New Yorks

Beacon
website:
NewYorkBeacon.net

Vol. 22 No. 12

Showing the Way to Truth and Justice

March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015

E-Mail
newyorkbeacon@yahoo.com

75 Cents

WILD FERGUSON SHOOTING

Man, 20, charged in shooting of two Ferguson police officers

SUSPECT NABBED Robert McCullough, prosecutor for St. Louis, announces the arrest of Jeffrey Williams, the 20-year-old charged with shooting two police officers
following a massive rally in Ferguson last week.
(See Story On Page 3)

Mayor announces plans to curb violence at Rikers Island

(See Story On Page 3)

Assemblyman Mosley says Families

First budget plan will spur job growth

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Yvette Campbell

Harlem School of Arts chief

Campbell to step down in June
The Harlem School of the Arts
(HSA) has announced that president and chief executive officer
Yvette L. Campbell has made the
decision to leave her post in
June, at the conclusion of the
2014-2015 school year.
Yvette has been instrumental in the successful turnaround
of the Harlem School of the Arts
and is leaving our great institution stronger for its next president and future students, said
Charles J. Hamilton, Jr. Esq., chairman of the HSA Board of Directors. Under her leadership,
Yvette has not only restored the
philanthropic communitys faith
in our school, she has increased
our enrollment and expanded
access to the highest quality arts
training in New York City.
During her tenure, Campbell
has worked with the board to restore and grow the schools financial endowment; raising over
$11 million, including a $6 million
leadership gift from legendary
musician and philanthropist
Herb Alpert for whom HSA re-

named its iconic Harlem home in

March 2013.
The turnaround of the Harlem
School of the Arts has been astonishing. The faculty, staff and Board
have fulfilled their commitment to
restoring a dynamic, fiscally responsible school, said Alpert.
Its beautiful to see how the array
of multi-disciplinary classes open
doors of opportunity to the students, who are thriving on self-expression, training and performance
in the arts. The students come for
the arts education but, at HSA,
they also get to participate in an
exceptional arts community.
It has been an honor to serve
as Harlem School of the Arts President and CEO during a period of
remarkable transition and extraordinary success, not only for this
vital institution but also for the vibrant community that it serves,
said Campbell. Along with our
devoted staff, I believe in the power
of the arts to enrich and transform
lives. The opportunity to raise one
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)

Walter T. Mosley (D- Brooklyn)

announced that he helped craft
the Assemblys Families First
budget proposal for the 2015-16
fiscal year, which promotes job
growth by making critical investments in infrastructure and helping small businesses succeed
(E.203).
New Yorks economy is hitting its stride after the economic
downturn and we have to continue the momentum. The
Assemblys proposal continues
our commitment to creating jobs
and helping families all across the
state get ahead, said Assemblyman Mosley. Our proposal will
help businesses grow and create
better job opportunities.
The Assemblys budget proposes $1.5 billion in economic
development funding for the Upstate Revitalization Initiative,
along with $250 million in grants
to local governments whose sewers and water mains are in need
of repair or replacement. It also
includes $300 million for a new
Regional Significant Infrastructure Program to promote local
economic development through
workforce development, manufacturing, agriculture and tourism
initiatives.
Additionally, the Assembly
budget includes $50 million for
the RESTORE NY Communities
Initiative. This program promotes
economic growth by redeveloping properties and attracting new
businesses.
A solid infrastructure is the
first step in attracting the types
of companies we need in New
York, said Assemblyman
Mosley. Making these critical
investments now will go a long
way in revitalizing our communities and helping create jobs.
The Assemblys budget proposal provides an additional $1.3
million in funding for Centers of
Excellence research facilities at
public universities across New
York, totaling $1 million for each
of the 10 centers.
Centers of Excellence are hubs
for groundbreaking research and
cutting-edge technology, said
Assemblyman Mosley. Making
critical investments in these in-

Assemblyman Walter T. Mosley

stitutions will not only ensure that these businesses have every opporour state is at the forefront of in- tunity to thrive, said Assemblyman
novation, but will signal to high- Mosley.
Also included in the Assemblys
tech businesses across the world
that New York is a place where they budget proposal is $7.5 million for a
can build, expand and create jobs. NY Healthy Foods and Healthy
The Assemblys proposal also Communities Fund. This initiative
provides $500 million to expand would support local businesses by
rural broadband access that is ex- making loans and grants available to
pected to generate a private-sec- supermarkets, grocery stores, farmtor 1:1 match, for a total of $1 bil- ers markets and other healthy food
retailers in underserved areas.
lion.
Additionally, the Assemblys budI n addition to reducing the income tax rate for small businesses get proposal provides $5.3 million for
from 6.5 percent to 2.5 percent for Community Development Financial
those that register as C Corps, the Institutions (CDFIs), which facilitate
Assemblys proposal restores loans to small businesses that may
$365,000 in additional funding for otherwise not qualify for a bank loan
the Minority- and Women-owned and provide counseling for smallBusiness Development and Lend- business owners.
Small businesses are the lifeing Program, for a total of $1 million. The Assembly also supports blood of New Yorks economy and
increasing participation in state must have access to as many recontracting to Minority- and sources as possible so they can
Women-owned Business Enter- grow, hire more employees and help
prises (MWBEs) from 25 percent our communities thrive, said Assemblyman Mosley. This funding
to 30 percent.
Supporting MWBEs is crucial to CDFIs will help ensure that more
to the success of our overall small businesses across the state
economy. We must work to ensure have the opportunity to flourish.

Florida woman gets prison time for defrauding New York pension fund
Attorney General Eric T.
Schneiderman and New York
State Comptroller Thomas P.
DiNapoli today announced the
conviction and sentence of
Graycelia Cizik, 64, a resident of
Polk County, Florida. Cizik
pleaded guilty on January 21,
2015 to a one-count Indictment
charging her with the crime of
grand larceny in the second degree. .
She was sentenced to 2 to 6
years in state prison by Supreme
Court Judge Roger D.
McDonough in Albany County
Court. Cizik also agreed to a judgment in favor of the New York
State and Local Employees Retirement System in the amount of

$121,772.72.
Under the plea agreement, Cizik
admitted to stealing $121,772.72 in
pension benefits issued by the Office of the New York State Comptroller, on behalf of the New York
State and Local Employees Retirement System, to her deceased uncle,
David Wynn. Wynn was a New
York State pensioner who retired
from the Port Authority of New York
& New Jersey and died in 1988.
We will aggressively pursue
stiff penalties for those who rip off
our retirement system and steal
from retirees across our state who
count on that money, said Attorney General Schneiderman. We
will protect taxpayer dollars and
prosecute those who misuse pub-

lic funds.
Ms. Cizik scammed the New
York State Retirement System and
is now on her way to state prison
for several years, Comptroller
Thomas P. DiNapoli said. We
will continue to safeguard the
state pension system and work
with Attorney General Eric
Schneiderman to punish those
who defraud the pension fund.
A joint investigation by the
New York State Attorney
Generals Office and the Office of
the New York State Comptroller
revealed that Cizik witnessed a
cremation authorization form for
Wynn when he died, but failed to
notify the Retirement System of
Wynns death. Instead, Cizik sub-

mitted false information to Wynns

bank indicating that he was still
alive, and utilized a power of attorney to access his account and
withdraw pension benefits paid on
his behalf during a twelve year period between June 30, 1997 and
October 30, 2009.
The case is the latest joint investigation under the Operation
Integrity partnership between the
Attorney General and Comptroller,
which has resulted in dozens of
convictions and more than $6 million in restitution. Cizik was arrested in August 2014 by agents
of the Polk County Sheriffs Office in Florida, and extradited to Albany County to face the Indictment.

Attorney General Schneiderman

and Comptroller DiNapoli thank the
Polk County Sheriffs Office in
Florida for their assistance.
The Attorney Generals investigation was conducted by Investigator
Dennis Churns and Deputy Chief
Investigator Antoine J. Karam. The
Investigations Division is led by
Chief Investigator Dominick Zarrella.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Benjamin
Clark of the Criminal Enforcement and
Financial Crimes Bureau. The bureau
is led by Bureau Chief Gary T.
Fishman and Deputy Bureau Chiefs
Stephanie Swenton and Meryl
Lutsky. The Division of Criminal Justice is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Kelly Donovan.

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By Richard Valdmanis
A 20-year-old man was charged
on Sunday with first-degree assault in last weeks shooting of
two policemen during a protest
rally in Ferguson, Missouri, a
crime that shocked a city that has
been devastated by months of
racial strife.
The suspect, Jeffrey L. Williams, has admitted to firing the
shots that wounded the officers
early on Thursday, said St. Louis
County Prosecuting Attorney
Robert McCulloch.
The gunfire rang out just after
midnight at the end of a rally to
call for sweeping reforms in
Ferguson, where an unarmed
black 18-year-old was shot to
death by a white officer last sumAttorney General Eeric Holder
mer.
Michael Browns death
touched off months of protests
against law enforcements treatment of minority groups, in
Ferguson and around the country, and led to a U.S. Justice Department probe that found pervasive racial bias on the part of the
citys mostly white police force.
Williams was arrested after a
As part of the Department of serve their own diverse experiJustices ongoing commitment to ences and environments, these
strengthening the relationship be- selected cities will serve on the
tween law enforcement and the leading edge of our effort to concommunities they serve and pro- front pressing issues in commutect, Attorney General Eric Holder nities around the country.
on Thursday announced the first
Attorney General Holder also
six cities to host pilot sites for the announced that the Department
National Initiative for Building of Justice is providing additional
Community Trust and Justice.
training and technical assistance
This $4.75 million initiative will to police departments and com- By Charles D. Ellison
seek to assess the police-commu- munities that are not pilot sites. Special to the NNPA from The
nity relationship in each of the six Through the Office of Justice Philadelphia Tribune
pilot sites, as well as develop a Programs Diagnostic Center
(NNPA)There are now five
detailed site-specific plan that will (>www.OJPDiagnosticCenter.org<),
enhance procedural justice, reduce police departments and commu- presidential battleground states
bias and support reconciliation in nity groups can request training, in 2016 that could be heavily imcommunities where trust has been peer mentoring, expert consulta- pacted by the #BlackLivesMatter
eroded.
tion and other types of assis- movement.
Of course, it depends on a variThe six pilot sites announced tance on implicit bias, procedural
Thursday are Birmingham, Ala- justice and racial reconciliation. ety of factors and where the pobama; Ft. Worth, Texas; Gary, In- Additionally, the initiative litical winds blow. And many obdiana; Minneapolis, Minnesota; launched a new online clearing- servers are in wait-and-see mode
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and house that includes up-to-date over the exact status of a scatStockton, California.
information about what works to tered, yet burgeoning Second
The Department of Justice is build trust between citizens and Civil Rights Movement some
committed to using innovative law enforcement. The clearing- experts perceive as lacking
strategies to enhance procedural house can be found at needed political teeth.
That status, also put on slight
justice, reduce bias and support >www.trustandjustice.org<.
Restoring trust where it has hiatus by a much more frigid than
reconciliation in communities
where trust has been eroded, said eroded is one of the defining normal winter, just got complicated with last weeks shootings
Attorney General Holder. By
of two Ferguson, Mo., police ofhelping to develop programs that (CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)

Attorney General unveils

first 6 sites for building
community trust, justice

Jeffrey Williams
massive manhunt, with the help of
tips from the public and video evidence, McCulloch told a news
conference.
An African American who had
been on probation for possession
of stolen property, Williams told
investigators that he was not targeting police but was shooting at
someone else, McCulloch said.

A 41-year-old county police officer

suffered a shoulder wound and a 32year-old from a nearby police department sustained a facial wound
in Thursdays shooting. Both were
treated and released by a local hospital.
Williams, whose bond was set at
$300,000, appears to have fired a .40caliber handgun
A lawyer for Williams could not
immediately be reached.
A handgun was recovered in his
residence and matched shell casings found at the scene, according
to McCulloch, who said that although Williams appeared to be the
only shooter, other people may be
charged as the investigation continues.
This arrest sends a clear message that acts of violence against
our law enforcement personnel will
never be tolerated, U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder said in a statement.
The shootings took place just
hours after Fergusons police chief
resigned in the wake of the scathing U.S. Justice Department report.
Chief Tom Jacksons resignation
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)

Black lives matter vote could

swing some very key elections
ficers during an otherwise peaceful
protest marking the resignation of
police chief Thomas Jackson.
Yet, despite the challenges, there
are signs the movement could dramatically shake up the political landscape in several key states. Location, it seems, is everything. The five
battleground states identified are
also the same spots where tragic
shootings of unarmed Black men
have taken place in recent years:
Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Three of these states are already
launching pads for three prospective Republican presidential candidates.
All five states are also places
where Democratic presidential primaries, statewide gubernatorial and
Black Lives Matter

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)

Mayor de Blasio announces 14-point plan to curb violence at Rikers Island

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Correction Commissioner Joe Ponte
announced a 14-point plan to aggressively combat violence and
promote a culture of safety on
Rikers Island, including five main
initiatives to target inmate-on-inmate violence. This plan represents
the administrations continued
commitment to reform Rikers Island
after decades of neglect.
At the heart of the plan are five
major initiatives to reduce inmateon-inmate violence:
- Keeping weapons, drugs and
contraband out of Rikers, including visitor reforms
- Creating an integrated classification and housing strategy to
more safely house inmates
- Providing comprehensive security camera coverage

- Designing effective inmate

education opportunities and services to reduce idle time
- Developing crisis intervention teams to respond more
quickly to inmate-on-inmate violence.
Inmate-on-inmate violence has
been on the rise at Rikers Island
over the past decade, representing 71 percent of all violent incidents for 2014. Thus far in 2015,
711 inmates were involved in an
attack on another inmate.
Today we are taking aggressive steps to move Rikers Island
from a culture of violence to a
culture of safety. From changing
the visitor policy to intercept
contraband to smartly placing
inmates to avoid conflict to providing our inmates with expanded

Mayor Bill de Blasio

educational opportunities and services, we are taking on the growing number of violent incidents at
Rikers from every angle, said
Mayor Bill de Blasio. As we move
forward, this 14-point agenda will
help us rebuild Rikers as a safer
institution for officers and inmates
alike.
We will aggressively tackle inmate-on-inmate violence by stopping the flow of weapons and
drugs into our jails and stanching
the flow of information that enables gang members to commit violent acts across facilities, Commissioner Ponte said. These steps
will help us stop violence before it
enters our gates.
Keeping weapons, drugs and
contraband out of Rikers will be
accomplished through a number of

policy changes, including new rules

for visitors that DOC will seek from
the Board of Correction, its oversight body. These rules will seek to
limit the physical contact inmates
may have with visitors, broaden the
criteria for restricting visitors, and
establish a visitor registry. The goal
is to create a common sense approach to visiting policy that reviews visits on a case by case basis
and limits potential for contraband
flow and crime, while respecting the
ability of inmates to maintain legitimate ties with family members and
the community. These changes
would bring DOC policy closer in
line with other large jail systems
such as Los Angeles, Cook County
(Chicago), and Philadelphia, which
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)

3
BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Suspect charged in shooting of

Ferguson, Missouri police officers

State assembly caucus pushes

legislative session priorities

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Rangel's food resolution

Rangel praises free tax

services from Food Bank
for New York City residents
Congressman Charles Rangel
(NY-13) urged eligible hard-working New York City residents to
use Food Bank For New York
Citys expanded, free, citywide
tax assistance program, and file
for the Earned Income Tax Credit
(EITC), highlighting the IRS Free
File program.
The Congressman was the
guest speaker at a public briefing
hosted by Food Bank at their Tax
& Financial Services Center in
Harlem. He was joined by representatives of the Computer &
Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and students from
the Frederick Douglass Academy,
his alma mater, who provided insight into Free Files ease of use
and their experience serving the
community.
In general, people earning
$60,000 or less 70 percent of all
taxpayers are eligible to use
name-brand tax preparation software products to prepare and file
their federal income tax return
online for free through Free File.
Free File is a public-private

partnership between the Internal

Revenue Service and 14 tax preparation software companies that not
only provides free tax preparation
assistance to eligible filers, but also
comes at no cost to the government. The tax filing process results
in a number of unclaimed credits
and deductions, including the
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC),
a refundable federal tax credit originally co-sponsored by Congressman Rangel. Estimates indicate approximately 20 percent of New
Yorkers eligible for the EITC fail to
claim it, missing out on refundable
tax credits of up to $8,293.
Food Bank For New York City,
recognized by the IRS as one of
the largest coordinator of civilian
tax assistance in the country, offers the Free File program at 11 of
its 120 full-service and drop-off
sites citywide. This year, Food
Bank has been able to expand its
reach with the reopening of its flagship Tax & Financial Services Center in Harlem and is poised to in(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)

The New York State Black,

Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian
Legislative Caucus led by Chair
Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry,
outlined the major priorities from
their annual report The Peoples
Priorities 2015".
Standing in support with them
was New York State United
Teachers (NYSUT), Fiscal Policy
Institute (FPI), Hunger Action,
American Heart Association,
YMCA, and other labor unions,
advocacy groups, and clergy.
The Caucus formally announced
their agenda which ensures that
the budget and other pieces of
legislation positively affect and
provide equal access for low income and minority communities.
For many years the Caucus has
been a key advocate in a wide
range of criminal justice reforms.
Toward that end the Caucus
seeks to work with Speaker
Heastie in reexamining how police officers interact with minority and low income communities
through public hearings, and
other forums that facilitate meaningful discussion around reform.
The events leading up to the apprehension of Eric Garner, and killing of Mike Brown is indicative
of a broader systemic problem;
policing in minority communities.
While the Caucus agrees that
there must be greater transparency within grand jury proceedings, transparency must be improved generally within the criminal justice systemit is necessary regarding the manner in
which law enforcement police our
streets and shootings involving
police. The Caucus supports the
governors plan to create an Independent Monitor position but
will advocate for full transparency.
New York is the only state other
than North Carolina that prosecutes ALL youth as adults when
theyve reached 16 years of age,
it is time for New York State to
raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction, Raise the Age legislation
is a top priority of the Caucus.
Studies show that youths who are
incarcerated in the adult criminal
justice system are more likely to
suffer both physical and emotional abuse and have a higher

Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry

rate of recidivism Other states
that have recently increased the
age of criminal responsibility
have seen dramatic decreases in
juvenile crime and lower recidivism rates.
Another top priority and long
standing issue of grave concern
to the Caucus is the Campaign
for Fiscal Equity which organized
itself in 1993 and sued the State
of New York and won, on the
grounds that the State was failing to provide students the
sound basic education or
meaningful high school education. Since 2008, the State has
not fulfilled this commitment. The
Caucus stands firm in urging the
State to once and for all fulfill its
commitment to CFE & Gap Elimination Adjustment funds. Furthermore, the Caucus is disappointed that governor has linked
increased school funding to
other programs that would only
deter money away from traditional public schools.
Moreover, the governors failure to release school aid runs
along with the executive budget
proposal places a burden on
school districts. The assemblys
budget proposal provides $830
million more than the governors
budget and represents the largest increase in school aid since
2008-09. The assemblys budget

also removes the governors requirement that increases in school

aid be tied to other sweeping
changes. In addition to the aforementioned top priorities the Caucus is also concerned with the following legislative issues:
DREAM Act
Raising the Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction
Solitary Confinement
Marijuana Decriminalization
Combating Poverty
Housing - Rent Regulation, Bank
Settlements, and Public Housing
Funding
Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE)
Farmworkers Rights
Caucus Chair Assemblyman
Aubry (D- Queens) said, The time
is ripe for the States Legislators,
advocates, and community leaders
to come together and stand united
in addressing the issues most
prevalent in low income and struggling communities. Uplifting our
people through our legislative initiatives and advancing their economic growth are one in the same
and they will only be achieved
through a collective effort. This is
why as legislators; we must ensure
that during this critical time of budget negotiations, our constituents
concerns remain at the fore. We
cannot progress as a state nor embrace prosperity without addressing the lack of affordable housing,
need for policing reform, inadequate education funding, and the
poverty that plagues many of our
districts. I am confident that with
this united front, our efforts will not
be in vain and our robust agenda
will be shepherded forward.
I look forward to continuing to
work together to achieve Caucus
priorities including raising the minimum wage, reforming our criminal
justice system, passing raise the
age legislation, improving and supporting public education, providing affordable housing, passing
the DREAM Act, achieving
womens equality, and increasing
funding for day care and family services to ensure that all of New
Yorks hard working families can
thrive for generations to comeDemocratic Conference Leader
Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
(D-Westchester).

