the New York “Arming Black Millennials

With Information"

“Arming Black Millennials with Information" 75 Cents

Vol. 27 No. 34 August 27 – September 2, 2020 website: NewYorkBeacon.com

BATTLE FOR THE

‘SOUL OF AMERICA’

Former Ohio Former Sec of State

Gov John Kasich Gen Colin Powell

Republicans and Democrats join in the battle

to ‘Save our Democracy’, pg 3
 2 California hit by 10,000 lightning
strikes in 72 hours
Newyorkbeacon.com

W ildfires tore through

Northern California
overnight, spreading
quickly and engulfing homes
as firefighters battled to get
control of the blazes, which
have forced a growing number
Breonna Taylor poster
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

of evacuations and were likely

vandalized with red paint
Newyorkbeacon.com
 By Viviane Faver
was required “that the police
involved in Breonna Taylor’s
caused by lightning strikes in
recent days.
People were ordered to flee
neighborhoods in Vacaville, a
city of about 100,000 residents
near Sacramento, as a combi-

R
acism remains strong
in words and deeds.
Proof of this was the
vandalization of a billboard
in Louisville, Ky., asking for
justice for Breonna Taylor.
  That fact, reported Tuesday
morning, when the billboard
– located near the Lexington
Road and Spring Street area –
appeared with a splash of red
paint on Taylor’s forehead,
looking like a gunshot wound.
  The billboard, which was
courtesy of Oprah Winfrey, is
one of 26 that were erected
around the town where Taylor
lived and was killed earlier
this month.
Each of the 26 billboards
death be arrested and charged.”
They meant to represent all of
Taylor’s years of life. They
correspond to the magazine’s
September cover design Win-
frey’s O, which marked the
first time in the publication’s
history that someone other than
Winfrey appeared alone.
  Fortunately, the billboard
was restored on Tuesday af-
ternoon, according to ABC
Action News.
  However, the case is in-
triguing because access to the
mural was very difficult, which
means that there was clearly a
lot of effort by white suprema-
cists to scale it, disfigure it, and
vandalize it. An outrageous act
of racism.
nation of uncontrolled fires
northwest of the city began to
overtake homes. That group
of fires, known together as
the LNU Lightning Complex,
has destroyed more than 50
buildings or structures and is
threatening nearly 2,000 more,
the authorities said.
It grew more than 14,000
acres overnight and now cov-
ers 46,225 acres in Napa and
Sonoma Counties — larger
than the size of Washington,
D.C. — and is completely un-
contained, the authorities said.
Four people have been injured
in the fire.
Videos from Vacaville
showed flames leaping through
one neighborhood, from trees
to homes to picket fences.
Philip Galbraith, 52, said
he and his 20-year-old son
received no warning of the ap-
proaching fire until a neighbor
began “desperately banging”
on his door around 2:45 a.m.
“I got out of the house in
pretty much what I had on,”
he said. “I got my son and we
left.”
The authorities have also
ordered residents to evacuate
in several other areas where
groups of fires, also like-
ly caused by lightning, are
spreading quickly. The SCU
Lightning Complex, a group
of about 20 different fires,
more than doubled in size
overnight, and is now burning
over 85,000 acres across five
counties — largely in unpop-
ulated regions near the Bay
Area — and is just 5 percent
contained. A third combination
of fires, known as the CZU
August Lightning Complex,
has grown to 10,000 acres and
forced evacuations in Santa
Cruz County.
Firefighters had hoped for
calmer weather overnight,
but gusty winds arrived in-
stead, pushing the fire to-
ward vegetation and other
fresh fuel, said Lynnette
Round, a spokeswoman for
California Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection,
or Cal Fire.
“Today they’re going to be
in for another firefight,” she
said, as the winds and dry, hot
weather continue.

Virginia state senator charged with

injuring confederate monument
Newyorkbeacon.com

Joe Biden: I was not

pressured to choose Kamala A Virginia state senator
has been charged with
damaging a Confeder-
ate monument in Portsmouth
during a protest that led to a
Harris demonstrator being seriously
injured.
Portsmouth Police Chief
Newyorkbeacon.com women,” Biden continued. “As Angela Greene said at a news

