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New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted Thursday on federal charges alleging that he took bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan alleges in the indicment that Adams “compounded his gains” from the illegal contributions by gaming the city’s matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small dollar donations.

FBI agents entered the mayor’s official residence and seized his phone early Thursday, hours before the indictment was made public. The indictment caps off an extraordinary few weeks in New York City, as federal investigators have homed in on members of Adams’ inner circle, producing a drum-beat of raids, subpoenas and high-level resignations that have thrust City Hall into crisis.

Here’s the latest:

Prosecutors also detailed steps Adams allegedly took to cover up his conduct

In 2019, while exchanging text messages to plan another possible to trip to Turkey, an Adams staffer texted the then-Borough President, “To be o(n the) safe side Please Delete all messages you send me,” according to the indictment.

According to prosecutors, Adams responded: “Always do.”

Adams was indicted on federal charges alleging he took bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources

The indictment alleges Adams “compounded his gains” from the illegal contributions by gaming the city’s matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small dollar donations. His campaign received more than $10,000 in matching funds as a result of the false certifications, according to the indictment.

Adams allegedly “solicited and demanded” bribes, including free and heavily discounted luxury travel benefits from a Turkish official, the indictment alleges, noting that the official was seeking Adams’ help pertaining to regulations of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan.

Despite indictment news, Adams touts new program on housing projects

Adams appears to be going about some usual business as he touted a new program to help affordable housing projects become more eco-friendly.

“We’re making sure that we don’t leave anyone behind as we build a greener, cleaner city for working-class New Yorkers,” the mayor said in a statement Thursday morning, without any mention of the indictment.

Adams is the first NYC mayor to be indicted

Adams is the first mayor in New York City history to be indicted while in office. If he were to resign, he would be replaced by the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, who would then schedule a special election.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office. Hochul spokesperson Avi Small issued a statement late Wednesday that said “Governor Hochul is aware of these concerning news reports and is monitoring the situation. It would be premature to comment further until the matter is confirmed by law enforcement.”

Adams was still at Gracie Mansion, his official residence, as of 9:30 a.m. Thursday

His former chief of staff, Frank Carone, and deputy mayor for communications, Fabien Levy, were seen entering.

The mood at City Hall, roughly 30 minutes south, was notably quieter. As a gaggle of reporters typed in a press room, the side of the building used by the mayor’s staff was largely silent, with only a handful of aides walking in and out of the normally lively corridor. A portion of the outdoor plaza used as parking for municipal employees featured far fewer city vehicles than usual.

US attorney’s office in New York says it will announce ‘significant public corruption charges’

The U.S. attorney’s office in New York says it will announce “significant public corruption charges” at a news conference later Thursday morning.

The announcement came hours after federal agents entered the mayor’s official residence and seized his phone early Thursday, hours before the indictment was made public. The news conference is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET.

In a video speech released Wednesday night, Adams vowed to fights any charges against him, claiming he had been made a “target” in a case “based on lies.”

The indictment caps off an extraordinary few weeks in New York City, as federal investigators have homed in on members of Adams’ inner circle, producing a drum-beat of raids, subpoenas and high-level resignations that have thrust City Hall into crisis.

Adams’ lawyer criticizes the large FBI presence at the mayor’s residence

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ lawyer is calling the large FBI presence at the mayor’s official residence Thursday morning an unnecessary show of force.

“They send a dozen agents to pick up a phone when we would have happily turned it in,” attorney Alex Spiro said in a statement.

Spiro said federal agents were at Gracie Mansion “in an effort to create a spectacle (again).”

Dozens of uniformed police officers as well as law enforcement agents in suits milled around the security gate. SUVs with darkened windows came and left, and officers could be seen bringing coffee and doughnuts inside.