Bogus investment consultant pleads guilty to committing years of fraud

Manhattan District Attorney
Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., haa announced the guilty plea of Arun
Ganguly, 37, for defrauding investment funds, start-up companies, and high-net-worth individuals by convincing them to
hire him based on false pretenses,
stolen identities, forged documents, and fictitious emails.
Ganguly pleaded guilty in New
York State Supreme Court to one
count each of scheme to defraud
in the first degree, grand larceny
in the second and third degrees,
and identity theft in the first degree. He is expected to be sentenced on April 8, 2015.
After deceiving numerous
people from coast to coast by
completely fabricating his past
experience, personal wealth, and
ability to fund their companies,

Arun Ganguly has finally acknowledged the depth of his fraud, said
District Attorney Vance. Forged
emails, doctored financial documents, shell companies with fabricated employees, and a completely
fictitious family trust were all part
of the trail that established this
defendants guilt. I would like to
thank my Offices prosecutors for
unraveling this web of deceit, as
well as the victims who brought
this case to our attention. I encourage those who feel they may be
victims of identity theft to contact
our Cybercrime Hotline at (212)
335-9600.
According to the defendants
guilty plea and statements made
on the record in court, in May 2011,
the managing director of an SECregistered investment advisory firm
retained Ganguly as a financial

Cyrus Vance

consultant and investment advisor. The defendant was hired after claiming to be a veteran consultant with extensive experience,
including working for individuals
associated with the Carlyle Group
and Chesapeake Energy. Beginning in January 2012, when the
defendants initial contract with
the firm expired, through September 2014, Ganguly made numerous, repeated, and extensive
fraudulent representations in order to convince the firms managing director to re-hire him and pay
him a monthly fee of $5,000.
As part of the scheme, Ganguly
falsely purported to have a personal relationship with Tyler and
Cameron Winklevoss and Divya
Narenda, all associated with the
founding of Facebook, as well as
the Winklevosses father, Howard

Winklevoss. Ganguly asserted that

the Winklevosses were interested in
selling their Facebook shares prior
to the companys initial public offering, and that they would pay a
significant finders fee to the person who found an overseas buyer
for the shares. Ganguly also claimed
that the Winklevosses and Narenda
would invest millions of dollars
in the managing directors personal private equity fund, and
that numerous other individuals,
including Purnendu Chatterjee,
founder of principal investment
firm The Chatterjee Group, were
also interested in investing.
Ganguly similarly asserted that
his family had a multi-million dollar trust he could use to invest
in the private equity fund,
though the trust was, in fact,
nonexistent.

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Editorial

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Child Watch:
Our failure to measure up

Beacon
Walter Smith: Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Miatta Haj Smith: Co-Publisher & Executive Editor
William Egyir: Managing Editor

Systematic racism in America

By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. rectly shaped and perpetuated
NNPA Columnist
by racial bias.
The good news is that in the
The U.S. Department of Jus- aftermath of the details made
t i c e ( D O J ) r e p o r t o n t h e public by the Justice DepartFerguson, Mo. Police Depart- ment provides a second opporment sheds a brighter light on tunity for a more thorough naa serious racial injustice malig- tional investigation. Racial jusnancy that is not isolated or tice activists and organizations
unique to that besieged city. should demand that the federal
What the Justice Department government perform a national
concluded in Ferguson, after investigation and audit of all
months of intense investiga- major police departments and
tion, exposes a systematic pat- judicial systems concerning ratern of injustice and inequal- cial profiling, discrimination,
ity that can actually be found a b u s e , p o l i c e v i o l e n c e ,
in many cities across the na- prosecutorial misconduct and
tion.
other forms of injustice based
This federal report pre- on race.
sented facts with years of supOf course, most of us already
porting data that revealed how know what the outcome of such
racism was the decisive phe- a new national study would
nomenon in how the police and surely reveal. Black Americans
courts dealt disparagingly with and other people of color in the
Black Americans.
United States continued to enRacial disparities in police dure long-term patterns of radepartments and in judicial cial injustice not just in the sosystems are not just local prob- called criminal justice syslems in a few municipalities tem, but also in systems of
that have been exposed as a health care, employment, housresult of a pattern of racial dis- ing, education, finance, and in
crimination. This is a national exposures to multiple environproblem that has persisted for mental hazards and toxicities.
Systematic racism in America
decades in the United States.
The absence of a cumulative has not and does not occur my
national database on racially osmosis. It is intentional and
motivated police brutality and deliberate. It is the result of the
on judicial racial inequity is a power of imposed and uncontributing factor to this dis- abridged institutionalized racial
gusting yet persistent societal bias, discrimination, bigotry,
hatred, stereotyping and ignocontradiction.
The Justice Department re- rance.
Another important and report concluded, These disparities occur, at least in part, markable revelation of the
b e c a u s e F e r g u s o n l a w e n - DOJ report on Ferguson was
forcement practices are di- the economic greed of that form

of systematic racism. The report stated, Fergusons law

enforcement practices are
shaped by the Citys focus on
revenue rather than by public
safety needs. This emphasis on
revenue has compromised the
institutional character of
Fergusons police department,
contributing to a pattern of unconstitutional policing, and has
also shaped its municipal court,
leading to procedures that raise
due process concerns and inflict unnecessary harm on members of the Ferguson community.
The harm to the Ferguson
community was and continues
to be overwhelmingly targeted
on Black Americans. Millions
of dollars have been unjustly
taken from the Black community in Ferguson and surrounding areas of St. Louis County
as a direct result of the unconstitutional and illegal acts
of police and court officials.
Will the victims of the racism
in Ferguson who have been financially fleeced and extorted
by the law enforcement system
be repaid or compensated?
The family of young unarmed Michael Brown who was
unjustly killed by Ferguson
Police Officer Darren Wilson is
going forward with a massive
civil suit against Wilson, the
police and the court system in
Ferguson. The DOJ report
should be used as conclusive
evidence of the pattern and
system of racial wrong doing
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)

By Marian Wright Edelman second worst in child poverty rates

ahead only of Romania whose
NNPA Columnist
economy is 99 percent smaller than
Too much and for too long, we ours. It is a national disgrace that
seem to have surrendered per- children are the poorest group of
sonal excellence and community Americans with 14.7 million living
values in the mere accumulation in poverty.
We are first in military spending
of material things. Our Gross National Product, now is over $800 $11.1 billion a week and first
billion dollars a year. If we judge in military weapons exports.
We are first in the number of
the United States of America by
that, Gross National Product people incarcerated and worst in
counts air pollution and cigarette protecting our children against gun
advertising, and ambulances to violence. A Black boy born in 2001
clear our highways of carnage has a one in three chance of going
Yet the Gross National Product to prison in his lifetime and a Latino
does not allow for the health of boy a one in six chance of the same
our children, the quality of their fate. Children and teens in America
education, or the joy of their play. were 17 times more likely to be killed
It does not include the beauty of by gun violence than those in 25
our poetry or the strength of our other high-income countries commarriages, the intelligence of our bined.
We are 30th in preschool enrollpublic debate or the integrity of
our public officials. It measures ment rates and 17th in reading, 23rd
neither our wit nor our courage, in science, and 31st in math scores
neither our wisdom nor our learn- for our 15-year-olds. Nearly 60 pering, neither our compassion nor cent of all fourth and eighth grade
our devotion to our country, it public school students in the U.S.
measures everything in short, ex- and more than 80 percent of Black
cept that which makes life worth- and almost 75 percent of Latino chilwhile. And it can tell us everything dren in those same grades could not
about America except why we are read or compute at grade level in
2013.
proud that we are Americans.
We rank first in health expendiSenator Robert F. Kennedy
What do we stand for as a na- tures but 25th in low birth weight
tion and who do we wish to be? In rates, 26th in child immunization
a 1968 speech at the University of rates, 31st in infant mortality rates,
Kansas, Senator Robert Kennedy and second worst in teenage births
correctly worried too many used just ahead of Bulgaria.
If we compare Black child wellour nations wealth as the standard of greatness rather than the being in America to child well-being
human values that should matter in other nations, the U.S. Black infant mortality rate exceeds that in 65
most.
Our Gross Domestic Product nations, including Cuba, Malaysia,
now $17.7 trillion includes many and Ukraine. Our incidence of lowthings for us not to be proud of. birth weight Black infants is higher
So we should ask ourselves how than in 127 other nations, including
well America is doing on the things Cambodia, the Congo, and Guatethat should matter most the well- mala.
The United Nations Convention
being of our children and families
and the quality of justice and life on the Rights of the Child spells out
the basic rights children should
in our communities and nation?
Among high-income countries, have everywhere and is the most
the United States ranks first in widely and rapidly ratified internaGross Domestic Product and first
in the number of billionaires, and
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)

The unfinished work of Selma

By Cong. John Lewis (D-GA)
This past weekend as I introduced President Barack Obama on
the steps of the Edmund Pettus
Bridge in Selma, Alabama, I was
overcome with powerful emotions. Of course, I reflected on
how far we have come over the
past 50 years. But one thought
could not escape my mind: Those
who fight to make it harder to vote
dont know what its like to be
kicked, clubbed, and beaten for
the simple right to cast a ballot.
But I do.
Fifty years ago, I, with 600 nonviolent protesters, marched on
Selma to protest voting discrimination, and the death of Jimmie
Lee Jackson, a civil rights activ-

ist who had been beaten and shot

by Alabama state troopers a month
earlier. We were met with heavily
armed police, tear gas, bullwhips
and billy clubs. But we fought on,
we made our voices heard and we
forced our nation to stare its soul
in the mirror.
One week later, President
Lyndon Johnson stood before a
joint session of Congress to declare that if our nation were to truly
live up to its promise as a land of
equal opportunity, we must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.
Five months later, we passed the
Voting Rights Act, which stated
that the practices aimed deliberately at keeping blacks from voting would not stand.

On the day it passed, I would

have been in utter disbelief to
know that in 2015, the VRA would
still be a point of debate. But in
2013, the Supreme Court gutted
key aspects of the law. In the
weeks that followed, Republicans
in statehouses across the country quickly passed laws making it
harder to vote. In Texas, the
states Republican attorney general announced immediately after
the Supreme Courts decision that
a law blocked in 2012 because it
was found to burden the poor and
communities of color would go
into effect. In North Carolina, the
legislature pulled back early voting. In fact, since 2011, half of the
states have passed legislation to
make voting harder.

Couched in language about

protecting the ballot box, Republicans have pushed voter ID
laws that disproportionately impact certain blocks of voters
African-Americans, women,
Latinos, the poor and young
people who tend to vote against
them. In Texas alone, 600,000 voters were at risk of being disenfranchised by the new voter ID requirements.
We should not mince words:
These are poll taxes by another
name, the very types of discrimination we marched against 50
years ago.
I began working on this issue
when I was a student, and I can
tell you that this voter discrimination is not targeted at just anyone

if youre a young person, its targeted directly at you. You need not
look any farther than Texas, where a
gun license is valid identification,
but a student ID is not. And according to one study, even in states
without ID requirements, nearly twothirds of young, black voters were
asked for ID, compared to just under 43% of young white voters. In
fact, a survey found that 20% of
young people lack a current in-state
drivers license.
These numbers seem grim, but I
bring them to your attention not to
discourage you, but to the contrary,
to challenge you. A new generation
of activists has made it clear that
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)

Opinion

By George E. Curry
NNPA Columnist
Lyndon B. Johnson has done
more to help African Americans
and poor people than any modern president. But his defenders
are cheapening his legacy by inflating his accomplishments,
which is an insult to the people
Black and White who lost their
lives fighting for civil rights.
The first and most obnoxious
example of a LBJ supporter becoming unhinged is Joseph A.
Califano, Jr., President Johnsons
domestic policy adviser from
1965 to 1969.
In a column for the Washington Post, he wrote: In fact, Selma
was LBJs idea, he considered
the Voting Rights Act his greatest legislative achievement, he
viewed King as an essential partner in getting it enacted and he
didnt use the FBI to disparage
him.
The idea of a Selma-to-Montgomery March actually originated in Marion, Ala., about 30
miles northwest of Selma, with the
death of Jimmie Lee Jackson.
Marchers were protesting the arrest of James Orange, a key
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC) field orga-

nizer. In fact, they were marching

from Zion Chapel Methodist
Church a short distance to the jail
when Jackson was killed by an
Alabama State Trooper James
Bonard Fowler. At the time, he was
trying to defend his 82-year old
grandfather, a scene vividly captured in the movie, Selma. The
account is also recounted in Selma
1965: The March That Changed
the South by Charles E. Fager.
Instead of a traditional funeral,
the idea was proposed to march
to Montgomery and present
Jacksons body to Alabama Gov.
George C. Wallace at the state capitol. Wiser minds prevailed and the
idea was refined to hold a traditional funeral for Jimmie Lee Jackson and march 54 miles from Selma
to Montgomery to demand full
voting rights for Blacks.
It was the death of 26-year-old
Jimmie Lee Jackson that inspired
the Selma to Montgomery March,
not an idea floating around in
LBJs head. Neither Califano nor
anyone else is entitled to use the
blood of the Civil Rights Movement to create a myth that is contrary to history and common
sense.
The most recent attempt to super-size LBJs legacy is the assertion that it was the former

presidents idea to include

Latinos in the Civil Rights Movement.
An Associated Press story
noted, While this weeks commemorations of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday may invoke memories of historic events
in which the real hero, as
Johnson said, was the American
Negro, little is said about
Johnsons call in that speech to
include Mexican-Americans in the
struggle for equality.
The story added, Appalled by
the brutality in Selma, Johnson
viewed it as an opportunity to liberate himself by linking the voting rights struggle with the
struggles, 37 years earlier, of his
poorest [Latino] students in
Cotulla
Dr. King worked hard to build
coalitions with other groups, including Latinos. In fact, many
were in attendance in great numbers at the 1963 March on Washington.
Former New York City Councilman Gerena Valentn said, Martin Luther King Jr. invited me to
Atlanta, Ga., to discuss the march
that was being organized, and I
went there with a strong team. He
personally invited me to organize
the Latinos in New York, New Jer-

sey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut

and Massachusetts, and so I did.
Kings famous I Have a Dream
speech made two years before
the Selma to Montgomery March
was a broad appeal for justice
for all of Gods children.
So its preposterous to suggest
that it was President Johnsons
idea to include Mexican-Americans in the struggle for equality.
The reality is that Johnson was
anything but a civil rights advocate in Congress.
PoliticFact.com, the fact-checking site, noted that Robert Caro,
LBJs biographer, said: for eleven
years he had voted against every
civil rights bill against not only
legislation aimed at ending the
poll tax and segregation in the
armed services but even against
legislation aimed at ending lynching: a one hundred percent record.
Running for the Senate in
1948, he had assailed President
Harry Trumans entire civil rights
program (an effort to set up a
police state)Until 1957, in the
Senate, as in the House, his record
by that time a twenty-year
record against civil rights had
been consistent.
Luci Baines Johnson accepted
an award from march organizers
Sunday morning in Selma on be-

half of her father, saying, It means

the world to me to know that a halfcentury later you remember how
deeply Daddy cared about social
justice and how hard he worked to
make it happen.
It was only after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
and Johnsons elevation from vice
president that he overcame his past,
signing into law the Civil Rights Act
of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of
1965 and the Fair Housing Act of
1968.
Those three laws forever
changed the United States for the
better. LBJs legacy is firmly established. He doesnt need his supporters to lie about his record in
order to enlarge his reputation.
George E. Curry, former editorin-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association
News Service (NNPA) and
BlackPressUSA.com. He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached
through
his
Web
site,
www.georgecurry.com. You can
also follow him at:
www.twitter.com/currygeorge and
George E. Curry Fan Page on
Facebook. See previous columns
at http://www.georgecurry.com/
columns.

What will happen if Supreme Court cuts ObamaCare subsidies?

