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“Heroes of the Month” Ceremony, BP Adams Honors Brooklyn-Born Peter Wang, Victim of the Parkland School Massacre, Posthumously

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“Heroes of the Month” Ceremony, BP Adams Honors Brooklyn-Born Peter Wang, Victim of the Parkland School Massacre, Posthumously

On Wednesday, February 14th, a 19-year-old assailant opened fire using an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle resulting in the death of 14 students and three staff members. Wang was a freshman at the school and had moved from Brooklyn to Parkland a year-and-a-half ago with his Chinese immigrant parents so that he could join the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program at the school. Joined by the parents of fallen New York City Police Department (NYPD) Detective Wenjian Liu, Wei Tang Liu and Xiu Yan Li, Borough President Adams praised Wang as his “Hero of the Month” for February, for his courageous action amid the senseless gun violence that ultimately claimed his life.

“Peter was a Brooklynite, an American and a true hero,” said Borough President Adams. “It is my honor to salute him for his selflessness and bravery, which undoubtedly saved many lives.”

At the same ceremony held in the Rotunda of Brooklyn Borough Hall, Borough President Adams also presented “Heroes of the Month” honors for the months of January, March and April. He recognized HITN [Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network] TV President and CEO Mike Nieves, a son of Puerto Rican immigrants from Bushwick, as his January “Hero of the Month” for the comprehensive relief effort he organized through his Brooklyn Navy Yard-based television station in the wake of Hurricane Maria, including thousands of dollars in donations and the coordination of deliveries to communities in need. His March “Hero of the Month” Award was presented to NYPD School Safety Officer Tamara Jenkins, a Bedford-Stuyvesant resident who successfully used the Heimlich maneuver to save a choking fourth-grade student at PS 241 STEM Institute of Manhattan in Harlem on Wednesday, March 28th.  For April’s “Hero of the Month,” Borough President Adams honored Bensonhurst native Jamil Luis Cruz, a Brooklyn College student and Eagle Scout who, after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) while in basic training for the United States Navy, has worked to raise awareness and research funds to combat the disease, including a fundraising walk taking place this Sunday in Hell’s Kitchen.

 

 

 

Before you’re no longer able, tell the doctors what you want and who’s in charge

Editor, Our Time Press
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Advance Directives, Their Importance and Interfaith Medical Center’s Commitment to Assist

Monday, April 16th, 2018 was National Health Care Decisions Day and marked the beginning of National Health Care Decisions Week. National Health Care Decisions Week is an initiative of the Conversation Project with the primary goal of demystifying health care decision-making and bringing the topic of Advance Care Planning to the forefront of health care conversations.
Advance Care Planning is a key patient right, referenced in the New York State Hospital Patient’s Bill of Rights and protected by multiple laws on the local, state and federal level. Unfortunately, research shows that patients are often not aware or not taking advantage of Advance Care Planning.

Advance Directives are instrumental in explaining to patients, loved ones and providers how patients want their medical decisions to be made when they are too ill or incapacitated. These directives are legal documents that are relied upon by family, friends and health care professionals for information about the health care desires of the patient, including who is allowed to make health care decisions on the patient’s behalf. Advance Directives can be initiated through your health care provider; in addition, they can also be initiated by your attorney, a social worker and by existing state and city agencies such as the Office of Adult Protective Services.
Juan Contreras, Assistant Vice President of Patient Experience at Interfaith Medical Center, leads an effort at Interfaith to increase the number of patients who initiate Advance Directives. “On many occasions, patients often state, ‘My family will make my decisions,’ but it’s often not very clear which family member will make the decisions; this can cause confusion and discord,” said Mr. Contreras. He laments that “when patients don’t have an Advance Directive, the surrogate decision-maker can be someone who does not clearly understand the patient’s wishes, leaving decision-makers to make decisions without knowing what the patient would want.” Mr. Contreras references his experiences with patients and their families who did not have Advance Directives and believes they could have benefitted from them upon becoming incapacitated; he refers to these instances as his “call to action.”

At Interfaith Medical Center, Advance Care Directives are part of their commitment to patient-centered care. The directives are welcomed and seen as a sign of a patient who is an active and willing participant in their health care decision-making. “When patients have Advance Directives, it is a benefit because it eliminates guesswork in caring for patients in the way they would have wanted to be cared for,” states Dr. Oday Alhafidh, M.D.
Interfaith Medical Center welcomes those in the community to reach out to Mr. Contreras and the Patient Experience team for more information on Advance Care Directives. The office of Patient Experience welcomes all calls at 718-613-4290.

How Do You Take Your Coffee?

Marlon Rice
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How Do You Take Your Coffee?

