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Simply Art & Framing Gallery – Celebrating its 25th Anniversary–a Milestone

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Simply Art & Framing Gallery – Celebrating its 25th Anniversary–a Milestone

Brooklyn, New York — Clinton Hill Simply Art & Framing Gallery, located on the Brooklyn borderlines of Clinton Hill and Bedford–Stuyvesant on Myrtle Avenue‘s  Main Street, opened in 1991.

The business opened among street–corner bodegas, auto repair/tire shops, lexicon–protected liquor stores and single–room occupancy apartment buildings. Today, the neighborhood apartment buildings are replaced with luxury rentals, boutique wine shops and sidewalk restaurants.

Still caught in between two New York City BIDs, Clinton Hill Simply Art & Framing Gallery continues to thrive. In celebration of its 25th Anniversary, this neighborhood business has emerged as the oldest black female–owned art and residential custom picture-framing business in New York City.

In transitioning urban Brooklyn neighborhoods where residents and local merchant businesses are in a state of constant change and closure, few remaining specialty businesses become a neighborhood fixture and remain iconic amidst aggressive urban development.

In celebrating over two decades overcoming neighborhood boundaries and barriers in a rapidly changing Brooklyn neighborhood L.B. Brown says the one constant is Information—from services to neighborhood history. “We continue to garner new customer bases that cross all demographic profiles. Our customers definitely don’t let the demarcation of neighborhood politics limit their patronage.”

During the yearlong 25th Anniversary Celebration, Clinton Hill Simply Art & Framing Gallery has quietly given to all customers Thank–You gifts, unadvertised discounts and monthly one–day–only sales on the 25th of the month including walk-ins receiving an anniversary gift until December 2016.

In 1991, Clinton Hill Simply Art & Framing Gallery was a neighborhood art gallery designed to exhibit, promote and sell black art. The gallery became the launching pad for Brooklyn’s 1990’s black contemporary arts movement. Today’s prominent black artists started their career sales path, as well as eager young black entrepreneurs, through the gallery’s business model as an inspiration in pursuit of their cultural interest in the ethnic arts.

Brown says since 2001, residential picture framing and design services began to overtake art sales. Starting February 2017, she will revive her arts mission to promote photography as an art form. Starting with a Black History exhibit, “Snapshots from Cuba”, featuring curated photos from her private collection for public viewing.

For Spring 2017, she will relaunch her educational series featuring Consumer Talks/Demos for the exhibiting artist and residential buyers. She is working on a book—“Guns, Gangs and Gentrification”–about her entrepreneurial experience.

As a female executive at Ebony magazine, with a passion for collecting black art, she recognized a growing trend in the 80’s among middle class and upscale black consumers, then a relatively underserved and underdeveloped art–buying base. As a Clinton Hill resident in the 80’s, she combined her passion with entrepreneurial skills and took a chance on her neighborhood.

Brown says, “A tree can grow in Brownstone Brooklyn”.

What’s Going On by Victoria Horsford

Victoria Horsford
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By Victoria Horsford

Donald Trump

2016: U.S. ELECTION SEASON

Earlier, I observed that it was media’s imperative to destroy the ogre that it created named Donald Trump, the GOP candidate for the United States presidency. What I failed to realize was that media had already started plotting his demise. For two successive weeks, 60 MINUTES covered segments about the US Commander-in-Chief and his/her ability to greenlight a nuclear attack. While viewing both segments, I was convulsed with fear thinking that Trump would be this close to world security and/or annihilation.

Despite the positive news flowing daily about Hillary Clinton’s lead in electoral college projections in swing states’ polls, it is necessary to put a hold on a collective sigh of relief until the votes are tallied on November 8. Nationally, the Democrats are strategic and allocating funds not only for a Clinton victory but for a US Senate majority. The more Trump talks, the more the Republicans seem to lose traction with the electorate. His relentless chatter about the system being rigged is unbelievable. Yeah, right, rigged….. And a Black man won two terms as the US President. Donald advised his flock to go and vote then monitor the votes in areas like Watts, St. Louis, Philadelphia. Is he telling whites to go to polls in Black areas to suppress the vote?