The Obama Administration was
apparently shocked when the U.S.
Supreme Court agreed to hear the
case of King v. Burwell, which
challenges insurance subsidies
flowing through federal exchanges. The Affordable Care Act
(ACA) clearly states that subsidies flow only through Exchanges
established by States.
This, according to MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, was meant
to be a deal the States couldnt
refuse, to encourage them to
create an Exchange. But more
than 30 of them did refuse.
The Administration, however,
had a ready fix: the IRS just wrote
a rule that allows the subsidies to
flow anyway, arguing that that
must be what the law really meant.
It reminds me of Gilbert and
Sullivans operetta Iolanthe.
There was a most inconvenient
law on the books: The fairy that
marries a mortal dies! It was terrible enough that the beloved
Iolanthe had broken the law. But
ultimately when all the fairies
marry members of the House of
Peers, what is the Fairy Queen to
do? I cant slaughter the whole
company!
The Lord Chancellor comes to
the rescue. The subtleties of the
legal mind are equal to the emergency. The thing is really quite
simplethe insertion of a single
word will do it. Let it stand that
every fairy shall die who doesnt
marry a mortal.
The Obama Administration is

assuming that the Court will act as

Lord Chancellor, or else the Republican Congress will do so, and
therefore has not bothered to warn
anyone of the possible loss of subsidy.
Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska)
is concerned that patients will suddenly lose their hemodialysis or
chemotherapy, and has suggested
a COBRA-like patch. In fact, almost
all patients with end-stage renal
disease are on Medicare. And while
ACA caused millions to lose a plan
they liked, some while on chemotherapy, ACA plans cant be cancelled when you get sick. Subscribers will, however, have to start
paying the entire premiumwhich
is far less expensive than chemotherapy.
The losers will be insurance
companies. Remember, subsidies
dont go to sick people. They all
go to the insurer. Some insurers
will be stuck paying for 30 days of
treatment if the subscriber defaults
on premiums, and providers will be
forced to give treatment without
pay for the remaining 60 days of
the grace period. A lot of them may
simply go out of business.
Healthy people will drop coverage that is unaffordable without
the subsidies. Insurers who lobbied for ACA will lose their government-guaranteed business.
This is the recipe for the death
spiral. As low-risk people drop
out, premiums are driven higher and
higher. There will be more uninsured people. They will likely ask

themselves why they should

throw fistfuls of money out the
window month after month for
treatment they dont needand
are increasingly less likely to get
if they do need it, as supply dries
up.
As they lose their insurance
card, however, people are likely to
notice that they get to keep the
premium moneyand that it is far
less expensive to buy care directly
than to funnel money through the
predatory, ravenous third-party
system.
But what about the shared responsibility payment? Wont

people have to pay that, in return

for nothing, not even a ticket to
stand in line? As premiums go up,
they become more unaffordable,
so more and more people are exempt from the penalty/tax. And by
the way, if subsidies are unavailable in your State, businesses
there are not subject to the jobkilling employer mandate.
Yes, King v. Burwell could bring
much painmostly on crony capitalists. It could mark the beginning
of a most beneficial medical cost
deflation and correction of massive resource misallocation.
Instead of having the Lord

Chancellor fix a terribly destructive law, how about learning from

history as in Iolanthe. Things
would be better if the House of
Peers withholds/ Its legislative
hand/ And noble statesmen do not
itch/ To interfere with matters
which/ They do not understand.
The tangled mess of mandates
and regulations, by which
ObamaCare makes care and insurance unaffordable, needs to be repealed. Then Congress can start
on repealing other laws, especially
the discriminatory tax code, which
led to the mess that ACA was supposed to fix.

Dont overlook contributions of Clarence Mitchell

By William Barber and Gary L.
Bledsoe
NNPA Guest Columnists
Looking at our nation and noting where we have come since
1965 gives us reason to celebrate.
However, in our celebration we
should be mindful that true equality was never achieved, and that
instead of moving towards justice
we are moving in the other direction.
Just a year ago we celebrated
the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
though the Act has been and continues to be under attack from the
right wing of this nation as some
even ponder its constitutionality. And now we celebrate the

50th anniversary of the Voting

Rights Act of 1965, just two years
after the law was gutted by a decision by the Supreme Court that
was not founded in law and where
the Chief Justice incredulously
opined that Blacks in Mississippi
had superior voter access than
Blacks in Massachusetts.
It is in this vein that we say that
there should be a celebration, but
there too must be a recognition of
the work that must be done to repair the harm done by the Shelby
County decision. The ink wasnt
dry on that decision before Southern states such as North Carolina,
Texas and Mississippi started to
take action to go back to how
things were.
Blacks in all the old confederacy

are now confronting an array of repressive laws such as unduly restrictive voter identification laws,
cut backs on early voting, enhanced purging of voters, burdensome identification issuance or renewal laws, changing of voting sites
to make it more difficult for people
of color to vote and a facing host of
other such discriminatory obstacles.
We are hearing dog whistles every
day in 2015.
In the wake of last weekends celebration in Selma, we hope that the
NAACP gets proper recognition for
its essential role in the laws passage. We love and respect those
great Americans such as Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. and President
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

LBJs defenders cheapen his accomplishments

African Scene

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Desolate Sierra Leonean living

rough in UK spurs fund drive

In this photo taken Monday March 9, 2015, Nigerian troops patrol in

the north-eastern Nigeria city of Mubi, some 20 kms (14 miles) west
of the Cameroon border. Nigerian troops recaptured Mubi from Boko
Haram militants in February 2015. (AP Photo/str)
Sylvie Corbet, ASSOCIATED PRESS

France increases its efforts in

the fight against Boko Haram
France has reoriented its military efforts in West Africa to focus more on the fight against
Boko Haram, especially by providing intelligence to the African
countries that are at war against
the extremist movement.
France supports the offensive
led by Chad in cooperation with
Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria
Boko Harams base.
About 30 French troops are
deployed in Niger since last
month near the Nigerian border,
and French jets frequently fly
over the area to provide intelligence, according to two French
top diplomatic officials, who were
not authorized to speak publicly.
The country also provides fuel
and food supplies to Chadian
troops, said one of the officials.
France has a big air base with
600 troops in NDjamena, the

capital of Chad, close to

Cameroons border and northern
Nigeria.
It has deployed 3,000 troops in
five countries of the Sahel in an
operation aiming at fighting Islamic extremists in the region.
The operation to fight Boko
Haram is flexible, which means
that some troops can be redeployed from one country to another, one of the officials said without giving more details.
Frances defense minister said
this week that the country would
slightly increase its number of
troops in the Sahel region by the
end of the year, but does not intend to take active part in the fighting against Boko Haram.
France has previously helped
oust al-Qaida-linked militants from
the main cities in northern Mali,
Frances former colony.

(GIN) The somber face of a

young man from Sierra Leone has
become the emblem of Ebolas living survivors, suffering in silence
without families, papers, or
homes.
A photo of Jimmy Thoronka
appeared this week in local British papers. An undeclared refugee he went missing after competing in last summers Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The 20year-old was a star sprinter but
fell apart as Ebola took his uncle,
then his adoptive mother and four
siblings. He had already lost his
birth parents in the countrys civil
war.
Scared to go back, he decided
to stay on after his visa ran out.
Thus began a seven-month
spell of living rough on the
streets. There were days without
meals, sleeping in parks or night
buses in London. When his
whereabouts emerged last week,
he was arrested for overstaying
his visa. He was finally released
Saturday night after an interview
with immigration officers.
His plight, on the heels of the
huge loss of life in three West
African countries, now over
9,000, sparked an online campaign
in his name . Thousands took
part, including the comedian
Russell Brand, the actor Samantha
Morton and the model Lily Cole.
More than 30,000 dollars was
raised.
The collection took Thoronka
by complete surprise. I am
amazed that people all over the
world have offered to help me after they read my story. I dont
know how to thank everyone. If I
can make a success of my life as a
sprinter my plan is to go back to

Josph Thoronka
Sierra Leone and help homeless
people. I know how much suffering there is when you are homeless. Last week I had no hope but
now maybe I will make it.
Thoronkas case put a spotlight
on the UKs use of immigration
detention. A recent report from an
all-party parliamentary group
called for detention to be limited
to 28 days and used only in exceptional circumstances.
Immigration removal centres
are places where many detainees
languish in indefinite detention
despite not being accused of any
crime, and this has a tremendous
negative impact, Emma Mlotshwa,
coordinator of Medical Justice told
the Guardian. We have seen detainees mental and physical health
deteriorate in immigration detention and we fear for this mans
wellbeing, given his existing reported vulnerabilities.

The fund appeal for Thoronka

was started by a Cambridge University student, whose PhD is on how
social networking can be used for
social good. The money will be put
in a trust and will pay for fees and
some living costs of a year at a residential athletics training facility.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the
virus in Sierra Leone is more than
3,500 and in the most recent development, Vice President Samuel SamSumana put himself in quarantine
after the death from Ebola of one of
his security guards. He is set to become acting president when President Ernest Bai Koroma leaves Sierra Leone to attend a European
Union conference on Ebola in Belgium. Sam-Sumana is expected to
carry out the presidential duties
from his home.
He is the highest ranking African
official to be quarantined in West
Africa.

Human rights concerns limit U.S. intelligence, military aid to Nigeria

By Mark Hosenball
The United States is limiting its intelligence and military aid to Nigeria during
Boko Harams deadly insurgency due to
concerns over the countrys human rights
record, U.S. officials say.
Boko Haram has killed thousands of
people in northeastern Nigeria in its sixyear insurgency and has also pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, which has
created a self-declared caliphate in parts
of Iraq and Syria.
Africas second-biggest economy and
top oil exporter is growing as an investment destination. But reports of violence
and corruption by authorities have tarnished its image.
The United States has shied away from
providing Nigeria with real-time information for targeting Boko Haram militants, a
U.S. government official said, partly in fear
that the Nigerians will use the information
to target the wrong people.
Human-rights concerns have also hindered the ability of the United States to
assist security forces in Nigerias neighbors, including Cameroon, Chad and Niger,

Boko Haram

which recently have stepped up their engagement in the conflict against Boko Haram, the
officials said, requesting anonymity.
Nigerias chief of defense intelligence, Rear
Admiral Gabriel Okoi, said this week in Washington that the United States was doing not
enough to share intelligence.
Terrorists dont wait to share information,
so why should countries? We need to share
intel as we have it, Okoi told an Atlantic
Council forum.
He said the Leahy Law, which bars the
United States from providing training or
equipment to foreign troops who commit human-rights violations, had also limited U.S.
aid to Nigerian forces. The U.S. is doing its
best, but the Leahy law is hindering our cooperation, Okoi said.
Human Rights Watch has accused Nigerian authorities of ignoring violence in central Nigeria that has killed thousands of people
since 2010. Accusations of rights abuses
have also been made by Amnesty International, which says Nigerias army has committed atrocities in its fight against Boko
Haram.
Nigeria denies the charges.
(Editing by Jason Szep and Dan Grebler)

Compiled by Womens Editor Audrey J. Bernard

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney is

Black at MIST Harlem

After two successful stints at

MIST Harlem, actress/comedienne Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, is
Black celebrating Womens History Month with Laughter And
LyricsSaluting Ladies Of Language Fri., Mar. 27, 2015.
Laughter and Lyrics is a
blended evening of conscious
comedy and spoken word featuring Stickney paying homage to
women of wisdom and words
such as Nikki Giovanni, Rudy Dee
and more. The evening is hosted
by actor, Timothy D. Stickney and
includes a special musical guest
performance by The Claudia
Hayden Project. Tickets available
via PayPal at advocates4dia.com.
Stickney whose film credits include Gun Hill With Larenz Tate,
New Jack City, Die Hard With A
Vengeance, How Stella Got Her
Groove Back, The Inkwell,
Whats Love Got To Do With It?
And Malcolm X has been debuting preludes to her upcoming
White Plains Performing Arts and
Comedy Festival presented by
Advocates for Diversity in the
Arts. Advocates is an organization dedicated to highlighting
the talents of emerging artists of
all hues and assists them in enhancing their careers. For more
information on Laughter & Lyrics, or on Advocates for Diversity in the Arts visit
www.advocates4dia.com.

Manhattan Borough President

Gail Brewer presents Proclamation to Ruth Hunt
The distinguished Bellevue
Community Advisory Board
hosted their annual Legislative
Breakfast to a standing room
only audience of legislators,
community activists, staff and
Phyllis Yvonne Stickney
Stickney who was inducted into
the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame
in 1998 is a world-class artist, producer, director, author, motivational
speaker, clothing designer, community activist and businesswoman.
Stickney is best known and respected for her work in film, stage,
television and comedy. Her film credits include New Jack City, Die Hard
With A Vengeance, How Stella Got
Her
Groove
Back, The
Inkwell, Whats Love Got To Do With
It?, Malcolm X, and the ABC
Afterschool Special, Daddys Girl.

New book about FLOTUS

Michelle Obama: A Life

Michelle Obama
Author Peter Slevin has
penned a new book. Michelle
Obama: A Life (Knopf, Apr. 7,
2015) traces the First Lady of the
United States (FLOTUS)
Michelle Obama from her
familys history (dating back to
slavery) through the White
House today. Richly detailed
and written with elan, a powerfully inspiring story: the first
comprehensive account of the
life and times of arguably the
most unlikely first lady in the
nations history, an African
American descended from

Honorable Gail Brewer proclaims

Ruth D. Hunt Appreciation Day

slaves and of less-than-privileged

background.
The new tome provides a portrait
of a woman who like all working
mothers has continually struggled
to balance her duties as a professional with those as a mother and
wife. We see her reluctance to enter into political life and what she
has given up, personally and professionally, for The Presidents career. But Slevin also shows how
FLOTUS has effectively carved out
a role in the White House as a denouncer of inequalities, doggedly
working to unstack the deck for
minorities and the poor, and that she
is, contrary to popular consensus,
the most consistently political First
Lady since Eleanor Roosevelt.
To understand President Obama,
you need to know The First Lady
and Slevins biography brings us
the full measure of the life and work
of this truly exceptional woman.
Who is Michelle Obama? How does
she feel about life in the East Wing?
What sacrifices have she and her
family made to be there? What does
being the first Black First Lady
mean?
Michelle Obama: A Life is the
first full, extensively researched and
reported account of her life and
the first to explore how the greater
context of race and gender in
America have affected and motivated her.

the Bellevue community. Just a

few days earlier, the board attended a very special retirement
celebration for one of their own,
Ruth D. Hunt, who was given a
grand send-off that was attended
by many community leaders, political representatives, family and
friends as she retired from
Bellevue Hospital Center after
many years of devoted service as
an administrator.
After the meeting Manhattan
Borough
President
Gail
Brewer presented Hunt with a
Proclamation highlighting her
unwavering commitment to provide inclusive leadership to community events, and raise awareness on a wide range of public
health issues and concerns.
Hon. Brewer proclaimed Fri., Mar.
6, 2015 Ruth D. Hunt Apprecia-

tion Day for her contribution

as an advocate for healthcare to
New York Citys public hospitals
and for her leadership
in fundraising efforts for the
American Cancer Society and
giving
support
and
encouragement to cancer patients, survivors and their families.
Hunt was also recognized for
having introduced Genealogy
workshops and a link to health
and prevention. Hunt was given
a resounding standing ovation
from her Bellevue colleagues that
included: President Ram Raju,
Senior Vice President Antonio
Martin, Vice President La Ray
Brown of New York City Health
and Hospital Corporation
(NYCHHC), and the Bellevue
community at large.

Seasoned Multicultural Talent Joins GM

As Part Of Diversity Marketing Team
The Diversity Marketing
and Communications Center
of Excellence is pleased to
announce that, effective
Monday, March 16, 2015,
Michelle
Matthews
Alexander will join GM as
the African American Assistant Marketing Manager.
Alexander brings a wealth
of multicultural automotive
experience and has spent the
past seven and one-half
years leading Ford and
Lincolns multicultural public relations efforts specific
to the African American market for the UniWorld Group.
Prior to that role she spent
four and one-half years
heading up the internal communications efforts at
Nissans North American
engineering facility in
Farmington Hills, MI. Before
joining Nissan, Alexander
spent two years honing her
communications skills as
part of General Electrics
Corporate Communications
Leadership Development
Program. In this role,
Alexander will be providing
strategic marketing assistance to drive insights, focus and coordination in
support of the brands
growth plans across divisions within the African
American market.
Additional responsibilities will include serving as
the point of contact for external marketing partnerships and opportunities
within the African American
market, developing in depth
trend knowledge of the African American market and
supporting diversity marketing, media and promotional
programs in the African
American market.

