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Dr. Brenda M. Greene to be honored by Harlem Writers Guild October 24

Editor, Our Time Press
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Dr. Brenda M. Greene to be honored by Harlem Writers Guild October 24

Since 1950, the Harlem Writers Guild (HWG) has nurtured and championed some of the most influential Black voices in literature and the arts. On Friday, October 24 to celebrate the institution’s 75th anniversary, literary scholar Dr. Brenda M. Greene will be honored with the Inaugural John Oliver Killens Literary Leadership Award at the historic Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.


Dr. Brenda M. Greene, Founder and Executive Director Emeritus of the Center for Black Literature, Medgar Evers College, CUNY Professor Greene, is renowned for heading the National Black Writers Conference (NBWC), one of the country’s leading Black literary events. Her life’s work and passion as an educator, scholar, literary activist, author, and radio host have been devoted to education and institution building.

A professor of English, she is host of Writers on Writing on WNYE, 91.5 F.M. She is editor of The African Presence and Influence on the Cultures of the Americas and co-editor of Resistance and Transformation: Conversations with Black Writers; Meditations and Ascensions: Black Writers on Writing; Redefining Ourselves, Black Writers in the Nineties; and Rethinking American Literature and she has written extensive essays, book reviews, and grants in English Studies. Her Black literature column for Our Time Press earned the 2024 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation.

For over 50 years, she has made a major impact in educational leadership and professional accomplishments in literature scholarship. Professor has been inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent.

Her awards include the Lucille Rose Living Legend Award from the Brooklyn Chapter of the NAACP; the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award from the Brooklyn United Scholarship Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Brooklyn Oldtimers Foundation, the Lynnette Velasco Community Impact Award sponsored by the Harlem Arts Festival, the Educational Leadership Award sponsored by the MEC Community Council, the City College Women in Arts and Culture Award, and the Betty Smith Arts Award from the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office. Dr. Greene is the proud mother of two sons, Talib Kweli Greene, an internationally known hip hop artist, Jamal K. Greene, Professor of Constitutional Law at Columbia University.


In addition, she has been honored in Brooklyn with the Phenomenal Women in Media Awards, which was originated, developed and produced by Legacy Ventures for Charlotte and Lemuel Mial of Herbert Von King Park. Also, the Spirit of Africa Awards, originated, developed and produced by Legacy Ventures and Pierre Thiam. “Brenda Greene has made a phenomenal impact on Black culture and literature in Brooklyn and beyond,” said Bernice Green, co-founder of Our Time Press and President of Legacy Ventures. “It’s been a great experience to feature her insights on Black literature in Our Time Press.”


The Harlem Writers Guild was founded by John Oliver Killens, Rosa Guy, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Willard Moore, and Walter Christmas. The Harlem Writers Guild has been instrumental in the careers of some legendary Black voices in literature and the arts.

Its members have included Dr. Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, Paul Robeson, Lorraine Hansberry, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Louise Meriwether, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Terry McMillan, Grace F. Edwards, Alice Childress, Walter Dean Myers, and many others.


The evening’s keynote address will be delivered by Kevin Powell, acclaimed poet, author, humanitarian and Grammy-nominated spoken word artist, whose works explore race, identity, and social justice. The event theme — “When We Write, We Free the World” — reflects both the transformative power of storytelling and HWG’s enduring mission to inspire, challenge, and liberate through the written word.

“For 75 years, the Harlem Writers Guild has been a guiding light for African American literary voices,” said Diane Richards, Executive Director, of the Harlem Writers Guild. “This celebration is not only about honoring our history, but also about promoting our future—using our stories to empower, inspire hope, and remind the world that when we Write, Speak, and Act, We Free the World.”
For more information, contact HWG75thAnniversary.eventbrite.com

Bertha Lewis: The Black Institute, A Think Tank Through a Black Lens

Fern Gillespie
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Bertha Lewis: The Black Institute, A Think Tank Through a Black Lens

Fern Gillespie
After having a career as frontline activist that spans over 50 years, Bertha Lewis, founder and board chair of the Black Institute (TBI) and the Black Leadership Action Coalition (BLAC) in Brooklyn, will be retiring. For 15 years she has been heading these Black think-tank organizations with a mission to take action. On October 30, she will be honored at the organization’s 15th Annual Gala Fundraiser Celebration for her instrumental activism in advancing racial justice, equity, and empowerment.

