What's Going On

What’s Going on 1/20

NEW YORK, NY
The field of candidates for the 2022 NYS Governor’s race is narrowing. Governor Kathy Hochul, who recently submitted her $216 billion budget, will face two major Democratic contenders for her job, NYC Public Advocates Jumaane Williams and Congress member Tom Souzzi. Former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio will not run.
Energetic Eric Adams seems to enjoy his freshman outing as the new sheriff in town. He continues announcing a stellar group of people to occupy top City Hall posts. Former NYPD brass Philip Banks was named Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. Chaplain Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who was Adams’ Deputy Brooklyn Boro Prexy, was named Chief Advisor to the Mayor. Barbados-born NYS Appellate Court Judge Sylvia Hinds- Radiz was appointed Corporation Counsel, a first for a Caribbean-American attorney. The foregoing heritage info was lifted from City Hall press releases. One appointment, however, remains under media scrutiny. Adams named his brother Bernard, a retired NYPD sergeant, as an NYPD deputy commissioner, then demoted him a week later to Executive Director of Mayoral Security with a $210,000 salary.

Sylvia Hinds- Radiz


There are notable promotions and demotions under NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. Juanita Holmes, Chief of Patrol since 2020, whom media concluded would be Adams’ NYPD Commish choice, named Chief of Training and is expected to retire. Assistant Chief Kathleen O’Reilly is designated Chief of Patrol. Community Affairs Chief Jeffrey Maddrey was named Chief of Housing. David Barrere will lead Internal Affairs. Assistant chief Philip Rivera and Staten Island Patrol Borough Executive Officer Gin Lee have been promoted to commanding posts.
Diana Richardson, NYS Assembly member from Brooklyn, daughter of Arubian parents, was named Brooklyn Deputy President by Boro President Antonio Reynoso, whose parents are from the Dominican Republic.

HEALTH WATCH
Biden Administration COVID19 updates. The government will give away 400 million N95 masks at health care facilities and pharmacies across the country.
On January 19, order free COVID19 Test Kits courtesy of the US government. Visit https://www.Covidtests.gov

The COVID19 Omicron variant is in retreat! New COVID19 cases are plummeting in many states, including New York. The percentage of cases causing severe illness is much lower than it was with the Delta variant.

DEMOCRACY 101
The Winter 2022 issue of Foreign Policy Magazine is single themed, “Democracy is On the Defensive. Here’s How to Fix It and The Reasons Are As Deep As They Are Familiar”

Will the Voting Rights bill see the light of day in the US Senate this year? Makes a Black person worry about the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, the states ((Texas, Georgia, Florida) voter suppression laws, and the current US Supreme Court. It seems so important this year as we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s holiday.

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BBOOK NEWS: Black Lives still matter in book publishing. “The 1619 Project’ edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones, about the history of slavery in America, and “Will,” the Will Smith memoir, place 1 and 2 respectively on the recent NY Times best seller non-fiction list.

Alex Haley


Bibliophiles are celebrating the Alex Haley centennial. Born on August 11, 1921, Haley, the dean of American bestseller books. Author of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and “ROOTS,” two major 20th Century classics, included in many HS and college curricula. Read the 12/17/21NY Times piece about his literary prowess, “Alex Haley Taught America About Race- And A Young Man To Write” by Michael Patrick Hearn. “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” is literary magic for young men of all ethnicities, traveling that fine line from adolescence to adulthood.
Multiple Grammy winner Dionne Warwick begins 2022 with a new single, “Power In The Name,” featuring Krayzie Bone and NomaD, with its uplifting message of hope for a bright future. Proceeds from the single will benefit charities which provide shelter and clothes. “Power In The Name” is available on most streaming services.

Faye Rodney

NEWSMAKERS
Happy Birthday Aquarians, the fixed air sign, whose natives include Brandy; Antigua Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne; Wall Streeter Sanjenetta Harris; Jaime Harrison, Chair, National Democratic Committee; billionaire Michael Jordan, retired NBA icon; actor Michael B. Jordan; Alicia Keys; 2021 NYC mayoral candidate Ray McGuire, former Citigroup executive; Kenya Moore; Omarosa Manigault Newman; OPRAH; NY Carib News Associate Publisher Faye Rodney; Derek Perkinson, National Action Network; Joy Reid, MSNBC anchor; Chris Rock; Rick Ross; Economist and journalist Lena Sherrod; Jeweler and fine arts photographer Coreen Simpson; Don Thomas, NY Beacon Entertainment Editor, turns 80; Dr. Deborah Willis, NYU Professor; Kerry Washington; and The Weekend.
RIP: Andre Leon Talley, 73, died on January 18 in New York, Trailblazing fashion journalist, Talley worked for NY-based Women’s Wear Daily, the fashion world bible, in the mid 70s before being assigned its Paris bureau chief. A striking figure at 6’6” figure, he favored capes and baroque accessories when making a fashion statement. He knew French culture and fashion history. He was an exalted presence in the world of haute couture. Back to America, he lands job as Vogue Magazine creative director, a first for an African American. By the turn on the century, he was a household name in fashion circles. He was a staple during NY Fashion Week.
Raised in Durham, NC by his grandmother, whom he credits for his sense of style, Andre graduated from NC Central University and from Brown University. The 2018 documentary, “The Gospel According to Andre” and his memoir “The Chiffon Trenches” are good experiences to visit his storied life.

A management consultant, Victoria can be reached at victoria.horsford@gmail.com

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