Hillary Clinton

Trump’s talk about a rigged system seems to fall on the attentive ears of his followers who may stay home, believing what he says so why go out to vote! The man is scary and should be evaluated by a team of American psychologists and psychiatrists.  With abundant luck, maybe a Democratic House majority is within the realm of possibility.

Political scientists and punditocracy are generous with voting projections by ethnic groups. The only group for whom little is known is America’s Black mystique. We will turn out in large numbers. Our voter registration numbers are awesome, and we can make a big difference on November 8.

 

LOUISIANA: Dillard University, a prominent New Orleans-based Historically Black College and University, will be the venue where the candidates for the US Senate will debate this week. David Duke, former felon and Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, avid “Trump for President” supporter, will be one of the candidates who will be debated. Sixteen candidates are vying for the coveted Senate spot. Duke, ostensibly, has the most name recognition. 

HARLEM NOTES

Charles Rangel

Join politicos Nancy Pelosi and the NYS Congressional Delegation, Congressman Gregory Meeks and the Congressional Black Caucus, who will attend THE Swan Song Gala, a celebration of Congressman Charles Rangel’s 50 years of public service. Event will be held at the Sheraton NY Times Square Hotel, located at 811 Seventh Avenue, Manhattan on November 17 at 6 pm.  Governor David Paterson will be the MC and vocalist Freddy Jackson will perform. Muckety mucks from both sides of the political aisle will be on hand for the festivities. Tickets start at $250. [Visit charlierangel.org or call 212.531.2858]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cordell Cleare

In addition to the Hillary Clinton electoral victory, Central Harlemites have a lot to discuss about its elected officials. Democratic Councilwoman Inez Dickens of NYC Council District 9 is running for the NYS Assembly. Who will replace her is all the chatter as locals navigate the Lenox Avenue-to-Frederick Douglass Boulevard watering holes and bistros.  As stated earlier, there are approximately 16 interested parties, official and unofficial, including Assemblyman Keith Wright; Senator Bill Perkins; Cordell Cleare, District Leader and former Chief of Staff for Senator Perkins; Attorney Stacy Lynch, Bill’s daughter; Larry Scott Blackmon, FreshDirect; Charles Cooper, Jr., Liberia- born entrepreneur who runs AirRail; and Brian Benjamin, real estate developer and Chairman, Community Board 10. I recently ran into veteran political organizer Chet Wyhe, who said that it would be appropriate for Inez Dickens to be succeeded by a woman and suggested that my niece, Alyah Horsford Sidberry, Cove Lounge owner, should toss her hat in the ring. She said that she has no electoral politics ambitions. The succession contest seems to pit baby boomers against Gen-Xers.

Alyah Horsford-Sidberry

Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters at 106 West 145th Street is a drop-off center for packages or dry goods designated for Haitian families displaced by Hurricane Matthew. The NAN will accept packages from 10 am to 5 pm until November 30.

BROOKLYN: A Haiti Emergency Relief Drop-Off Center at the Bridge Multicultural & Advocacy Project is located at 1894 Flatbush Avenue; from October 23-28, 10 am to 5 pm. Only accepting first-aid kits, medical supplies, clean clothing and shoes, plus blankets. [347. 546.5242]

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Karl and Faye Rodney’s NY Carib News hosts its 21st Annual Caribbean Multicultural Business Conference from November 10-13 at the Riu Plaza Hotel in Panama City, Panama. The Multicultural Business Conference, a magnet for    business, cultural, thought leaders and elected officials from the United States and the Caribbean who commingle to take care of business. It is a marathon of workshops and colloquia-spanning subjects such as International Trade and Investment, Technology, Travel and Tourism, HIV/AIDS and STEM Education. Ambassador Andrew Young and former Prime Minister of Jamaica PJ Patterson are conference co-conveners.   [Visit 2016caribnewsconference.com]