M
any prominent Black
voices urged Biden to
pick a Black woman
as his running mate.
In an interview with ABC
News set to air on Sunday
night, Democratic Presidential
nominee Joe Biden asserts that
his decision to pick Kama-
la Harris as his vice presiden-
tial nominee is genuine.
“No, I didn’t feel pressure to
select a Black woman,” Biden
told ABC’s Robin Roberts.
“But I – what I do think and
I’ve said it before, and you’ve
heard me say it. I’ve probably
said it on your show with you,
is that the government should
look like the people, look like
the country.”
   “Fifty-one percent of
the people in this country are
that old expression goes, wom-
en hold up half the sky, and in
order to be able to succeed,
you’ve got to be dealt in across
the board, and no matter what
you say, you cannot, I cannot
understand and fully appre-
ciate what it means to walk
in her shoes, to be an African
American woman, with [an]
Indian American background,
child of immigrants.”
The claim that Biden got
pressured into picking Har-
ris may stem from the many
prominent Black voices, such
as Diddy and Charlamagne tha
God, that urged Biden to pick
a Black woman as his running
mate.
As the first Black and South
Asian woman to accept a vice
presidential nominee, Harris’
candidacy made history.
conference Tuesday that state
senator Louise Lucas has been
charged with conspiracy to
commit a felony and injury to a
monument in excess of $1,000
according to ABC7.
Lucas, a longtime Dem-
ocratic legislator, has been a
member of the state Senate
since 1992. Lucas was charged
the same week Virginia law-
makers are taking up dozens of
criminal justice reforms during
a special legislative session.
Democrats and social jus-
tice organizations were quick
to condemn the charges.
The American Civil Liber-
ties Union of Virginia called for
the charges against Lucas and
several others to be dropped,
saying the charges are a stark
overreach by police since the
charges were not approved by
the local prosecutor’s office.
  Claire G. Gastañaga, ex-
ecutive director of the Virginia
ACLU, said the state is one of
the few states where a felony
warrant can be filed with the
approval of a prosecutor.
“These charges are polit-
ical, and I think they’re dis-
criminatory,” Gastañaga said.
“The police department
is making decisions about
who should be charged in a
circumstance in which the
elected (prosecutor) is being
bypassed,” Gastañaga added.
“The police want a different
result” and that is alarming.
The charges come during
a summer when confederate
statues are being taken down,
whether by demonstrators
opposed to racial injustice or
by authorities seeking to dis-
mantle them through official
channels.
The monuments, which
have been long viewed by
Black Americans as symbols
of White supremacy and rac-
ism, however, they’ve drawn
refocused attention following
the deaths of George Floyd
and Breonna Taylor.