Michelle Matthews Alexander

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Wednesday s Woman

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

10

Hundreds to gather to commemorate the resilience of the

Haitian Spirit at the 5th Annual Haiti Cherie charity event
On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake
struck the nation of Haiti, causing catastrophic damage inside and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince. President Barack
Obama promised the people of Haiti that
you will not be forsaken, you will not be
forgotten and ordered an immediate response to the catastrophe that was swift,
coordinated, and aggressive.
Since then, the United States has taken a
whole-of-government approach to facilitate
and enhance the work of our partners in
Haiti and across the international community. Thanks in part to this global effort, as
well as the leadership of the Haitian government, Haitians have better access to clean
water, food, and medical care than they had
before the quake.
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill
Biden traveled to Haiti in the months following the disaster to see the devastation first
hand. A great deal of work remains to be
done work that will take years to complete. Going forward, the United States will
continue to be focused on a comprehensive
strategy drafted in partnership with the Government of Haiti and our international partners to achieve economic growth and stability. This strategy will focus investment
on the four areas of infrastructure and energy, food and economic security, health and
services and governance and rule of law.
On Friday, Mar. 27, 2015, the Fifth annual
Haiti Cherie charity event will bring together
hundreds to raise funds for local nonprofit
organizations in Haiti still working to recover
from the 2010 earthquake that killed an estimated 300,000 people. The event honors the
accomplishments of Haitian professionals
who have excelled in their fields and have
been supporters of Haiti and serve as a reminder of Haitian pride, culture and resilience.
The 2015 honorees include Andre Michael
Berto, a Haitian-American professional
boxer. Berto is a two-time Welterweight champion; Karen Civil, founder of Live Civil and
digital marketing expert; Harriet Michel, the
first Black woman to lead the New York Urban League; and Dr. William Pape, founder
and director of GHESKIO Centers (Haitian
Study Group on Kaposis Sarcoma and Op-

Harriet Michel

Andre Berto

Dr. William Pape

Karen Civil

portunistic Infections) in Haiti and Professor of

Medicine at Cornell University in New York.
According to Fabrice Armand, founder of Haiti
Cherie, the event has become a unifying moment
for the Haitian Diaspora and friends of Haiti in
New York City. The event which was first
launched in 2010 following the devastating earthquake in Haiti and has continued to maintain
support for the reconstruction of the country is
attended by people from across the US, Haiti,
France and Canada. Haiti Cherie is not just
about raising funds for worthy charities back
home, said Armand. It is also about bringing
the Haitian community together and raising
awareness of Haitis significance in history and
its beauty and richness as a culture and a nation.
The fundraiser is scheduled for Mar. 27, 2015
at the Broad Street Ballroom, 41 Broad Street,
Lower Manhattan, New York City with a red carpet event beginning at 6:30pm. Atlantas NBC
News Anchor DeMarco Morgan will serve as
master of ceremonies. Guests will enjoy an art
auction by Vivant Art Collection; an open bar
courtesy of Hennessy; authentic Haitian dishes
created by Chef Stephan Berrouet, founder of
the Haiti Food and Spirits Festival; and entertainment by DJ Commish and DJ Magic Kenny.
Proceeds generated by the Haiti Cherie
fundraiser will be distributed to, and utilized in,
furthering the efforts of HELP and Project St.
Anne to provide life-changing support and educational opportunities to the less fortunate in
Haiti. HELP (www.uhelp.net) provides university scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The organization also aims
to cultivate and empower a community of young
professionals and leaders who support social
justice and civic responsibility for the betterment of Haiti.
Project St. Anne (http://projectstanne.org) is
committed to brightening the lives of the Children in Camp-Perrin by sponsoring them with
the vital need of an education. To follow the
conversation use #HaiticheriePLC. Haiti Cherie
is the brainchild of Fabrice J. Armand, a philanthropist, producer, vice president of GCaribbean
magazine, to raise funds for charities creating
sustainable change in his native Haiti. To purchase tickets, please visit:
Haiticherie5.eventbrite.com; or http://hstc.co/
1wMemBT.

City announces Lower Manhattan resiliency

investment as part climate adaptation plan
Mayor de Blasio announced
that the City is committing millions
of dollars to further resiliency planning and implementation around
Lower Manhattan, part of a comprehensive climate adaptation
plan underway across the five
boroughs.
This includes $6.75 million from
the City and State for comprehensive flood protection planning
below Montgomery Street and
around the tip of Lower Manhattan to the west side, and another
$8 million in City capital funds for
Battery Park flood protection design and implementation both
aimed at protecting Lower Manhattan residents, businesses, and
infrastructure from future extreme
weather while enhancing the vitality of the area.
The Citys resiliency plan proposes a significant rethinking of
Lower Manhattan using a combination of integrated flood protection measures to control storm
surge and prevent flooding. Building on those recommendations,
the City will conduct advanced
planning for integrated flood pro-

tection strategies to prevent and

mitigate upland flooding around
Lower Manhattan, from Montgomery Street south to the Battery
and up to the west side of Manhattan to the northern terminus of
Battery Park City at Jay Street.
This will build on the Citys participation in the Department of
Housing
and
Urban
Developments Rebuild by Design
competition, and complement the
plans for an integrated flood protection system already underway
north of Montgomery Street. It
also dovetails with measures already underway around Lower
Manhattan, including major infrastructure upgrades (such as the
storm hardening of utilities), critical funds for post-Sandy economic development and small business recovery, improvement, and
resiliency, other short- and longerterm coastal protection projects,
and much more.
The City and the New York State
Governors Office of Storm Recovery are funding a total of $6.75 million in advanced planning funding for comprehensive flood pro-

Mayor de Blasio
tection in Lower Manhattan from
Montgomery Street south to the
Battery and up the west side to the
north end of Battery Park City. This
includes $3 million in City funds,
part of the Citys latest CDBG-DR
Action Plan submitted to HUD this
winter, and $3.75 million in State

funds committed by Governor

Andrew M. Cuomo through the
NY Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) Programs
Planning Committee for Lower
Manhattan.
The City is also funding $8 million in capital dollars for flood

protection design and first phase

implementation in Battery Park.
These funding commitments
were planned in collaboration with
local elected officials and other key
Lower Manhattan stakeholders.
These investments mark another
step forward as we build a stronger,
more resilient New York, said
Mayor de Blasio. Lower Manhattan residents and businesses know
too well just how devastating Sandy
was to this community. By putting
in place immediate resiliency measures along Battery Park, while also
launching planning and design for
broader integrated flood protection,
were helping to ensure that Lower
Manhattan is better prepared next
time extreme weather hits. These investments are also part of a much
larger, multi-layered resiliency plan
that were implementing in Lower
Manhattan and around the five boroughs. Thank you to the State and
our local partners for their continued collaboration on these investments and much more.
Superstorm Sandy caused sig(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)

Judge Kathleen Williams

Florida man convicted of

unemployment insurance
fraud victimizing NYers
New York State Department of
Labor Acting Commissioner
Mario J. Musolino announced
that Reginald Steele-Nelson, 28,
of Miami, Florida was sentenced
to 96 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised
release following his conviction
on charges involving identity
theft and fraud against numerous
state benefit programs in multiple
states, including New York.
Mr. Steele-Nelson gained access to more than $1.1M in benefits, ultimately stealing
$236,371.45 before he was apprehended. His sentence is one of
the most severe for a crime of this
kind in a case stemming from a
New York State Department of
Labor investigation.
Mr. Steele-Nelson was accused
of stealing nine New Yorkers
identities and claiming $4,500, but
by halting this scheme, investigators saved New York State
nearly $100,000.
I commend the Department of
Labors Office of Special Investigations, which continues to display extraordinary diligence in
curtailing criminal activity of this
kind, said Acting Commissioner
Musolino. Due to early detec-

tion by New York State Department

of Labor investigators, the expense
to New York State was not as extreme as that of other states in this
case.
By using new technology and
engaging in aggressive analysis of
potential fraud, Department investigators were able to detect and halt
Mr. Steele-Nelsons actions in the
state early in the process. Once the
New York State Department of Labor alerted federal authorities, similar and eventually far more costly
theft was discovered in other
states.
New York State Department of
Labor Major Case Unit investigators identified an IP address registered to Mr. Steele-Nelson from
which multiple false claims for Unemployment Insurance benefits
were filed. The agencys Major
Case Unit worked with federal authorities to expand the investigation. The federal authorities discovered that between December, 2013
and the summer of 2014, Mr. SteeleNelson claimed the Unemployment
Insurance benefits of more than 90
individuals from whom he stole personal identifying information, including names and social security
numbers.

U.S. Senators Charles E.

Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand
and Congressmembers Jos E.
Serrano, Charles Rangel, and Joseph Crowley have introduced
legislation to rename the
Morrisania Post Office, located in
the Bronx, in honor of former Congressman and Bronx Borough
President Herman Badillo. Badillo
became the first Puerto-Rican city
commissioner and borough president, and was the first Congressman to be born in Puerto Rico.
As a proud native son of
Puerto Rico, a product of the
Bronx and a champion for all of
New York, Herman Badillo exemplified the American ethos that
you can achieve greatness and
enact positive change regardless
of humble beginnings and economic disadvantage and discrimination. While nobody can fill the
void left by Herman Badillo, it is
my hope that all those who enter
this post office will be reminded
of his incredible commitment to
our city and our nation, said
Senator Schumer. Through his
intellect, fierceness of spirit and
compassion, Herman inspired
generations to believe that Si se
puede and naming the Morrisania
Post Office after him is a fitting
tribute to his legacy of work for
civil rights, equal opportunity,
education reform and more.
Herman Badillo was an inspiring advocate for all New Yorkers,
and a role model for countless
Puerto Rican-born Americans. He
moved through life motivated by
the desire to help the people
around him, and throughout his
decades-long political career, he
repeatedly accomplished that
goal. It is fitting that Herman
Badillos name will now live on in
public view at a post office in The
Bronx, so that new generations of
New Yorkers can continue to be
driven to do great things by
Herman Badillos legacy, said
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
It is an honor to serve as the
original sponsor of legislation in
the House of Representatives to
honor the life and legacy of the
late Herman Badillo by renaming
the Morrisania Post Office after
him. Few people have been as
important in shaping the history
of the Bronx and in Puerto Ricans
participation in local and state
politics as Herman Badillo a trailblazer and leader in every sense
of the word. The Herman Badillo

Cong. Herman Badillo

Post Office Building will help ensure his memory lives on for generations to come, said Congressman Jos E. Serrano.
My great friend Herman Badillo
was a fixture in New York City politics for nearly four decades, championing civil rights, jobs, housing
and educational reform. Even after his passing, he continues to be
a true testament to the American
Dream, said Congressman
Charles B. Rangel. Renaming this
post office in honor of Herman is a
fitting way to preserve and honor
his legacy in the Bronx.
Herman Badillos contributions
to the Bronx, the City of New York
and our country as a whole, cannot be overstated, said Rep. Joe
Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx).
Renaming the Morrisania branch
of the U.S. Postal Service would
be a fitting tribute for someone who
was not only a trailblazer for the
Latino community, but a champion
for vulnerable communities everywhere. I thank Senators Schumer
and Gillibrand and Congressmen
Rangel and Serrano for all their efforts in making sure Hermans
memory and legacy are honored.
It is so heartwarming to see the
outpouring of feeling and respect
for my husband, Herman Badillo.
Herman was an outstanding public servant and an inspiration to
so many people. His story of coming from humble beginnings, being orphaned at a very young age
and rising to the top to become
the first Congressman of Puerto
Rican heritage in the history of our
country, is truly extraordinary. It is
with enormous gratitude that I
thank Bronx Borough President

Ruben Diaz for setting into motion

the idea of naming the only federal
building in the Bronx after Herman
and the New York Congressional
delegation; including Congressman
Jose Serrano and Senator Charles
Schumer for their support in this
project, said Gail Badillo.
Badillo was born in Puerto Rico in
1929. Badillos father, an English
teacher, and mother passed away of
tuberculosis at an early age. At 11
years old, Badillo moved to the
United States , and later settled
down in New York. In 1951, Badillo
graduated with honors from City
College and in 1954, was the valedictorian of his class at Brooklyn
Law School.
In 1965, Badillo was elected Bronx
Borough President and in 1970,
Badillo was elected to Congress as
a United States representative.
Badillo spent seven years as a Congressman representing South Bronx.
There, he fought for voting rights,
programs to help inner cities, and
bilingual education. In 1971, Badillo
brought attention to an issue affecting Puerto Ricans; at the time, Puerto
Ricans were not eligible for federal
benefits under Social Security such
as food stamps. As chairman of the
CUNY board from 1999 to 2001,
Badillo oversaw the end of open
enrollment in senior colleges and
higher admissions and graduation
requirements.
The lawmakers today said that
the Morrisania Post Office is a historical federal building included on
the National Register of Historic
Places, and it would only be fitting
to honor Herman Badillo permanently at home in the Bronx.

Five CCNY graduate programs are ranked among the nations best
Five masters programs at
The City College of New York
have been listed among the top
in the nation in U.S. News &
World Reports Best Graduate
Schools 2016 rankings released.
Two of the programs, public
service management, the MPA
program in City Colleges Colin
Powell School for Civic and
Global Leadership, and fine
arts, which is offered by the Division of Humanities and the
Arts, are both ranked in the top
one hundred nationally.
The Colin Powell Schools
psychology and clinical psychology programs also earned

national recognition, along with

the
Grove
School
of
Engineerings graduate offerings.
Each year, U.S. News ranks professional school programs in
business, education, engineering, law and medicine. This year,
it introduced its first annual expanded ranking of masters programs in nursing. The rankings
are based on two types of data:
expert opinions about program
excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a
schools faculty, research and
students.
The data come from statistical
surveys sent to administrators at
nearly 1,900 graduate programs

and from reputation surveys

sent to more than 13,700 academics and professionals in the
disciplines. The surveys were
conducted during the fall of
2014 and in early 2015.
This is the latest recognition
of City Colleges academic credentials by U.S. News & World
Report. In fall 2014, the publication named CCNY the number one Regional University in
the North for racial and ethnic
diversity in its 2015 rankings.
The college was cited for offering the most enriching learning experiences where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from a

different ethnic group from

their own. Overall, City College
was ranked #65 among 620 Regional Universities in the North.
In addition, CCNY was hailed
by the U.S. Department of
States Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs last month
for being a co-leader nationally
in producing the most 20142015 Fulbright U.S. Scholars,
while The Princeton Review
named the 168-year-old institution one of the nations Best
Value colleges and universities
and applauded its astonishingly low cost, strong connection to research and rigorous
academic programs.

Since 1847, The City College of

New York has provided low-cost,
high-quality education for New
Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 16,000 students
pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of
Architecture; the School of Education; the Grove School of Engineering; the Sophie Davis
School of Biomedical Education,
and the Colin Powell School for
Civic and Global Leadership. U.S.
News, Princeton Review and
Forbes all rank City College
among the best colleges and universities in the United States.

11
BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Morrisania Post Office to be renamed

in tribute to late Cong. Herman Badillo

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

12

Beacon On
71st Annual Gala

Legendary UNCF 'A mind is

a terrible thing to waste' Logo

United Negro College Fund honors Wells

Fargo, Macys, Inc. & Dr. Roscoe C. Brown

ByAudrey J. Bernard
Style & Society Editor
Educators, business and civic
leaders and education supporters
nationwide attended the stellar 71st
annual gala of the United Negro
College Fund (UNCF), the nations
largest education organization and
national advocate for education reform on Thurs., Mar. 5, 2015 at its
71st annual UNCF A Mind Is Gala.
Some 800 guests attended the
fundraising event, which was held
at the Grand Hyatt New York, raising $1.2 million to benefit more than
60,000 students who receive UNCF
scholarships and attend UNCFs 37
member historically black colleges
and universities, and more than 900
colleges and universities across the
country. Emmy Award winner and
NBC 4 New York co-anchor David
Ushery served as emcee for the gala
which featured student vocalist
Amber Whitaker from Rust College
and acknowledgement of presidents from UNCFs 37 member institutions.
We are truly grateful to everyone whose support and participation made this A Mind Is Gala a
success, said UNCF President &
CEO Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D. It is
not simply about coming together
for one night, but a new philanthropy that sees an investment in
our young people that will pay dividends not just for them, but for all
of us.
During the esteemed program
UNCF paid tribute to five retiring
member-institution presidents: Dr.
Carlton Brown, president of Clark
Atlanta University since 2008; Dr.
Johnnie B. Watson, president of
LeMoyne-Owen College since
2008; Dr. Beverly DanielTatum, who
was unable to attend, Spelman College president since 2002; Dr. Larry
L. Earvin, president of HustonTilltson University since 2000; and
Dr. Norman C. Francis, who was
unable to attend, president of Xavier
University of Louisiana for the past
47 years, who is currently the longest serving college president in the
country.
Each year, the UNCF A Mind Is
Gala honors distinguished civic,
education, and business leaders for
their game-changing advocacy on
behalf of education through partnerships with UNCF and their own
work. This year, two longtime corporate partners whose support
has aided UNCFs mission to
strengthen a college-going culture
were recognized:
Wells Fargo received the
Frederick D. Patterson Award,
named after the founder of UNCF,
for their support through a host of
programs, initiatives, and scholarships that help strengthen UNCFs
three-pillar strategy. Wells Fargo has
donated more than $5 million to
UNCF since 2008 toward scholar-

Master of Ceremonies David Ushery Hon. David N. Dinkins, Dr. Roscoe Brown Jr., Michael L. Lomax
ship support, the annual television commitment to our communities and institution students. Macys actively
broadcast, UNCF An Evening of Stars, this important movement to build a recruits from UNCFs 37 member inand UNCFs traveling college-and-ca- stronger, more educated workforce stitutions for their Executive Develreer-readiness expo, the Empower Me that enriches Americas future for gen- opment Program, Sophomore DiverTour. Additional dollars have been erations to come. Wells Fargo SVP sity Program, and summer internships.
Accepting the award on behalf of
raised due to Wells Fargos partnership & Director of National Partnerships
through local leadership advisory coun- Georgette Dixon was also in atten- Macys was Jeff Gennette, president
of Macys, Inc. Like UNCF, we at
cils, sponsorship opportunities at dance.
events across the country, and wideMacys, Inc. received the coveted Macys firmly believe that a good
spread national corporate volunteerism. UNCF Presidents Award for their education truly is the key to a sucWells Fargo Head of Technology & support of UNCF as it works to cessful and happy life, said Gennette.
Operations Group & Chief Information strengthen the pipeline of African As an involved corporate citizen, we
Officer and UNCF Board Member American students who go through appreciate and accept our responsiKevin Rhein accepted the award on college and become tomorrows lead- bility to help place a quality educabehalf of Wells Fargo. We are hon- ers. Macys has been a long-time tion within the reach of all deserving
ored to receive this prestigious award supporter of UNCF, and in the past young people, regardless of backand so very proud to be a part of the 10 years alone, theyve awarded $1.4 ground or income. We are committed
UNCF family. Wells Fargo and UNCF million in support across all markets to being part of the solution. In adhave worked together for over 20 years of UNCF for scholarships, special dition to Gennette, other top Macys
to provide more than $15 million in schol- events, UNCF An Evening of Stars, executives in attendance included Ed
arships and resources to thousands of and UNCFs Campaign for Emer- Goldberg, Macys senior vice presistudents and families, stated Rhein. gency Student Aid, which offers last- dent of government & consumer afThis award symbolizes our continued dollar scholarships to UNCF member- fairs & diversity vendor development;

UNCF Frederick D. Patterson Award was presented

to Wells Fargo (l-r)Dr. Michael L. Lomax, Kevin
Rhein, Dr. Larry L. Earvin, William F. Stasior

