyn nonprofits focusing on racial justice and community engagement. Our Time Press spoke to Dr. Rainey for advice on Black Brooklyn residents expanding philanthropy from “giving back” to having an active role in local nonprofits.


OTP: Studies have shown that Black Americans are actively involved in philanthropy or “giving back,” with donating 25 percent more of their income than White Americans. How can people make their involvement in philanthropy with nonprofits more formal?
JR: Black people are the most philanthropic people. Research shows that we give the most.

A lot of our giving is to our churches, to neighborhood pantries, to family members. And as Black people, we always want to make sure that our neighbors are doing well, then we’re doing well. That’s what we do. And one of the things about Brooklyn Org is that we are really focused on is how do we bring everyone to the table to make sure that their philanthropy is recognized. That they feel comfortable, whether you can give up your time, your treasure, whatever you can give that you can be part of the solution.

OTP: How should somebody select a nonprofit to be involved with in terms of making sure that it’s bona fide and has made a positive impact?
JR: At Brooklyn Org, we have Brooklyn Gives, a website where you can see nonprofits and you can search that website by issues. I think that people should start by thinking about what the things are that “keep me up at night?” What are the things that I want to solve? Do your own research and look for nonprofits that are doing the work that you care about. I think that’s the way to really make a determination about where to give. See if there’s an opportunity for you to get engaged in that organization so you can learn more.

OTP: What is a quality that a person should have to be on a board of a nonprofit?
JR: I think that it’s most important is to care about what the nonprofit’s issue really is. You’re not going to have a good experience if you’re on a board for an organization that is not your passion. And then you also must be willing to give up your time. You don’t want it to feel like a job, but you should give be able to give some time and show up for things for the board.

It’s really important for people to see board members there and to volunteer when it makes sense. Brooklyn Org also helps with board matching and can assist if interested in learning about Brooklyn nonprofits that need board members.

OTP: Brooklyn Org has a donor-advised Funds program, known as a DAF. What are the benefits of a DAF in donating to nonprofits?
JR: DAF is an opportunity for families or individuals to create a fund that is designated towards their philanthropic giving that is housed at the foundation. Where if you are interested in giving donations to nonprofits or other organizations, you can use your fund. It has some tax incentives. DAFs offer individuals, families and businesses support to maximize their charitable giving. When you do it with Brooklyn Org, you get an opportunity for us to help you to find organizations that are aligned with the things that you and your family are interested in doing.


And anyone can open a DAF. The minimum to open a DAF is $5,000. Brooklyn Org is doing the administrative work. So, if you have a family foundation or if you are already giving, it gives you an opportunity to be able to use the expertise and the administrative support of the Brooklyn Org to optimize your giving.

OTP: Under the Trump administration, what is the state of Brooklyn nonprofit funding that focuses on DEI and racial and social justice?
JR: At a time like this so many people are grappling with unaffordability. People are dealing with housing instability. They are unable to get the food that they need. What we’re finding is that with the new administration that funding is difficult for nonprofits. They’re finding that a lot of funders that funded them in the past are not funding them. Some of the funders are doubling down on the organizations they already fund, so they’re not opening their doors to new funders. You know, this whole issue around not focusing on racial justice or race, the DEI initiatives.

What that means is that a lot of funders are still trying to figure out what they can do and where they can fund. So, the nonprofits in Brooklyn are saying that they’re seeing a lot less funding while their costs are rising. So, it’s really important now that you know folks are thinking about how to support nonprofits and you know donations and funding to Brooklyn Org go directly to Brooklyn-based nonprofits.

OTP: Brooklyn Org has established Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn. What is the goal of the project?
JR: We also found that nearly 70 percent of nonprofits saying that there’s a real financial strain on families at this moment and how difficult it is for them to just get the basic things they need like food, pay rent, and childcare. We decided to that is really important for us to do more this year.