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On September 28th, 2024, Helene Nomsa Brath will receive one of the city’s highest honors: a street naming, to be installed at 112th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) in Harlem, outside her former residence and in the community, she uplifted and lived in. Cinque Brath, son of Nomsa and Elombe Brath, proposed the idea to Yusef Salaam, City Councilman of District 9, shortly after her passing on October 30th, 2023. Councilman Yusef Salaam, is one of the Exonerated Five, who Nomsa and Elombe Brath were instrumental in advocating for thirty-five years ago. Nomsa was specifically responsible for forming “Mother’s Love,” a group of women organized to address wrongfully accused Black male youth in New York City. 

The story of the Central Park Five, now the Exonerated Five, and those who advocated for them is depicted in the #1 most-watched Netflix miniseries “When They See Us” (2019). In addition to actress Adepero Oduye’s portrayal of Nomsa Brath in “When They See Us,” her life and activism are the subjects of several documentaries and films, including “You Say You Want a Revolution: Records & Rebels 1966-1970” (2019) by UK director Emily Harris and “AJASS Pioneers of the Black is Beautiful Movement,” the award-winning documentary by Louise Dente (2022). Harris’ film was screened in the UK at the Victoria and Albert Museum in conjunction with an exhibit by the same name, highlighting Nomsa Brath’s prowess as a skilled organizer and activist. “AJASS: Pioneers of the Black is Beautiful Movement,” produced and directed by Louise Dente, has received awards nationally and internationally and engages the full scope of African Jazz and Arts Society and Studios (AJASS) as an organization that had great social, cultural, and political implications in and beyond the Black community, still evidenced in contemporary society. However, this dynamic documentary is not the culmination of Louise Dente’s work, which includes Helene Nomsa Brath. Ms. Dente is currently working on a new documentary, entitled “Nomsa Was Her Name,” which will focus on Nomsa through the eyes of her friends and family, set to be released this fall.

The accolades accredited to Helene Nomsa Brath are extensive and include her early life as one of the original Grandassa Models, a modeling ensemble created by African Jazz and Arts Society and Studios (AJASS), founded by Elombe Brath and Kwame Brathwaite in 1956. The Black Arts Movement can be best understood in three waves; AJASS were pioneers of the second wave (1950-1970s) that swept the nation, invoking all aspects of the African aesthetic with music, motif, imagery, painting, and more. Initially, AJASS began by organizing and securing the African musical tradition and genre known as Jazz to Bronx communities. The production quickly expanded to include a modeling troupe called the Grandassa Models, who donned African attire, motif, and natural hair.

Nomsa Brath, a founding member and original Grandassa model, has been prominently featured on numerous magazines and record albums, as well as replicated by community artists and exhibited at esteemed institutions, including The New York Historical Society, as part of the groundbreaking Black is Beautiful Tour, showcasing images by Kwame Brathwaite. An all-around natural beauty and representative of the African aesthetic, Nomsa Brath toured the nation with the Grandassa models, showcased in the “Naturally Shows: The Original African Coiffure.” The Black is Beautiful Movement played an essential role in the positive transformation of the Black community nationally, raising collective self-esteem through artistic expression. Today, images of Nomsa Brath and the Grandassa models are a source of inspiration found in the aesthetic of contemporary clothing lines like Fenty, created by artist and singer Rihanna.

Helene Nomsa Brath’s impact extended well beyond her contributions to the Black is Beautiful Movement. Nomsa was an exceptional mother, a “mother of activism,” as she created and worked with numerous educational committees and organizations. She served as President of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and chair of the Parents Committee at two local public schools in Harlem. A diligent force in education reform, when she decided to homeschool her last two children, she added that agenda to her list of efforts. In 1997, Nomsa Brath represented parents on a panel for Education Reform on C-SPAN as part of their special coverage on U.S. Education of Urban Residents. In addition to this, she became the spokesperson for the New York Urban League’s Partners for Reform in Math and Science initiative. 