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Battle for ‘Soul of America’ begins Kamala Harris is ready
with Bidens, Obamas, Colin Powell, for a fight
Kamala Harris at Democratic
National Convention
By Hazel Trice Edney
N ewyorkbeacon.com
F
ormer Vice President
Joseph “Joe” Biden offi-
cially became the Dem-
ocratic Party’s candidate for
president this week, receiving
the nomination on Tuesday
night after a string of speak-
ers, led by former First Lady
Michelle Obama, former Pres-
idents Bill Clinton and Jimmy
Carter, former Secretary of
State Colin Powell and former
Second Lady Jill Biden among
dozens of other political stars
and grassroots activists.
Wednesday’s line up was
set to feature President Barack
Obama and Vice Presidential
candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris.
The virtual convention,
televised around the nation
and world, echoed the Biden
campaign slogan, “Build Back
Better.” In order to protect
people from the Coronavirus,
the DNC went virtual with the
convention, instead of meeting
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as
originally planned. Squares
showing diverse people ap-
plauding in their living rooms
and various places in states
around the nation took the place
of the live audience.
Surrounded by balloons,
Biden accepted the nomina-
tion as Kool & The Gang’s
“Celebration” song blared in
the background. He will de-
liver his acceptance speech on
LEAP warns potential menthol ban would increase police
interaction with Black community
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA
Newswire
T
here is little question
that cigarette smoking
is harmful.
However, a growing number
of organizations led by Law En-
forcement Action Partnership
(LEAP) and the National Orga-
nization of Black Law Enforce-
ment Executives (NOBLE)
believe a ban would further
endanger Black lives because
it could potentially increase
interaction with the police.
Many within the African
American community have
voiced concern over Califor-
nia’s Senate Bill 793.
This measure would ban
menthol products, but critics
said it would probably increase
racial profiling by law enforce-
ment, based on statistics sug-
gesting that menthol cigarettes
are overwhelmingly preferred
by African Americans who
chose to smoke.
“Whether it is real or per-
ceived, there is a distrust of lo-
cal police,” said Commissioner
Jiles Shipp, the president of
NOBLE.
“The ban will have a count-
er effect and further damage
community-police relations.”
Thursday at the Chase Center in
Wilmington, Delaware, likely
elaborating on his personal
theme, “This is a battle for the
soul of America.”
The Republican Nation-
al Convention will follow
on Monday Aug. 24 through
Thursday, starting in Charlotte,
N.C. on the first day and then
held remotely. President Trump
and Vice President Pence, hop-
ing to win a second term, will
have their say, but not without
the sting of the blistering Dem-
ocratic speeches this week.
“So let me be as honest
and clear as I possibly can.
Donald Trump is the wrong
president for our country,” a
poised Michelle Obama said in
a pre-recorded speech Monday
night. “He has had more than
Shipp recommends that
communities concerned about
smoking continue to use ed-
ucation, limited smoke-free
areas, and tobacco cessation
campaigns, all of which he
said has drastically decreased
smoking rates over the past
few decades.
Major Neill Franklin, exec-
utive director of LEAP, noted
that if convenience stores and
gas stations are prevented from
selling menthol, most people
will purchase the cigarettes
from neighboring jurisdictions
and sell them in the prohibited
area for a higher price.
“We know that laws are
enforced in a way that targets
people of color. [Menthol
bans] create more space for
that to happen,” Major Frank-
lin declared.
“We know [these bans] will
result in an illicit underground
market of menthol cigarettes in
the black community. If you
have a robust underground
market for these products, your
health problems will double,
triple within a matter of days.”
LEAP has commissioned
ads in several California news-
papers denouncing the pro-
posed ban.
“That LEAP is trusting
enough time to prove that he
can do the job, but he is clearly
in over his head. He cannot
meet this moment. He simply
cannot be who we need him
to be for us. It is what it is.”
She continued, “So if you take
one thing from my words to-
night, it is this: if you think things
cannot possibly get worse, trust
me, they can; and they will
if we don’t make a change in
this election. If we have any
hope of ending this chaos, we
have got to vote for Joe Biden
like our lives depend on it.”
Biden supporters are mostly
stressing his “good guy” image,
stressing his reputation for de-
cency and relatable to common
people. Video images during
Continued on page 8
NNPA member newspapers for
delivering this essential infor-
mation to those it has impacted
the most speaks volumes about
our organization’s reach, power
and influence on all matters re-
lating to Black people.” stated
Kenneth Miller, the publisher
of Inglewood Today.
“There is truth to the fact
that lives will be saved be-
cause of the number of African
Americans who smoke men-
thol cigarettes, but that doesn’t
address the black market it
creates for menthol cigarettes,
which brings police into the
situation and is what happened
in the Eric Garner case,” added
John Warren, the publisher of
The San Diego Voice & View-
point. “People don’t need to
be killed by police because of
cigarettes. It’s not worth it.”
In an op-ed published this
month, National Newspa-
per Publishers Association
(NNPA) President and CEO
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.,
said while he doesn’t smoke,
he supports any effort that will
improve the health and quality
of life of Black Americans, as
well as the health of all people
regardless of race.
“But I am profoundly aware
that the overwhelming major-
By Viviane Faver
Senator Kamala