 

NEWSMAKERS

Happy Birthday greetings to Scorpions: Lisa Bonet, Odell Beckham, Jr.;  Sean (Diddy) Combs; Drake; Whoopi Goldberg; Vy Higginsen, Stanley McIntosh; Earl “The Pearl” Monroe;  Ahmad Rashad; Dr. Condoleezza Rice; Willow Smith; Pele; Rosetta Torrence; Gloria Torruella and Anita Webster.

 

FALL PREVIEWS

Lowell Hawthorne

The Sylvia & Herbert Woods 15th Annual Fundraising Scholarship Gala will be held on October 28 at the Riverside Church, South Hall, located at 490 Riverside Drive, Harlem, USA. Gala honorees include Fay Leeper and Yvette Leeper-Bueno, Vinetaria Restaurant; Leslie D. Eaddy, American Heart Association; Dean Bonita Stanton, MD, Meridian School of Medicine; and Lowell F. Hawthorne, CEO, Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill. [Call 212.502.0658]

The 44th Annual AUDELCO Awards will be held on November 21 at the Symphony Space Theater on Broadway at 95th Street, Upper West Side, Manhattan. The Audience Development Committee(AUDELCO) was founded by Vivian Robinson. It is a NY awards ceremony acknowledging excellence in Black Theater.   It is the African-American Tonys, the show of shows and the best Monday theater experience in NYC.   [Visit audelco.org]

A Harlem-based businesswoman, Victoria Horsford can be reached at Victoria.horsford@gmail.com.

 

 

 

 

The Shared Economy: Cornegy, Brooklyn Airbnb Hosts Push Back Against New Law

Editor, Our Time Press
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Bed-Stuy Airbnb hosts Richelle and Pela Burnett Photo: Kings County Politics

By Kings County Politics

Calling companies like Airbnb the wave of the future, City Councilman Robert Cornegy, Jr. (Bedford-Stuyvesant/Northern Crown Heights) today pushed back at Governor Andrew Cuomo signing into law last week the imposing of fines of up to $7,500 for people advertising home-sharing in buildings with four units or more for less than 30 days.

The strict fines facing homeowners and renters is because their advertising violates a 2010 city ordinance making home-sharing in multifamily units for less than 30 days in New York City illegal. Under the legislation, which had strong support from the state Hotel and Motel Trades Council, people are allowed to rent out a room in their house or apartment as long as they are also staying there.

Hours after Cuomo signed the bill, Airbnb responded with a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, charging the new law as being unconstitutional.

But in neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy, which is increasingly being gentrified, and has a number of brownstone owners struggling to keep up with their bills, Airbnb and other home-sharing companies have been a huge economic lifeline while also pumping thousands of dollars into the local economy from tourists that would otherwise be staying in expensive hotels in Downtown Brooklyn or Manhattan.

“The home I live in has always been our family home and we needed additional income,” said Bed-Stuy homeowner Richelle Burnett, who has utilized Airbnb for three years in renting out two of the apartments in the house.

“Airbnb allows us to rent the space when we want without the responsibility of having someone long-term and things not working out. It also keeps the apartments available for family to use the apartments when they come in from out of town,” she added.

Burnett said on the flip side that tourists from all over the world have stayed at her house and it has offered them a new way to travel and sightsee or live cheaply when visiting family members. She has also banned together with other Bed-Stuy Airbnb hosts where they meet monthly and help promote local restaurants, grocery stores and specialty shops, giving the local economy and small businesses a big boost.

Among the Bed-Stuy Airbnb hosts belonging to this club is Michelle Yates, who lives in a town house and rents out a garden apartment through Airbnb.