One of the greatest challenges Nomsa Brath undertook and overcame was the removal of asbestos from New York City public schools. She led the effort for asbestos abatement in the community and schools closest to her, where her children attended in Harlem. As a whistleblower and activist, when Nomsa realized that education officials were ignoring scientific studies indicating that 20% of NYC schools had detectable levels of asbestos, a known cause of mesothelioma, she sprang into action. When New York City Department of Education officials refused to provide the necessary equipment for testing in public schools, Nomsa responded by organizing and raising funds through community efforts. Her son, Cinque Brath, recalled telling his younger brother, “Mommy had our school shut down,” when he saw on the local news that his school, PS 185 and 208, had been closed due to asbestos detection. Consequently, numerous local schools were closed due to asbestos detection in the Harlem community. Nomsa worked with the Superintendent of Schools to protect children’s health, ensuring that schools were inspected and locations with asbestos were closed. In open letters between the United Teachers Federation (UTF), parents, and staff, Nomsa Brath is recognized as the whistleblower who single-handedly led the fight to address the asbestos issue. As a result of her efforts, federal guidelines and regulations on asbestos testing and detection have been revised and expanded nationally. 

Helene Nomsa Brath was married to Elombe Brath, with whom she shared a partnership in love and struggle; she was a mother to six biological sons, one daughter, and her niece. On September 28th, 2024, she will take her rightful place in history, with a street named in her honor, Helene Nomsa Brath Way (112th Street & Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard/7th Avenue). In the tradition of the African culture she represented, Helene Nomsa Brath is Maa Kheru (true of voice/justified), a title bestowed upon those whose lives have exemplified the principles of Maat (balance, justice, truth, and reciprocity). Helene Nomsa Brath’s name will forever be remembered.   

Dr. Tyrene Wright (@DrWright24) is a scholar-activist and author of “Booker T. Washington & Africa: The Making of a Pan-Africanist”.

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* This article was originally published here

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to end affirmative action, Black high school seniors are facing a new college admissions reality — particularly at some of the nation’s most elite institutions.

Predominantly white, elite institutions such as Amherst College, Tufts University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have all reported notable drops in Black student enrollment for their incoming classes. At Amherst, the percentage of Black students in the incoming freshman class plummeted from 11% last year to just 3% this year. Similarly, Tufts University saw a drop from 7.3% to 4.7%, while the percentage of Black students in the MIT freshman class dropped from 15% to 5% in just one year. In addition, the Brown Daily Herald recently announced that Brown University’s Black freshman enrollment dropped by 40%, dropping from 15% to 9% this year.

These reductions suggest that the removal of race-conscious admissions had an immediate and negative impact on Black student representation at these selective institutions. However, other universities, like Harvard University, whose Black enrollment fell from 14% last year to 10%, and Emory University, 13% to 12%, only saw moderate to slight declines, while institutions such as Princeton University, Duke University, and Yale University showed little to no decrease or small increases.

Experts have been confused about why some institutions have shown an increase in Black enrollment, attributing it to changes in how colleges identify students or weigh application elements, such as the essay. However, many elite institutions saw significant decreases after the affirmative action ruling.

“Their decision moved the nation backward and upended decades of precedent that allowed America’s colleges and universities to build diverse environments,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during a recent press conference.

Indeed, the declining Black student enrollment at elite colleges and universities is more than just a statistic — it signals that the pathway to these institutions may be narrowing. This shift in college demographics is not only reducing the racial diversity of students at prestigious universities but also affecting K–12 education.

Ripple effects on Black K–12 students

In predominantly Black K–12 schools, where resources are often limited, Allison Wiltz, an English teacher in New Orleans, La., said the motivation to pursue admission to the Ivy League or other top-tier schools “will wane as students see fewer examples of their peers succeeding in this pursuit.”

“Depriving Black students of equal access to those opportunities means there will be fewer Black students with access to that network,” Wiltz told Word In Black. “Black K–12 schools receive significantly less funding, and research has demonstrated there is a connection between funding, grades, and test scores.”

Black students are more likely to attend underfunded schools with fewer experienced teachers and academic resources. “They can’t be expected to have grades and test scores that compete with those of students who received more funding,” Wiltz said.