This year, with our strategic grantmaking, we gave $1.5 million, but we want to increase that. To give 25 percent more grants this year, Brooklyn Backs Brooklyn is about Brooklyn communities and Brooklyn neighbors supporting Brooklyn and the people that live here. So we have a campaign going on right now that we’re looking for people to give, to give more to Brooklyn. We want to raise $5 million in order to expand our grant-making.

OTP: Why is it personally important for you to help Brooklyn nonprofits through Brooklyn Org in their racial justice outreach?
JR: I grew up with my Flatbush. I live in Bedford Stuyvesant. I raised my kids there. So, I love Brooklyn. I always feel like it’s my dream job. It’s the intersection of philanthropy, racial justice and my beloved Brooklyn.
These are all the things I care about.
For more information on Brooklyn Org, contact: www.brooklyn.org

Across the Diaspora and Beyond, Cultures of Families Keep America Live

Editor, Our Time Press
-
0
Across the Diaspora and Beyond, Cultures of Families Keep America Live

“Divine Nine Sunday, December 14, transformed the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City into a winter wonderland, filled with color, creativity, and community spirit,” wrote event organizer Donna Kuhne-Walker, in a thank you to attendees.


“This event is more than just a gathering—it’s a celebration of art, culture, and community. With the Whitney’s Free Second Sunday programming, guests had the opportunity to explore incredible exhibitions, enjoy family-friendly artmaking activities, engage in storytime, and experience interactive tours.

The day also offered special access to the surrounding High Line, West Village, and Meatpacking District, tying the museum experience to the broader New York City cultural landscape.

Donna Kuhne-Walker


A highlight of the day was the now-famous Divine Nine Group Photo, organized this year by photographer Lia Chang who welcomed Legacy Ventures photographer Barry L. Mason (shooting for Our Time Press) to capture the moment in the main photo above.


In describing the assembling of the Divine Nine (D9) “proudly displaying their colors,” Ms. Walker-Kuhne said that the experience is, however, “more than a moment.”


“It is a symbol of unity, pride, and shared legacy, celebrating the impact of Black Greek Letter Organizations in our community. It stands as a visual reminder of our collective dedication to culture, service, and togetherness.


Ms. Walker-Kuhne is already looking forward to the winter and spring of 2026 to continue highlighting the importance of art, culture, and community. “This event,” she wrote, “is a shining example of what we can accomplish when we come together in celebration and unity.” And family.

One of the most anticipated family reunions occurred at The Whitney Museum last Sunday. It was the gathering of members of the historic Divine 9 (D9) fraternities and sororities of HBCUs to create their 2025 group photo.

( Photographer Mason also captured another historic group shot: the gathering of former Radio City Music Hall Rockettes of color at the Divine Nine event. Our Time Press is in the process of identifying each member of this historic group in the photo.)

Helmed by “planner” Donna Walker-Kuhne of Walker International (above), the event, free to the public, was hosted by The Whitney partnering with the National Pan-Hellenic Council of New York City (an umbrella organization for historically African American fraternities and sororities, collectively known as the Divine Nine and referred to as Black Greek Letter Organizations) and the Meatpacking District.

Reflections on My Trip to Egypt

Brenda Greene
-
0
Reflections on My Trip to Egypt

By Dr. Brenda M. Greene
As we read and meditate on our shared history and cultural experiences and on books, art, and images we see, these meditations leave imprints in our dreams and become part of our personal consciousness; however they do not become firmly etched in our memories until we find ways to connect them to past and present experiences, to the places we visit, and to the people with whom we interact.

Traveling to Egypt had always been on my bucket list, and when I formally retired, I determined that I would take this journey. Plans to make this journey during the first year of my retirement came unexpectedly.


I had just visited the Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876-Now exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with two of my friends. As we were on our way back home, my friend said an email announcing a 10-day tour to Egypt with a three-night cruise on the Nile had just popped into her inbox.

