Home Blog Page 21

“History Must Look His Way”

Cinque Brath
-
0
“History Must Look His Way”

“Black is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story” documentary debuted this week in New York City, and Brathwaite family members are sending us their commentaries on the film about the beloved photojournalist.
The documentary Black is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story, directed by Yemi Bamiro and produced by Joanna Boateng of Misfit Entertainment, made its North American debut, last Thursday, Nov. 13 during the DOC NYC 2025 Documentaries Festival presented at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan (DocNYC.net)

“History Must Look His Way”
Cinque Brath
I had the privilege of attending the world premiere of the documentary, in London, a month prior.
Yet, Kwame Brathwaite’s legacy is not just photographic history—it is cultural history. And this documentary, even as a glimpse, ensures that history finally has to look his way.
Seeing it a second time, I found myself appreciating it even more, noting a few minor edits but also sensing a deeper emotional resonance in this new viewing.

Writer-producer Cinque Brath with Grandassa models Ama Tanks & Nana Bakaa. Photo by Val Styles


Through interviews with family members, former subjects, and the occasional celebrity, the documentary paints a portrait of a man who never chased fame. Kwame moved quietly—with his camera, his love for Black people, and a profoundly patient spirit.
Yet despite his artistic brilliance, history almost erased him. For decades, his photographs went largely unseen by major institutions, overshadowed by louder and less committed figures who received recognition he never sought. His work, however, is indispensable. It is historical.


Brathwaite captured movements, moments, and emotions with a clarity and depth equal to, if not surpassing, many celebrated photographers we are taught to revere.
The music and entertainment powerhouse duo, Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, appear determined to rewrite that imbalance, partnering with Misfit Entertainment to bring Kwame’s story to the forefront.


The documentary uses a powerful emotional arc—culminating in the unveiling of his first cinematic posthumous exhibition.
In that final scene, as visitors stand quietly, visibly moved by images they never realized they were missing, the film fulfills a long overdue cultural responsibility.


Black is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story reminds us that some of the world’s greatest storytellers work in silence, tucked away from the spotlight, creating legacies that deserve far more than history ever offered them.
Still, there are moments in the film where deeper context or fuller recognition of his accomplishments could have been explored. As his nephew, someone who traveled internationally with him and worked closely on numerous projects, I feel those omissions more sharply than most.
Yet, the documentary succeeds in its most important mission: introducing the world to who Kwame Brathwaite truly was and affirming the significance of his life’s work.


While the phrase “Black is Beautiful” was first coined by Marcus Garvey, the actual movement was built and sustained by the African Jazz Art Society and Studio (AJASS), founded in the South Bronx in 1956.
JASS later created the Grandassa Models in 1961, debuting them in Harlem in 1962—women who redefined beauty standards and sparked a global cultural shift. Kwame documented their efforts with extraordinary vision. His photographs remain living proof of the saying; a picture is worth a thousand words.


Yet, Kwame Brathwaite’s legacy is not just photographic history—it is cultural history. And this documentary, even as a glimpse, ensures that history finally has to look his way.

They did the work because they loved their People
Elombe Brathwaite II
“My uncle’s photographs are proof positive of the historical role that he and my father, Elombe Brath, played in promoting black consciousness and pride, and in changing the narrative of how we define ourselves in relation to a European perspective.”
“As I sat and watched the screening of the film, I thought to myself that now history is forced to acknowledge them. They are getting their just due for all their tireless sacrifices. They did the work because they loved their people; they never looked for monetary rewards.

Kwame Brathwaite family members, including his son, Kwame S. Brathwaite and partner/wife Robynn Brathwaite, are carrying the photographer’s legacy forward. photo by Barry L. Mason


I think of all the people who were inspired by the work they were doing, but never gave them credit……. In the long run though, the work speaks for itself and is far more valuable than any material rewards that they could have received in their lifetimes.”

On Kwame’s Genius
John Brathwaite
“The film is a wonderful story about my brother’s conceptualizing, planning and implementation of a massive change of our people’s self-awareness and self-esteem. It is a wonderful work of art, deserving of international awards.”

He Harnessed Beauty
Beth Arnold
This film celebrating Kwame Brathwaite, the international photo-journalist and my brother-in-law, was so inspiring and warm-hearted.
Kwame’s photography harnesses the beauty and uniqueness of Black women throughout the world, just as the documentary illuminates him. I left the theatre feeling like the most beautiful woman alive.
This documentary portrays every aspect of Kwame Brathwaite’s persona that fueled his artistry, social justice activism and political advocacy.