The surge in HBCUs

At the same time that predominantly white colleges and universities are becoming less accessible to Black students, there is a renewed interest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) — institutions that have long provided a supportive and culturally affirming environment for Black students.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, HBCU enrollment has risen by 4% this fall. In 2024, several HBCUs have experienced record enrollment increases: Bethune-Cookman University saw a 24.13% jump in enrollment, growing from 2,516 students in 2023 to 3,123 in 2024. Hampton University expects about 1,200 new students, bringing its total undergraduate population close to 4,000.

Regarding increased applications alone, Howard University received 37,000 applications for the incoming class of 2,500 freshmen, a 12% increase from the previous year, and Florida A&M University has seen applications nearly double over the last two years.

Angela Nixon Boyd, associate vice president of enrollment and dean of admission at Hampton University, emphasized the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on Black students.

“I think that many students recognize that this ruling impacted them personally, and so they, again, want to be in an environment where they feel welcomed, feel safe, and … feel that they will have an opportunity for success,” she told WAVY in early September.

Where we go from here

Although the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions has introduced a new barrier to higher education for college-bound high school students, Kiara Wilson, a high school guidance counselor in Atlanta, Ga., said there are solutions.

“Educators and administrators must work to foster an environment where Black students continue to see higher education as an attainable goal,” she said. “This includes addressing the psychological impacts of seeing fewer Black faces at elite institutions and reinforcing the value of pursuing academic excellence.”

Wilson said that regardless, all parties must make a concerted effort to ensure that Black students remain competitive applicants despite the ruling’s impact.

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Voting is taking place right now for the election of the next president of Teamsters Local 237. With the counting of votes set to take place Oct. 8, Local 237’s President Gregory Floyd spoke with the AmNews about some of the initiatives he’s worked on over the years to keep the nation’s largest local Teamsters union relevant.

Floyd has served as president of Local 237 since 2007. He says that over the years he has worked with various governing boards to increase union members’ salaries, implement programs like longevity pay, and maintain the member’s vaunted $5 co-pays for medical visits.

“We’ve managed over the last 30 years, including during my 17 years, to keep our prescription co-pays to our members at a minimum. While prescriptions have gone up, we’ve managed to maintain that cost. We’ve also managed to negotiate increased annuities for our members, which remains in a separate account for them, and they get interest on it so that when they leave work, they’re leaving with, I would say, tens of thousands of dollars each.”

Floyd touts his ability to negotiate with the various entities that play a role in the functioning of his union members’ jobs. He says it has given Local 237 the ability to forge contracts that keep members safe and able to work. Local 237 has more than 24,000 members. They work as public hospital police, elevator mechanics, school safety agents, custodians, cooks, NYCHA caretakers, water use inspectors, civil service attorneys, and cement masons/mason helpers. When union members have job issues, dealing with them often means negotiating with several different entities.

Contract negotiations can be challenging. “I wouldn’t say it’s combative,” Floyd said. “But in the public sector, there are factors that are involved. What are the factors? We have to look at what is the pattern and how do we get close to the pattern. How do we structure a contract that is, I would say, conducive to the needs of our members? Those are the factors.

“When you negotiate a CUNY contract for example –– a City University of New York contract –– you’re negotiating with three entities. It’s CUNY; it’s the city of New York, because two-year colleges are funded by New York City; and you’re negotiating with the state because the four-year colleges are funded by the state. All three entities have to agree. That’s why CUNY is the most difficult contract to negotiate and the state pattern tends to be less than the city pattern, yet the city pattern has to be taken into account and so does the state’s. So that’s why it ends up as a blended rate, CUNY got less, a little less than the city employees, because of the state contract.”

Floyd is this year on the ballot against Mohamed Alshami, a City University of New York (CUNY) peace officer. As Local 237’s president, Floyd says he can do more for his membership. “When we go into negotiations [for healthcare prescription co-pays], we offset a lot of the costs by negotiating with the city to get additional money for our benefits. The second thing is we invest the money we get and through investments, we’re able to extend the cost. We also look for subsidized discounts in our prescription plan that allow us to get rebates. So with all that combined, it allows us to keep the cost down for our members, and keeps it at the same price that we have had now for 30 years.”