Another week, another call to boycott another corporation. This week the corporation was Starbucks, and the call to boycott stemmed from an incident that took place at a Philadelphia Starbucks on April 12th. Two Black men were arrested after the store manager called 911 to say that the two men were refusing to leave the store. The men were at the Starbucks waiting on another person. They did not purchase anything while they waited, and they were denied access to use the bathroom, the manager citing the policy that the rest rooms are for paying customers. And although Starbucks is known globally as a meeting place where you can hang around and wait for your friend, or use the bathroom if you need to, for some strange reason the unofficial norms did not apply to these two men, and they were arrested for loitering.

There are many ways to parse through this incident. You could blame the manager. She obviously chose to deal with these two men with bias. People use Starbucks as a meeting place all of the time. Other than these men being Black, what did they do to warrant such punishment? You could blame the cops. Granted, they were called with information about loitering. However, when they arrived and saw for themselves that these two men were just there waiting on a friend, a friend who, by the way, showed up while the cops were on the scene, they most certainly could have chosen to leave the situation alone. They did not have to make an arrest. You could blame the two men. Common courtesy calls for reciprocity. If you are using a coffee shop as a meeting place, a place where you intend to conduct business, maybe use their Wi-Fi, common courtesy would call for you to patronize the business in some way. You could buy some tea while you wait for your friend. A small gesture such as that would’ve surely kept all of the drama at bay. You aren’t loitering if you’ve purchased a cup of tea.

On Tuesday, the corporation took a step to show that they are going to accept the blame. They announced that on May 29th they will close all 8,000 US stores for one day in order to conduct an afternoon of education intended to educate their employees about racial bias. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson spent time in Philadelphia and after talking with members of the community, he decided that this was the right thing to do. Even though the move can be seen as either an equitable step in the right direction or a Hail Mary PR move meant to save them from the boycott hell that stores like H&M are still going through, if one afternoon of sensitivity training was all it took to solve America’s racism problem, we’d be solved by now. Truthfully, the incident in Philadelphia alone doesn’t reveal any systemic discrimination from a corporate sense. Growing up here in Brooklyn, I can tell you about countless times when my friends and I were followed around in department stores all over the city simply because we were young Black men. I submit that such a policy enacted in a variety of department stores over the course of years speaks more to systemic discrimination than does what happened at the Starbucks. Are the arresting officers going to attend classes on racial bias? How about the media and the reporters who felt the need to state that the two men were real estate agents, speaking it sarcastically in their defense like if they were unemployed then arresting them would be okay? How about the other patrons who watched the whole thing go down and said nothing? How about the politicians who ignore the climate in our cities, or the white community that are so hypersensitive to the Black experience that they cry for blood via social media at every Caucasian-based fault? The problem of racism is deeper than anything an afternoon class can solve. The Starbuck’s student body will attend class on May 29th. They will sign in. They will enjoy the lunch provided. They will listen to a lecture, watch some workplace videos and absolutely nothing at all will be solved because racism can’t be solved in class. It’s an affair of the heart.

I hope the two men that were harassed and arrested are compensated for their inconvenience. I hope that the move by Starbucks to take a corporate stand against all forms of discrimination becomes contagious. As for me, I’m going to stick with drinking Bustelo. I like my coffee strong, reasonably priced and sold in small businesses.

What’s Going On

Victoria Horsford
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APRIL CALENDAR

Like any other month, April has its share of special days, weeks and monthlong observations. The following is a list of the few. Month opens with frivolous April Fool’s Day (1st), Income Tax Awareness Pay Day (17th), Earth Day is April 22nd, The Boston Marathon (16th) and Sauvignon Blanc Day (24th).  Monthlong celebrations are Arab-American Heritage, Jazz Appreciation Month and National Financial Literacy Awareness Month.

THE 2018 MIDTERMS

NY: The New York State gubernatorial race is already one of the most dramatic, ugly, intra-Democratic races, replete with plot twists and turns.   Two-term Governor Andrew Cuomo may find Cynthia Nixon, that it is not that easy the third time around…… keeping his day job, that is. This actress, lesbian, activist, former “Sex in The City” TV star and a fellow Democrat will oppose him in the primary.  She is cutting her teeth on elected politics, running on a progressive platform who criticizes Cuomo’s education and housing policies, for openers.    Her presence will force Cuomo to inch/lean more to the Left than his current progressive status.  Left-leaning The Citizen’s Action Group supports Nixon as the progressive. The WFP endorsement ensures a spot for Nixon on the November ballot if she loses the primary.  Nixon is friendly with Mayor de Blasio and his wife.  She was invited to visit Brooklyn sites by Borough President Eric Adams.     