He was always saying, “DO IT!,” and he did it all with perfection.


Next week, Our Time Press presents more family reviews of “Black is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story” and members of our team, Bernice Green, David Greaves and Barry Mason, share personal stories covering three decades on Kwame’s extraordinary legacy.

The Fall of NY Football

Eddie Castro
-
0
The Fall of NY Football

By Eddie Castro
By no means necessary, Jets and Giants fans would catch themselves looking away from the TV screen when it came to their beloved New York Football teams. Although coming into the 2025-26 NFL campaign, there weren’t many expectations coming into this season, but no one could have expected it would look this bad. Through 12 weeks, both the Jets and the Giants sit in last place in their respective divisions with a combined win-loss record of 4-17.

Coaching, front-office issues, injuries, poor quarterback play, and poor draft decisions that probably go back to my High School days are the many reasons why both teams are where they are today. The Jets and Giants have endured a lot, and unfortunately, it does not appear that things will improve, at least not this year.


For the Giants, things got off to a pretty rocky start with quarterback Russell Wilson. In three starts for the Giants, Wilson was hit just as often as a piñata on a birthday. His ineffectiveness led the organization to make a change at quarterback to rookie Jaxson Dart. In seven starts with Dart under center, the team has shown signs of improvement, and there seems to be quite a connection between Dart and Coach Brian Daboll. Despite that connection still in progress, the front office decided to part ways with Daboll after a fourth-quarter collapse against the Chicago Bears.

Daboll posted a record of 20-40-1in 4 seasons as the Head Coach. He led the team to the playoffs in his first season, but the team has since gone 11-33. Injuries have also decimated the team. Their secondary has taken hits all year long, and the team lost their top offensive playmakers in receiver Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo to season-ending injuries.


Ironically, the New York Jets are dealing with similar issues to their neighbor, the Giants. The team has continued to struggle for some time, leading to the playoff drought that will now be 16 years if you count this season. The team has struggled to find consistency at the quarterback position. Coach Aaron Glenn has decided to bench Justin Fields (whom the team invested big in this offseason) in favor of Tyrod Taylor for this Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The team’s overall performance is a reflection of a larger pattern of instability, hence why the organization elected to trade top-tier players like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams a few weeks back.

There’s no other way to put things into perspective. Both organizations have continued to show no signs of progress when it comes to the rebuilding process, leaving fans drowning in their sorrows. Both franchises have not gotten it right with recent draft picks, adding to a quite dysfunctional decade of New York football.


Sports Notes: (Football) police are looking for a suspect who shot Jets player Kris Boyd outside an Asian Fusion restaurant in Manhattan over the weekend. Boyd was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he is reportedly in critical but stable condition.

We here at Our Time Press want to send our biggest prayers to Boyd and Boyd’s family, friends, and loved ones during this time. The New York Giants will head to Ford Field to play the Detroit Lions on Sunday. (Basketball) The Knicks battle the Orlando Magic in the third game of a five-game road trip. As we go to press, the team is still seeking its first win of the season away from Madison Square Garden.

Helping Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa

Kazembe Batts
-
0
Helping Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa

By Kazembe Batts
On October 28th, Hurricane Melissa ravaged Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and other parts of the Caribbean. In Jamaica, the storm, which touched down on the western side of the island, caused tremendous infrastructure damage, landslides, roadblocks, and electrical blackouts. Melissa left entire communities isolated and surrounded by water. Nonetheless, since the storm made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane with wind speeds of up to 190 mph, opportunities to assist Jamaica, a nation of 3 million people, are being realized.


Led by International Reggae Day founder Andrea Davis, Jamaica Arts Holdings (JAH)updated diasporans about conditions on the ground as the storm approached and after it had caused catastrophic damage. From the capital Kingston, where electricity remained functioning, JAH used wi-fi and WhatsApp links to inform the Jamaican diaspora of conditions. This communications system was crucial because immediately after the storm, 72% of the island lost electricity, and only 35% of cell phones worked.


Recording star Shaggy stepped up to help after getting guidance from Chat GPT regarding what to do. Commandeering a friend’s plane, he flew from Miami with loads of batteries, sanitary pads, tarpaulins, Pampers, and other supplies. According to Shaggy, “We’re very resilient people, there is a lot of love and kindness. Kingston now operates as a hub that can get food and supplies in and out; you’re feeling the community camaraderie within the Jamaican society. I love that”. Besides his own initiative, Shaggy also recommended two organizations that he believes are credible: the Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), which uses an Amazon link so items purchased can quickly get to GEM, which then distributes the supplies. Seeing the impact, he also recommends the well-established multi-national charitable organization, Food for the Poor. Another verifiable organization is Helping Hands Ministry Jamaica, which is operating out of Florida.