Harris is ready to face
lies and distractions from her
political opponents. She said
prepared to fight a racist con-
spiracy theory that she is not
eligible to be vice president.
  “They are going to get
involved in lies, they are going
to get involved in deception,
they are going to get involved
in an attempt to divert attention
from the real issues that are im-
pacting the American people,”
the California-born senator
told The Grio in a published
interview. on Sunday. “And I
hope they get involved in dirty
tactics, and this is going to be
a knockout, a drag, and we are
ready. We are ready.”
  Joe Biden nominated her
as his running mate last week,
making her the first black and
South Asian woman nominated
as vice president of a major
political party.
     Last week, Kamala Har-
ris had her candidacy ques-
tioned by an article in News-
week addressing her parents’
immigration status at the time
of her birth. However, their
citizenship and eligibility for
the role under the United States
Constitution are not in ques-
tion.
  President Donald Trump
called the “birther” allegation
against Harris “very serious”
when questioned by a report-
er at a news conference on
Thursday. And he added that
it is nothing that he is chasing,
but he also said nothing to
ity of Black Americans who
smoke cigarettes prefer to
smoke menthol-flavored ciga-
rettes,” Chavis wrote.
“For me, this is an issue that
needs to be better understood
by public policymakers who
are contemplating passing leg-
islation that will ultimately add
to the often-fatal interactions
between Black Americans and
law enforcement officers.”
According to the website,
filtermag.org, menthol is a
mint-flavored compound that
reduces the harsh taste of
smoke inhalation. While men-
thols make up 35 percent of
the overall cigarette market,
an entrenched racial disparity
exists, at least partly due to tar-
geted marketing by tobacco
companies: 89 percent of black
smokers prefer menthols.
“Smokers, like any people
3
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
discredit him.
  “I heard today that she
doesn’t meet the require-
ments,” he told reporters be-
fore praising the article’s au-
thor as “a highly qualified and
talented lawyer.”
  Trump pushed a similar
conspiracy theory for years
against his predecessor, former
President Barack Obama. And
although she said she would
not investigate Harris’ eligibil-
ity, Jenna Ellis, a senior legal
advisor for the Trump cam-
paign, retweeted the opinion
piece and encouraged Harris
to approach it.
who use drugs, are unlikely to
respond to bans by suddenly
changing their preferences.
Prohibiting the sale of these
cigarettes could, therefore, fur-
ther criminalize communities
of color,” the website noted.
Opponents of the ban have
noted that if the issue were about
American citizens’ health, the
legislature would seek to ban
all forms of cigarettes, not just
those preferred in the African
American community.
“We can’t criminalize our
way out of social problems,”
said Jody Armour, the Roy P.
Crocker Professor of Law at
the University of Southern Cal-
ifornia. “What lessons have we
learned from the last 30 years
as we have evolved from Jim
Crow to mass incarceration,
which has become the van-
guard of civil rights issues?”
 4 Virtual film festival
focusing on the black
experience begins
By Viviane Faver  and for raising awareness of
Newyorkbeacon.com
T
he PRLog – SR Socially
Relevant Film Festival
2020 (SRFF 2020) hosts
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
an online event focusing on the
black experience with docu-
mentaries from the previous
seven editions of the festival.
LIVE, started yesterday, and
continues daily until Thursday
and will introduce filmmakers
in a conversation with guest
moderators, award-winning
Chef Jeff Henderson, and New
York film critic Louis Proyect.
All cinema programs and lec-
tures are free and open to the
public.
The festival’s idea came as
a reaction to the proliferation
of violence on screen and off.
Specifically, commercial films
and Hollywood films dwell on
violence not only in the story
and the filmmaking style but
also on the marketing and
promotional material.
“The main point of the edi-
tion this year is to highlight these
films again and, through them,
keep the flame of the protest
alive. We are grateful to the
filmmakers who have agreed to
make their movies available in
this retrospective so we can all
celebrate the growing strength
of the Black Lives Matter move-
ment”, says the Founding Artis-
tic Director, Nora Armani, in an
exclusive interview for the New
York Beacon.
   “I was sick of seeing film
posters with guns, weapons,
horror, and other forms of vi-
olence depicted on them. And
we have no choice, as they are
there staring at us from bus
stops, busses, billboards and
everywhere. I wanted to offer
an alternative form of enter-
tainment that told human inter-
est stories rather than depend
on sensationalism and special
effects. The other reason was
to commemorate the violent
murder of my cousin and un-
cle, who fell victim to a hate
crime. As the 10th anniversary
of their death approached,
I wanted to do something
meaningful and commemorate
them. So I created SR Socially
Relevant™ Film Festival NY
that focuses on a broad range
of social issues. We have an
award in my cousin’s name,
the Vanya Exerjian award
for Empowering Women and
Girls. It goes to all films in
categories that raise awareness
of women’s issues. Likewise,
the SR for Black Voices event
we are producing now is an-
ti-violence, for social justice,
racial issues.”
Nora Armani draws atten-
tion to the fact that we are
indeed in a delicate moment,
which is happening on many
levels. On the racial prejudice
and discrimination level, and
the pandemic level. One is
a social disease, the other a
physical one. Both threaten
society and the human race.
“COVID-19 has taught us that
unless we all come together
and be inclusive (not physi-