“For over the past 15 years, the Black Institute and the Black Leadership Action Coalition have focused on Black people and people of color in education, economics, the environment and immigration,” Lewis told Our Time Press. “We felt as though there needed to be a very direct and clear organization just focused on the issue of people of color and Black people in particular, since the demographics of the United States is changing and the majority of people will be people of color.

All of our research and the reports that we do is through a Black lens.”
Prior to launching TBI, a Black-led policy, and “action” think tank institution, Lewis was he was the CEO and Chief Organizer of the nonprofit social justice organization ACORN, which had 400,000 members across the U.S. “After ACORN, I wanted a think tank that could take action. In looking what I wanted to do post-ACORN, I realized that White people were telling Black people what they should do. How they should think.

What their research should be,” she said. “So, I felt that there needed to be a think tank. But a think tank that could take action. So we call ourselves an action tank. You take knowledge, research and data and you research it through a Black lens. How is healthcare affecting Black people? How our economy affecting Black people? How is education affecting Black people? How is immigration affecting Black people? How is the environment affecting Black people?”


As environmental justice advocates, in 2021, TBI was instrumental in passing a law to get rid of all pesticides in public parks. “But, here we are four years later, still forcing the City of New York to implement that law to protect our environment and protect public parks,” she said. “There’s also diesel trucks and all kinds of vehicles come through black and brown neighborhoods and pollute our air, which causes health problems for us.”

For immigration reform, TBI has been focusing on the needs and rights of Black immigrants. “We want Black immigrants in this conversation about immigration reform. When people think of immigrants they don’t think of Black people. We had to fight Obama in order to have Black children of immigrants included in DACA. Because the children of Black immigrants were not included in DACA,” she explained.

“Yet, the most educated and professional immigrants come out of the continent of Africa. We have many Black immigrants from the Caribbean. And, we have generations of West Indian folks who have intermarried with Black folks that come up from the South and slave holders. Many of us have West Indians in our family.”

At TBI, the organization has been advocating for Black-owned businesses, lobbying for New York City government to set aside one percent of the city’s pension funds to invest in minority and women businesses. Minority business advocacy extends to legalized recreational marijuana. “The law’s supposed to be reinvestment in the communities harmed through the war on drugs,” she said. “We have not seen an equitable share of invested back into our communities. We have not seen minority entrepreneurs having an equal and open share of the legalized marijuana market.”


Lewis was born in Jim Crow era Florida and has been a frontline activist all her life. “I was born in 1951. I grew up during the last vestiges of legal segregation. I grew up within civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, the women’s liberation movement, the gay liberation movement, South Africa’s apartheid,” she said.

“I was born at a time of constant revolution. I keep on keeping on. I have no choice. I’m a Black woman in America. I have seen how Black women are at the bottom of the totem pole. I’ve seen my mother’s and my aunties and my sisters struggle. I draw inspiration from that.”

The conservative push to destroy DEI diversity initiatives was not surprising to Lewis. “For years, we warned that this day was coming. And we’ve seen this before. I created The Black Institute, because of the changing demographics of this country. This country shortly, if not already, will be a majority country of color,” she said. “White people done lost their minds. Now they say publicly what they would only whisper behind closed doors. Trump was inevitable. He is a racist. He is a fascist. This country is only 200 plus years old. We’re very young country and White people are coming to terms with what this may mean to be in the minority.”

At the gala, Tuulikki Robertson, MBA, will be officially welcomed by Lewis as the incoming executive director of The Black Institute and the Black Leadership Action Coalition. “This country’s new generation has something to say. They have far more tools than my generation had,” said Lewis. “They have the commitment, the creativity, the organizing and the awareness. I’m very, very hopeful, very optimistic.”