Shirley Chisholm Award presented to Dr. Roscoe

C. Brown (l-r) Fred D. Mitchell, Dr. Larry L.
Earvin, William F. Stastior, Dr. Brown, Dr.
Michael L. Lomax

and William Hawthorne, Macys senior

vice president of diversity and legal affairs.
Dr. Roscoe C. Brown Jr., a noted educator and Tuskegee Airman, received the
Shirley Chisholm Community Service
Award. Named for the former New York
congresswoman and the first major-party
African American presidential candidate,
the award was presented to Dr. Brown
in honor of his longtime work addressing and solving educational challenges
in Greater NewYork City. Dr. Brown commanded the 100th Fighter Squadron of
the 332nd Fighter Group, the Tuskegee
Airmen, in World War II and has received
numerous awards and honors. He is
currently the Director of the Center for
Urban Education Policy and professor
at the Graduate School and University
Center of The City University of New
York, and is past President of Bronx Community College.
The gala also highlighted and provided an opportunity to contribute to
UNCFs Campaign for Emergency Student Aid (CESA) created in 2009 to provide scholarships that aid students facing financial shortfalls and threaten their
ability to stay in college and graduate.
To date, more than $20 million has been
raised to help thousands of UNCF students stay in school. Representing those
students at the gala was Erica Nicole
Walker, a UNCF member-college graduate from Bethune-Cookman University
who received a CESA scholarship and
is now a graduate student and actress in
New York. Her moving testimony about
how her late grandfather encouraged her
to go to college and succeed, and how
CESA gave her the final push to graduate on time without financial stress,
prompted the audience to respond, raising more than $28,000 for CESA at the
gala. Learn more at www.UNCF.org.
(Photos by Earl Gibson III)

President of Macy's, Inc. Jeff Gennette accepting award Ed Goldberg, Dr. Michael L.
on behalf of Macy's Inc.
Lomax, Jeff Gennette, William
Hawthorne

Presidents of the UNCF Member Institutions

Erica Nichole Walker

The Greater New York Chapter of the Links, Inc. on the move
The Greater New York Chapter
of the Links, Inc. Community
Partnership held their Black History Month Celebration at the
Covello Burden Center for Aging located at the Leonard
Covello Center in East Harlem on
Fri., Feb. 27, 2015. Dr. Marcella
Maxwell, chair, The Links Health
Committee for Seniors greeted
guests and introduced the guest
speaker for the afternoon luncheon program Dr. Hazel N.
Dukes, president of NAACP
New York State Conference and
a member of the National Board
of Directors who captivated
the audience with her experiences as a woman in the civil
rights movement. The feisty civil
rights advocator is an active and
dynamic leader who is known for
her unselfish and devoted track
record for improving the quality
of life to New York State. Her
dedication to human rights and
equality is exemplified by her role
linking business, government
and social causes.
Also on the program was well
known author and poet Deborah
Lassassier who recited moving
poems about African American
life which thrilled the huge audience. Then, before making a special presentation to the Covello

Center of his artwork, celebrated

artist Robert Carter delighted the
crowd in an art rendering. William Dionne, Director of the Carter
Burden Center, accepted the artwork donation. Dr. Maxwell and
Michelle D. Stent of The Links
Health Committee for Seniors assisted in the presentation. The
Terri Davis Quartet played jazz selections with a gospel soloist and
MetroPlus Health Plan provided
vital health information.
The organizations excellent
Dr. Marcella Maxwell, William Dionne, Michelle D. Stent holding The
community outreach work is onLinks, donated African American artwork to the Covello Center for
going never resting on its lauSeniors
rels. On the heels of its Black History Month celebration, The Links
will be partnering with Home
Hazel N. Dukes
Depot in celebration of Womens
History Month honoring and
celebrating the achievements of
Women Veterans. In recognition
of Women History Month the
Home Depot will be honoring and
recognizing the achievements of
women veterans by conducting
free, fun, and innovative DIY
workshops. There will be refreshments, photos, gift bags and a
Home Depot job fair taking place
at the Home Depot located at West
23rd Street, New York City (212929-9571) on Sat. Mar. 21, 2015
from 10am 2pm. (Photos by Gideon Dr. Marcella Maxwell, Deborah
Robert Carter artwork rendering
Lassassier
Manasseh) (AJB)

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

The Scene

13

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

14

Mayor de Blasio announces 14-point plan to curb violence at Rikers Island

(from Page 3)
either place limitations on physical contact between inmates and
visitors, or restrict visitors based
on security and safety concerns.
Additional contraband policy
initiatives include:
Implementing K-9 capabilities
for searches and investigations
by June 2016
Building more, new secure entrances for each facility by December 2018
Training 100% of existing front
entrance staff in enhanced TSAstyle procedures by December
2015
Creating an integrated classification and housing strategy will
ensure that the toughest, most
violent inmates of Rikers are
housed with each other, and will

separate warring gangs and warring factions within gangs. Presently, some inmates with gang affiliations are housed together, while
others are sprinkled throughout
the general population.
This integrated classification
and housing strategy includes:

Refining the inmate classification process by April 2015

Launching initial Housing/

Classification pilots in select facilities by October 2015

Stand-up Housing/Classification Unit to direct Departmentwide housing and classification

system by January 2016

Rolling out a new housing

and classification system and plan
to all facilities by April 2016
Comprehensive security camera
coverage will ensure there is active monitoring of jail activities in

real time, to deter and respond in

a timely manner to violence, and
for intelligence purposes, to prevent violence altogether. DOC has
installed full camera coverage in
adolescent facilities and installed
camera coverage in nine of the
housing units dedicated to 18-21year-olds; DOC will add full video
and camera coverage within all facilities on Rikers Island by February 2018.
Designing effective inmate education opportunities and services
will result in a comprehensive idleness reduction program that envisions an expansion of nonschool classes and other activities such as fatherhood initiatives
or workforce development, so that
all inmates will have the option of
attending a minimum of five hours

Black lives matter vote could

swing some very key elections
(from page 3)
senatorial races and general elections find campaigns occasionally declaring all-out electoral war
when wooing Black voters.
With the tragedies in each of
these states sparking massive social justice protests from the
genesis of #BlackLivesMatter in
Ferguson to the spawning of
Young, Black and Gifted in Madison, Wis. there is evidence the
movements could mobilize Black
voters into action for 2016. That
comes at a time when many activists and voter advocates are concerned African-American turnout
will be substantially depressed in
the next presidential election without President Barack Obamas
name on the ballot. Many Democratic strategists worry Black turnout will be a major challenge without the kind of candidate that will
excite them into action in the next
election cycle.
However, issues such as police brutality and violence could.
Given the intensity of the issue and that its not likely to be
resolved any time soon, I think
the momentum will last until the
next election, DePaul University
political scientist Christina Rivers told the Tribune. In particular, I think the #BlackLivesMatter
movement will galvanize young
Black voters, especially students.
Rivers also points to students
and young voters in North Carolina fighting against that states
voter suppression laws. And last
week, students from HBCUs Fisk
and Tennessee State University
filed a federal lawsuit challenging Tennessees voter ID law.
In Florida, the African-American community is still uneasy
and upset over the needless socalled Stand Your Ground defense slayings of Black teens
Trayvon Martin and Jordan
Davis, in which the formers killer,
a troubled George Zimmerman,
was acquitted. But, the Sunshine
State is also a well-known political bellwether greatly influencing
presidential primaries and the
general election cycle. It just recovered from a caustic gubernatorial election in which the states
controversial Republican Gov.

Rick Scott won a second term and

one of its U.S. senators, Republican Marco Rubio, is openly mulling a 2016 presidential bid. The
state is also 20 percent African
American.
In Missouri, Black protesters are
still smarting over the killing of
Black teen Michael Brown and the
non-indictment of Ferguson police
officer Darren Wilson. Upcoming
city council protests in April could
be a preview of what the Black electorate, 13 percent of Missouris
population, could do in 2016.
While protests simmered to a
near stop over the winter, advocates have kick-started activities
in the wake of federal Department
of Justice probe findings of racist
policing patterns by the department, the announcement of no civil
rights charges against Wilson and
the exit of the police chief and city
manager.
Ohio is also home to two extremely tragic cases: the case of
12-year old Tamir Rice in Cleveland
and John Crawford in Beavercreek.
In both instances, white police officers wrongly assumed Black
males were armed and dangerous
when they were not, killing both
within seconds of seeing them and
without stopping to assess either
situation.
Out of all five states identified,
Wisconsin could be the ugliest. A
perfect firestorm of political factors
are converging on that state, still
shaking off the hangover of a nasty
recall election triggered by labor
unions against Badger State Gov.
Scott Walker (R-Wis.). Walker
won, but the wounds are visible
as Walker continues pressing forward with state right-to-work laws
perceived as an existential threat
to the states public sector
workforce.
Making the situation even more
politically caustic is the recent fatal shooting of unarmed Black teen
Tony Robinson in the state capitol, Madison, Wis., by a white city
police officer.
While Madison is considered
an oasis of Badger State liberal
politics, and the states secondlargest city with a Black population near 10 percent, its now become the flashpoint of brewing
protests over Robinsons death.
But, Walker is also currently

viewed as a growing favorite and

front-runner in the 2016 presidential race. While the governor, predictably, has not made any comment on whats happened in Madison, an emerging alliance between
Black protesters and state labor
unions desperately seeking an
ally in their fight against right-towork could become a thorn in
Walkers national ambitions.
It may not be as impactful in the
GOP primary (since the Black vote
is less than 10 percent of the Republican electorate). But any sudden spike in Black political activity in Wisconsin could prove challenging for Republicans, especially if Walker wins the primary
as a presidential nominee or, at the
very least, becomes the nominees
running mate.
Still, some are doubtful the
growing youth movement will gain
the traction it needs by 2016 or be
politically savvy enough to know
what it must do.
Well see how much actual
policy comes out of state legislatures and city councils in those
states, said former Colorado Senate President Peter Groff, now a
prominent national advisor to
Black state legislators. Recommendations are sitting there, but I
havent seen much policy movement.
From a media standpoint, the
movement is losing steam,
added Groff.
Washington, D.C.-based attorney and former District of Columbia Democratic Party Committee
Chair A. Scott Bolden is also skeptical.
I would be leery of the notion
that these incidents will resonate
beyond the protesters, Bolden
argued, suggesting movement
platforms could inadvertently
alienate white voters. People who
dont look like you and me have a
much different and much more
positive view of police.
Historically, these types of
[police brutality] movements or
protests havent translated
into political impact, added
Bolden. This angst against
police has always been present.
The difference, obviously, is
social media since we now have
immediate access to the
events.

of classes or programming daily,

from one hour now. The department expects this should help stop
violence by keeping inmates focused on priorities that assist rehabilitation.
The department expects to provide access to a minimum of 5
hours of non-school programming
a day to adolescent (16-17) inmates by August 2015; a minimum
of 5 hours of programming a day
to young adult (18-21) inmates by
December 2015; and a minimum of
5 hours of programming a day to
adult (22+) inmates by March
2016.
Redefining first line incident responses will more quickly end violent incidents by training over 300
Emergency Services Unit officers
on non-lethal force technique and
jointly developing Crisis Intervention Teams, involving training
1,000 officers with DOHMH and
implementation of teams by July
2015.
Additional initiatives will help
move DOC toward a culture of
safety. DOC will create and expand common-sense managerial
and operational practices to
strengthen performance, accountability, ownership and transparency through the following nine
initiatives:
Improve leadership development and culture
Redefine the Investigations
Division

Design a recruitment, hiring

and staff selection plan
Design a performance management plan
Implement operational performance metrics and analysis
Create a well-defined supply
distribution process
Expand targeted training of
officers and non-uniformed staff
Raise facilities to a state of
good repair
Improve custody management
From November 14 through January 31, DOC seized 10 weapons and
69 contraband drugs from 26 visitors who were trying to enter jails to
visit gang members. Those individuals were arrested.
The new rules would bring DOC
policy closer into line with that of
other large jail systems such as Los
Angeles, Cook County (Chicago),
and Philadelphia, which limit physical contact between inmates and
visitors, or restrict visitors based on
safety and security concerns. These
policies are considered best practices in the correction field. DOC will
propose the rule changes at BOCs
next meeting in May and, if approved, would implement them by
August.
Philadelphia and Los Angeles
both limit contact visits. New York
State, Los Angeles, and Cook
County all maintain visitor registries,
and Cook County and Los Angeles
may even deny visits based on certain security criteria, such as criminal history.

Harlem School of Arts chief

Campbell to step down in June
(from page 2)
of New Yorks premier arts institutions to new, and even greater
heights was the honor of a lifetime.
HSA annually serves nearly
4,000 young people from across
the greater New York Metro area
onsite at HSAs Herb Alpert Center in Harlem, and offsite through
its arts education programs in the
citys public and charter schools
and community centers. Under
Campbells leadership, HSA has
increased enrollment by 40% and
provided over $1,100,000 in financial aid and scholarships to eligible
families.
Campbell and her family are relocating to United Arab Emirates
at the end of the summer where

she will embark on a new chapter of

her career in international arts management.
The board is currently conducting a national search to replace
Campbell.
For nearly a half century, the
Harlem School of the Arts has
transformed the lives of tens of
thousands of young people
through world-class training in
the arts. HSAs mission empowers young people from underserved communities in Harlem
and throughout the city to find
and develop the artist and citizen within themselves. HSAs
environment teaches discipline,
stimulates creativity, builds selfconfidence and adds a dimension
of beauty to the lives of each
student.

Systematic racism in America

(from page 6)
in Ferguson.
U.S. Attorney General Eric
Holder did the right thing by
ordering the DOJ investigation. Holder kept his public
promise to stand by the people
of Ferguson. In fact to the
credit of his outstanding leadership at the DOJ, there have
been more that 20 DOJ civil
rights investigations into various other police departments
in the U.S. during Holders tenure as Attorney General. Holder
reaffirmed, I again commit to
the people of Ferguson that we
will continue to stand with you
and to work with you to ensure
that the necessary reforms are

implemented.
Thus, the struggle for racial
justice continues in Ferguson
and across the nation. The antidote to systematic racism in
America is to support and empower Black Americans and other
people of color in the transformation of the system of injustice
in the U.S. into a fair and unbiased system of justice and equality for all people.
Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
and can be reached for national advertisement sales and partnership proposals at: dr.bchavis@nnpa.org; and
for lectures and other professional
consultations
at:
http://
drbenjaminfchavisjr.wix.com/drbfc.

Black Broadway book bash

raises funds for new art center

way show On Kentucky Avenue ativity and diversity. It will also proon both performers long forgotten Byrd.
The mission of The Sho-Off sang several songs from their hit vide a premier venue for local and
and on those whom we still hold
dear, this unique book offers a story Dance Company founded in 2014 show. The setting for On Ken- national performers and for art paby choreographer/dancer Victor tucky Avenue, is The Atlantic City trons in the tri-state area. CCCAs
well worth telling.
The Black Broadway event in- Sho and performer Leah Lane to Club Harlem Revue is the Club distinguished board of directors
cluded performances by The Sho- promote unity through music and Harlem dress rehearsal for open- includes Pam Laskin, Phillip Harvey,
Off Dance Company, members of dance. The company members at ing night of the 1969 season. Khalil Kain, Stephen Byrd, Ray
the cast of On Kentucky Avenue the CCCA performance included: Within the show there is a love Chew, Patricia Hill, Arturo OFarrill,
and concluded with a lecture and Victor Sho, Leah Lane, Garrick triangle between the MC (Ivan Elena Sturman, Lillias White and
Q & A with celebrated author Lane Footman, Chelsea Harold, Luanne King), the lead show girl and the Karen Witherspoon.
Aaron Davis Hall, now under the
whose book, Black Broadway was Harris, Jenae Harrison, Takae featured female vocalist. For more
released in February by Square One Kawabe, Osmeily Luna, Ianthe information On Kentucky Avenue auspices of CCCA, is the focal point
of this creative revitalization. It is
Publishing. Tony and Olivier Mellors, Tatiyana Miles, Tatiyana visit:
currently undergoing a $2.5 million
Award winning producer Stephen Rudisel, Robert Taylor, Jordan www.onkentuckyavenue.com.
The book party also served to lobby and exterior renovation, and
Byrd was the evenings moderator. Washington, DaShawn C. White
`Black Broadway is one of the best and Mea Wilkerson. The perfor- launch the new CCCA by the Of- the New York City Council and
By Audrey J. Bernard
books that Ive ever had the op- mance was produced by Alyssa fice of Government & Community CUNY have committed more than
Style & Society Editor
portunity to read regarding Black Renzi. For more information on Affairs at City College which will $10 million over the next five years
Broadway. It is a table top book The Sho-Off Dance Companysee serve as a cultural hub that builds for additional capital improvements.
A fantastic book bash for six- that documents our history and is visit: www.sho-off-dance.com.
a sense of community both within For more information on CCCA see:
time Tony Award winning theater thoroughly researched and enlightTy Stephens, Renee Ternier and the school and its surrounding www.citycollegecenterforthearts.org.
producer and historian Stewart F. ening, stated Lanes dear friend Frank Owens from the Off-Broad- neighborhood, while inspiring cre- (Photo Credit: Matt Peyton)
Lanes table top book Black
Broadway was held as a
fundraiser for the new City College Center For the Arts (CCCA)
on Tues., Mar. 10, 2015. Black
Broadway is being hyped as the
new Black Bible for African American actors and actresses whose
names have lit up Broadway marquees earning them a place in history not only through hard
work, perseverance, and talent
but also because of the legacy left
by those who came before them.
Blacks on Broadway have had
their share of doors slammed in Jonelle Procope, Stewart F. Lane, Alicia
their faces until the 1960s when Bythewood
doors flung open because of the
Civil Rights Movement. However,
some say still not wide enough!
Greg Shanck, Bonnie Comley, David Covington
Lanes book addresses these
issues through the use of words
and pictures that capture this tumultuous century and highlights
the rocky road that Black actors
have travelled through to reach
Black Broadway Book Cover
recognition on Broadway.
After the Civil War, the popularity of the minstrel shows grew
by leaps and bounds throughout
the country. African Americans
The Sho-Off Dance Company performs
were portrayed by whites, who
would entertain audiences in black
face. While the depiction of
Blacks was highly demeaning, it
opened the door to African-AmeriStephen Byrd, Stewart F. Lane
can performers, and by the late
1800s, a number of them were playing to full houses. By the 1920s,
the Jazz Age was in full swing, allowing black musicians and composers to reach wider audiences.
And in the thirties, musicals such
as George Gershwins Porgy and
Stewart F. Lane autographs copies of Black
Bess and Eubie Blakes Swing It
Broadway
opened the door a little wider.
As the years passed, Black perThe Sho-Off Dance Company
formers continued to gain ground.
In the 1940s, Broadway productions of Cabin in the Sky, Carmen
Jones, and St. Louis Woman enabled African Americans to demonstrate a fuller range of talents,
and Paul Robeson reached national prominence in his awardingwinning portrayal of Othello. By
the 1950s and 60s, more Black
actors including Ruby Dee,
Ossie Davis, and Sidney Poitier
had found their voices on stage,
and Black playwrights and directors had begun to make their
marks.
Black Broadway provides an
entertaining, poignant history of
a Broadway of which few are
aware. By focusing a spotlight
Ty Stephens from the cast of 'On Kentucky Avenue'
Anil Leeds, Bonnie Comley
'On Kentucky Avenue' dancers