THE NATION:  Last month, the Brookings Institute reported that by 2045, the US would no longer be a white majority nation.  That projection, along with the two-term Obama Presidency, would explain why the Trump Administration’s plans for the 2020 Census would lead to an undercount of African-American residents. Today, 23 states have new restrictions in place for a presidential election.  Derrick Johnson, new NAACP President/CEO, says organizations want compulsory voting, abolition of voter registrationand an end to voter restrictions on the local level.   He continues: “It is less important about taking back Congress than to focus on state and local elections. There are 88 state legislative bodies that are on the ballot.  It is locally where voters have an opportunity to get rid of the bad District Attorneys and to influence spending on health and education.”

BLACK ENTERPRISE

Carver Bancorp, the holding company for Carver Federal Savings Bank, named Robert W. Mooney to its Board of Directors, bringing its trustee total to 11.  Mooney retired last year from the FDIC as National Director for Minority and Community Development Banking, Division of Risk Management and Supervision.  Carver sold its Harlem headquarters at 75 West 125th Street earlier this year.     Bank relocates to the Lee Office Building on the northeast corner of 125th Street. Carver is the largest African-American and Caribbean-run bank in America.   Michael Pugh is Carver President/CEO/Director.  Robert Tarter is Carver Chairman.

The latest Forbes magazine 2018 Special Issue, “The World’s Richest People,” lists billionaires from Algeria to Zimbabwe.  Three African-Americans are among the Richest People. They are 1) Private Equity Engineer Robert Smith, who dons the magazine’s cover and discloses some secrets about his   $4.4 billion fortune; 2) Multimedia executive Oprah Winfrey boasts about $2.7 billion; and 3) Michael Jordan, former basketball legend-turned-Charlotte Hornets franchise owner who is worth $1.6 billion.

Foreign Blacks who made the WRP cut include Angola’s Isabel dos Santos, daughter of former Angola President Jose dos Santos, who is rumored to be Africa’s richest woman worth $2.6 billion;

Canada’s Michael Lee-Chin, $1.2 billion, mutual funds; Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man with $14.1 billion from cement, sugar and flour; Mike Adenuga, $5.3 billion, telecom, oil; and Folorusho Alakija, $ 1.5 billion, oil; and South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe, $2.4 billion, mining; the United

Michael Lee Chin

Kingdom’s Mohammed (Mo) Ibrahim, $1.1 billion, telecommunications; and Zimbabwe’s Strive Masiyiwa, $1.4 billion, telecom.

The First Annual Kidpreneur Awards Gala 2018, “Shades of Africa,” will be held on Sunday, April 29 at the Jerry Orbach Theater, located at 210 West 50th Street, 3rdFloor or at 1627 Broadway entrance on the 3rdFloor. Event is a cocktail reception and awards ceremony.  Cosmetics mogul Vera Moore and young actor/dancer Nathaniel Logan McIntyre, who played “Lion King” on Broadway, are among the 14 honorees. The dress code is black-tie, tuxedo or formal African attire.   [Visit kidswhobank.com/ka]

The Harlem Business Alliance presents Jennifer Jackson, Small Business Administration(SBA), in a free two-part session re: Proposal Writing. The first will be held on April 24, 6-8 pm.  Registration is necessary. Eligibility on a first-come, first-served basis.  [Visit HBAReadySetWriteEventbright.com]

THE ART SCENE

The Essie Green Galleries’ new exhibit, APRIL SPRING SURVEY, a group show featuring works by Norman Lewis, Romare Bearden and Charles Ethan Porter, opens on 4/21 and closes on 5/19 at 419A Convent Avenue at 148th Street, Harlem. Attend the 4/21 reception.  [Call 212-368-9635]

The Skoto Gallery’s new exhibition, “Painting Structures,” by Guyana-born dual citizen (US/Canada) Andrew Lyght, an abstractionist with a strong sense of linear design and vibrant color palette, opens on April 19 and runs through June 2.  Gallery is located at 529 West 20th Street, Manhattan.     [Visit skotogallery.com]

The Ellis Haizlip television era and “SOUL!,” the national PBS TV show which he conceived and  hosted, curated myriad aspects of Black Americana from 1968 to 1973 and will unspool as “MR. SOUL!” in the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival HOT DOCS series. [Visit   @mrsoulthemovie.com]

Don’t miss the documentary screening of “IN THE FACE OF WHAT WE REMEMBER IN ORAL HISTORIES OF 409 & 555 EDGECOMBE AVENUE,” which will be followed by performances at the Miller Theatre, Columbia University, on April 27 at 7 pm. Those two apartment buildings boasted some of the Black America elites like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, WEB DuBois, Paul Robeson and Lena Horne.

Ellis Haizlip

The 5thInternational Jazz Day in Harlem will be supported by the Jazz Foundation of America, the law firm of Lipsig, Shapey, Manus and Moverman, the NY Jazz Society and the NY Metropolitan, Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolence will be celebrated on April 30 at the Dwyer Cultural Center, 258 St. Nicholas Avenue at 123rd Street, with performances by Bertha Hope, Terri Davis, Kim Clarke, Gene Ghee, Dr. John Mannan and Michael Flythe.

