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David Mark Greaves
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By David Mark Greaves

In his victory speech, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio said “The people of this city have chosen a progressive path, and tonight we set forth on it, together, as one city.”  What does that mean to African-Americans? We hope that progressive path includes an examination of the MWBE report card that John Liu created on the comptroller’s web site which reveals what is perhaps the key to African-American empowerment in New York, and that is how the city spends its money.  Here are some examples of the percentages of MWBE contracts that city agencies have with black-owned firms:   Department of Health and Mental Hygiene 3%, Department of Small Business Services 2%, Department of Cultural Affairs  1% and the Department for the Aging 2%.  And those percentages, as paltry and sad as they are, are themselves only a sliver of the tiny portion (3.9%) allotted to MWBE firms from the $70 billion city budget.

In the days to come, we would like to hear Mayor deBlasio issue administration-wide instructions to dramatically change those numbers, redistributing the dollars that will begin to solve the emotional and financial depression in the African-American community.     And while we understand that it is a process that ultimately begins with prenatal care and continues through grade 12 (and beyond, if the student’s in the CUNY system), there are immediate things that can be done.  Mayor David Dinkins set MWBE goals in his administration and we’d like to see Mayor de Blasio, who worked with Dinkins, set ambitious goals for his administration, and create the pipeline in education and support services that will help them to be reached.

We did not hear de Blasio address the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit setting aside federal

District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin’s ruling and upholding the city’s appeal.  This puts the ball in the new mayor’s court, and while he called the appeal’s court decision “outrageous”, he did not take this obvious opportunity to proclaim, or even suggest, that the city would drop the appeal and allow Judge Scheindlin’s ruling to stand.   Perhaps that will come later.

Some low-hanging fruit that can be harvested now would be an expansion of the summer youth employment program that goes beyond replacing the Bloomberg cuts and would be a part of the education and support pipeline our young people hunger for.

One change we know will come now is the end to the inequality of arrests and jail time for small amounts of marijuana in Kings County.  Brooklyn’s new District Attorney, Ken Thompson, has said that “Too many young people are being arrested for low-level drug charges that leave a permanent stain on their records for what should be a violation.”  The system that puts young people in jail and destroys their futures with an arrest for selling 2 grams or less or one cigarette of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor punishable by 3 months in jail, and at the same time allowed hedge fund billionaire Steven Cohen to operate what the government complaint, unsealed on Monday, described as a company where  “insider trading was substantial, pervasive and on a scale without known precedent in the hedge fund industry”,  gets a fine that has zero impact on his lifestyle, is one that we’re glad to see change.

 

A Collective Purpose for the Coming Year: “Unleashing The Genius Of The Children”

Aminisha Black
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Reading, listening or watching the daily news, we are bombarded with the rampant violence occurring in our homes, neighborhoods and cities.  Interestingly enough, while perpetrators (some) are sought and prosecuted for their acts of violence, our government rewards young men and women for volunteering to go into other countries wielding weapons and unknown numbers of lives, including  those of civilians, are taken.   The question arises:   How can we expect our young people to value human life, including their own, when violence is accepted and in cases of invasions glorified?

Since our children are being killed and are killing each other, I’ve found it impossible to follow the trend simply as the latest tidbit of current events.  As Kwanzaa approaches and while reviewing the Nguza Saba (Seven Principles), I once again realized these were the pathways to creating a community that would nourish the children and allow them to discover and pursue their purpose in life.  In order to save our children – the future, we must provide opportunities for discovery of purpose and opportunities to explore and develop.  The good news is we can and must start on the home front.  Interestingly enough, when problems with youth are cited, parents or caretakers are blamed.    There is a need to reframe this;  in fact, we must reframe this.  Parents and caretakers, please know that the power to protect and empower your child is within your reach.

PN acknowledges Maulana Karenga for creating a holiday which provides an occasion for African-Americans to revisit and appreciate our African culture.  The first principle,”Umoja”,  spells out the foundation – to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.   Acknowledging Dr. Edwin Nichols’ work, which states the African’s highest-held value as Relationships between mankind , aligning with  the Umoja principle , we find caretakers in the ideal position to take responsibility to create a self-esteem  environment at home in their relationship with children in their care.  We invite you to join the Kwanzaa  2013 Challenge where you follow a guide for creating self-esteem.  Where the Umoja principle begins with maintaining unity in family. The PN guide begins with one’s self.

The world is held together by relationships.  Pure and simple.  Can you think of anything that you do in your life that does not involve relationship?  Your effectiveness at home depends on relationships with mate, parents, children, siblings, relatives, landlord, neighbors, etc.  Your effectiveness  at work depends on relationships with your boss, co-workers and others with whom you interact.

