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For NFL veterans who have been through numerous training camps, running drills, fine-tuning skills, and building team chemistry in the sweltering dog days of summer can be monotonous and  mentally draining. For rookies, many trying to make the 53-man roster, training camp offers an opportunity to learn what is required to be a successful professional. Constant preparation, discipline, and being detailed and persistently punctual are just some of the qualities that are instilled in first-year players.

Yet they, like their more experienced teammates, look forward to getting to the preseason opener. While many established players often sit out much of the preseason, it still provides a measure of where teams are and their chances to make the playoffs and—even more aspirationally—be a Super Bowl contender. 

The Giants are first up for the New York-area football teams, because they host the Detroit Lions tonight at 7:00 p.m. at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets will be at MetLife at noon Saturday to face the Washington Commanders.

The Giants and Lions held joint practices on Monday and Tuesday, and scuffles broke out between opposing players on both days. On Monday, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was the instigator by shoving Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill. On Tuesday, rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, the Giants’ top pick in April’s NFL draft, selected No. 6 overall, exchanged blows with Lions safety Kerby Joseph.

“Oh, Lord. Daniel got jiggy with it,” joked defensive lineman Brian Burns, a two-time Pro Bowler whom the Giants acquired in a trade with the Carolina Panthers this past March. They subsequently signed him to a five-year, $141 million deal with $87 million guaranteed.

“I’m going to need him to back up,” Burns said of Jones, who missed the 11 games last season due to injuries, the final eight because of a torn ACL in his right knee. “But Daniel, he’s a competitor, man. He’s a fighter, so I don’t expect anything less from him. But I don’t need him in that. I don’t need him to get hit. Keep him healthy.”

Jones said he was dutifully supporting his teammate, offensive lineman Greg Van Roten, who McNeill had shoved to the turf.

“A situation happens like that, you try to stand up for your guys,” said Jones. “I thought it was good competitive practice all day today, and we made some plays and did some good things.”

While the Giants, under head coach Brian Daboll, are hoping to be a team that can go deep into the season with the playoffs still dangling in front of them, the Jets are fully expecting to be in the mix for a run at the Super Bowl.

They begin joint practices today with the Commanders and will get an up-close look at the No. 2 pick in April’s draft—quarterback Jayden Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner from Arizona State to whom Washington is giving the keys to drive the franchise.

“It’s going to be fun,” said Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

The post Jets and Giants close in on preseason openers appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

The recently launched VOCAL-US promises to build a national movement, and at the forefront is director of organizing Jawanza James Williams, who plans to reignite progressive movements on a federal level. 

VOCAL-US stems from VOCAL-NY (formerly the NYC AIDS Housing Network), a local organization contracted by the city as a leading harm reduction and syringe exchange service provider. The nonprofit also runs campaigns led by people directly impacted by related issues to push for progressive legislation throughout the city and state, including the Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act. Over the past few years, VOCAL expanded in two other states, Kentucky and Texas. Now, the work reaches a national level. 

Born in Beaumont, Texas, Williams started his advocacy later in life, but the ingredients were always present to question society’s conventions. 

“I’m queer. In a more reductive way back then, you would say I was gay—and I had a lot of homophobic experiences throughout my life, like a lot of queer kids do,” Williams said. “That automatically made me a little bit more sensitive. And also being Black [and attending] a predominantly white elementary school up until third grade, so I had sensitivity to a racial difference at a very young age…and then being queer and becoming more clear that I was gay, around middle school—that always primed me to have a suspicion of norms.”

As a result of those experiences, Williams said, “I’ve always been a defender of people that I think are being wronged, no matter who’s doing it—someone I love the most could be treating someone wrong, and I’m going to hold them accountable…I already tried thinking [about] that. I just didn’t know about organizing or social movements.” 

Williams got involved in such efforts while attending Schreiner University as an undergrad, where he started a political group on campus and joined a “green” society. Attending law school was his goal back then, but $5,000 in student debt derailed that dream. Williams worked in fast food after graduation to pay off debt. Then a positive HIV diagnosis coincided with a lack of health insurance due to his father’s retirement. 