The Black Institute (TBI) and the Black Leadership Action Coalition (BLAC) will be honoring Bertha Lewis, founder and board chair, at the organization’s 15th Annual Gala Fundraiser Celebration on October 30 at Giando on the Water. The black-tie affair will celebrate over 15 years of advancing racial justice, equity, and empowerment. For more information, visit www.theblackinstitute.org

Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival announces Fall 2025 lineup starting on October 8!

Editor, Our Time Press
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Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival announces Fall 2025 lineup starting on October 8!

The Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series — the first Oscar Qualifying film festival devoted to women filmmakers — will showcase a stellar slate of films focusing on themes of healing, love and community activism. The four-week festival will kick off Oct. 8 in Harlem and continue its showcase in Brooklyn. Reel Sisters features films from all genres from comedy, science fiction, drama and documentary.

Reel Sisters is also excited to announce our new partnership with 651 Arts that will offer a full day of cinematic excellence on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. In honor of Reel Sisters 28th Anniversary, cinephiles can purchase All Access Passes and
tickets at www.reelsisters.org. Tickets: $12 ($8 for seniors/students). Bring a Pal discounts are $6.50 for 2+ tickets.

“We are proud to join our presenting partners 651 Arts, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Center For Fiction in bringing world class films by women of color to Brooklyn,” said Festival Founder Carolyn A. Butts. “From Harlem to Brooklyn, we’re bringing families together to honor our stories during a time when our communities need to unite in power and faith.”

Kicking off on Wednesday, October 8th through and October 29th, we invite film enthusiasts to enjoy an array of enriching events including an awards ceremony, film premieres and a special script reading co-sponsored with BRIC Media on Oct. 29th.

Reel Sisters Virtual Showcase will stream online from Oct. 25, 2025 through Nov. 10, 2025.

For more information on the schedule and tickets, visit reelsisters.org or call 212-865-2982.

Reel Sisters Festival Highlights
Oct. 8, 2025 @Riverside Theater

  • On Wed., Oct. 8, 2025, Reel Sisters Remembers Maitefa Angaza with a special screening of In Our Heads About Our Hair produced by Anu Prestonia, Maitefa Angaza, Paulette Maat Kesa Tabb, and directed by Hemamset Angaza. The celebration will honor her legacy as an author, filmmaker and community activist whose contributions to African Voices, Reel Sisters and countless cultural institutions were far reaching. The event will be held at Riverside Theater, 91 Claremont Ave. For information and to RSVP visit www.reelsiters.org or click: Reel Sisters Remembers Maitefa.
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Oct. 22, 2025
@Brooklyn Academy of Music

  • On Wed., Oct. 22, 2025 at 7 pm, Reel Sisters and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) will present a trailblazer award to Brooklyn filmmaker Samantha Knowles, director of Harlem Ice (Disney+), for her distinguishing career in documentary filmmaking. Her latest work includes directing an episode of “Katrina: Come Hell and High Water,” a highly acclaimed Netflix docuseries. The celebration will be held at BAM, 30 Lafayette Ave. Tickets: $25 ($15 Code: REELSIS2025). For tickets: Trailblazer Award.

Yoruba Richen, a Peabody award-winning documentary filmmaker, will lead a dynamic conversation with Samantha on the power of the female lens in storytelling.

  • Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 | Reel Sisters will offer a day of screenings from 1 PM to 9 PM at 651 Arts, 10 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn. One Day Pass: $25 ($20 for seniors and students with ID).
  • Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 | Reel Sisters 28th Anniversary season continues with a second day of powerful films and community talks from 1 pm to 6 pm at the Center For Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue. One Day Pass: $25 ($20 for seniors and students with ID).
  • Wed., Oct. 29, 2025 | Reel Sisters & BRIC will present an exciting staged reading of scripts by filmmakers from our Summer Screenwriting Lab. Join us for an intimate conversation with the writers on their work-in-progress. Featured writers and guests to be announced. The event will be held from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm at BRIC, 647 Fulton Street in Brooklyn. Please RSVP, seats are limited. RSVP via website at www.reelsisters.org or HERE: Staged Reading.