15
BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

AUDREY'S
SOCIETY
WHIRL

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

16

Suspect charged in shooting of Ferguson, Missouri police officers

(from page 3)
followed the departures of the
city manager and a municipal
judge.
The extent to which Williams
may have been involved in street
demonstrations remains unclear.
McCullough said Williams may
have participated in protests. Several long-time activists said they
did not recognize or know Williams.
One frequent protester, Bishop
Derrick Robinson, told local media that he had spoken to Williams early on Sunday and said
the shooting had nothing to do
with the protests.
Robinson said Williams had
told him that he had been robbed
earlier that night, and had re-

turned to the area and shot his gun

in the air out of frustration.
He told me that he shouldnt
have done it, Robinson told the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was
embarrassed. He showed deep remorse. He wishes he could retract
things.
News of Sundays arrest was
greeted on the streets of Ferguson
with a mix of relief and a sense that
the protests would not fade away.
I just hope they got the right
guy, and that he gets what he deserves, said Gussie Klorer, a 60year-old professor at St Louis University, adding she thought the arrest would have no bearing on the
street demonstrations.
The protests seem to have a life
of their own, she said.
But the news also prompted a

show of support for Fergusons beleaguered police force. Dozens of

people gathered in front of police
headquarters, many of them holding signs reading We Support the
Badge and Thank You Police.
There was a brief clash on Sunday between the pro-police demonstrators and about 15 people
who converged on them shouting
you support baby killers, while
one among them trampled and
ripped an American flag.
The two groups met in the
middle of the street, face to face,
and began shouting at each other,
though tensions cooled after the
pro-police group disbanded.
The Justice Department report said Ferguson police overwhelmingly arrested and issued
traffic citations to black resi-

Dont overlook contributions of Clarence Mitchell

(from Page 7)
Lyndon Baines Johnson who are
deservedly given so much credit,
but others, including Republican
Senate Leader Everett Dirksen of
Illinois and the NAACPs
Clarence Mitchell, had indispensable roles as well. Sadly, the
celebration of the 1964 Act
largely ignored Mitchell and we
hope this years celebration does
not do the same.
Clarence Mitchell was born
into poverty, but rose into prominence as the NAACPs chief lobbyist and became widely known
as the Nations 101st Senator. He
was awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 1980 by
President Jimmy Carter and the
NAACPs Spingarn Medal in
1969. Mitchell strategized with
Johnson to keep waffling northern Senators on board and utilized his friendships with Republicans and Democrats to help effectively persuade them to come

on board.
And as the nations chief civil
rights lobbyist, he helped to organize and guide a coalition of diverse supporters from NAACP
units, other civil rights, church and
labor groups to address pressure
points as they arose in Congress
and to keep pressure on for members of Congress to support the
bill. President Johnson was even
quoted as saying no person forced
his door open more than Clarence
Mitchell.
As we celebrate Bloody Sunday
and the march from Selma to Montgomery and other vital and important events from 1965, let us remember the heroes and martyrs Dr.
King, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.),
Hosea Williams of SCLC, Amelia
Boynton and Jimmie Lee Jackson.
In addition to those great AfricanAmericans we should celebrate the
courageous actions of White
Americans such as Rev. James
Reeb and Viola Liuzzo who gave
their lives so that we could have a

of the My Brothers Keeper initiative, which seeks to create opportunities for all young people in this
countryregardless of their backgroundto improve their lives
and reach their full potential.
The three-year grant has been
awarded to a consortium of national law enforcement experts from
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Yale Law School, the Center
for Policing Equity at UCLA and
the Urban Institute. The initiative
is guided by a board of advisors
which includes national leaders
from law enforcement, academia

City announces Lower Manhattan resiliency

investment as part climate adaptation plan
(from page 10)
nificant damage to communities
throughout Lower Manhattan,
but today we are continuing to
build the region back stronger
than
before, Governor
Cuomo said. By learning the lessons of Sandy and other extreme
weather events, we can make
New York a safer and more resilient place for people to live and
work, and I am proud to see these

projects moving forward in collaboration with our local partners.

Hurricane Sandy vividly highlighted the vulnerabilities that
Lower Manhattan faces from sea
level rise and coastal storms.
Thats why the City is committed
to investing in flood protection in
Lower Manhattan to complement
other recovery and resiliency investments already underway,
said Daniel Zarrilli, Director of the
Mayors Office of Recovery and

Jon Herskovitz and Frank

McGurty; Additional reporting
by Brendan OBrien in Wisconsin; Editing by Kevin Liffey,
Frances Kerry and Eric Walsh,
and Simon Cameron-Moore)

Rangel praises free tax

services from Food Bank
for New York City residents
(from page 4)
crease the number of tax returns
filed citywide by 50 percent. The
majority of individuals and families reached are living in the citys
high Meal Gap neighborhoods.
The citys official measure of food
insecurity, the Meal Gap pinpoints where hunger lives on a
local level, allowing Food Bank to
geo-target its tax preparations
sites to areas where working New
Yorkers will benefit from them the
most.
The tax services offered at
Food Bank including Free File
help taxpayers get every federal
credit and deduction they deserve
during filing season. For example,
many working people are unaware
they are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), said Rep.
Rangel, who helped create the
EITC program in 1975. Free File
is a great example of how the government and private sector can
work together to provide important services in our communities.
Since 2002, Food Bank For
New York City has helped low and

better country. And let us remember Clarence Mitchell too!

Remembering Clarence Mitchell
reminds us of how important an
integrated strategy was before and
is now. We must go to the streets
as LBJ insisted, but the work in
the halls of Congress and in the
home states or districts of
Congresspersons plays an essential and vital role as well. The strategy needed and included the
NAACP and Mitchell and Roy
Wilkins, SNCC with Lewis, Julian
Bond and others and of course
the SCLC with King, Hosea Williams, Andrew Young and others. And as we try to fix this law,
let us restore it with substance
and vitality in honor of all those
great people, named and unnamed, who gave so much so
that we might have the right to
vote.
William Barber is state presi(from page 6)
dent of the North Carolina NAACP
and Gary L. Bledsoe is state presi- the unfinished work of Selma, of
dent of the Texas NAACP.
Birmingham and of Greensboro
will continue today in Ferguson,
New York and Cleveland. We
raise our voices to say that we
will not allow our progress to be
rolled back, that we will continue
to march forward and that we
know the unavoidable truth that
and faith-based groups, as well as black lives matter.
community stakeholders and civil
rights advocates. In a holistic approach, the initiative simultaneously addresses the tenets of
procedural justice, reducing implicit bias and facilitating racial reconciliation. The initiative comple(from page 6)
ments and is advised by other Justice Department components such
as the Office of Justice Programs, tional human rights treaty in histhe Office of Community Oriented tory. The United States stands
Policing Services, the Office on only with new U.N. member state
Violence Against Women, the Civil South Sudan as the two counRights Division and the Commu- tries that have not ratified it and
South Sudan has started worknity Relations Service.
ing towards ratification.
The United States stands
alone, despite recent progress, in
still permitting life-without-parole
sentences for juvenile offenders
who were under 18 at the time of
the offense. The U.S. Supreme
Resiliency. With these new funds, Court has banned capital punishwe are ensuring that we can take ment for crimes committed by juthe critical next steps on advanc- veniles but America remains one
ing planning and design for a com- of 58 nations that continues to
prehensive and integrated flood use capital punishment for
protection system in Lower Man- adults. In 2013 the U.S. had the
hattan, while also making a set of sixth highest number of execufirst-phase investments in Battery tions after China, Iran, Iraq,
Park that will reduce risk. Thank Saudi Arabia, and North Korea.
you to NY Rising and the entire
If America wants to be a truly
community that helped make this great nation on the world stage,
possible.
its time to redefine the measures
Through our innovative NY

Attorney General unveils first 6 sites

for building community trust, justice
(from page 3)
public safety challenges of our
day, said Assistant Attorney
General Karol V. Mason of the
Office of Justice Programs.
Trust-building is the responsibility of the police and the community, and the National
Initiatives goal is to build the
bridge that will define a new era
in public safety.
The Justice Department established the National Initiative
for Building Community Trust
and Justice as part President
Obamas groundbreaking launch

dents to boost city coffers

through fines. That helped create a culture of distrust that exploded in August when city
police officer Darren Wilson
fatally shot Brown. (Writing by

moderate-income New Yorkers

citywide file their tax returns, said
Triada Stampas, vice president For
Research & Public Affairs at the
Food Bank For New York City. We
were one of the first community organizations to embrace Free File, by
providing the skills and education
New Yorkers need through experienced tax coaches. This year we are
poised to return $100 million to New
Yorkers, and we remain committed
to providing hard-working New
Yorkers with free tax preparation
services.
These software products make
the annual filing process quick and
easy. Our hope is that every eligible
person takes advantage of Free File
and gets every credit and deduction
they deserve this tax season, said
Ed Black of the Computer & Communications Industry Association
(CCIA), the organization sponsoring todays event.
For more information on Free File,
visit www.FreeFile.IRS.gov or
www.FoodBankNYC.org. More information about the program is also
available at CCIAs Free File
website, www.taxprephelp.org.

The unfinished work of Selma

We have never solved a problem
in this country with less democracy,
and so the persistent efforts from
some in political power to restrict
the right to vote should be a call to
action for us all. This week we have
reflected on Bloody Sunday not to
celebrate a battle long since won.
Instead, we are reminded that the
struggle we fought for, we marched
for and some died for continues in
this very moment.

Child Watch:
Our failure to measure up
of our success. The litmus test I propose is that of the great German Protestant theologian Dietrich
Bonhoeffer executed for opposing
Hitlers holocaust, who said the
test of the morality of a society is
what it does for its children. The
great South African president
Nelson Mandela agreed with him
and believed there can be no
keener revelation of a societys soul
than the way in which it treats its
children. On the BonhoefferMandela measure of success, we
must do much, much better.
Marian Wright Edelman is
president of the Childrens Defense Fund whose Leave No
Child Behind mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start,
a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe
Start and a Moral Start in life
and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring
families and communities. For
more information go to
www.childrensdefense.org.

By Victoria Horsford
HOT TOPICS
On Monday, March 16, an Interactive Session with the Transformation Team, Nigeria headed
by President Goodluck Jonathan
was held at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The President was acccompanied
by his Minister of Aviation and his
Minister of Special Duties, who
were special guests along with
Former US African American Congressmen J.C. Watts and Ron
Dellums and Melvin Foote, Constituency for Africa. Session, no
doubt is related to forthcoming
Nigerian general election on
March 28 and appealing to large
Nigerian diaspora in the United
States.
South Africa: The Democratic
Left Front (DLF) group demonstrated at the U.S. Consulate
Generals Office in Johannesburg,
on March 18 to protest against the
Killing of African American People
in the U.S. and to protest against
apartheid in the U.S.
While Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu lectured the ill informed US Congress
in Washington, DC on March 3
about the dangers of US participation in a nuclear agreement with
Iran, his Likud Partys poll numbers started traveling south. Polls
project that opposing Zionist
Union Party a coalition of the Labor and Hatnua Parties wins most
of the seats on election day, 3/17.
Moreover, Israels Joint List Party,
a group of Arab factions, which
represents the nations 20% Arab
population, is polling as its third
largest bloc. Is Bibi out of touch
with Israeli realities?

has aired the segment every day

last week. NY1 is a Time Warner
channel The talk ran the gamut from
life in Liberia to the Ebola crisis. It
was wonderful seeing an African
American talking with a head of
state.
Settepani Restaurant celebrates
A TOAST TO WOMEN events
throughout March. The Ode To
Harlem on Thursday nights, March
19 and /26, honors women musicians. The Dine With Legends
Brunch Tour (March 21/22/29) is
poised on women who shaped our
musical traditions. All events plus
fine dining available at Settepani,
located at 196 Lenox Avenue at 120
Street, Harlem. 917.492.4806. Visit
settepani.com.
The Harlem Business Alliance
celebrates Women Who Excel in
Non Traditional Field at its headquarters located at 275 Lenox Avenue, Harlem on March 19 at 7 pm.
The three honorees aree Barbara
Armand, President, Armand Corporation and Professional Women in
Construction; Audra Fordin,
Owner, Great Bear Auto & Body
Shop; and Nigerian-American
Olufunmilo F, Obe, Harlems 28th
Precinct Commander, NYPD.
The Network Journal Womens
History Month Affair. The NY
based The Network Journal Magazine to host its annual 2015 25 influential balck Women in Business
Awards Luncheon on March 26 at
the NY Marriott Marquis Grand
Ballroom located at 1535 Broadway,
Manhattan, on March 26 at noon.
Honorees Katrina M Adams, US
Tennis Association; Beatrice
Hamza Bassey, Esquire, Hughes
Hubbard and Reed LLP; Lori
George Billingsley, Coca Cola North
America; Miko Branch, Miss
Jessies LLC; Sharon L. Contreras,
Syracuse City Schools; Rosalind P.
Danner, CPA, McGraw Hill Financial; Leecia Eve, Verizon Communications Inc. ; Allyson Hugley, Weber Shandwick; Sandra JacksonDumont, Metropolitan Museum of
Art; Melissa E. James, Morgan
Stanley; Gennell A Jefferson, GE
Asset Management, Inc; Danielle
Moss Lee, Ed.D, YWCA of City of
NY; Necole Merritt, Entergy Services, Inc; Alison L. Moore, JP
Morgan Chase & Co; Vivian Rogers
Pickard, President General Motors,
Foundation; JoAnn Rolle, PhD,
Medgar Evers College, CUNY;
Helen C. Shelton, Finn Partners,
Inc.; Donna Lynne Skerrett, MD,
Mesoblast; Faith Taylor, Wyndham
Worldwide, Josie J. Thomas, CBS
Corporation; Yvonne S. Thornton,
MD FACOG, NY Medical College;
Diane L. Waller, Bank of America
Merrill Lynch; Carol H. Williams,
Carol. H. Williams Advertising;
Karen Mackey Witherspoon, City
College Of NY, CUNY; and Lana
Woods, Lana Woods Gallery. Visit
tnj.com

MEDIAMATTERS
Everyones talking about veteran journalist Peter Slevins new
book, MICHELLE OBAMA, A
LIFE which will be published next
month. An authorized bio, Slevin
had access to Michelles brother
Craig Robinson and a number of
Obama White House insiders.
The 3/14 NY Post story Obama
Advisor Behind Leak Of Hillary
Clintons Email had tongues
wagging. The Obama advisor is
Valerie Jarrett. A possible hot cat
fight between two of Americas
most powerful women. WOW!
The story unfolds without attributions, with far too many holes, and
was written by Obama/Clinton
hater, Ed Klein, who is a polemicist with little regard for truth or
facts. He wrote the book, The
Clintons and The Obamas. Its
More Than A Political Rivalry; Its
a Blood Feud. Why did he write
NEWSMAKERS
the NY Post story. He says that
The vernal equinox and Aries
Obama fears that a Hillary presi- birthday shout outs to UN GA Secdential victory next year will erode retary General Kofi Annan; Mariah
his legacy. Pulleasee!
Carey; Brenda Clark; Lady Gaga;
Karen Horsford, Rocky Horsford,
PHENOMENAL WOMEN
Jr., Rocky Horsford III; Sir Elton
NY 1 News TV Cheryl Wills is John; Ernest Hopkins, San Franthe talk of the town with her exclu- cisco AIDS Foundation; Actors
sive interview with Liberia Presi- Martin Lawrence and Eddie
dent Ellen Sirleaf Johnson when Murphy; General Colin Powell;
she was in NY last month. NY 1 Charles Richardson; Diana Ross;

Joseph Semper; Maxine Sidberry;

Maxwell Sidberry, 9; Music phenom
Pharrel HAPPY) Williams; Verta Mae
Grosvenor, author of Notes of a
Geechie Girl; Journalist Gloria Dulan
Wilson; and South African President
Jacob Zuma. A belated birthday wish
to Piscean, Dr. Irene Elmore.
RIP: Native New Yorker, Connecticut
and Rhode Island denizen, Ernest
Constantine Cobb, 87, died. The oldest of three sons born to Jamaican
immigrants, Hilda and Robert
Constantine Cobb, Ernest served in
the U.S. Army, and earned a degree at
City College, which he called the
Harvard On The Hudson. He began
his professional life in sales with
Lucky Strike and Hoffman Sodas, before attracting the attention of food
and beverage giants like Canada Dry
and where he was promoted to branch
manager. Later, he became general
sales manager at Pepsi Colas, then
with Coca Cola. He had managerial
posts with Arnold and at Drake Bakeries. He called Connecticut and
Rhode Island home in his golden
years. He is survived by his wife Freda
Peters-Cobb, his daughters Whitnee
Cobb and LaLisa Vesterholm , a son
Troy Peters; grandchildren, nieces
nephews and grandnieces/nephews.
Freda and the family will host a Celebration of His Life on April 11 in Connecticut

Mihelle Obama

Varlerie Jarrett

Vivian Pickard

Cheryl Wills

MARCH MADNESS & BEYOND

Little Children Dream of God is a
new Off Broadway play, running
through April 19, at the Black Box
Theatre, located at 111 West 46 Street.
The NY Times calls it, a warm and
fanciful drama by Jeff Austin. Story
centers on a pregnant immigrant who
leaves her native Haiti to start a new
life on the rough streets of Miami.
The Jeff King Band, the incomparable jazz and blues group, performs
at the Stratosphere Club, located at
227 Utica Avenue, Brooklyn, on
March 19 at 8 pm. King is the saxophonist arranger/composer, who has
worked with jazz greats the world over.
His septet includes Frank Lacy, Riley
Mullins, Yoichi Uzeki, Bryce Sebastian
and Cook Broadnay. Call 718.771.8400.
T
The New Heritage Theatre Group
presents award-winning thespian/
playwright Daniel Beaty, who stars in
a solo play, TALLEST TREE IN THE
FOREST, a piece about political activist/artist Paul Robeson in song and
story, at the Brooklyn Academy of
Music Harvey Theater located at 651
Fulton Street on March 22 at 7:30 pm.
Visit bam.org.
Entertainment impresario Darrin
Ross will produce INVINCIBLE: A
TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON,
a show of shows, an unadulterated
spectacle boasting a huge cast of characters, including Jackson impersonators, concert performer Jeffry Perez,
dancers like Pete Cateronly, vocalists,
top-of- the- chart musicians, vocalists
and the Harlem Gospel Choir Michael
Jackson classics like Beat It, Billie
Jean, Thriller figure prominently on
the playbill. The INVINCIBLE Tribute,
now in its 6th year, is set for June 13 at
the NJ Performing Arts Center, in Newark.
Show will tease and titillate all of
the senses. Tickets are on sale. Visit
www.njpac.org.
Victoria Horsford is a Harlembased writer/blogger who can be
reached at:
victoriahorsford@yahoo.com

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

WHATS GOING ON

17

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

18

Enter tainment

NNPA Award Winner

By Don Thomas

Womens History Month:

Songbirds sing praises to pioneering

women in Jamaican music

Book Cover
By Vinette K. Pryce
Special Assignment
Ask Author Heather Augustyn,
the name of the worlds first female rappers and you might be
surprised at her response. Contrary to popular belief, it is not
Queen Latifah. And those that
offered Queens-based Salt-NPepa duo as pioneers of the rap
genre in 1985 would have to concede to Augustyns book Songbirds: Pioneering Women In Jamaican Music.
According to the revealing 423page tribute, Althea Forest and
Donna Reid were already blazing
a trail in 1978, more than a decade
before the Jersey girl dubbed her-

self female royalty with the release

of All Hail the Queen.
Similarly, the duo popularly
known as Althea and Donna had
already won acclaim in Jamaica,
performing at the islands National
Stadium at the renowned One
Love Peace Concert long before
Jamaica-born Sandy Pepa
Denton a/k/a Pepa met Salt collaborator Cheryl James to form Salt-nPepa.
We were the first female deejays,
we were the first female deejays in
the world, Althea claimed. There
was no Queen Latifah. Queen
Latifah came after us. Salt-n-Pepa
came after us.
Anyone who claims that Althea
and Donna were a one-hit won-

Millie Small (Photo: courtsey of daughter Jalee- Small)

der is revealing their ignorance.