Floyd’s challenger’s claims that he would come into office and try to change the way Local 237 functions is not realistic, he said.

“If he happened to win, he doesn’t have control of the executive board. So how would he accomplish any of the things that he says he wants to accomplish? The bylaws state, you can make recommendations, but you have to get the approval of the executive board, which he does not have.”

President Floyd says he is expecting more progress with the upcoming contracts he and the board are currently working on for union members. The challenge from Alshami, who he still says he has never physically met, has come out of nowhere.

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* This article was originally published here

Congress got the ball rolling on H.R.6852 — a bill to designate Harlem’s Holcombe Rucker Park as a national commemorative site — as the legislation passed through the House this past Tuesday, September 24. If made into law, the bill would federally enshrine what is arguably the world’s most famous public basketball court.

“That legislation is more than just a symbolic gesture,” said sponsoring Rep. Adriano Espaillat over the phone. “It’s really a commitment to recognizing the historical and cultural significance of one of Harlem’s most cherished landmarks, Rucker Park. Back in the 50s, Holcombe Rucker, a World War II veteran, had a vision for Harlem’s youth.

“And he sought to create this space for young people as a refuge from the streets, and for them to push not only their basketball skills, but to push people towards higher education.”

Rucker organized street basketball tournaments around Upper Manhattan throughout the mid-1900s, ultimately drawing some of basketball’s biggest stars like Wilt Chamberlain and Harlemite Lew Alcindor, best known today as NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Through hoops, more than 700 athletic scholarships sprung from his events by the ‘50s.

While performances on the park’s hardtop court, now named after another prominent tournament organizer Greg Marius, do not count on an NBA statline, they remain pivotal to basketball lore. Kobe Bryant lives on through oral accounts of his 2002 appearance, down to the sunglasses and chain he wore.

From contemporary international superstars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant to New York-bred talent like Jamaica Queens’ Rafer Alston and Coney Island’s Stephon Marbury, Rucker Park allowed legends to grow even taller.

But while Rucker Park served as a staging ground for NBA players, it was a proving ground for streetball legends. Notably, Harlem’s Joe “The Destroyer” Hammond is said to have put up 50 points against Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving during a tournament.

A national commemorative site designation recognizes a place’s contributions to American history on a federal level. It also allows the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to partner with local organizations to drive educational initiatives for the park. Partnerships could range from schools to nonprofit organizations to the NYC Parks Department, according to Espaillat.

The congressman adds that he hopes such a designation will provide more opportunities for the surrounding community, particularly the NYCHA developments which often have some of the best seats in the house for tournaments.

“First, there will be a federal plaque recognizing the park installed in the park,” he said. “Second, it leaves the book open to educational activities [that] could be developed around the park, between the Department of Interior and [potentially] the New York City Department of Education or Parks Department, or even places like the Polo Grounds and the Rangel houses, which are right across the park.”

While the DOI’s National Park Service has previously designated national commemorative sites, Rucker Park would not be placed under the agency through Espaillat’s bill.

The bill now hits the Senate floor. If passed, it goes to the White House for the president to sign into law.

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.

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* This article was originally published here

Election Day is less than two months away, and the Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem is taking it upon themselves to make sure the youth meet the moment by hosting an on-campus voter registration drive on Thursday, September 26.

This Central Harlem school is encouraging its senior students — many of whom are 18 years old, or will be by Nov. 5 — to vote in this election. Another mission of this drive will be to encourage local Harlem residents to register to vote on Nov. 5. This push to the polls has been driven by Athletic Director and physical education teacher Jermel Collins-Day.

The 48-year-old Brooklyn native believes there is a major benefit to having young men in the K-12 space exposed to this initiative. “I think it’s imperative for them to have their right to vote… having the opportunity to be an asset to society is crucial,” he said.

This is the first time the school has had any event of this kind. Collins-Day added that many of the students were unfamiliar with a voter-registration event, much less the voting process.