At age 23, Williams needed a break from mounting financial and social concerns. He took a bus to New York City to visit a friend and ended up finding a place to live, but his housing arrangement fell through after he began receiving health care from the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), which requires New York residency. Interrupting HIV treatment can be catastrophic. 

Unable to return to Texas without risking his health care, Williams lived in a Harlem shelter. The situation opened his eyes to just how many Black and Brown people experienced homelessness and faced voucher discrimination. But while the lightbulb went off in his head, he felt helpless about his rage. 

Williams recalls the fateful day when a VOCAL-NY organizer reached out to him at the shelter. He remembers three knocks. She told him the organization fights to “end AIDS, homelessness, incarceration, and the drug war through community organizing.” It was what he was looking for.

“I signed our clipboard where we collect name, phone number, and address, and they started calling me,” Williams said. “And eventually, I joined the organization. I attended a membership meeting, and just [saw] so many things that I naturally [came] to realize were presented to me very clearly in this organizing context. And once I got a taste of collective power [through] building love, care, compassion, politics, and political education, I just thrived in it.”

Working on a campaign to expand access to local HIV services sealed the deal as an organizer for Williams. With his lived experience, he became a visible member leader for the movement. They ultimately won that campaign after a few years of advocacy. Overnight, 7,000 people became eligible for life-saving services and housing. 

These days, Williams is a regular sight behind the bullhorn at protests. He also tackles the world’s problems in the classroom as a doctoral student studying political science. 

While Williams now takes his advocacy on a nationwide tour, his work in New York City comes from a special place. For him, it was as much about paying it back as paying it forward. He pointed to the legions of Black and Brown New Yorkers who extended their helping hands when he moved here.

“I’ve been paying them back ever since, through my work,” he said. “New York took care of me, so I’m trying to take care of New York.”

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1. 

The post Organizer Jawanza Williams heads VOCAL-NY’s new national chapter appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Rashèedah Brown, affectionately known as “RB, the Realtor,” always tells people that she started her career with just two dollars.

Now a licensed realtor, investor, property manager, and secretary of the executive board of the Harlem Greater Real Estate Board, RB’s journey began from her own experience in becoming a homeowner. “I started as a homebuyer myself, so I am passionate about providing the education and tools to the community,” she says.

RB, a former school teacher with two master’s degrees, turned to real estate in 2003 after reading an article about a teacher who purchased a multifamily property. She bought a two-family home, rented out one unit, and within two years, sold it to buy another property with more units. This initial success lit a fire in RB, prompting her to dive deeper into real estate investing.

Her first attempt was to purchase a multifamily property, but she faced several challenges and setbacks. Undeterred, she looked for opportunities to convert single-family homes into multifamily properties in her desired neighborhood. She eventually bought a single-family home in New York City, learned how to legally convert it into a multifamily property, and became both a homeowner and landlord. This achievement inspired many of her family members and friends to follow suit.

“I remember when I was looking to purchase a property, I didn’t have much support or direction, and I really want to help the experience be different for people who are getting started,” she said. This drive led her to become a licensed real estate salesperson to better support and guide new investors.

RB’s journey in real estate allowed her to create more income from her rentals than she earned from her teaching job. She perfected the craft of managing profitable properties, scaling her portfolio, and leveraging her 9-to-5 job to bankroll her real estate dreams. This success also motivated her to support others in the community to achieve similar goals.

Despite her love for education and belief that her role in the education field was of great help to the community, RB saw a greater need to empower urban communities to transition from renting to owning, because there was less representation and fewer initiatives to help others in this area. In 2010, she began hosting networking events to bring together professionals from various fields. “As I got more involved in the real estate sector, I realized that there was close to no opportunity for people of color in the industry,” she said. “I saw the void for people of color to connect in productive, formatted events, so I decided to create that opportunity.”

In 2014, she fully transitioned into a real estate career to reach more people and implement initiatives with positive impact.