The International Independent Art Fair, a fine arts group exhibit showcasing the works of 20 artists, including Agaro Asano, Patricia Ayres, Kyoko Hamaguchi, Lily Wong and Jesse Ruis, opens on May 1 and will be housed at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, located at 230 Lenox Avenue.  Some proceeds from the IIAF show will be allocated to the restoration of this Harlem landmark church.   [Visit iiaf.nyc]

NEWSMAKERS

Two public relations professionals move on.   Nina Flowers, Apollo Theater PR Director, leaves after an incredible 13-year adventure which began with the much-ballyhooed state-of-the-art marquee, followed by unique remembrances of music legends like Michael Jackson, James Brown and Prince and current events like the BLACK PANTHER movie night and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and ME” special events last month.   Veteran Con Edison P.R. Chief Joy Faber, who worked at the Fortune 500 energy giant for decades, retires this month.

Aries Birthday greetings to Patricia McConnell, Marva Richard, Harold Thomas and NY celebrity photog Ronnie Wright, who just turned 60.

RIP:  Winnie Mandela was honored with a state funeral and was cited an as antiapartheid icon, as the “Mother of a Nation,” and a force of nature   She was eulogized by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.  Former S.A. Presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki attended the funeral service, as did the Presidents of the Republic of the Congo, Namibia and Swaziland.

Crazy Racism And A Possible Remedy

Maitefa Angaza
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Crazy Racism And A Possible Remedy

What exactly is going on?! Incredulous Black people across the nation want to know. now. While racist incidents have long been part of our consumption of news, it appears these they are more prevalent than ever. Some encounters are baffling and senseless, others clearly deliberate and heinous. They demonstrate the extent to which Black citizens can still be dismissed, discriminated against, and attacked – usually without any real fear of consequences.

Case in point, is the recent arrest of two young Black men in a Philadelphia Starbucks. The incident drew nationwide (and worldwide) attention because of the inanity of the whole thing and its stark example of white privilege, whether wielded with arrogance and malice or cluelessness and petulance.

Take Rashon Nelson and his friend Christopher Norris were waiting in the coffeeshop for a business meeting with a real estate investor. They had not yet ordered, but they did seek to use the bathroom. Manager Holly Harper refused to allow them access and asked them to leave, as they had not made a purchase.  When they did not comply, she called police, who, upon arrival, also asked the men to leave, then handcuffed and removed them. Other customers in the shop at the at rime can be heard on videotape asking what the men had done wrong; some followed the cops outside to persist. The men were detained? Arrested?

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said that he was “ashamed” and met with Nelson and Norris to apologize. After Energetic protests were held outside the shop the next day and there were rumors of boycotts shaping up nationwide, with Black-owned coffee shops in several locales posted on social media.

Also discussed widely on social media is the recent incident in Macon, Georgia in which a 71-year-old white woman followed a two Black women soldiers into the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen hurling insults because of their dispute over a parking spot. Judy James Tucker hurled expletives at Stephanie Mitchell, 34, and Treasure Sharpe, 27, and called them “dumb bitches” and lesbians. When Mitchell began videotaping her, Tucker became enraged and attacked Sharpe, lunging and slapping, even though Sharpe repeatedly yelled that she was pregnant.

“I’m pregnant!” Sharpe yelled, “Look at me! You’re pushing a pregnant lady!”

“Well, my husband is handicapped!” was Tucker’s reply.

When police were called, Tucker told them the incident started because, “she was white and it was a race issue.” Fortunately, the videotape revealed the actual progression of events, or the pregnant woman and her friend might have been taken to jail. Instead, Tucker was arrested and charged with assault and a local art school at which she teaches classes will no longer use her services.

Some good news on the racial bias front came from D.C. last week. It won’t necessarily assist in incidents like this one with Georgia, but it is directed toward policing.  D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser announced that local police officers will now be required to study Black history. Continued troubling interactions between Black citizens and members of the force despite a decrease in crime, makes the mandatory training a priority.

“We are committed to accountability, to strengthen the bonds of trust between MPD and our residents,” said Bowser. Members of the force will take a guided tour through the National Museum of African American History and Culture, attend a three-hour lecture on Black history, and take part in a lesson on U Street which examines police brutality.

“People who were supposed to serve and protect had played in the enforcement of discriminatory, racist and unjust policies and laws, said Peter Newsham, Chief of Police. “This museum includes very honest and poignant stories of the role policing played in some of the historical injustices in our country.”

Close to 80 officers have taken the training since January and the program will now expand, with an aim to have all 3,800 cops and 660 civilian workers trained by the end of 2018. Perhaps other locales will follow D.C.’s example. New York City’s police force is much larger, but the need is not smaller.

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