“They said they didn’t know anything about how to vote or to go about voting. So this is a perfect segway for them to become productive members of society,” he said.

Collins-Day, who is also a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, has been coaching and teaching at Eagle Academy for nine years, and says he is encouraged by the questions his students have asked about the factors of this election. “The interests stem from: what are some of the politics, to policies on how to become a president.”

Seeing a Black woman with an opportunity to become the next president of the United States has been incredibly motivational for the kids, he added.

The students are well aware of the potential history that could be made if Vice President Kamala Harris — potentially the first woman, and only the second Black person — is elected, which Collins-Day says has been “huge” for the kids.

“If we can support her, it gives us hope for our future,” the coach said of the main response from the kids.

There will be a tent at the event on Thursday, which was planned to coincide with the annual parent engagement day, where students will be able speak to Harlem residents who come by. In the event of rain, Collins-Day said students will likely be moved to phone banking as a contingency plan for them to still reach the parents that aren’t able to attend.

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* This article was originally published here

New York City Department of Education (DOE) Schools Chancellor David Banks announced his intended “retirement” from office by the end of the year. This comes after a flurry of resignations from Mayor Eric Adam’s administration and amid federal investigations into city agencies.

“After nearly 40 years of dedicated service to New York City’s public schools, I have made the decision to retire at the end of this year,” said Banks in a statement. “I want to thank Mayor Adams for giving me the opportunity to serve as chancellor, and I am immensely proud of the progress we’ve made together — ensuring every child can read, expanding special education and gifted and talented programs, and creating innovative pathways for our students to secure rewarding careers and long-term success.”

Banks and his brothers — Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III and political consultant Terence Banks — were thrust into the hot seat in the last two weeks. The ongoing, almost yearlong FBI probe into City Hall and city agencies led to several raids on their homes and seizure of their devices.

None of the Banks’ nor Adams were charged with any wrongdoing as of Tuesday, Sept. 24. However, former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and the mayor’s legal counsel Lisa Zornberg opted to resign shortly after the raids. Banks’ retirement is yet another resignation ripple on the surface of supposed calm in the Adams administration.

“Additionally, I want to thank the hundreds of thousands of families who entrust us with their children and the 140,000 employees who show up every day for our students — you make our public schools possible,” said Banks. “I grew up in our public schools and spent most of my adult life serving the students and families of our city, and I have every confidence that the work we’ve started will continue to thrive and benefit generations to come.”

Prior to being appointed the Chancellor, Banks was a nationally recognized education leader as the president and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation and the principal of the all-boys public school Eagle Academy for Young Men. Banks and the 100 Black Men organization established the first Eagle Academy back in 2004 in the Bronx, which achieved monumental success.

Banks was ushered into the Adams administration in 2021 as one of his first appointees. Adams said at the initial press conference that it took him eight years to interview a suitable candidate for his appointment of chancellor — conceivably because he had planned on being mayor while Bill de Blasio was in office. After that lengthy process, Adams settled on Banks.
“I am immensely grateful and proud of the work accomplished in New York City Public Schools under Chancellor David Banks,” said Adams in a statement. “In less than three years, our city’s public schools have transformed — from ensuring schools were safe and open coming out of the pandemic to a space that has increased our students’ reading scores, math scores, and graduation rates. We’ve implemented critical initiatives like ‘NYC Reads,’ ‘NYC Solves,’ and universal dyslexia screenings, while also ensuring a seamless and timely coordination with partners to welcome, enroll, and support thousands of newly-arriving students and their families on a citywide scale. We’ve done all this and more on behalf of nearly 1 million public school students, and Chancellor Banks was crucial to getting that done everyday. On behalf of all New Yorkers, we thank Chancellor Banks for his service, and wish him well in his retirement at the end of the calendar year.”

The city’s top education leaders thanked Banks for his service.

“Now more than ever, we need to focus on doing the work that our students, educators, and public schools need,” said United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew. “Chancellor David Banks is an educator who sought to improve public education for all students. We thank him for his partnership, passion, and collaboration and wish him well.”