The government of Jamaica is not sitting idly during this period of hardship. To inspire the nation, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness proclaimed, “Jamaica, we are strong and will get through this…the devastation is truly heartbreaking, yet the spirit of the people remains unbroken.” At a recent gathering in Washington, D.C., Jamaica’s new Ambassador to the United States, Antony Anderson, told a crowd of interested listeners, “We have to ensure that the supplies sent into Jamaica go into the right hands for distribution.” He then shared some steps his government has taken to facilitate assistance and donations: launched a dedicated email address where Jamaicans abroad can send inquiries and make pledges – disasterresponese@jamaqqicaarmbassy, compiled a database of reliable 501(c) 3 organizations, and another database of people with specialized skills to be ready to be deployed.


Mindful of current national politics and immigration policy, New York City Immigration Coalition Executive Director Murad Awawdeh added, “Everything from homes to local businesses has been destroyed, widespread power outages have occurred, and families are struggling to recover…currently, Jamaica is not designated for TPS…TPS has enabled our immigrant neighbors to work legally, support their families, and contribute to the local economy…we urge the administration to immediately designate TPS for Jamaica, ensuring they have legal protections, stability, dignity to continue to rebuild their lives without the fear of being ripped away from their loved ones…in contrast, deporting Jamaicans back to a country in the middle of a humanitarian crisis would be reckless and inhumane.” Many believe that TPS and American foreign policy toward the Caribbean, whether in Haiti or Jamaica, is a growing concern for humanitarians.


Artists, charity organizations, and government officials are focused. Walking down Nostrand Ave. you may stop and get some jerk chicken while hearing classic sounds of Bob Marley or the more contemporary Buju Bunton. These are signs of Jamaicans’ cultural influence in Brooklyn that many of us enjoy. Culture is important, but now is the time to help the Jamaican people and nation in their struggle for a better material quality of life and to turn Hurricane Melissa into a unifying, nation-building time of Black Solidarity.

Mamdani’s Turnout: The Voters and The Issues

Mary Alice Miller
-
0
Mamdani’s Turnout: The Voters and The Issues

By Mary Alice Miller
Between the Primary and General Elections, polling consistently predicted that Mamdani would win. But New York City’s money class and voters who support Israel no matter what its government does held on to hope that Cuomo would pull out a victory. In the end, polling undercounted Mamdani’s support in the General Election, just like the Primary.


But there was one political analyst who predicted that Mamdani could win by 50% in a three way race despite, or maybe because of, his Democratic Socialist affiliation. That analyst is Michael Lange, publisher the politics newsletter The Narrative Wars, who took a hyper-granular look at the election results.
Yes, Mamdani had a strong ground game with 100,000 volunteers who canvassed for him across the city. And yes, half of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America 11,000 members joined within the past year.


But that was not enough to win the mayoral election. Voting blocks and issues matter.
Prior to the General Election, Lange wrote several pieces that outlined why he predicted Mamdani’s victory: “Predicting Every Block of the 2025 New York City Mayoral Election”, “How Zohran Can Reach 50%”, and “The End of Andrew Cuomo: The Politics of Pronunciation”.


The political class thought that the Black electorate would maintain its loyalty to Cuomo, but that electorate is loyal to the Democratic Party more. Cuomo just happened to be the Democratic nominee in previous elections.
“There were neighborhoods that Cuomo outpaced Mamdani in the primary by 20, 30, even 40 points that universally flipped to Mamdani, 10, 20-point wins.

Cuomo’s support, I guess you could say, maybe collapse is too strong because in some of these places, he still did get 30%, 35%, 40% of the vote, but it was a dramatic reversal,” said Lange in an interview on WNYC. “According to the CUNY Graduate Center [NYC 2025 Election Map at urbanresearchmaps,org], the census areas with predominantly Black eligible voters were won by Mamdani by 30 points. The New York Times conducted a somewhat similar analysis that had Mamdani winning Black majority election districts by 24%.”


Lange explained, “This is also across a class spectrum from lower-income neighborhoods like Brownsville to more working-class neighborhoods like Wakefield in the Northeast Bronx, to more middle-class neighborhoods like Canarsie, like Southeast Queens. This was a universal shift.”