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NOTABLE FESTIVAL FILMS

Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps @651 Arts – Section C – Ancestral Rhythms
Directors: Shellée M. Haynesworth, Michelle Parkerson
Producer: Shellée M. Haynesworth
Doc., 15 min.
Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps follows 4-time Tony-nominated choreographer, director, and educator Camille A. Brown (Hell’s Kitchen, GYPSY) as she elevates the possible with bold explorations of everyday movement and African Diasporic dance.
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Boil the Cabbage
@651 Arts – Section C
– Ancestral Rhythms
Director: Candace Mae Williamson Producers: Kaylee Hayes, Jemina Garcia
Doc., 24 min.
Candace is a documentary filmmaker and novice banjo player. As she learns her first tune, “Boil That Cabbage Down,” she reaches out to historians, activists, and storytellers to uncover the complex history of the banjo. Through her journey, we are transported to the past, where the painting “The Old Plantation” is reimagined, revealing the instrument’s origins.
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Nannies of New York (Invited)
@651 Arts – Section D
Rooted in Resistance
Director/Writer: April Guscott
Documentary, 9:51 min.

Nannies of New York provides uncensored, first-hand accounts of three Afro-Caribbean women’s perspectives working as nannies to wealthy white families in NYC, the stigma associated with the work, and the fight for their rights as domestic workers.
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Plenum (Invited) @651 Arts
Section B – Transitions
Producers: Ahasha Davis,
Charlene A. Carruthers
Director: Charlene A. Carruthers
Narrative, 25:50 min.
An experimental reconstruction of the 1995 Black Nations/Queer Nations Conference, PLENUM follows the experience of siblings Ajani and Tracy, as they make their way from Chicago to New York City. Tracy worries Ajani’s recent HIV positive diagnosis will drive him into isolation while Ajani fears the consequences of telling their father as he enters a new stage of life and community.

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You Are Not Alone @Center For
Fiction – Section F
Body & Birthrights
doc., 52 min.
In the United States, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, a disparity that rises sharply in the Bronx, one of New York State’s most impacted communities, where Black mothers face a maternal mortality rate nine times higher than their counterparts. You Are Not Alone captures the powerful stories of women in the Bronx navigating pregnancy and advocating for change.
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Men of Courage
@Center for Fiction
Courage to Heal
Director: Byron P. Hurt Producer:
Natalie Bullock Brown
Doc., 40 min.
Men of Courage takes the viewer on a journey inside the Garden State of New Jersey for a fly-on-the-wall experience as five black and Latino men engage in compelling conversations with other boys and men about the role they play in ending violence against women.
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Exodus @Center for Fiction\
Courage to Heal Section
Director: Nimco Sheikhaden
Producers: Geeta Gandbhir,
Blair Foster, Rudy Valdez,
Sara Chishti
Doc., 35 min.
EXODUS is an intimate portrait of two women who face unique challenges following decades of incarceration. The film bears witness to their impassioned attempts to rebuild their lives and ultimately restore their humanity.
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FESTIVAL TICKETS & PASSES
Reel Sisters Film Festival offers affordable ticket prices. All Access Passes are $75 (includes the Awards Ceremony). A one-day pass is $25 ($20 for seniors/students) and a section pass is $12 ($8 for seniors/students). Awards ceremony tickets are $25 ($15 until 10/10/25). Students, seniors and group discounts are available upon request. For info call 212-865-2982. Tickets for Reel Sisters Virtual Showcase are available at www.reelsisters.org.

Reel Sisters All Access Passes includes:

  • Access to 50+ films by women of color from across the world
  • Opportunities to network with filmmakers and professionals in the film industry
  • Access to panels, special screenings & awards ceremony on Oct. 22, 2025.

To view the schedule and purchase tickets at the website www.reelsisters.org.