By effectiveness, I mean producing the best results, expending the least energy in the shortest period of time.  If we rate effectiveness at home, on the job, in our communities and city at large, the score would probably be extremely low.  There is a correlation between the breakdown in getting needed information and services and the breakdown   in our relationships.  Since families are microcosms of the larger society, if we want to make a difference in the larger system, it’s logical to start where you make the most impact, where you have the most control…in your relationship with others.

Our relationships survive (not thrive) in a sea of distrust, dependency, competition and hostility.  The bigger problem is that we accept the level of mediocrity as normal.  We don’t expect cooperative, harmonious relationships.  The greater portion of our conversations are devoted to complaints about someone, or to the poor relationships that keep the soap operas on the air.  Bad relationships are popular.

It’s expected and accepted that people will gossip about each other…that a lie to save face or get over is an ok lie…that in order to feel important I must make you feel small, needy or helpless….that I cover up and lie about my mistakes so that I can condemn yours…that I will   say whatever is expected at the moment or whatever will make me look good and then do whatever is convenient…that I am more loyal to my friends rather than principles, so if my friend lies or steals, I cover the lies and the theft….that I repeat words spoken to me in confidence…that I make assessments and judgements about others without giving them an opportunity to respond…that I don’t take responsibility for my expectations  and blame others for not meeting them…that I don’t know what forgiveness is….and on and  on and on.

We are more powerful than we know.  It’s Our Time to uncover our power and release that of our children.  For more info: e-mail parentsnotebook@yahoo.com.

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Smello

Eddie Castro
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By Eddie Castro

The NBA season kicked off last week and as much attention that has been paid the Brooklyn Nets with their off-season additions, the other team in New York suddenly became an afterthought. The Knicks are looking to prove to many Brooklynites as well as the rest of New York that they are still the number one team in the city. Coach Mike Woodson and company are looking to advance further in the playoffs this year after a disappointing loss in a six-game series to the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks added Andrea Bargnani,  Metta World Peace, re-signed Pablo Prigioni and Kenyon Martin to have depth to their bench and drafted Tim Hardaway, Jr. out of Michigan. All these moves were made for a chance to get back to the playoffs and avenge a disappointing loss to Pacers last year.

Through three games this year, the team has started off slowly. Bargnani has gotten his taste of New York and in three games he has not played well. He’s even heard some boos at Madison Square Garden. Aside Bargnani’s rude welcome here in New York, another problem lies for the Knicks and it involves their star player Carmelo Anthony. Anthony has been awful so far in the three games played this year. Melo is shooting just 37 percent from the field and has made just four three-pointers out of fifteen attempts. On Sunday night, he missed his final three shots as the Knicks comeback attempt failed in a 109-100 loss to the Timberwolves. Anthony assured everyone that he is indeed confident in his shot, however, he also acknowledged that he and the team are still trying to get it together on offense. You wonder if this big lineup that Mike Woodson has put out in three games will mesh well together with Anthony, Bargnani and Chandler in the front court and Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton in the back court. If this formula does not work, maybe the team should go small. Perhaps insert J.R. Smith into the lineup to take the load off of Melo to create more offense. The problem with that is Smith can sometimes be allergic to playing defense and that will be the team’s loss by benching Shumpert in favor of Smith when he comes back from his 5-game substance abuse suspension.

It’s still pretty early in the season for the Knicks to get it together. For now, coach Woodson can play around with the lineup to find the starting five that goes well together. Regardless of what lineup Woodson puts on the floor, the team needs leadership and their leader needs to set the tone for the rest of the team. It’s time for Anthony to get his shot going and play at the elite level that had him win the scoring title last year.

Sports Notes: (Basketball) The Brooklyn Nets head to the nation’s capital as they face John Wall and the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks look to get back on track as they finish up a home-and-home with the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. (Football) Fresh off a bye week, the G-men look to make it three wins in a row when they welcome in the Oakland Raiders. After an impressive win by the Jets this past Sunday over the Saints, the team has a bye week this Sunday. The Jets will head to Buffalo to face the Bills on November 17.