This was synchronicity in the making; I began to envision the fulfillment of my trip to Egypt. We had an option to take the trip in fall 2025 and decided that making this journey would be a great way to celebrate our birthdays, which would occur respectively in October and November. We had been members of the young adult division of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs in the 1970s and collectively embarking on a trip five decades later would be a full circle moment for us. Fast forward, we recruited five others for the trip, and on November 15, seven Black women left for Cairo, Egypt.

We became part of a racially and ethnically diverse tour group that included us (seven professional Black women), two Chinese couples, one Korean couple, one White couple, and one White woman. Our tour guide was an Arab Egyptologist who motivated us to connect with each other by telling us that we would be his family for the next ten days.


Like many, my initial impressions of Egypt and the continent of Africa while growing up in the 1950s were formed by Hollywood. My knowledge of Egyptology and Ancient Africa evolved as I began to read scholarship on African history, art, religion, and philosophy while in college and over my years as a university professor and scholar in Black literature and culture. I had read and researched scholars who included Chancellor Williams, Anthony Diop, Ben-Jochannan, John Henry Clarke, John Mbiti, Clinton Crawford, and Chester Higgins, among others.

I also worked in and visited the Brooklyn Museum of Art, where I had an opportunity to view and study the museum’s extensive collection of Egyptian artifacts. The information that I gained from reading and digesting scholarship on Ancient Africa and Egyptology was stored in my memory; however, the content of this scholarship did not excite my intellectual consciousness and impact my emotional consciousness until I visited and witnessed the majestic pyramids, temples, colossal stone Gods, and Ancient Egyptian deities in all their original splendor.

Viewing the pyramids, tombs, and temples up close and observing firsthand the encryptions, hieroglyphics, and detailed drawings on the walls of the tombs and temples touched my spirit and stirred my emotions. I could never have imagined being able to walk into the Great Pyramid of Giza.


Dr. Brenda M. Greene is Professor Emeritus and Founder and Executive Director Emeritus of the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. For more information about Dr. Brenda M. Greene, visit www.drbrendamgreene.com.

One Brooklyn Health Decks the Halls with Music & Festive Décor

Editor, Our Time Press
-
0
One Brooklyn Health Decks the Halls with Music & Festive Décor

The One Brooklyn Health (OBH) Gospel Choir shared the gift song throughout their medical centers last week, as they embarked on a holiday tour, appearing at various OBH medical centers, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. Comprised of vocalists from OBH at Brookdale, Interfaith, and Kingsbrook campuses, the choir ushered in the holidays by serenading patients, visitors, and staff with festive melodies to spread cheer and best wishes for the season.


This year, OBH is spreading holiday cheer not only through joyous music, but also through festive décor at all three campuses. The décor, thoughtfully created by Provost Events, a Black-owned event design company, features beautifully decorated trees adorned with custom OBH ornaments.

Each display was designed to brighten the hospital spaces while symbolizing the unity and strength of OBH as an integrated health system, connecting staff, patients, and visitors across all three campuses.


During their tour, the choir performed beloved holiday classics including “Silent Night,” “O Holy Night,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Joy to the World.” At the end of Joy to the World, choir members took a moment to introduce themselves, sharing their names, the OBH campus they work at, and their department, highlighting the unity and diversity that make up the OBH family.

At Interfaith Medical Center, patients were also able to enjoy the performance from their rooms, as the concert held in the chapel was broadcast directly to their in-room televisions, ensuring everyone could share in the celebration.


The choir was a featured at the OBH Gospel Fest, an annual community event designed to celebrate the connection between physical and spiritual wellness in collaboration with central Brooklyn clergy partners. The OBH Gospel Choir is a unique consortium of voices from various OBH facilities that include nurses, dietary staff, clerical staff, and management, who enjoy inspiring healing and inspiration through the gift of song.

“The choir is important for our OBH staff across various campuses because it unites us as one body,” said Tahisha Solages, Assistant Director of Marketing, Communications & PR at OBH, who also serves as the Choir Director for the group. “Together, the choir inspires and encourages healing, motivation, and inspiration through music for our community and patients.”


