After years of struggling to make ends meet in various jobs, my life changed when I joined the New York City Carpenters Union. Through the Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) and the BuildingWorks pre-apprenticeship programs, I’ve gained access to a stable career path with great pay and benefits that allows me to provide for my family. Without and the union, I wouldn’t be able to afford to live in the city I’m building. To maintain the lifeblood of New York City, we need to keep it livable for working people. I am proud to say that and the union and working for a union contractor are helping make that goal become a reality.

I’m a proud second year apprentice now, gaining all the skills I need to be the best in the industry. The great wages I receive as an apprentice allow me and my family to afford living in New York, the city where I work and help build. The solid benefits I receive through my paid apprenticeship are also crucial for my ability to thrive here, as I finally have quality healthcare for my kids and I. Thanks to the union, I was able to finally go to the primary care doctor for the first time in years. My level of gratitude for the union is high because I know that such strong benefits are unfortunately not the industry norm.

A recent study found that 41% of construction workers and their families in New York need government assistance just to make ends. To make matters even worse, 25% also have no healthcare whatsoever, due to nonunion construction being rife with exploitative practices. Union carpenters and contractors combat this by providing good wages and benefits for their workers, along with advocating for fair wages for all construction workers, union and nonunion alike. The more construction workers we bring into the union and the more fair wage standards we achieve, the more we can relieve the taxpayer burden of providing government assistance programs. I am proud to be a part of the  union working to make this happen.

I am also grateful for the supportive work environment within the union and on the job. I’ve had the opportunity to be part of a great mentorship program with the union’s Sisters in the Brotherhood. They’re always there to help with any issues or questions I may have. One day, I hope to become a mentor as well by becoming an instructor. I’ve seen the value that female instructors bring to aspiring female carpenters like myself. I can’t wait until I’m able to inspire the next generation, just like I was inspired.

Along with great instructors, a diverse working environment, and mentorship opportunities, the union also makes it a point to prioritize safety whether in the classroom, in training, or on the job. We’re always equipped with the right protective gear, safety trainings, and knowledge about the safety considerations for every project we work on.

All New York City carpenters and construction workers deserve good-paying, rewarding careers. I’m happy to say that I’ve found exactly that thanks to the Carpenters Union and look forward to building my career and a better future for New York alongside my union brothers and sisters.

The post Union Carpenters and Contractors Deliver Affordability for New Yorkers appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Lynn Nottage always creates work that teaches us, as Black people, lessons that hit hard but have to be learned. With her production of “Fabulation or the Re-Education of Undine,” she teaches that we should never forget where we came from when we are successful: Don’t be that Black person who has financial success, treats people like garbage, and gloats in your own sense of importance, because it can all be taken away from you in a moment. 

I love the fact that the Billie Holiday Theatre used this work as its first full production re-opener after being closed for renovations since 2019. This theater is a treasure in Brooklyn, and is much appreciated.

Nottage’s play presents us with Undine, and we quickly get to know how shallow she is and then watch as her world turns upside down. When Undine reaches rock-bottom, all of her “friends” abandon her immediately. As the creditors come to take all she has, even her “best friend” watches, does nothing, and feels Undine should understand. Undine finds herself needing to go back to her family, of whom she has said unbelievable things, and she gets into situations with family members that are very much off the beaten track for her. The play follows as she pays the consequences for her actions and theirs.

She realizes that she has angered the Orishas and will have a heavy price to pay. What happens to her should be a lesson to all: Never turn your back on your history, your family, your neighborhood, or your African name. Don’t strive to be something you’re not. And never be ashamed of the people who knew you before all the education, fame, money, and notoriety.

The cast delivers Nottage’s work in a 100-minute torrent of emotions. Felicia Curry is captivating as Undine. She takes the audience through an emotional rollercoaster that is needed for her character to realize what truly is important in life. 