November Is Native American Heritage Month

Editor, Our Time Press
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TONIGHT! November 7

2013 Stars of New York Dance.  Kumble Theatre. DeKalb Ave. and Flatbush   Six 2013 Brooklyn leaders (the “Dancing Stars”) and their professional dance artists, compete to win a $5,000 dance scholarship award for the dance partners’ dance organization to pay for the children’s dance tuition fees, class uniforms, shoes and dance costumes: •Carlo A. Scissura, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President & CEO

Victor Reddick, Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn •Elwanda Young, United Way of NYC Sr. Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer; Keisha James, Restoration’s Youth Arts Academy; L. Joy Williams, President, Brooklyn NAACP; Jared Lewis, Asase Yaa School of the Arts; The Honorable Betty Staton, Executive Director, Bedford Stuyvesant Community Legal Services; Jude M. Perry-Evans, Balance Dance Theater; L. Henry, Executive Director, Frank R. Bell Funeral Home, Inc.; Melissa Gray, Leaps & Bounds School of Dance, Inc.; Minister Joel Youngblood, Chief Operating Officer, Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church; Naeemah Brown, Cradle-N the Rock Youth Dance Ensemble

Special guest presenters include: Errol Louis, event host and the host of “Inside City Hall” on NY 1 News; BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins; and Brooklyn Arts Council President Ella J. Weiss. VIP Tickets include VIP Seating and the 5:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception for $125. 7 p.m. General Admission Tickets are $75. •Phone: 917-623-7299 •Website: www.thestarsofnewyorkdance.com

November 8

7:30p: Karen L. Smith, sister of the late Barbara Boyd-Smith, returns home to Brooklyn to showcase her new jazz-influenced musical, “3 Divas 3” on stage at Stuyvesant Heights Christian Church, 69 MacDonough St. $30 at the door.  Contact : Michael C. Smith @ 718-501-9416.

 

November 9

12noon-7p: Diaspora Art Mart presents Be Thankful.  Artists and artisans share their collections of clothing, jewelry, accessories, natural products and more, including Edutainment with performance artists at 3pm and a Grand Fashion extravaganza at 4pm. Admission: Grateful Spirit. YWCA – 30 Third Avenue, corner of Atlantic Ave., 2nd floor/Ruby Nottage Gallery. Producers: Brenda Brunson-Bey and The Tribal Truths Collection, 718-643-8322 and Delali Haligah’s Osun Designs, 718-978-3467,. www.facebook.com/diasporaartmart

 

November 9-10

2013 Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference

“Power and Sovereignty”, Boys & Girls High School, 1700 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY.  The Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference connects growers, eaters and organizations across the country to nurture the health and well-being of Black America and the environment as a whole. Attendees explore issues of race, class, health and food through panel discussions, workshops, films and conversations.  Resources are exchanged. Keynoters are:  Monica White, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Environmental Justice in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison & President of the Board of Directors of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network; and Ben Burkett, President, National Family Farm Coalition. www.blackfarmersconf.org/

 

November 16

4 pm: Hip-Hop History Workshop for Teens: B-Boy & B-Girl Dancing with Kwikstep and Rokafella. The Schomburg Center celebrates Hip-Hop History Month in November with four interactive workshops for teens that will explore the four elements of hip-hop: MCing, DJing, B-boy/girl Dancing, and Graffiti/Aerosol Art. Knowledge, the fifth element of hip-hop, is at the root of each session led by pioneers and practitioners of the culture.  Presented by Schomburg Education as part of the Schomburg’s Hip-Hop 4.0 Initiative. FREE! Registration required!

 

November 17

BEPAA Presents a Master Class: An Afternoon with Tom Burrell, author of “Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority”, John Henrik Clarke House, 286 Convent Avenue, New York, NY. Admission is Free. Call 347-907-0629

 

December 7

7:30p: Camille A. Brown’s Mr. TOLERANCE, Kumble Theatre. DeKalb Ave. and Flatbush.  $15 Students, Seniors. Tickets: ( 718) 488-1624

 

December 13

9p-3a: HATTIE CARTHAN COMMUNITY GARDEN: “CHRISTMAS DANCE” – 423 Nostrand Avenue.  Contact: Greg Matthews: 347-932-7157.  Reggie: 347-285-9774. Melvin: 347-792-0898.

Ongoing:

Thru November 24

Woodie King Jr’s New Federal Theatre kicks off its 44th season with the first play of “The Ed Bullins Project” – – In The Wine Time, directed by Mansoor Najee-ullah on Oct. 25th at Castillo Theater (543 West 42nd Street), continuing through November 24th. In The Wine Time will feature Richard Brundage, Angelique Chapman, Khadim Diop, Matthew Faroul, Lindsay Finnie, Harrison Lee, Catherine Peoples, Shirlene Victoria Quigley, Sandra Reaves-Phillips Kim Sullivan, Eddie Wardel, and Eboni Witcher. Tickets: www.newfederaltheatre.com or call 212-353-1176.

 

Thru January 3, 2014: Noisy in the Next Room, Danny Simmons’ solo exhibition of new work at Restoration’s Skylight Gallery speaks to the heart and soul of human existence, providing a dramatic and compelling bridge between the past and now, we are asked to imagine a future where hope and revival are commonplace. His paintings operate on multiple levels of perception, employing commonplace practices of repetition and erasure, urging you to abandon the notion of up and down. The exhibit kicks off the 2013-2014 season of The Skylight Gallery. Hours: Wednesday – Friday, 11am- 6pm, Saturday, 1pm – 6pm. For information, call 718-636-6949.