“I’m not happy with this new law. There’s so many other things illegally done in which to pay attention. The city says home-sharing is preventing affordable housing, but we’re not the cause of that. They should focus on all the big developers in Downtown Brooklyn charging lots of money. They’re the ones preventing affordable housing,” Yates said.

Both Burnett and Yates acknowledged that the law doesn’t apply to them because they both own homes with less than four units, but both worry the law might be expanded and that the principle behind the new law involves too much government regulation.

“I pay taxes and I should be able to choose if I want to host through Airbnb,” said Yates. “That should be my decision and not the governor.”

Cornegy said he’s met with Airbnb hosts in his district and he supports the home-sharing service.

“There are over 1,000 Airbnb hosts in the Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights area, primarily homeowners who have found a way with escalating homeownership costs to supplement  their respective incomes while simultaneously acting as ambassadors to these historic areas,” said Cornegy.

“The relationship between these hosts, their customers and local small businesses has yielded a unique ecosystem and stimulates the local economy in a way not seen in a long while. I encourage the partnership between the emerging shared economy with brick and mortar businesses. This model is truly the wave of the future,” he added.

According to Airbnb, there were 10,116 listings through the company from September 2015 to Sept. 2016, generating $104 million for its hosts. The Kings County one sheet can be found here.

Third Debate is the Charm

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By Akosua Albritton

If you read the book “Game Change”, you are aware that candidates prepare for debates by participating in mock debates several times a week throughout the course of the primaries and up to the last debate between the Republican nominee and Democratic nominee. It is apparent between Hillary Rodham-Clinton and Donald J. Trump who is educable and who is not. Donald Trump’s performance answered “No” to Chris Wallace’s pre-debate banter, “Will Donald Trump be disciplined about staying on topic?”

CNN broadcasted the third 2016 Presidential Campaign Debate in Las Vegas, October 19, 2016. This reporter sidled up to a bar stool at The Westbury Inn in Flatbush to be with neighbors to observe their reactions to the candidates’ responses to Wallace’s questions.

The topics included filling the vacancy in the US Supreme Court, protection of the US Constitution’s Second Amendment, Abortion, Immigration & Border Security, Russian-American Relations and competency to hold the US President’s seat. Topics not tackled included renewable energy, environmental restoration and protection, climate change, public education and a plan to get US citizens back to work earning livable wages.

One superficial observation is the appearance of the candidates. The Trump camp should have taken the business card of Mrs. Clinton’s makeup artist. Hillary was quite stunning. Her skin from face to neck was that of a woman in her early 40s. Her eyes were bright and she maintained that pleasant smile. She was the epitome of “grace under fire”.

After hearing Trump’s response to filling the US Supreme Court vacancy with people who are pro-life and pro-gun, an unnamed blonde lady who lived across the street from the bar remarked, “There is a need for us to come together to set things straight…This is a theater of the candidates”.

Both Trump and Clinton agreed on maintaining the Second Amendment to the US Constitution and in favor of defending the Planned Parenthood organization. It was Trump’s depiction of abortion as “Ripping the baby out of the womb in the ninth month” that brought out loud moans in the lounge. Clinton considered what he said to be inflammatory language. She received claps for her stance on abortion as “a right of the mother to decide”.

Turning to immigration, Trump interchanged “border security” with “immigration”. He opined “a massive law enforcement force” is required to stem illegal immigration. Mrs. Clinton reminded Mr. Trump that he “used undocumented workers to build Trump Tower”.

Regarding Russian-US relations, the two bantered about the relationship Trump was developing with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Clapping and whooping erupted from Clinton’s quip about “Russia would rather have a puppet with whom to negotiate”.

Trump contended that comparing the past 30 years of his and Clinton’s accomplishments would bear out that he is the more fit in terms of character. Trump’s remark, “Nobody has more respect for women than I do”, produced many guffaws in The Westbury Inn. Trump accurately opined that the Clinton Foundation required an unbiased review of finances and program activity.