Councilmember Rita Joseph, who chairs the education committee, posted on social media that she was eternally grateful for Banks’ service as an educator. “Our shared vision for a brighter, more equitable future for New York City’s students is something I carry with me in every endeavor,” said Joseph. “As we continue this work, Chancellor Banks’ leadership will forever hold a special place in my heart and in the ongoing mission to deliver the best for our youngest New Yorkers.”

Meanwhile, Adams’ competition in next year’s mayoral race took the opportunity to take jabs at his unstable leadership.

“It’s beginning to feel like Groundhog Day,” said Senator Zellnor Myrie, who’s running for mayor. “The NYPD, Department of Health, and NYC Public Schools are three of the city’s most critical agencies, responsible for ensuring the safety, health, and future of our children — and in less than a month, our city is facing openings for all three commissioners.”

Senator Jessica Ramos said in a statement, “New Yorkers see City Hall as a cesspool of incompetence, corruption, and failure. That should embarrass us all. As the best city in the world, we should be elevating talented leaders, not managing a mass exodus from an administration marred by scandal. The DOE Chancellor announced his resignation cloaked as retirement on the foot of a federal investigation and just 20 days into our kids’ school year.”

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* This article was originally published here

Now that students at four colleges in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are back on campus this fall, they will have access to a new resource for learning how to dismantle false beliefs about racial hierarchies.

Seven years after launching its Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation program in colleges, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) has expanded the program, opening centers at Antioch University, Bard College, Cuyahoga Community College, and Elizabethtown College.

The new centers give professors, administrators, faculty members, and students a dedicated space to learn and guide discussions around race, gender, age, class, and spiritual beliefs as part of a concerted effort to bring healing dialogues throughout the United States in higher education institutions.

“We don’t dictate to any institution how they are implementing, how they will implement and realize the goals of TRHT, or how they would implement the TRHT areas within their institutional context,” said Tia McNair, a senior consultant with AACU. “They look at their strategic priorities, their student population, their community relationships, and partnerships to develop what we call an action plan, so each institution does it differently.”

The campus centers began in 2017 as a concept that was part strategic, part organic. The 10 initial host institutions — a mix of public and private schools — introduced various approaches for dismantling racial bias on campus, including racial healing circles and special dinners intended to create safe spaces for sensitive dialogue.

Since then, schools have continued to embrace virtual and in-person conversations that provide gentle reassurance — and sometimes uncomfortable exposure — to past and present-day events that have shaped views of race in society.

The host institutions range from liberal arts colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to faith-based institutions and community colleges. The selection process for colleges includes training about how to speak the language of racial healing based on the Institute on Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation’s framework.

McNair, the former executive director of the TRHT Campus Centers, said the TRHT program is essential now more than ever.

“There are attacks happening on the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and our institutions within our communities, within our states, across the board,” said McNair. “I think that knowing that the growing majority of undergraduate students in this country are from racially minoritized groups … is critical for us to maintain and expand resources to help the success of all students.”

In tracking of 196 campuses in 29 states, the Chronicle of Higher Education found that colleges throughout the United States have eliminated their DEI programs due to political pressure, establishing an “inconsistent and confusing landscape.”

The effects of these changes are unclear, which is why McNair, who is also a partner at SOVA, a higher education consulting firm in Washington, D.C., would like campus centers to create opportunities for personal and professional development for marginalized students.

“Whether you are the student who is coming into the environment (and) may not be fully prepared — not at a fault of your own, but just because of circumstances – and may not be fully prepared to succeed in the same way as others, then how do we help you? How do we make sure that we actually live our commitment? That we fulfill our commitment to you as being part of this educational journey so that everyone has the opportunity to thrive?”

When education reform takes place at the federal, state, or local level, it can have predictable consequences, undoing decades of important work. This is why McNair hopes that the campus centers will serve as a springboard for repairing old wounds and sustaining supportive principles for community-building beyond campus.

The vision is to encourage ways of thinking that transcend the present political uncertainty, inviting ongoing dialogue and action.