Reel Sisters & BAM Honor Trailblazing Documentary Filmmaker Samantha Knowles (Harlem Ice Director)

Editor, Our Time Press
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Reel Sisters & BAM Honor Trailblazing Documentary Filmmaker Samantha Knowles (Harlem Ice Director)

On Wed., Oct. 22, 2025 at 7 pm, Reel Sisters and the Brooklyn Academy of Music will present a trailblazer award to Brooklyn filmmaker Samantha Knowles, director of Harlem Ice (Disney+), for her distinguishing career in documentary film making. Her latest work includes directing an episode of “Katrina: Come Hell and High Water,” a highly acclaimed Netflix docuseries. The event will be held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave. Tickets: $25 ($15, Code: REELSIS2025). Visit BAM: Trailblazer Award.

Our celebration will showcase a retrospective of Samantha’s work including episodes from Harlem Ice (Disney), Eyes on The Prizes III: We Who Believe In Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015 (HBO) and The Coder, a short film about Jay Jay Patton, a rising star in the tech industry, who built her ground-breaking app Photo Patch at age 16.

Yoruba Richen, a Peabody award-winning documentary filmmaker, will lead a dynamic conversation with Samantha on the power of the female lens in storytelling.
Join us for an exciting evening of film, conversation and inspiration!

Brooklyn-based filmmaker Samantha Knowles’ film “How We Get Free” for HBO has been shortlisted for a 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film.


Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series is celebrating our 28th Anniversary season presenting 50+ films by women of color. Our in-person screenings and events will be held from Oct. 25 through Oct. 29, 2025. Reel Sisters Virtual Showcase will stream online beginning Oct. 25 until Nov. 10, 2025. For information and schedule visit www.reelsisters.org.
“We’re proud to present our trailblazer award to Samantha for her outstanding and prolific filmmaking career in telling untold personal stories,” said Reel Sisters Founder Carolyn A. Butts. “I’m encouraging young filmmakers and families to attend our celebration — Sam’s films are something the entire family can enjoy together.”

Trailblazer Award Honoree Bio
Samantha Knowles is an award-winning director. She won a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Nonfiction Series for co-directing the HBO docuseries “Black and Missing” and her film, “How We Get Free”, was shortlisted for the 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

She has also won a Television Academy Honors Award, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing, and a Gracie Award for Best Director of a National TV Program. In 2023 she was named to the DOCNYC 40 Under 40 List, which honors and celebrates emerging talent in the documentary world. Her work has screened as part of Hot Docs, DOC NYC, the Tribeca Film Festival, the New York Times Op-Doc series, on HBO, Showtime, and more. Most recently, she directed the series “Harlem Ice” for Disney+, an episode of the seminal series “Eyes on the Prize” for HBO, and an episode of in the docuseries “Katrina: Come Hell and High Water” for Netflix.
Sam’s first short film, “Why Do You Have Black Dolls?” was the recipient of Reel Sisters Spirit Award 2012.

Moderator
Yoruba Richen is a Peabody award-winning documentary filmmaker who was awarded the Trailblazer award by Black Public Media. Her work has been featured on multiple outlets, including PBS, Netflix, MSNBC, Peacock and FX/Hulu. Her film, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks won a Gracie Award and was honored by the Television Academy.

Other recent work include the Emmy-nominated films American Reckoning, How It Feels to Be Free; The Sit In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show and Green Book: Guide to Freedom. Her film, The Killing of Breonna Taylor won an NAACP Image Award. Her films The New Black and Promised Land won multiple festival awards before airing on PBS’s Independent Lens and P.O.V.

Yoruba’s other work include directing an episode of the award-winning series Black and Missing for HBO and High on the Hog for Netflix.

She most recently directed The Fall of Diddy for ID and HBO Max. Yoruba is a past Guggenheim and Fulbright fellow and a recipient of the Chicken & Egg Breakthrough Filmmaker’s Award. She is Founding Director of the Documentary Program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.

About Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival
Founded in 1997 by African Voices magazine and LIU Brooklyn Campus, Reel Sisters is among the first film festivals dedicated to supporting women of color filmmakers. Known for celebrating both veterans and rising stars alike, Reel Sisters has honored everyone from Radio One founder Cathy Hughes to HBO’s Insecure writer and director Issa Rae.
Reel Sisters is supported, in part, by Councilmembers Crystal Hudson, Farah Louis and Yusef Salaam, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Brooklyn Arts Council and private donors. Special thanks to our venue partners 651 Arts, BAM, Center for Fiction and BRIC.