Various media outlets have used the term “meltdown” in characterizing Trump’s speech and behavior during the last leg of campaigning. This third debate included many episodes. Though Trump enjoyed several years starring on the reality TV shows “The Apprentice” and “The Celebrity Apprentice”, he defamed this one source of his bread and butter as “corrupt media”. He claimed US politics was rife with “rigged elections”. Chris Wallace asked Mr. Trump (two times) whether he would say this election is rigged if he doesn’t win? Mr. Trump’s response: “I’ll tell you at that time.”

After the debate, this reporter hurriedly went from table to stool to get the public’s reaction. Diana Baide, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens resident said: “I think this is such an unprecedented dynamic to occur in a [US] presidential election. Such a stark difference between candidates is polarizing our country. Voting for Hillary has always been obvious to me; just as it is obvious to Trump supporters who will vote for him. The recurring question I ask myself is, “How did we get here?”

Tamahl Rahaman, Flatbush resident said: “This is the only debate that I watched all the way through. It’s shocking to me how Donald Trump has gotten so far.

I think a president should be able to take criticism from his opponent and the world. I think Trump failed at being able to apologize. I think he should say I apologize for having you be a part of all accusations laid against [me] to his wife. Hillary Clinton’s closing statement was good: ‘Making America an even better nation.’ I’d like to see an adult in office, not a child.”

Michael Mansfield, Crown Heights resident said: “It is unlike any other debate ever…A lot of questions answered; a lot of questions dodged. This will be my first time [being able] to vote.”

Jodi Johnson

Jodi Johnson, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens resident said: “In regards to Donald, he was being ‘The Donald’. He was ever-swerving from answering questions in order to say his talking point. Hillary was being Hillary, the consummate politician. Whenever it was time to answer a question, the smile would come on. She was trying to be calm, but she should, like, take her earrings off and ‘be real’ and cuss him out. Trump could never be president. The fact that he couldn’t use the last moment to explain what kind of president he’d be is telling.”

Violence, Misogyny and the Aftermath

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By David Mark Greaves

Attorney General Loretta Lynch has replaced the New York-based FBI team working on the 2014 chokehold death of Eric Garner on Staten Island, where he was selling cigarettes on the street. The New York Times reports that while Lynch “has a reputation for being deferential to prosecutors in the field”, they also note that “she has also heavily relied on the advice of her civil rights prosecutors, who are more removed from the local police departments that they investigate”. More removed from the local “good old boy” network, and the bonding around the darkest impulses, now being paraded in public by former prosecutors Rudolph Giuliani and Chris Christie, and the leader of that pack Donald J. Trump.

The connection between violence and misogyny has been repeatedly and horrifyingly proudly, demonstrated at Trump rallies throughout the country. And now, with the probable elevation of a woman to the presidency, we have to be mindful of a resistance in Congress that will be rooted not just against policies, but in an anger towards women in general, even on the street, mirroring the reaction to the first Black President, Barack Obama.

With a Clinton victory looking evermore certain, but not so much to be complacent, we’ll still have to deal with Trump in the aftermath. One can easily imagine that if he loses by a little, he’ll say it looks like the election was rigged, and if he loses by a landslide, he’s capable of saying that’s proof it was rigged.   Whatever he says, we should all just pretend there’s a state trooper on the political highway, and he’s saying, “Move along. Nothing to see here”.

A woman as leader of “the most powerful nation on earth”, may encourage movement from defining a nation’s strength in the size of its missiles, toward concern for the health and welfare of home and family, people and planet. Bending the arc in that direction will require “encouragement” from a lot organized effort by a lot of organized people. And we cannot forget there is always the danger of the rise of a palatable voiced, photogenic and professionally-groomed inspirer of Trump’s supporters. And by then, we had better have beaten back the real election rigging of voter suppression laws and fairly shape gerrymandered districts, or we will have an even bigger fight on our hands coming up.

 

 

 

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