SUMMER IN AMERICA
NEW YORK: REMEMBER August 23rd is the first day to vote for members of Congress, also known as the House of Representatives, and NY State Senators. Brooklyn is the seat of political power of New York City. Chairman Adams, Attorney General Letitia James, Representative Hakeem Jeffries and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso are Brooklyn residents. There is a dearth of black elected officials from Manhattan this century. Black Manhattan no longer has a seat in Congress and could lose a seat in Albany. Sen. Cordell Cleare of Harlem will probably be up for re-election. But NYS Sen. Robert Jackson (Washington Heights, Inwood) has competition, a Latino who is backed by Congressman Espaillat. When did ethnicity enter New York’s political landscape?
New Yorkers, August 23rd is Election Day. Your vote counts. Visit NYCVOTES.ORG for updates. Know your polling place.
OUT OF AFRICA
This article was mutilated last week. Read the corrected copy of a recent Economist Magazine essay by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Olusegun Obasanjo, former presidents of Liberia and Nigeria, respectively. It begins “There will be African victims of the Russian war, they warn. The UN is no longer suitable for this purpose. The continuation of the war in Ukraine is a major concern for Africa. Before the war, Africa faced a perfect storm and suffered isolation from global supply chains during COVID-19. A debt crisis is looming with 25 (out of 54) African countries in debt distress or at high risk of default. Zambia and Nigeria top the list.”
This is related to, but not part of, the Economist essay. FYI, hunger is a huge problem in Africa with millions facing starvation in Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Sudan, a situation which was under the radar of the western media until the Russia/Ukraine war started. Ukraine and Russia are two of the world’s largest wheat exporters. Wheat is a staple in many Third World countries. The war has interrupted grain exports. Ukrainian ports were closed until this week. The US aid response to the African humanitarian crisis has not been as robust as it has been in Ukraine since February 2022.
ART AND CULTURE
Harlem’s Great Room e HARLEM TRADE WEEK, the city’s biggest celebration of Harlem’s culture, is back, August 12-21. HARLEM WEEKS family friendly festivities include multicultural character, focusing on music, education, religion, business, fun and sports. Visit Harlemweek.com/2022.
MUSEUM: The Jackie Robinson Museum opened July 27, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and all the brouhaha befitting the African-American sports legend “who broke the color line in major league baseball” on April 15, 1947 , when he joined Brooklyn. The Dodgers team. His widow Rachel, who recently turned 100, joined their children Sharon and David for the opening. He was a proactive civil rights advocate. Located at One Hudson Square at 75 Varick Street, the Museum will be open to the public on September 5. Visit jackierobinson.org/museum.
MEDIA: Kudos to Our Time Press for covering the life and times of the educator, NYS Assemblyman and City Council member. The issue should be a collector’s item.
TELEVISION: Charlamagne Tha God’s Comedy Central late-night show has been renewed for a second year and will be retitled ONE HELL OF A WEEK…Nick Cannon’s show of the same name was canceled after one season.
journalist
RIP: Harlemite/gentle giant Thomas Reid Clark, 67, joins ancestors in July 10. Born in the Dominican Republic, he moved to NY with his family and worked in the construction trade. A devoted family man, Tomas is survived by his son, Michael, grandson Malachi, his sisters, Olga and Angela, nieces and nephews, and one extended family circle of friends.
AUGUST OUT
BRAATA PRODUCTIONS hosts Celebration of the Caribbean Cultural Festival on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Independence Anniversary of the Caribbean Nations, Jamaica, and the twin island nation of Trinidad Tobago. The event will be held at the Performing Arts Center in York, from 12 – 8 p.m. August 6.
HARLEM WEEK: August 12-21.
Althea Gibson will be honored with a street renaming, Althea Gibson Way on August 25th from 12-2pm on 143rd Street between Malcolm X Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, Harlem. Althea Gibson was the first black tennis player to compete at the US National Championships in 1950 and Wimbledon in 1951. She won the French Open Tennis in 1956 and won both Wimbledon and the US Open in 1957.
Save the date: Thursday, August 25, when NYS Assemblywoman Inez Dickens hosts a party, a summer evening fundraiser, at her home in Harlem.
A management consultant based in Harlem, Victoria, can be contacted at [email protected]