Admittedly there were a couple of places where Cuomo still did hold on to eke out narrow majorities: Rochdale Village in Southeast Queens and Co-op City. Cuomo did win some of the senior center precincts, largely a consequence of age. “In the places where 65% of the electorate is over 60 years old, [Cuomo] would do really well,” Lange said.


According to Lange, “Mamdani, not only would he have not gotten 50%, were these inroads not made, he might not have won to begin with. I think that also for as well as he did, and all the improvement that he showed over the last couple months, if you think about the cost of living crisis and pushing people in the city to the brink, the center of that story is Black New York.


No demographic group has lost a greater percentage or larger numbers of their population in the last decade or two, a direct consequence, of rising costs, particularly around housing.
In addition, the Black electorate did not know Mamdani, and knew Cuomo, perhaps a little too much. But the Black electorate did not know John Liu until Al Vann introduced Liu to Black Bed Stuy at The Lab on Fulton Street. Liu went on to become the first Asian-American elected to citywide office in New York City.


Mamdani’s lifelong commitment to Palestine and the defense of it played a role in the election. Mamdani didn’t run on Israel-Gaza or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but his support for the human rights of Gaza Palestinians enraged anti-Mamdani voters and excited pro-Mamdani voters.


“I think Palestine started as a really important issue to mainly his base, but the escalation of the war really brought the issue into a broader consciousness,” said Lange. “AIPAC and the Israel lobby, they have such influence on our politics. Cuomo’s opposition force to Mamdani, it was very wealthy Manhattanites, it was middle-class Jewish neighborhoods, it was Orthodox and Hasidic enclaves, and it was the dwindling, but still powerful kind of white ethnic New York. You also mix in some Chinese American immigrants.”


There were voters who voted for Trump last and voted for Mamdani this year. Those voters were in Puerto Rican neighborhoods, South American neighborhoods in Queens, Muslims, and South Asians.


“I think Zohran Mamdani performed quite well in a lot of the immigrant neighborhoods that shifted dramatically towards Trump. Corona, Queens, there is no neighborhood in the entire country that has experienced such a shift right over the last decade. Mamdani did well there,” said Lange. “ I think both the pro-Mamdani and the anti-Mamdani coalitions were very motivated. It’s just one was larger and also growing, while the other was more declining in numbers.”


He added, “There was not quite a white working-class Mamdani/Trump voter. I’m sure there were, of course, a couple on Staten Island and things like that, but it was not an overwhelming development. Mamdani’s strength was for bringing a lot of these immigrant neighborhoods back into the Democratic Party tent.”


Mamdani’s the cost-of-living, economic-based message, resonated with young voters, the working and middle class, multiracial groups, and labor.
“I think Mamdani’s coalition, especially in this general election, was that new era of the David Dinkins rainbow coalition,” said Lange.

Doubtful Dems, Shutdown Showdown Shakedown

Nayaba Arinde
-
0
Doubtful Dems, Shutdown Showdown Shakedown

Disappointing and disappointed Dems are currently occupying the same news cycle.

By Nayaba Arinde
On Wednesday night, 12th November, the historic 43-day government shutdown ended when the House agreed to the Republican spending bill with a 222-209 vote.
But while temporary relief is certain, cheers may be slightly muted.
On Tuesday, 11th, November 2025, eight defecting Democrats sided with Republicans to end the six week government shutdown, without getting any real assurances of keeping health care premiums at an affordable level inline with the income levels of the majority of the nation.


“Democrats are wondering if there was a point to all of this if their leaders were going to cave,” Professor Basil A. Smikle Jr. PhD, told Our Time Press. “Given the results on election day, many Democrats wanted the Senate to hold the line and feel let down.”
The Columbia Professor and political strategist added, “It’s welcome news for workers that needed to get paid and airline travelers that were facing disruptions leading up to the holidays.”

President Trump now gets to consider signing the solution into reality.
Congressional Minority Leader, Brooklyn’s Hakeem Jeffries said before the vote, “If it doesn’t happen this week, next week, this month, next month, then it’s the fault of Donald Trump, House and Senate Republicans, who continue to make life more expensive for the American people.”
But, political observers, and everyday people are asking, what about the Affordable Care Act. It was not part of the final deliberations.