 

Thru January 11, 2014: The Games We Played, a nostalgic revisit through art to the street and board games played by young people and families back in the day,  is an art exhibition at House of Art. While some games occupied the entire sidewalk, other games took up the whole street. There were also classic games played indoors when households still had family game night. This exhibition will showcase a diverse group of emerging-to-established artists with a multitude of genres featuring Guy Stanley Philoche, Jamel Shabazz, Dan Ericson, Charlotta Janssen, Leroy Campbell and others. 408 Marcus Garvey Blvd.

 

Thru January 14: Schomburg Collects WPA Artists 1935 – 1943. The exhibition highlights the work of visual, literary and performing black artists. It presents founder Arturo Schomburg’s commitment to establish and preserve a black art collection as well as the artists’ responses to America’s racial climate.  Schomburg Collects will feature works by Hale Woodruff, Augusta Savage, Beauford Delaney, James Van Der Zee, Richard Wright, Bob Blackburn, Addison Scurlock, Zora Neale Hurston. Call for hours. 515 Malcolm X. Blvd. @ 135th St. (212) 491-2200.

Thru March 9, 2014: Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey, Brooklyn Museum’s first museum survey of more than fifty works of the internationally renowned Nairobi-born, Brooklyn-based artist. Her first-ever animated video is shown as part of the artwork of collages, sketchbook samples, sculpture, a site-specific wall piece and immersive installations. 200 Eastern Parkway, call for hours and entry fees: 718-638-5000.

Less Fortunate Sandy Victims Worried About Getting Their Share Of Federal Money

Stephen Witt
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Coney Island NYCHA residents and Canarsie homeowners among those still suffering

By Stephen Witt

While Hurricane Sandy hurt everyone across the socioeconomic line, it hurt the poor a little more, according to published reports.

The storm ravaged Brooklyn a year ago this week leaving thousands in the city’s public housing complexes, located near the shoreline, without power for weeks.

Among the NYCHA developments still running on mobile boilers include the Red Hook Houses.

According to a newsletter put out by the nonprofit Red Hook Initiative, hundreds of low-income evacuees were repeatedly threatened with mass eviction from hotels with no place to go as the city sought to save money.

In Coney Island, which has a large number of NYCHA developments, a good many of them still have mobile boilers, according to an official at Community Board 13.

CB 13 officials said while it hasn’t received any calls or complaints of late, there are a number of residents of Coney Island’s NYCHA developments feeling they’ve been neglected.

According to a report on the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort put out this week through Borough President Marty Markowitz’s office, there continues to be persistent mold and debris issues, and the continued use of backup boilers installed immediately after the storm. NYCHA residents in Coney Island are intermittently without heat and battling ongoing health problems resulting from mold and debris, according to the report.

The report found that recovery from Sandy has also impacted the already-high unemployment rate in Coney Island where 20% of the businesses on Mermaid Avenue remain closed. Meanwhile, unemployed residents – both skilled and unskilled – standby as rebuild and construction job opportunities go to outsiders of the community.

In Canarsie, which already has one of the highest rates of foreclosures in the city, this rate has more than doubled to more than 3,000 foreclosures due to Sandy.

According to Markowitz’s report, much of the higher foreclosure rates in Canarsie has to do with the many immigrant and undocumented community members residing in illegal basement apartments – contributing significantly to the income of homeowners. In Canarsie, FEMA’s refusal to cover the cost of damage to illegal units led directly to the displacement of immigrant tenants and foreclosure on homeowners.

The perceived or real discrepancies come as federal officials, including Sen. Charles Schumer, said that earlier this week that $60 billion in federal money is starting to flow into all the communities hurt by Sandy. The city is in charge of administrating the funds.

Mayor Bloomberg spokesperson Kamran Montaz said all inquiries regarding public housing should go to NYCHA.

The city has yet to receive any of the federal money so it’s premature to address discrepancies on how the funds are doled out, said Montaz.

But Democratic Party mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio vowed that under his administration he will make sure the federal money allocated for Sandy will be doled out fairly.

“As we rebuild from the devastation of Sandy, we must recommit ourselves to bringing the full aid of the city, state and federal government to the doorsteps of those in need – in every neighborhood, in every borough,” said de Blasio.

“Sandy exposed great inequalities in our city, and we have to use it as a moment not just to fix the short-term wrongs of the storm, but to lay the foundation for a just and sustainable rebuilding. We can’t leave any New Yorker behind,” he added.

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