The rest of the ensemble cast perform at least two roles each—as ensemble members and a particular character. Mariyea is dynamic as Stephie, Undine’s much-abused assistant. Kimberlee Walker is gripping as Mother. Tito Livas brings the heat as Undine’s sexy, unscrupulous husband Herve/Guy. Evander Duck Jr. is intriguing as Father. Sharon Hope is enthralling as Grandma. Roland Lane is riveting as Flow, Undine’s brother. Alex Gibson does well as her Accountant.

The production has intriguing direction by Martavius Parrish, set design by Rodrigo Escalante, costume design by Christopher Vergara, lighting design by Amara McNeil, sound design by German Martinez, and hair and wig design by Nikiya Mathis.This production runs through May 19, so make plans to go on this journey with Undine soon. For ticket information, visit thebillieholiday.org.

The post BK’s Billie Holiday Theatre reopens with Lynn Nottage’s ‘Fabulation or the Re-Education of Undine,’ on through May 19 appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Members of the international Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity invite the community to attend a fundraiser at downtown Manhattan’s S.O.B. (Sounds of Brazil) on Tuesday, May 21. 

The fundraiser is to support the I Need an A organization.

Sigma Lambda Beta’s local alumni chapter won an $8,000 educational foundation award, which will help the group create an event that would aid with abortion access and in dismantling machismo. 

“The brothers—we got together, and we started compiling ideas and we landed at our event, ‘Breaking Down,’” Karl Michael Iglesias said about his fraternity’s decision to try to create programming focused on cultural awareness. 

Sigma Lambda Beta’s event is meant to create a gathering at S.O.B. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for a salsa dance workshop led by world champion professional salsa dancer Selena Tornez (who appears in the musical film “In the Heights”). Attendees can purchase tickets for the night’s raffle. 

From 7:45–8:30 p.m. the Lulada Club, New York City’s all-woman salsa orchestra, will play their first set. DJ Ace Fusion will serve as the DJ between sets, and during those times, there will be an education station where organizations like the New York Foundation for the Arts and the NY Abortion Access Fund will provide information about abortion access, artist career support, and voter registration resources. 

From 9:15–10 p.m., the Lulada Club will play their final set.

At the end of the night, all funds raised will be turned over to the I Need an A.com organization. 

I Need an A, which accepts tax-deductible donations, operates a website that was created by a team of people in the tech sector who have had abortions. Many of the site’s creators found it difficult to find information about reproductive care services when they really needed it, so they decided to design and build I Need an A to make it easier for other people to obtain access to abortions.

“We started in 2016, really with me and my co-founder-and-spouse building the thing that we wished we’d had when I googled how to get an abortion and the information online was a mess,” said Rebecca Nall, founder of I Need an A. “There was a lot of information about fake clinics, there was a lot of outdated information about the real clinics, and there wasn’t one list to find every clinic near me. Everything was really fragmented, so we started building a database of all the abortion clinics, all the abortion funds, and built a user experience that enables abortion seekers to find just the information that’s important to them based on their location and how long they’ve been pregnant. 

“Since Roe v. Wade was overturned,” Nall added, “we’ve become even more of a critical piece of infrastructure for both abortion seekers and the abortion movement, and we’ve been fundraising to continue investing in the innovation of our tool.”

When the brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta came up with the idea to work with an abortion-related organization, they said they also had trouble finding one on the internet. “We truly started off in the same way, with a Google search and trying to find an abortion-access advocate in our area or in the nation,” Iglesias said. “It was very noticeable how googling that kind of information was very hard in some ways. 

“What stood out was I Need an A coming right up there to the top of our search. Looking through it and seeing what they were standing for and the fact that they are a 501c3 project, we thought that the intersection was right on the nose between our two organizations, so we’re on the path to raise somewhere around $2,000 to $2,500.” 
For more information about the “Break It Down: Featuring LULADA CLUB” event, check out Sigma Lambda Beta’s Eventbrite page or contact S.O.B. at 212-243-4940.

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* This article was originally published here