“I think we as educators within higher education play a critical role in preparing the next generation of leaders to build more just and equitable communities,” said McNair. “This work is not about trying to get anyone to think in the same way we think, but to actually value each and every person’s human dignity, their contributions, their lived experiences in a way where we can transcend what has been causing division and conflict within our communities.”

For more information about the TRHT campus centers and their activities, click here.

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* This article was originally published here

This weekend’s Empire State Rare Book & Print Fair will take place Sept. 27–29 at City College of New York and bring more than 40 rare book exhibitors to City College’s Great Hall (160 Convent Avenue and W. 135th Street) to display and sell rare books, photo prints and documents. 

In an email interview with the AmNews, Pom Harrington, owner of the England-based Peter Harrington Rare Books, talked about what all the excitement is about.

AmNews: Does the Peter Harrington collection have a lot of items related to Black history in the U.S.? In England? In the Americas? (Around how many items do you have related to each location?)

Harrington: We have a significant amount of material relating to Black history in both the Americas and Britain, which is constantly being refreshed. Broadly speaking, we have more than 100 items pertaining to Black history, including portraits, posters, pamphlets, and books pertaining to the Civil Rights Movement (detailed notes on a few examples are available here (127599, 145489, 149163), music and sporting heroes (130770, 134416, 149210, 101426, 150557), and literary titans (161915, 166022, 171697, 175408, 173592).

AmNews: What are some of the oldest documents you have related to Black history?

Harrington: Many of our oldest documents pertain to slavery and abolition in England, including The Law of Retribution (1773–77) by Granville Sharp, one of the earliest campaigners for the abolition of the slave trade in Britain, and Thomas Clarkson’s An Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species (1786), which was instrumental in recruiting William Wilberforce to the abolitionist movement. 

Two notably early items that will be on display at the fair include a first edition of the monumentally influential “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (1852) and a striking image of a group of itinerant musicians in Cuba from around 1895.

AmNews: How much of this collection will be available for viewing this weekend?

Harrington: We will have a significant selection of material relating to Black history displayed at the fair, from an extremely rare antislavery poem, published in London in 1797 (John Gorton’s “The Negro Suicide”), to the first U.S. edition of Chinua Achebe’s “Anthills of the Savannah” (1988), inscribed to Yvette Le Roy, the founder of Liberty House in Harlem, whose store promoted books by Black authors and sold handcrafts produced by the Mississippi Poor People’s Corporation. 

Our showing at the fair spans literature (Toni Morrison, James Baldwin), music (a signed publicity photograph of Sister Rosetta Tharpe), and abolitionist and anti-apartheid writing (Alan Paton’s “Cry, the Beloved Country,” 1948).

Of particular note are two standout items by Langston Hughes, inscribed to a photographer who documented the Harlem Renaissance. 

HUGHES, Langston. “Fields of Wonder.” 174409 £2500

HUGHES, Langston. “One-Way Ticket.” 174410 £1500

AmNews: Are other objects searchable, at least by title, on your website?

Harrington: All our catalogued stock that is currently available for sale is available on our website (www.peterharrington.co.uk). Some available items may temporarily be taken offline if held in reserve for customers who have expressed an interest in purchasing them, but in general, visiting our website would give you the most up to date access to our stock of rare and antiquarian books.

AmNews: Besides the historic and even monetary value of these items, what is a major reason you find customers come to rare book fairs? What could visitors to this weekend’s event expect?

Harrington: Rare book fairs offer a unique opportunity to see, hold, and acquire works that are touchstones of intellectual and cultural heritage. Whether it’s a first edition of a literary classic or a rare manuscript with an extraordinary provenance, there’s something deeply captivating about the tangible link to the past that these books represent.

At this weekend’s Empire State Rare Book and Print Fair, visitors can expect a curated selection of rare works, each with a unique story. Beyond the books, they’ll engage with expert dealers who provide insights into the significance of the items. It’s a chance for collectors to explore, learn, and connect with a community of like-minded bibliophiles.

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* This article was originally published here