Music has the power to speak to the mind, emotions, and spirit, and has been proven to be therapeutic. It can relieve symptoms of depression, ease fatigue, and manage pain.

With this in mind, the choir was committed to reaching as many patients as possible, singing through the hallways of units where patients were unable to leave their beds.


“This is a great blessing and honor to be a part of the OBH Gospel Choir and the festive season, where the three hospitals came together to celebrate the holiday season.

Everyone joined in the hope that our music can lift spirits and bring comfort to patients in need. Seeing the beautifully decorated spaces across all three campuses while singing these beloved holiday songs truly reminds me of the unity and joy of the OBH family.” said Beverly Wedderburn, Registered Nurse OBH at Interfaith Campus.


One Brooklyn Health (OBH) was established to preserve and enhance healthcare services in the communities of Central Brooklyn and is composed of three hospitals and their affiliated facilities: Interfaith Medical Center (IMC), Brookdale Hospital Medical Center (BHMC), and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center (becoming the KJMC Medical Village).

The system strives to provide the highest quality and widest breadth of healthcare services available throughout Central and East Brooklyn. OBH has an extensive network of primary care, behavioral health, and specialty care locations to provide care close to home for community members.


OBH’s Gospel Choir will soon venture further into the community in 2026, to support events hosted by community partners and organizations throughout the central Brooklyn neighborhood.
by Amanda Barrett, OBH

A Felony, but Deed Thievery, Mortgage Fraud, and Illegal Evictions Are Still Big Business

Nayaba Arinde
-
0
A Felony, but Deed Thievery, Mortgage Fraud, and Illegal Evictions Are Still Big Business

By Nayaba Arinde
Editor-at-large
“There is a deed theft, mortgage fraud, and an eviction crime syndicate operating throughout Brooklyn,” Evangeline Byars, co-organizer of The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft, told Our Time Press. “There is a mass foreclosure scheme. An attorney said the foreclosure courts are the new trading grounds for Black and Brown generational wealth.”
Gone viral are the videos of Bed Stuy homeowners fighting back after being aggressively challenged for their property.

Last month, real estate broker Florence Lichmore-Smith was recorded protesting the legality of a construction team working inside her own home on Patchen Avenue in Brooklyn, as she was initially prevented from entry by police from the 81st Precinct.

Carmella Charrington also went viral defending the home her family has lived in for 60 years, as she charged that an LLC had fraudulently acquired her Jefferson Avenue brownstone last year. Byars said that there is now a physical presence protecting the homes, as men and young people are stepping up to join the Coalition’s rapid response unit.


State Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman told Our Time Press, “Deed theft is one of the most devastating—and least visible—forms of displacement facing Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, and our seniors are being deliberately targeted. This crime strips elders and vulnerable community members of their homes, their security, and generations of Black wealth, often through fraud, intimidation, and the misuse of legal and law-enforcement systems.”


New York’s Attorney General Letitia James has made deed theft a felony.
“Deed theft is a heartless and merciless crime that steals people’s homes without their knowledge,” AG James told Our Time Press. “For many New Yorkers, home ownership represents the pinnacle of years of diligent saving and hard work. That’s why deed theft is such a serious crime – and why my office has worked so hard to bring deed thieves to justice under our new state law.”


From 2014 to 2023, the New York City Sheriff’s Office counted nearly 3,500 complaints of deed theft throughout New York City, with more than 1,500 complaints in Brooklyn and 1,000 in Queens.
“This is a crime syndicate in Brooklyn of epidemic proportions,” Byars told Our Time Press, “Where you have shell LLCs, judges, lawyers, notaries, and politicians working all together in a cooperative manner to ensure that each part is doing what they need to do–and that includes all working in tandem.

These patterns are so large and far-reaching that you can’t even ignore them. You have people under the age of 50 holding 80 deeds, cases in courts to evict homeowners, something about this is not right, and the courts are ruling against owners.