cally, of course right now), we
will never be able to win the
fight against this disease. We
are all in it together, and as
humans, we have to learn to
be more than tolerant, we need
to be mutually inclusive and
supportive of each other. Is the
only way out both on the racial
and on the pandemic level.”
This is the seventh edition
of the festival that was sched-
uled to open in March, howev-
er, five days before the debut
at the Lincoln Center in New
York, the pandemic began,
and everything was canceled.
They were then forced to hold
the virtual festival, now in the
month of August. Nora Armani
said that it is not the same, but
with the virtual edition, they
will be able to expand their
audience by reaching people
all over the world.
“In addition, almost all
filmmakers were able to partic-
ipate in the live online broad-
casts” Meet the Filmmakers
“that we did, and now we think
that the 2021 edition should be
hybrid. It is not easy, but we are
all adapting and finding new
ways to present our work,”
says Nora.
The event features docu-
mentaries made in Italy written
by Valentina Acava Mmaka,
London, Kenya, Portugal, Aus-
tralia, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Louisville, Princeton and, of
course, New York.
 How to watch?  door to door asking business
There is a ticketing button
(free) on the festival web-
site www.ratedsrfilms.org.
First, you have to make a reg-
istration and after that they will
send the links and passwords
to the films.
  You can start watching
the films 2 hours before the
scheduled time or start view-
ing at the scheduled time to be
present at the Q&A following
the screening. All this is on
the website with links to the
free “Meet the Filmmakers”
sessions that will be broadcast
LIVE from the project channel
on YouTube channel.
In the midst of crisis, New Yorkers
show solidarity, creativity
By Viviane Faver 
Special to the New York
Beacon
W
hen the coronavirus
pandemic began, and
people were forced to
stop working, many New York
residents became unemployed
and struggled to fill their re-
frigerator.
Aware of this,  a group of
activists from the Org – In Our
Hearts – created the project
‘The Friendly Fridge.’ The idea
is simple: a refrigerator set up
outside businesses or other
heavily trafficked locations,
stocked with food free for
anyone who needs it.  
The New York Beacon talk-
ed to the creators of this proj-
ect, Selma Raven and Sara Photo Credits: Viviane Faver
Allen. “We were the 5th re-
frigerator in NYC, and now   So far, these outdoor fridg- that waste could feed so many
there are over 32. Each Fridge es have been set up in The if we could divert it straight to
is autonomous, but many are Bronx, Harlem, Bushwick, places that are accessible such
connected via several Signal Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown as these community fridges
chat groups to share resourc- Heights, Brownsville, Prospect and pantries. We are always
es, Sara and Selma explain Lefferts Gardens, and now looking for ways to rescue
this is a mutual aid initiative Kingsbridge. food.” 
-not charity. “This is every- Sara Allen tells   The truth is anyone can
one helping each other, “she the New York Beacon that donate extra food at any given
says. The main objective is many were wary and were time -every single item counts.
“literally to share resources to not sure of what to expect. You can consider opening up
give food to people. To make Nowadays, the neighborhood a refrigerator near you with
healthy foods accessible to loves and embraces it. “Many the help of a team. You can
anyone who needs it “. They will be proud to tell you about help spread awareness of these
both believe that together we this refrigerator and how it community refrigerators by
are much stronger. has helped so many. It is truly sharing information with your
Selma got the idea on May a community project. On the friends, family, neighbors,
18th, the same day as the an- block, there are barbers, cab and community. If you are not
niversary of her son Michael’s drivers, deli owners, and other comfortable directly donating
passing, a passionate food jus- small business owners that par- food or do not live near a fridge
tice activist. Selma Raven and ticipate in keeping this project and want to donate financially,
Sara Allen were perusing Insta- going”, said her with a smile you can do so by going to the
gram and stumbled upon a post on her face.   Instagram account @thefriend-
from a friend in Harlem who had However, she reminds us of lyfridgebx of a community
started up a refrigerator in her things we should be aware of: fridge and finding the relevant
neighborhood. They were both “So much food is wasted, and links there. 
instantly inspired and decided
this was something they could
do to help others -especially in
this time of uncertainty. 
They went on Craigslist and
found a refrigerator for a low
price. Upon securing a fridge,
they walked a few blocks down
from their apartment near the
last stop of the 1 train and went
owners if they would let them
plug the refrigerator. 
After trying three times
without any luck – an owner
of a restaurant called “The
Last Stop” said: “Yes! Let’s
do this”. Suspicious of how
quickly the business owner
had accepted, they called back
the next day to confirm. He as-
sured them that he was happy
to do it.  
 “When the refrigerator
arrived, we plugged it in on
the sidewalk in front of the
restaurant and filled it with
fresh veggies, fruits, and other
items.
It’s plugged in on the side-
walk with the help of an ex-
tension cord and is accessible
by anyone 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. At first, we
used financial donations from
friends, family, and neighbors
to fill up the Fridge ourselves
with produce from a local ven-
dor. Over time as awareness of
the Fridge and the movement
of other community fridges
grew, we began to see many
food donations from others.”
 BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
5