Althea and Donna were pioneers
and innovators more than they
ever knew at the time they recorded their now classic song
and others that followed,
Augustyn penned.
Music insiders familiar with
Uptown Ranking would confirm the claim. That information
and countless tid-bits provide
engaging read in the Half Pint
Press publication which lauds unsung enhancers to the maletouted and gender dominated
music industry internationally acclaimed from Jamaica.
Chapters lauding the first lady
of Jamaican Jazz Totlyn Jackson; the Mother of Jamaican Music Sister Ignatius Davies; the
First Lady of Song Hortense
Ellis; the Queen of Ska Doreen
Shaffer; The Nightingale
Yvonne Harrison; The Rhumba
Queen Anita Mahfood; Sister
of the Studio Enid
Cumberbatch; The Blue Beat Girl
Millie Small; Queen of Rocksteady Phyllis Dillon; The Legend Norma Fraser; Reggae
Queen Marcia Griffiths; Queen
of Lovers Rock Susan
Cadogan; First lady of Recording Sonia Pottinger and many
others dub this a must-read for
anyone interested in any genre
of music.
Augustyn veers through the
period from 1940 to the 1980s to
deliver the gospel on Jamaicas
pioneering women. And yes, firsttime gospel recorders are included
in this text-book.
Add country and even latterday dancehall, the book compiles
valuable information for anyone
wanting to set the record straight
while recognizing women who
paved the way for individuals
such as NBC-TVs season five
episodes of The Voice! winner
Tessanne Chin and others competing in international contests.
As a matter of fact, Chins parents are pioneers in Jamaicas music history. Her mother and father both played in a Ska band
named the Carnations when they
mere teenagers. It was the
worlds first, all-female Ska band.
The bands trumpet player was
Christine Levy, Tessannes
mother. Her father Richard Chin,
was brother to bass player Ingrid
Chin. Because Richard played
the drums and could double as
chaperone to the bevy, he was
hidden in plain sight amidst the
worlds pioneering women.
They married and together they
parented two of Jamaicas now internationally acclaimed Songbirds Tami and Tessanne.
These are the never-before-told
stories of the women who tried
and persevered and made it, no
matter what their struggle,

Tessane Chin

Top Ranking Althea and Donna

Augustyn said.
Enhanced by photos and
one-on-one interviews with the
women, Augustyns Songbirds provide the first comprehensive discography of
trailblazing women that sacrificed family, home and reputation and in the process
changed the course of music

all over the world.

Augustyns previous contribution to documenting Jamaicas music history include three previous
books Ska: An Oral History,
(2010) Don Drummond: The Genius and Tragedy of the Worlds
Greatest Trombonist (2013) and
Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation
(2013).

The Carnations

AUDREYS REEL WHIRL with Film Reviewer Audrey J. Bernard

Disney's Cinderella
Cinderella is an amazing
fairytale that will never go out of
The Prince and his Princess
'Cinderella'
style! It is still the most beloved
fantasy story of all times! From
little girls to teenagers to young
women to elders women love
the lady in the glass slippers.
Leave it to Disney to recreate a
classic fairytale for this generation. Inspired by the classic fairy
tale, Cinderella brings to life the
timeless images from Disneys
1950 animated masterpiece as
fully-realized characters in a visually-dazzling spectacle for a
whole new generation.
This version of Cinderella is
ridiculously beautiful! And the
box office receipts proves it
bringing in $67.9 million domestically making it the belle of the
box office and the ball!. Nothing beats a love story that in'Cinderella' arriving at the ball Lily James attends New York
Richard Madden and Lily James in 'Cinderella'
volves a Prince and a pauper.
premiere of 'Cinderella'
in gold coach
And Kenneth Branaghs live-action take on Disneys fairytale
from a screenplay written by Chris
Weitz pulled all of the right
heartstrings.
The story of Cinderella follows the fortunes of young Ella
(Lily James) whose merchant father remarries following the death
of her mother. Eager to support
her loving father, Ella welcomes
her new Stepmother (Cate
Blanchett) and her daughters
Anastasia (Holliday Grainger)
and Drisella (Sophie McShera)
into the family home. But, when
Ellas father unexpectedly passes
away, she finds herself at the
mercy of a jealous and cruel new
family.
Soon, she is forced to become Holliday Grainger, Cate Blanchett, Sophie McShera in 'Cinderella'
Lily James and Richard Madden attend New York Premiere
their servant, disrespected, covered in ashes and spitefully
renamed Cinderella. Yet, despite
the cruelty inflicted upon her, Ella
will not give in to despair nor
despise those who mistreat her,
and she continues to remain positive, determined to honor her
mothers dying words and to
have courage and be kind.
When Ella meets a dashing
stranger in the woods, unaware
that he is really the Prince (RichThe Prince (Richard Madden) with The
Captain Nonso Anozie with 'Cinderella' cast members
Stellan Skarsgard in
ard Madden) and not merely Kit,
Captain (Nonso Anozie
'Cinderella'
an apprentice at the palace, she
believes she has finally found a forward and, armed with a pump- film.com, Anozie spoke candidly friend of the prince. I play his ad- come.
The cast of Cinderella inkindred soul. It appears her for- kin, a few mice and a magic wand, about working on the film. This visor. Im the guy he comes to
tunes may be about to change changes Cinderellas life forever.
is a movie that will be a classic. talk about girls and eventually c l u d e s C a t e B l a n c h e t t , L i l y
when the King (Derek Jacobi)
Meanwhile, the calculating Grand They are pulling out all of the about Cinderella. Im the guy James, Richard Madden, Nonso
summons all maidens in the king- Duke (Stellan Skarsgrd) devises a stops for this. Cate Blanchett and that wants him to find his true A n o z i e , S t e l l a n S k a r s g a r d ,
dom to attend a royal ball at the plan to thwart the Princes hopes Helena Bonham Carter are fantas- love and everyone else is an H o l l i d a y G r a i n g e r, S o p h i e
palace, raising Ellas hopes of of reuniting with Ella and enlists the tic in different ways. Im working obstacle to that. Its really been McShera, Derek Jacobi and Helonce again encountering the support of the devious Stepmother. closely with Cate Blanchett in the a great experience and to have ena Bonham Carter. This edition
charming Kit. Alas, her Step- But, as in all good fairy tales, help film and we have a couple of a part like that is a godsend. It of Cinderella is produced by
mother forbids her to attend and is at hand as the towering Captain scenes where we butt heads be- will be a while before it comes Simon Kinberg, Allison Shearmur
callously destroys her dress. of the Guard (Nonso Anozie) spoils cause I play the captain of the out, but when it does, it will live David Barron and executive proSoon, a kindly beggar woman the Dukes plan.
guards who is the head of the in the minds of people of chil- duced by Tim Lewis. (Photos
(Helena Bonham Carter) steps
In an interview with Black- Army in the fantasy. Im the best dren and adults for years to courtesy Disney)

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Cinderella is the belle of the box office!

19

20

NYC Bound

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

Britians R&B/Pop icon Billy Ocean coming!

Billy Ocean, the most successful Black recording star
Britain has ever produced will join the Royal Family of
Reggae Morgan Heritage as headline performers at the
annual Groovin In The Park concert at Roy Wilkins Park
in Jamaica, Queens, New York on Sunday, June 28.
Ocean the triple platinum seller has a solid track record
of riveting live performances with his hit songs and he is
expected to ignite New York City with musical flames with
favorites including Caribbean Queen, Mystery Lady,
Lover Boy, Get Out of My Dreams, Suddenly and
Love Zone, to name a few.
Billy Ocean was born in Trinidad with the beat of
calypso in his blood. When he migrated from the Caribbean to Londons East End at age 7, his passion for
music was further fueled by soul idols Otis Redding
and Sam Cooke.
He got his first break when he recorded Love Really Hurts Without You, which reached # 2 on the
United Kingdom charts. Two top 20 singles followed;
Love on Delivery and Stop Me. And in the United
States, Billy scored with #1 singles, Therell be Sad
Songs, and Get Outta My Dreams and Into My Car.
Ocean joined Jive Records in 1984 gaining success
with the million selling Caribbean Queen which won a
Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal. He also struck gold in
1986 with When the Going gets Tough, the theme song
to the Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner/Danny Devito
movie Jewel of the Nile.
We have had our eyes on Billy Ocean for a long time
and I am just elated that we have finally got our man for
Groovin In The Park this year. Billy is a global superstar
who has sold over 30 million records. He has collected a
pile of Gold and Platinum records and hit the number one
spot worldwide on pop charts in the USA, Australia, Germany and Holland, said Christopher Roberts, CEO of
Groovin in the Park. Visit www.groovininthepark.com
or www.groovinradiony.com for concert information.
Grammy Award-winner Billy Ocean is a global megarstar

30th Anniversary

SummerStage is back on the scene

The non-profit City Parks Foundations
SummerStage performing arts festival is
celebrating its 30 th anniversary season
this year. To get fans pumped for the
summer and to shake off a case of the
late winter blues, SummerStage will released the names of 30 artists performing at the citywide festival which kickedoff on Tuesday, March 9th.
One artist will be announced daily over
the course of 30 days, culminating in the
full season announcement on Wednesday, April 8th. Artists will be broadcast
via all three of SummerStages social media accounts, giving fans an interactive
outlet to share their excitement for this
seasons upcoming shows.
SummerStage, a program of City Parks
Foundation, presents performances of
outstanding artistic quality, free of
charge, to serve the diverse communities of New York City. The artists represent a potpourri of cultures and perform
in an outdoor setting accessible to
people of all ages and backgrounds.
SummerStage strives to develop audiences appreciation for contemporary,
traditional, and emerging artists as well
as the communities in which these artists reside.
City Parks Foundation is the only independent, nonprofit organization whose
mission is to offer programs in parks
throughout the five boroughs of New
York City, and more than 350 parks
citywide, presenting a broad range of
programs in an effort to promote healthy
and vibrant communities. The programs
and community building initiatives
reaches 425,000 people each year. To
stay up to date on the artists visit
www.SummerStage.org for festival information (D.T.)

The Black Public Relations Society of Los Angeles (BPRS-LA), in conjunction with CBS Entertainment Diversity, celebrated
four senior communications executives who have made significant contributions to the PR industry at the 2nd annual Pat Tobin
PR Excellence Awards. The event was held Thursday, March 12 at CBS Studios Center in Studio City, California. Honorees
included Roslyn Bibby-Madison, vice president of media relations for FX Networks, Cassandra Butcher, vice president of
national publicity for Fox Searchlight Pictures, Rita Cooper Lee, senior vice president of communications for WGN America
and Tribune Studios and Kenneth R. Reynolds, president/CEO of Boutique Agency Public Relations+. [Pictured] Kenneth R.
Reynolds, Cassandra Butcher, Roslyn Bibby-Madison and Rita Cooper Lee

21

Magnetic Helen Mirren gives royal

command performance in The Audience
The Audience starring
Helen Mirren at The
Schoenfeld Theatre Marquis
Helen Mirren is to the
Broadway stage what Meryl
Streep is to the big screen!
And like Streeps comparison
to being the greatest living
actress in the movie industry,
Mirren is considered the best
actress to grace a stage always adding majestic vivacity to her portrayal in any
role. Presently, shes making
dreams come true for
theatergoers who like their
plays done well in a new play
by Peter Morgan which
opened on Sun., Mar. 8, 2015

at Broadways Gerald Schoenfeld

Theatre, 236 West 45th Street, New
York City for a limited engagement
through June 28, 2015, followed
by a noble after party at Urbo New
York. Mirren is brilliant as Queen
Elizabeth II in the production majestically directed by two-time
Tony Award winner Stephen
Daldry. Daldrys seamless directing is spot-on!
The Audience gives new
meaning to a royal command
performance as it reunites
Mirren with Morgan. The charismatic actress first worked
with him in Stephen Frears film
The Queen for which she
won an Oscar in 2007. Now,
shes replicating that iconic
role in The Audience for which
its heavily rumored that she
might add a Tony to that Oscar.
For sixty years Elizabeth II
has met each of her twelve

Prime Ministers in a weekly

audience at Buckingham Palace a meeting like no other
in British public life. Both parties have an unspoken agreement never to repeat what is
said. Not even to their
spouses. The Audience breaks
this contract of silence and
imagines a series of pivotal
meetings between the Downing Street incumbents and their
Queen. From Churchill to
Cameron, each Prime Minister
has used these private conversations as a sounding board
and a confessional sometimes intimate, sometimes explosive. In turn, the Queen
cant help but reveal her own
self as she advises, consoles
and, on occasion, teases.
In addition to Helen Mirren
(Queen Elizabeth II), the cast
for T h e A u d i e n c e i n c l u d e s

Dylan Baker (John Major),

Geoffrey Beevers (The
Queens Equerry), Michael
Elwyn (Sir Anthony Eden),
Judith Ivey (Margaret
Thatcher), Dakin Matthews
(Winston Churchill), Richard
McCabe (Harold Wilson), Rod
McLachlan (Gordon Brown),
Rufus Wright (David Cameron
/ To n y B l a i r ) , A n t h o n y
Cochrane (Cecil Beaton /
Bishop / Detective), Graydon
Long (Footman), Jason
Loughlin(Footman), Michael
Rudko (Private Secretary /
Archbishop), Henny Russell
(Queens Secretary / Mistress
of the Robes), Tracy Sallows
(Bobo McDonald), Sadie Sink
(Young Elizabeth), Elizabeth
Teeter (Young Elizabeth), and
Tony Ward (James Callaghan /
Bishop / Camera Loader / Policeman / Detective).