Haiti: Solidarity Needed Now

Kazembe Batts
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Haiti: Solidarity Needed Now

By Jeffery Kazembe Batts
IG: @kazbatts
Whether at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference or in Little Haiti, leaders are strategizing about plans to encourage development in Haiti. Press conferences and binding resolutions at the United Nations. Panel discussions and town hall meetings in Washington D.C. Rallies and demonstrations in Brooklyn.

On the agenda is the quality of life for people in Haiti and the ability of people of Haitian ancestry to live a dignified and safe life in the United States. Security from marauding gangs in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas and in this country the need for security from out-of-control Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.


During The UNGA, a press conference about the security situation in Haiti was held by diplomats from over forty countries. Many Caribbean, South American, European countries were represented. The only African country represented was Kenya.

The press conference affirmed the assembled nations’ support for a resolution led by the USA and Panama that calls for a United Nations Support Office and Gang Suppression Force to replace the Multinational Security Support Mission (MNSSM) that has been in Haiti for the past 15 months. The MNSSM mainly consist of Kenyan soldiers and police. Businessman Laurent Saint-Cyr is the head of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council.

Addressing diplomats from the podium he endorsed the military occupation / support of his country “Haiti could never overcome this challenge singlehandedly. Today it is crucial to mobilize a strong force, with a clear mandate and with adequate material, logistical and financial resources.”

Allegedly the Kenyan led MNSSM never reached full capacity and lacked materials and finances therefore undermining the mission. Kenyan president Ruto proudly explained his soldier’s presence in Haiti as an act of pan-African solidarity during his recent speech at the U.N. Security Council member states Russia and China both abstained on the resolution.

Moscow argued that the mission is unlikely to succeed, and Beijing stated that the resolution could exasperate the situation. The African Union was silent and CARICOM is in the background.


Meanwhile, a few hundred miles down I-95, at the Congressional Black Caucus weekend gathering, Rep. Gregory Meeks of Queens and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida led a conversation about solutions to Haiti’s crisis.

Meeks who is the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said, “What upsets me is the fact that somebody is organizing this, organizing these gangs with impunity, we know weapons and guns are not manufactured in Haiti.” On the positive side Meeks also said, “the HOPE / HELP Act (H.R. 1625) and the L’ Overture Economic Development Plan for Haiti Act of 2025 (H.R. 1114) would go a long way to helping Haiti’s economy.”

Florida Representative Cherfilus-McCormick said, “I want a Haitian-led solution but, a Haitian-led solution does not absolve the international community of what they have to do to recompensate Haiti.”

Technology advocate and grammy award winning artist Wyclef Jean attended the gathering and shared “With Haiti we have a big chance. Half the population is a youth population. Think about that. You have an entire workforce that is present.”

Back in Brooklyn, home of the second largest concentration of Haitians in America, organizing to preserve Temporary Protective Status (TPS) is a focus. Convened by the borough’s president Antonio Reynoso, dozens of community leaders and elected officials rallied in support of the 500,000 Haitians who lack permanent status.

As the first Dominican Brooklyn Borough President it was historic for him to facilitate the Little Haiti rally. Scheduled to have ended on September 2nd, TPS has now been extended to February 2026, which is fast approaching.

Like the Florida congresswoman, Haitian president Cyr called for compensation “We call for reparations, not out of bitterness, vengefulness, but out of a desire for justice and truth.” Pan-Africanists and humanists can keep the pressure on in the USA to extend TPS and pass bills in congress that uplift Haiti’s future. As Erik Prince rambles about deploying his militia to collect taxes while patrolling in Haiti, and a Gang Suppression Force is authorized by the U.N.

Security Council, close attention by community and elected leaders is needed for transparency. The human rights of Haitian people and the sovereignty of the first slavery-free republic in the western hemisphere is a concern of Brooklyn lawmakers, the CBC and the United Nations. Like the previous August 7th article emphasized “Now is the Time for a Focus on Things Haitian.” Pan-Africanists stand up!

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