fatherhood.gov
#DanceLikeaDad
 Editorial
6

Get your ballot now

By Julianne Malveaux The 45th President is set- 3. If you prefer to vote in

W
ting up a situation where the person, or if you’ve neglected
hat would you do if November election can be to mail your absentee ballot,
somebody walked contested.  He’s doing it be- make sure you know where
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

by your house and cause he has already stacked your polling place is.  Because
promised to rob it the next day?  the Supreme Court in his of the coronavirus, some cities
Most of us would take every favor.  He has no interest in are reducing the number of
precaution, checking the locks, maximizing the number of available polling places, and
the door, and the windows.  people voting but minimiz- the site where you usually vote
Some of us might weapon up, ing that number.  He’s not may be closed.
making sure we could defend interested in democracy, but 4.  It is also possible to vote
our homestead.  Some might in dictatorship. early in person.  Check with
also reach out to law enforce- If someone told you they your Board of Elections about
ment, sharing the threat with were planning to rob you, when and where you might
them.  Almost all of us would you’d take precautions.  Trump vote early.
take the threat seriously and has declared that he intends to 5. .Be patient.  Conducting
make the appropriate precau- steal this election.  We can’t an election amidst a pandemic
tions to prevent our violation. let him do it.  Not only must is new for us, and some elec-
The 45th President of the the Biden-Harris ticket beat tion procedures have been
United States has warned us him, but they must beat him unnecessarily politicized.  You
that he plans to rob us.  First, like a drum, so decisively that may encounter obstacles if
he placed one of his crooked there is no doubt that he has you choose to vote in person. 
cronies in charge of the postal got to go. Document any hurdles you
service.  Then he said that Here’s what you must do. have to clear, get names of
he would not fund the postal 1. Voting procedures vary anyone who denied you the
service to facilitate the timely by city and state.  Make sure right to vote, and complain
processing of mail ballots.  you know the rules.  Some if the matter is not resolved. 
He has continuously associ- places send all registered vot- The Lawyer’s Committee for
ated mail voting with fraud, ers mail-in ballots, while oth- Civil Rights Under Law runs a
although nine states have had ers require you to request an hotline on election day.  Their
universal mail voting for years.  absentee ballot.  Find your number is 866-OURVOTE, or
And finally, he just put it out local Bureau online, or call 866-6878683.
there, plain and simple.  He your favorite local elected to 6. Spread the word.  Reach tions are holding.  Encourage a jar or translate a passage of
thinks mail voting favors Dem- get the information. out to your circle to share your church, your sorority, or the Constitution into Latin, as
ocrats, and he doesn’t want 2. Return your ballot in the information about voting and your local NCNW section to our foremothers did.  It is in
to do Democrats any favors.  envelope shortly after you get encourage your friends and consider virtual town halls. It their honor and the memory
So instead, his postal chief is it.  If you put your ballot in the colleagues to vote. is in some people’s interest to of Congressman John Lewis
removing mailboxes and shut- mail on election day November 7. Because of the corona- suppress the vote, and we’ve that we vote.
ting down sorting machines.  3, it may not be counted.  Some virus, which is not likely to be seen enough of it these past Dr. Julianne Malveaux is
And now the USPS has warned places will have drop boxes for gone by November, there will few years.  It is your absolute an economist and author. For
election officials in most states ballots, and others will allow be fewer gatherings to discuss right to exercise the right to more information please vis-
that ballots mailed before elec- you to drop off your ballot.  the vote.  Be on the lookout vote, even if some make it dif- it www.juliannemalveaux.
tion might not arrive in time to Just get your ballot back by for zoom town halls and other ficult.  We don’t have to guess com or email booking@juli-
be counted. whatever means necessary. meetings that civic organiza- the number of jelly beans in annemalveaux.com.