The imperial creative team is

composed of Bob Crowley
(sets); Rick Fisher (lighting);
Paul Arditti (sound); Paul
Englishby (original music);
Ivana Primorac (hair & makeup);
Jill Cordle (production stage
manager). Boneau/BryanBrown is the press representative.
The Audience is presented by
Matthew Byam Shaw, Robert
Fox, Andy Harries, Beverly
Bartner, Scott M. Delman, Ed
Mirvish Enterprises Ltd.,
Stephanie McClelland, MSG
WLE, Jon B. Platt, Carole
Shorenstein Hays, The Shubert
Organization, and Alice
Tulchin, with associate producers Nick Salmon, Nia Janis,
Marieke Spencer, and Georgia
Gatti, of a play in two acts by
Peter Morgan. (Photos by Bruce
Glikas courtesy Broadway.com)

Dame Helen Mirren, husband Taylor

Hackford

Helen Mirren (center) stars as Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience. Here, shes flanked
by her Prime Ministers and others (from left) Rod McLachlan as Gordon Brown; Anthony
Cochrane as Cecil Beaton; Richard McCabe as Harold Wilson; Tony Ward as James
Callaghan; Judith Ivey as Margaret Thatcher; Rufus Wright as David Cameron and Tony
Blair; Michael Rudko as an archbishop; Dakin Matthews as Winston Churchill; Jason
Loughlin as a footman; Michael Elwyn as Anthony Eden; Geoffrey Beevers as an aide; and
The Audience's Rufus Wright, Richard
Dylan Baker as John Major.
McCabe

Dame Helen Mirren at opening night after

party at Urbo New York(Photo by Getty Im- Dylan Baker, Rufus Wright, Elizabeth Teeages)
ter, Helen Mirren, Sadie Sink, Michael Elwyn,
Richard McCabe and Judith Ivey take a cast
photo

The Audience direc- The Audience producer Robert The Audience star Judith
tor Stephen Daldry, Fox, wife Fiona Golfar
Ivey, daughter Margaret
daughter Annabel
Clare Daldry

Dylan Baker, Rufus Wright, Michael Playwright Peter Mor- The Audience's Tracy Sallows
gan
Elwyn, Richard McCabe

Nora Ariffin, Duncan Sheik

Betty Jacobs (right, widow of

Shubert Org. President Bernard
Jacobs) with family

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

THEATER TALK

Flick-Chat

BEACON, March 19, 2015 - March 25, 2015 newyorkbeacon.net

22

Oscar winner Common excellent in thriller

By Kam Williams
Senior Movie Critic
Run All Night features an
excellent supporting cast which
includes Nick Nolte, 2015 Oscar-winner Common (for the
Best Song Glory), heard in
the movie Selma and veteran
character actors Vincent
DOnofrio and Bruce McGill.
Liam Neeson delivers afresh in
an edge-of-your-seat, high
body-count thriller every bit as
good as they come!
Hit man Jimmy Conlon (Liam
Neeson) and mob boss Shawn
Maguire (Ed Harris) have been
BFFs for decades. In fact, the
blood brothers from Brooklyn
are so close that they routinely
recite their loyalty oath, Wherever were going, were going
together as a reminder of their
enduring alliance.
However, that seemingly unbreakable bond is shattered in
an instant after Shawns son
Danny (Boyd Holbrook) is
gunned down in the wake of a
drug deal gone bad with a
couple of Albanian heroin dealers. Trouble is, Jimmys son
Mike (Joel Kinnaman), who
makes an honest living as a
chauffeur with a limo company,
just happened to be in the
wrong place at the wrong time.
For, he had no idea what was
up when he was hired to serve
as the pairs getaway driver.
Nevertheless, revengeminded Shawn decides that his
best friends kid has to pay with
his life. So, he informs Jimmy

Actor Common

that hes sending his assassins

after Mike to even the score. Of
course, Jimmy warns his son.
Mike then calls the cops, ignoring his fathers advice to avoid
the local police since theyre
bought and likely in cahoots with
the Maguire crime family. When
that turns out to be true, father
and son end up on the run all
over the city from both the authorities and bloodthirsty bad
guys.
Thus unfolds Run All
Night, the latest high-octane
offering from Liam Neeson whos
again typecast in a role that hes
become closely associated with
ever since his phenomenal performance as an overprotective
parent in Taken. This pictures
premise puts a slight twist on the
familiar theme in that Jimmys not
exactly an empathetic protagonist given his long career as a
feared enforcer known as The
Gravedigger.
Still, hes sorely in need of a
shot at redemption, especially in
the eyes of his estranged son
who rejected the notion of ever
following in his fathers footsteps. Instead, Mike tried to
make it as a boxer, and when that
didnt pan out he took the legit
job as a limo driver.
Run All Night was directed
by Jaume Collet-Serra who previously worked with Liam
Neeson on both Unknown
(2011) and Non-Stop (2014).
Three times is definitely the
charm for the pair as this adrenaline-fueled adventure proves to
be their best collaboration yet.
Excellent (4 stars). Rated R
for profanity, sexual references, graphic violence and
drug use. In English and Albanian with subtitles. Running
time: 114 minutes. Distributor:
Warner Brothers Pictures.

Shailene Woodley radiates chemistry as Heroine

By Kam Williams
Insurgent is the second in the
action-oriented series of screen adaptations based on Veronica Roths
blockbuster Divergent trilogy.
This installment represents a rarity
for a cinematic sequel in that its
actually better than the first episode.
In case youre unfamiliar with the
franchises basic premise, the postapocalyptic sci-fi is set amidst the
crumbling ruins of a walled-in Chicago where whats left of humanity
has been strictly divided into five
factions based on personality
types, namely, Abnegation (the selfless); Amity (the peaceful); Candor
(the honest); Dauntless (the
brave); and Erudite (the intelligent).
Our intrepid heroine, Tris
(Shailene Woodley) was deemed a
threat to society after testing positive for several of the aforementioned qualities since that makes
her a Divergent, one of the handful
of nonconformists whose minds
the government cannot control.
Consequently, the headstrong
rebel ended up orphaned and roaming the streets with fellow faction-

less rogues by the end of the original. Insurgent picks up right where
Divergent left off, though upping
the ante in terms of intensity and visually-captivating special f/x.
At the point of departure, we find
Tris on the run with her boyfriend
Four (Theo James), her brother Caleb
(Ansel Elgort) and the duplicitous
Peter Hayes (Miles Teller). The fugitives are being sought by Jeanine
(Kate Winslet), the monomaniacal
Erudite leader who has seized control of the city by commandeering
the Dauntless warrior class.
The Machiavellian despot has declared martial law until all threats to
her power have been neutralized.
Meanwhile, Tris and company proceed to elude apprehension as they
search for a sacred talisman supposedly hidden somewhere by her late
mom (Ashley Judd).
The ancient artifact is rumored to
contain an important message from
Chicagos founding fathers. However, the box can only be accessed
by a Divergent who succeeds at surviving an ordeal testing for all five
of the commonwealths designated
virtues.
Sure, its obvious that Tris is

Actress Shailene Woodley

bright, fearless and altruistic. But she

could perish in the process of attempting to prove herself a pacifist and
truthful, too. Fans of the source material will undoubtedly be surprised
by this complicated box challenge
which wasnt in the book. Nevertheless, the seamlessly-interwoven plot
device works in terms of ratcheting
up the tension.
The film features an A-list supporting cast that includes Oscar-winners
Kate Winslet and Octavia Spencer
and nominee Naomi Watts, along with
effective performances on the part of
Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Zoe Kravitz
and Miles Teller. Still, make no mistake. Insurgent is a Shailene
Woodley vehicle from beginning to
end.
And the rising young star exhibits
an impressive acting range in a physically as well as emotionally-demanding role promising to do for her what
The Hunger Games did for Jennifer
Lawrence.
Very Good (3 stars). Rated PG-13
for sensuality, pervasive violence,
intense action, mature themes and
brief profanity. Running time: 119
minutes. Distributor: Lions Gate
Films

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NY, a copy of which may be examMortgages
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GRAND OPENING

Residence Inn Hotel opens in Lower Manhattan

Marriott Residence Inn ribbon cutting

Residence Inn by Marriott World
Trade held its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thurs., Feb. 12, 2015,
marking Marriotts official return to
the Financial District since 9/11 and
celebrating the comeback of tourism to lower Manhattan. Representatives from Manhattan Community Board, Marriott, NYC & Co.,
and Sage Hospitality were present
for the occasion. In the last year,
lower Manhattan has seen the addition of One World Trade Center,
the 9/11 Memorial, the new Fulton
Center, and several new dining and
shopping establishments, and is
estimated to have more than 115,000
rooms by 2017. Located within
walking distance from One World

Trade and the 9/11 Memorial, Wall

Street and the New York Stock Exchange, as well as trendy neighborhoods such as SoHo, Greenwich Village and Tribeca, Residence Inn by
MarriottWorld Trade is in an ideal location for both business and leisure
travelers. The hotel offers 243 spacious studio and one-bedroom suites
each with separate living areas and
deluxe kitchenettes equipped with
pots, pans, coffee makers, dishwashers, convection-bake ovens, and refrigerators perfect for cooking homemade meals while on the road. In addition, the hotel offers a variety of
complimentary amenities including
grocery shopping services, daily hot
breakfast, a state-of-the-art 24-hour

fitness center overlooking

Maiden Lane and Broadway, and
high-speed Internet access in an
effort to provide guests with the
comforts and conveniences of
home. Located at 170 Broadway,
the all-suite Residence Inn New
York Manhattan/World Trade
Center Area will operate as a
Marriott franchise, owned by Premier Group and managed by Sage
Hospitality of Denver, Colorado.
Rates vary depending on length
of stay. We are pleased with the
continued growth of Residence
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said Diane Mayer, vice president
and global brand manager, Residence Inn. When on the road
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need space to spread out, maintain their lifes pace and restore
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Visit Marriott International, Inc.
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Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, New
York County on 10/13/2011, bearing
Index Number NC-002407-11/NY, a
copy of which may be examined at
the Office of the Clerk, located at
111 Centre Street, New York, NY
10013, grants me (us) the right to:
Assume the name Dilania
Rodriguez. My present name is
Dilania Rodriquez AKA Dilania
Rodriguez. My place of birth is
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, my date of birth is March 22, 1975;
Assume the name of Dillian Vittini.
My present name is Dillian Rodrguez
AKA Dilania Rodriguez. My place
of birth is New York, NY, my date of
birth is April 3, 2006 and the present
address is 2754 Grand Concourse,
Apt. 3A Bronx, NY 10458.

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, New
York County on 3/11/2015, bearing
Index Number NC-000274-15/NY, a
copy of which may be examined at
the Office of the Clerk, located at
111 Centre Street, New York, NY
10013, grants me the right to: Assume the name of Alexandra Nina
Fine. My present name is Alexandra
Nina Aseel-Fine AKA Alexa Aseel
Fine, Alexa Fine, Alexa Nina Aseel.
My place of birth is Manhasset, NY,
my date of birth is Feb. 2, 1995 and
my present address is 140 East 14th
Notice is hereby given that an Or- Street Apt. 622B, New
der entered by the Civil Court, New York, NY 10003.
York County on 3/13/2015, bearing Index Number NC-000507-15/ Notice is hereby given that an OrNY, a copy of which may be exam- der entered by the Civil Court, New
ined at the Office of the Clerk, lo- York County on 3/11/2015, bearing
cated at 111 Centre Street, New Index Number NC-000393-15/NY, a
York, NY 10013, grants me the right copy of which may be examined at
to: Assume the name of Michelle the Office of the Clerk, located at
Yu. My present name is Hui-Ying 111 Centre Street, New York, NY
Yu. My place of birth is New York, 10013, grants me the right to: AsNY, my date of birth is Nov. 16, sume the name of Leopold Atlas
1997 and my present address is Pincus. My present name is
1352-65th Street, Brooklyn, NY Leopold Alexander Pincus. My
11219.
place of birth is New York, NY, my
date of birth is Sept. 14, 2011 and
my present address is 205 W. 19th
Street 9th FL New York, NY 10011.

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BEACON

Marc Rasbury

SPORTS
The Wild Wild East

By Marc Rasbury
Apparently there is no off-season when it comes to the NFL. In
the midst of March Madness, the
pending NBA post season and
baseballs spring training, professional football still dominated the
headlines last week. Based on
some of the moves that the AFC
and NFC East Divisions teams
made, most of the NFL fans on the
East Coast cant wait for September.
Most of those seismic rumblings occurred on the East Coast
where trades and free agent
signings drastically altered the
rosters of the two Eastern Divisions.
As the 2014 season came to
close, it was a foregone conclusion that Jets Head Coach Rex
Ryans days were numbered. Ryan
and General Manager John Idzik
were released from their duties after the last regular season game.
That was only the beginning of
an off-season of flux and change.
A couple of weeks later, Ryan
found himself trading his green
outfits for blue as he took his comedy act to Western New York when
he signed with Buffalo Bills. It is
going to be weird to see the Big

Fella sporting the Bills red, white

and blue verses the Jets green and
white. However, that is the reality
of the new NFL where you could
be the face of one franchise one
day then the face of another in a
New York minute.
Ryans move was only the beginning of what was the crazy start
of the NFL off-season. His former
team, the New York Jets, were
among the most active organizations in the League over the last
two weeks. First, Gang Green acquired standout Wide Receiver
Brandon Marshall for a late round
pick. This move gives the Jets a
legitimate number one wideout and
down field threat that the offense
desperately needs. Then they
brought home the prodigal son,
Darrelle Revis, back to the Big
Apple.
This move not only strengthens
an already potent Jets defense but
also weakens the defending
champs New England Patriots defense. The Jets also signed
Clevelands Defensive Back Buster
Skrine. This move shores up their
defense to point where the secondary which was the units weakness
last season should be a strength
this upcoming campaign. To the
surprise to everyone, the Jets also

Chip Kelly
resigned Linebacker David Harris. Most folks felt that Harris
would follow Rex and shuffle off
to Buffalo. With secondary now
an asset and add them to that explosive front seven, expect the
Jets defense should be among the
best in the business under new
Head Coach Todd Bowles, who
is perceived to be a more discipline and organized Rex Ryan.
In addition to bringing in
Marshall, the Jets signed
Houstons QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to
challenge incumbent and embattled Geno Smith. I feel that

Smith will beat out Fitzpatrick.

However, this is it for the third
year pro. Smith has no more excuses. He has two years of experience under his belt. He also has
legitimate downfield weapons in
Marshall and Eric Decker. Geno it
time to step up or shut up!
The Jets were not only AFC
East team making moves this
past week. The Miami Dolphins
signed mega star Defensive
Tackle Ndamunong Suh, who
should make a good pass rush
even more lethal.
New England made headlines more for whom they lost
instead of whom they signed.
Losing Revis was a big blow
but to also let Vince Wilfork
and Shane Vereen walk out the
door is going hurt their chances
of defending their Super Bowl
title.
Rex Ryan did not stand pat
while his AFC counterparts
made all of those moves. He got
LeSean McCoy from the Philadelphia Eagles for second year
LB Kiko Alonso, who is coming back from a serious knee
injury. When healthy, Alonso
is a solid player but is he worthy of McCoy?
Speaking of Philadelphia,

what is Head Coach Chip Kelly

celebrating in the City of Brotherly Love? First he trades McCoy
then he lets WR Jeremy Maclin
sign with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Add to fact that the organization
jettisoned Desean Jackson on the
first bus out of Philly last year,
one has to wonder what is going
on in Kellys mind, He virtually
let three Pro Bowl players just
walk out the door. Then he traded
for often-injured Sam Bradford to
run the show. Good luck with
that. Some feel that he is acting
like one of those corporate raiders of the 80s who were brought
into a company to sell off different pieces or units for a profit.
Kelly did make one good move.
He signed DeMarcus Murray last
seasons leading rusher. Why the
Cowboys let him go will be the
biggest question going into next
season but who am I to question
a genius like Jerry Jones.
All of these moves made my
head spin last week. Some of
them made me scratch my head. I
assure you there will be probably
more block buster moves in the
weeks to come leading up to the
draft. It just goes to show you
that there is no off-season with
the NFL season.

Big East, Atlantic 10 tournaments bring March Madness to NYC

By Derrel Jazz Johnson
March Madness invaded New
York City last week at the Big East
and Atlantic 10 Tournaments,
which took place at Madison
Square Garden and Barclays Center, respectively.
The Big East Tournament at the
Worlds Most Famous Arena featured 10 teams playing in 9 games
over the course of four days. Ultimately, it was the Villanova Wildcats who cut down the nets, running away in the final against the
Xavier Musketeers, 69-52.
The Wildcats had their biggest
scare in the semifinals against the
2014 Big East Tournament winners, the Providence Friars.
Villanova benefited from a terrible
foul call against the Friars that
sent Ryan Arcidiacono to the freethrow line with 3.1 seconds left
and the game tied. He nailed both
free throws, and the Friars were
unable to hit a desperation shot
to win the game.
Villanova head coach Jay
Wright waxed poetic about the
Big East Tournament and how important it is to him. I grew up
coming to this tournament as a
fan. When I coached at Hofstra, I
would make sure, even if we were
in the championship game, which
was always 11am, Id come here
to this tournament to watch
Villanova. This is my favorite tournament. I love the NCAA Tournament, obviously, but this is
where were all from. Were all

Jay Wright
from the Northeast. New York,
Madison Square Garden is the
Mecca, and so to come here and
just play in it is a thrill for us. To
win it, I cant even tell you. I dont
know if its really sunk in yet. I do
know were going to have to forget about it, though, on Monday.
Josh Hart, who scored 53 points
in three games during the tournament, won the Most Valuable
Player Award. Coach Wright discussed the potential of Hart, who

also one Sixth Man of the Year

for the Big East Conference coming off the bench for the Wildcats. Honestly, hes about halfway there to what he can be. He
really can be a great player. He
had a great freshman year. We all
hear about the sophomore jinx,
and he came back and had a better sophomore year, which is really difficult to do, because this
year people knew who he was,
and when he came in the game

and knew he was coming in to

give us energy. And to do it in all
these big games, it just shows you
talent, character, and it also shows
you how much better he can get.
Six teams from the Big East
Conference who played at Madison Square Garden will be heading to the NCAA Tournament, including Villanova, Georgetown,
Providence, St. Johns, Butler, and
Xavier. Coach Wright talked
about the possibility of the team
facing the 34-0 Kentucky Wildcats. We could win it. But we
could get beat by anybody. Its
just the way college basketball is.
Were not Kentucky in terms of
depth and talent, but we could
beat them. But we could lose to a
15 or 16, too, if we dont play right.
I just think thats what we are. If
Villanova faces Kentucky, it
would be in the NCAA Tournament final on Monday, April 6th.
Over at Barclays Center in
Brooklyn, the Atlantic 10 Tournament featured 14 teams and 13
games over 5 days. For the thirdstraight year, Shaka Smart and the
Virginia Commonwealth University Rams advanced to the Sunday afternoon final, but unlike the
previous two years, VCU was victorious, defeating the Dayton Flyers 71-65. It was the fourth win in
as many days for the Rams, who
opened the tournament Thursday
night as a five seed.
Coach Smart compared the
feeling of winning this year to losing the previous two years in the

tournament final. Certainly, the

goal, when you come up here to
Brooklyn, is to win a championship.
We were the 2seed each of the last
two years. We really liked our
chances. We felt good about our
opportunity.
But we came up short. And I
think in both those games, the other
team outplayed us, Saint Louis and
Saint Joes the last couple of years.
The one thing we wanted to fix and
do better was have a higher level of
resolve and be able to respond
within the game. I thought we did a
better job of that.
Last year when we lost, its a
tricky situation, because its Sunday, youre about to find out who
youre going to play. You have to
turn the page quickly and you cant
be down about the loss for too long
because you have to move on to
the NCAA Tournament. This year
we won and we are extremely excited about the win. You want to
cherish championships, and we are
so happy about that.
But at the same time, we have to
turn the page. We are going to find
out in less than two hours where
we play, where were going. Were
going to get on a flight and go back
home. Were going to rest our bodies and were going to prepare, because were not done. We want to
go make some noise. We want to
continue this season. Hopefully our
guys can learn some lessons from
today and apply them wherever we
go in the NCAA Tournament. For
VCU, third times a charm.