There is underground rumblings that the Democrats flipped on themselves, and perhaps had been posturing so that they seemed dedicated to supporting the 42 million people who were in danger of losing their government benefits, just so they could ride that dissatisfaction all the way to the November 4th polls, and sweep the ballot across the nation, including the new Democratic (Democratic Socialists of America) Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani.


“The eight senate Democrats caved,” former Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake told Our Time Press. “We should never have to decide between meals or Medicare. What we are watching is exactly why people are craving a new generation of real Democrats who will fight for the people.”


With a Republican saying they will address the healthcare issue soon, but not now, many House Dems raged at Senate Minority Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer’s inability to competently lead the collective. There are lowkey talks by high-ranking Democrats calling for Jeffries and Schumer to face primary challenges next year.

Current City Councilmember Chi Osse says he will run for Jeffries’ seat.
Asked about Schumer’s leadership, Jeffries defended him enthusiastically. Declaring that the greater majority of Senate Democrats, led by Schumer “have waged a valiant fight over the last seven weeks, defeating the partisan Republican spending bill 14 or 15 different times, week after week after week.”


Forty-two million people have been trying to figure out how to make a dollar out of 15 cents. Some of the six-week-unpaid federal workers are borrowing from credit unions and other sources, not sure how–or when, they can repay that money lent for everyday living. Trump’s tariffs are depleting food on the kitchen table.

The tariffs are diluting the tanks. Everyday people are buying less food, struggling with health care options, childcare, transport, and paying rent, mortgages, utilities, and with taxes coming out of all income “working to pay the government” to quote Whoopi Goldberg.


“Under this deal, there is no guarantee that we will be able to protect 1.6 million New Yorkers’ healthcare, and that is what this shutdown was all about,” said New York State Attorney General Letitia James. “And it’s unfortunate that we cannot depend on or trust our federal government.

There is a possibility that our SNAP case will be mooted as a result of this deal, but at the end of the day, this administration is seeking to claw back benefits from states and/or from some of these vendors — all while they try to take food off the table from children, seniors, veterans and families. I will do everything in my power as Attorney General to protect New Yorkers’ healthcare while we continue this fight to protect food stamps.”


Government officials note that even with the shutdown over, there will be a residual impact across the board from flights to benefits distribution. There have been 8,000 flight cancellations since Friday, November 7th. The area’s airports, including JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark, are continuing to experience cancellations and delays, with some people spending days at the airports. Lines at TSA were over an hour long in some of the 40 airports, which had dozens of TSA and air traffic control people calling in sick. Some took on side jobs, such as driving for Uber, to pay their personal bills.


Trump claimed that he would give a $10,000 bonus to airport workers who stayed on the job and dock their wages for those who did not.
The crossing Dems said that they based their decision on helping to end the shutdown.
Up to 42 million people in America have been living with the fear for 6 weeks that they could lose their SNAP benefits, many turning to the long lines of the stretched-thin food pantries.


Approximately 20 million people will see their health premiums increase by as much as $300.
Jeffries said that any future health care arrangement with the Republicans needs to be “ironclad and in legislation.”
Fresh off of a so-called blue wave in the national November 4th General Election results–including New York City’s own new Mayoral-elect Zohran Mamdani, naysayers and Monday morning quarterback armchair analysts have said that Democrats fumbled the ball and “caved in” by having the 43-day shutdown without a win, or any of the main gains they claimed they were fighting for.


The whole painful exercise is about Republicans dismantling President Barack Obama’s health care. Extending Obamacare, which tens of millions rely upon, was the Democratic sticking point, so to concede with this off the table has made many irate.
The eight Democrats who crossed over to side with the Republicans, and their vote made the deal possible after the six-week shutdown, but they conceded the key issue of extending ObamaCare.


Jeffries slightly chastised the dithering Dems, saying, “They’re going to have to explain themselves.” This, as Republicans said, they promise to possibly address the issue they adamantly opposed in a few weeks. Perhaps.
Former Assemblyman Blake, who just announced a run for Congress in the Bronx next year, concluded, “If Obamacare is not continued in its current form, people are going to lose their lives, because of not having access to healthcare. We know that if people have to decide between rent, groceries, and going to the doctor, they will prioritize protecting their home and feeding their families before they prioritize protecting themselves.
“The democrats should never have agreed to this cave-in, and they must find a way to have the Affordable Care Act extended in some way.”


As for the Republican claim that they would revisit the affordable health issue, Blake added, “I have never known a doctor to take on a promissory note.”

1...202122...1,289Page 21 of 1,289