NO
ONE
GETS A
DIPLOMA
ALONE.
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more support than you realize. Find teachers and free adult
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The new narrative: Will Black history
finally get to sit in the front of the bus?
Part 1 of a 2- part
series
By Robert Louis Brandon
Edwards  predominantly white and has
Special to the New York
Beacon
“The story of the Negro in
America is the story of Ameri-
ca— or, more precisely, it is the
story of Americans.”-James
Baldwin, 1955
Is it really a new narrative
or are some folks just now re-
alizing that a part of history has
been excluded from lectures,
textbooks, conversations at
the dinner table, and at mu-
seums and historical sites all
across America? I ask you—
what do you know about the
history of slavery? What do
you know about the history of
segregation? Think about how
and why you know what you
know. I know it is incredibly
annoying to some, to read an
essay with questions but this
is a time for reflection and to
provoke thought— to maybe
ruffle a few feathers even. So
if you suffer from a bad case of
fragility please turn the page,
and the next, and maybe even
the page after that because this
may take a while.
As an architectural his-
torian I am trained to see a
structure and a space and think
about when it was designed, its
architectural features, who de-
signed it, and for whom; as an
architect, I am trained to imag-
ine and reimagine structures
and spaces and to develop in-
novative design concepts; but
as a Black man, I am trained
to question if some of these
structures, spaces, and even
landscapes are designed for
me and how. How does a black
body experience the built envi-
ronment or maneuver through
different landscapes? There is
a certain level of “spatial con-
sciousness” that I encompass
and for me, the relationship
between race and space is not
theoretical. It is ingrained in
the history of this country and
cannot be fully understood
from an article, podcast, doc-
umentary, or historical plaque
or marker. It cannot be fully
understood from a series of
webinars or from the news of
yet another police shooting of
an unarmed black person. This
is something that can only be
fully understood with years of
exposure, something that is felt
and seen on a regular basis. It
is something that I experienced
first hand growing up in New
York City during the 1990s.
Not only would I get stopped
and frisked in certain neigh-
borhoods by Giuliani’s police
department, but I encountered
the invisible lines of segrega-
tion, inequality, and racism
that were strategically placed
throughout the city. I lived
in Harlem, which at the time
was a predominantly Black
community in Manhattan, but
I attended schools in predom-
inantly white communities, so
I learned to maneuver through
these different environments
with a certain cultural dex-
terity.
Today, as a Black man in a
professional field that is also
traditionally seen the relation-
ship between race and space
and the importance of material
culture from a white male’s
spatial imaginary, I think it is
time that architectural histori-
ans and historic preservation-
ists take on a more culturally
dexterous approach to the race
and space narrative and how
we preserve the structures
and spaces associated with it.
It is time to deploy diversity
within our respective fields
and into the narratives that
we tell. Let us include other
spatial imaginaries in order to
tell a more inclusive and more
authentic story. I mean, aren’t
you tired of visiting museums
and historical sites and not
getting the full unedited ver-
sion of events? I know I am.
Because buildings and stories
serve as chapters in history,
how they are preserved and
talked about is essential to ful-
ly understanding the history
of this country. If we include
other spatial imaginaries and
have a diverse collection of
representation and ideas, we
can start to see things through
a much clearer lens. While
they are just as important, I
should acknowledge that I do
not discuss other inter-sec-
tionalities such as class, sex,
gender, sexuality or even other
races because I cannot speak
to those identities and this is
is why diversity and represen-
tation is so important.
In today’s social climate,
people are becoming more
culturally aware and familiar
with the one spatial imaginary
that has dominated this country
(and the world) at every level.
People are now hip to terms
such as police brutality and
systemic racism— methods
of oppression which have
plagued black communities
and black people since this
country was founded. Fully
understanding the relationship
between race and space is es-
sential to  understanding Amer-
ica. One does not have to look
long and hard to see how some
stories overlap and sometimes
repeat themselves. I mean I can
off the top of my head name
dozens of unarmed black men
who have been killed by white
law enforcement officers who
swore to protect those very
lives that they took. One does
not have to have a PhD to see
the similarities between slav-
ery and mass incarceration.
In fact, I wrote an essay on it
called New Slaves: From the
Fields of the Angola Plantation
to the Fields of the Angola
Prison— check it out! We
can go on and on about how
messed up things are but that’s
not what this is about. Remem-
ber this is about reflection and
provocation of thought. So, if
systemic racism is so prevalent
in this country, why are we
just now having these types
of conversations? Why aren’t
Harlem YMCA, 1931,
museums, classrooms, and
preserved buildings and spaces
a reflection of this? Why is
there such a disproportionate
number of preserved buildings
associated with Black history
in this country? Why is there
a disproportionate number of