Her events, such as the 2023 Potential Homebuyers Lunch and Learn and the 2024 Real Estate Expo at Columbia University, have reached thousands of potential homebuyers and future investors. “I like to think that it is a resource for people of color in real estate and the entrepreneur community to come together to build success as a collective,” she said.

In 2021, RB joined the Greater Harlem Real Estate Board (GHREB) and was appointed secretary of its executive board. “They were impressed by how I organized massive events and managed them effectively, alongside my real estate business and portfolio,” RB said. “When I joined, I realized there were many amazing people of color in the industry performing at high levels, and most people wouldn’t know that.”

In May 2024, RB was honored in the Contemporary Giant category at the 500 Men organization’s 7th Annual Ladies Brunch Power Broker’s Edition. Her next event, the Real Estate and Entrepreneur Networking event on July 18, 2024, at Pando 39, featured speakers like Dr. Natasha Williams and Shamonda Graham. This event aimed to provide resources and networking opportunities for all attendees.

RB emphasized the power of collaboration, which has helped her scale her real estate portfolio. “There is power in collaboration, so I have specialized in collaborating with amazing organizations and elected officials to create positive impact and empower social mobility,” she explained. “These events help promote homeownership and entrepreneurship within our communities, providing opportunities for all who attend.”For more information about RB’s events and programming, visit RBtheRealtor.com.

The post Rashèedah Brown: How one Harlemite makes real estate dreams a reality appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

The centennial of James Baldwin’s birth—he was born on August 2, 1924, in Harlem—was celebrated around the globe this week, and there are even more plans to extend his legacy for the rest of the year. The Literary Society of Harlem conducted perhaps one of the smallest, although not the least lacking in passion and remembrance, at the artist’s gravesite in Hartsdale, N.Y. Baldwin died at his home in southern France, but his funeral services were held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. 

Harlem’s living griot and tireless advocate for the community, Lana Turner, and the society assembled Saturday afternoon to share their memories of Baldwin. Holding hands and encircling the gravesite that Baldwin shares with his mother, Berdis, the 12 women took turns relaying their impressions of the writer and activist. Before presenting her reflections, Turner discussed several earlier activities hosted by the society, including tours of places where Baldwin lived before he left for France in 1948. 

“James lived in several Harlem apartments in our community,” Turner began. “He lived with his family at 2171 Fifth Avenue, and most notably along Park Avenue above 126th Street.” The tours included schools Baldwin attended—P.S. 24 (now the Renaissance High School) and the Frederick Douglass Junior High School, where Baldwin was taught by poet Countee Cullen—and the Pentecostal Church, where Baldwin the boy preacher absorbed the hellfire and brimstone sermons.

At the cemetery, Turner also pointed out where other distinguished African Americans have their final resting places: Paul and Eslanda Robeson; Lawrence Brown, the pianist who often accompanied Robeson; Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee; Malcolm and Betty Shabazz; and jurist William Hastie. “We stand on hallowed ground,” more than one of the spectators said. 

Among those assembled was Elaine Gamble, who later expressed her heartfelt feelings about it “as a lovely gathering and discussion.” 

Ruth Cunningham used the occasion to share some of her history that Baldwin inspired when she was coming of age on 116th Street. Roberta Todd, one of the longstanding members of the society, offered comments on questions raised about Baldwin’s notion of poverty, its relativity, and how it affected the Harlem community. 

There was a chorus of “Amens” from Sullivan Summer, Velma Cobb, Alexa Donaphin, Katrina Huffman, Elizabeth and Sharon Howard, Jacqueline Polite, Lisa Edmiston, Shirley and Tiffany Martinbrough, and several others who couldn’t attend, like Alicia Miller, who thanked Lana for “connecting my soul” to the event.

Thyra Henry, in an email, echoed the salute and praise for Lana Turner, saying, “I wish I could have participated in all of the events, but your reporting made me feel as though I was there.”

The post Standing with spirit of James Baldwin on hallowed ground appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here