The banks are running a monopoly situation where they are committing purchaser to purchaser fraud, where you have your deed, you own it, and the bank is assigning your mortgage to someone else, and then you get a notification saying that you have a new person in charge of your note.”


The targeted homeowner can be a “victim of fraud of service,” said Byars, notices of foreclosure action either not sent, or deliberately sent to the wrong addresses, but it is registered to the court that the person was served. A default judgment and a landlord-tenant action for eviction is put in place.


“So you technically lost your home by default, and they do this every day, all day long in foreclosure courts.”
Dora Pekec, Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani Transition Spokesperson, told Our Time Press, “White-collar criminals are scamming New Yorkers—especially seniors, immigrants, and Black New Yorkers—out of their homes.

As mayor, Zohran Mamdani will create an Office of Deed Theft Prevention to prevent these schemes and protect working families. Under a Mamdani administration, New Yorkers will have a real ally standing up to bad actors robbing New Yorkers and their families of equity, housing stability, and peace of mind.”
The Mamdani administration said they will hire “investigators, forensic accountants, and attorneys to stand up for families who are the target of fraud.”


Since 2017, prosecuting “skilled scammers, including disbarred attorneys and repeat offenders,” the office of District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said that their Real Estate Fraud Unit “obtained 30 indictments against 42 defendants in numerous deed theft cases, pertaining to over 70 properties. All of these cases resulted in convictions.” There were several jail terms, and some homes returned to “their rightful owners whenever legally possible.’ Gonzalez said, “This unmatched success has led to a precipitous decline in deed fraud complaints made by Brooklyn residents.”


Deed theft victims turned up in court last month when Gonzalez announced that a disbarred Brooklyn attorney, Sanford Solny, 68, had been sentenced to two and a half to seven years in prison for stealing the deeds to 11 residential properties across Brooklyn, primarily from Black “homeowners in financial distress.” He was convicted of 13 counts of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property.


“This defendant is a serial scammer who deserves every day he will now spend behind bars,’ determined Gonzalez. “We are committed to continuing to prosecute deed theft cases vigorously to protect vulnerable individuals from falling prey to fraudsters who seek to exploit high property values.”


Byars told the paper, “This crime doesn’t impact someone like me, who is 45 years old, or 30 or 20. It affects someone who has paid off their mortgage, a retired transit worker. A retired police officer, who has paid off their mortgage and then some fraudster slaps a note on you from a fraudulent bank saying that you owe them $822,000, and they are foreclosing on you.”


Two weeks ago, after meeting with members of the People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Fraud Coalition, Gonzales assured them that, “We will continue to work together with homeowners and focus on this important issue by prosecuting any case in which we have evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to meet our legal requirements.”


Byars said, “It is not just deed theft prevention; we need intervention and enforcement. The Coalition is now working in collaboration and in cooperation with the Deed Theft and Mortgage Fraud Taskforce at the DA’s office, modeled after the Domestic Violence Unit.”


Assemblywoman Zinerman told Our Time Press in a statement, “My work has focused on treating deed theft for what it is: a civil and human rights crisis. I have pushed for stronger enforcement of existing laws, including unlawful evictions under RPAPL § 768, launched a cease-and-desist campaign to establish no-solicitation zones and deter predatory actors, and escalated these concerns to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the United Nations to highlight the racial, age-based, and gendered patterns underlying this abuse.

I have also pressed for greater interagency coordination and accountability to ensure fraudulent deeds are challenged before families are unlawfully removed from their homes.”


Looking ahead to 2026, Zinerman stated, “I am advancing a comprehensive package of legislation to establish a statewide framework to prevent, defend against, and restore losses caused by deed theft and fraudulent property transfers. This includes the Protect Our Homes Act, which would create real-time property fraud alerts, modernize county recording systems, and strengthen early detection statewide.”

1...151617...1,289Page 16 of 1,289