black people in architectural
history and historic preserva-
tion?
Let me try to wrangle this
back in with a story. Okay
picture this—
It was September 4th, 1838
around two o’clock in the
morning when a Black man
by the name of Frederick
Bailey had finally arrived in
New York City. The young
20- year-old was excited but
exhausted because he had just
travelled over 200 miles North
by every mode of transpor-
tation imaginable including
horse, train, boat and on foot.
When he arrived in the city,
dressed in nautical attire, in
the disguise of a free-sailor,
Bailey was on a mission. That
mission, to escape slavery. In
spite of his new freedom, Bai-
ley had no one and nothing in
this unfamiliar landscape. He
had no real plan about what to
do next. First, he encountered
Jake, another black man who
had escaped slavery and who
had warned him that although
they were now in a free state,
slave catchers roamed the
city’s streets. Not too long af-
ter that, a “warm-hearted and
generous fellow” by the name
of Stuart took him to the home
of David Ruggles at 36 Lispe-
nard Street, not far from the
docks along the Hudson River.
Ruggles was an abolitionist
and the secretary of the New
York Committee of Vigilance,
founded three years earlier
to challenge the institution
of slavery and to protect the
rights of both free and enslaved
African Americans with legal
representation. The Committee
also protected free Black New
Yorkers from being kidnapped
and auctioned off into slavery
in the South. Solomon North-
up, a free Black man from New
York would draw attention
to this problem in his widely
read memoir “Twelve Years
a Slave.”
By 1838, Ruggles was the
leader of a secret network with
connections to antislavery ac-
tivists in Baltimore, Philadel-
phia, New England, and Up-
state New York. He regularly
searched the wharves, on the
lookout for fugitive slaves to
help. Ruggles took Bailey into
his home and advised him to
change his name to help avoid
recapture. Frederick Bailey
became Frederick Johnson,
and for the next couple of days
the two men would discuss
the abolitionist movement in
7
Ruggles’ parlor. Bailey, now
Johnson, would in fact marry
Anna Murray in this very
same parlor. Ruggles gave the
couple five dollars and told
them to head to New Bedford,
Massachusetts, where Nathan
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Johnson, another black aboli-
tionist, would receive them.
Once they arrived in New
Bedford, Frederick Johnson
would change his name one
last time. He would become
Frederick Douglass.
Before he became a famous
photographer, Gordon Parks
was a musician. He played the
trombone as the only Black
member of Larry Funk and
His Band of a Thousand Mel-
odies. In March of 1933, the
band went to New York City.
According to Parks, when
they arrived at the Park Cen-
tral Hotel on West 53rd Street
and Seventh Avenue, “things
quickly went wrong— when I
started through the front door,
the doorman called me aside
and told me I would have to use
the servants’ entrance— we
stood glaring at each other for
a moment and since I wasn’t
sure how Larry would take this
kind of trouble, I backed down.
And even if I had won, the
victory would have been slight,
for the orchestra, I learned an
hour later, was disbanding
immediately.”
Just like Douglass almost
one hundred years earlier,
Parks was now stranded in
an unfamiliar landscape. He
knew this hotel, like many in
the city would not accommo-
date him so he headed Uptown
to Harlem. Harlem at the time
was known as the “largest Ne-
gro city in the United States.”
One of the few places that
would accommodate him was
the Harlem YMCA on West
135th Street. The Harlem
YMCA was known as “the
living room of the Harlem
Renaissance” because this is
where all of the established
black artists, musicians, writ-
ers, and intellectuals stayed
between 1918 and 1939. Parks
stayed at the Harlem YMCA
that night and when he re-
turned to the city ten years
later in 1943 as a photogra-
pher, he stayed at the Harlem
YMCA again. He would re-
count, “I went to the YMCA in
Harlem simply because it was
the cheapest and safest place
for me to stay. You know, it
was absolutely crazy man but
uh there were memorable days
and uh, I never will forget
the YMCA because it saved
my life for several years.”
Throughout the years, Claude
McKay, Langston Hughes,
Richard Wright, Ralph El-
lison, Malcolm X, Jackie
Robinson, Joe Louis, Paul
Robeson, Duke Ellington, and
Sidney Poitier were just some
of the black men who stayed
at the Harlem YMCA. Many
of these men knew about the
Harlem YMCA through word
of mouth. Others knew about
it because it was listed in the
1941 edition of the The Negro
Motorist Green Book.

8
Battle for ‘Soul of America’
begins with Bidens, Obamas,
Colin Powell, Kamala Harris at
Democratic National Convention
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
From page 3
the convention showed him rid-
ing the train home everyday in
order to be there for his young
sons after his first wife and their
daughter were killed in a car
accident. They also referred to
his pain and resiliency amidst
the death of his adult son, Beau,
who succumbed to a brain tu-
mor in 2015.
  Prospective First Lady Jill
Biden was perhaps his best
witness in this regard.
  “Four days after Beau’s
funeral, I watched Joe shave
and put on his suit. I saw him
steel himself in the mirror—
take a breath—put his shoul-
ders back—and walk out into
a world empty of our son. He
went back to work. That’s just
who he is,” she said in her
speech. “There are times when
I couldn’t imagine how he did
it—how he put one foot in front
of the other and kept going. But
I’ve always understood why
he did it: For the daughter who
convinces her mom to finally
get a breast cancer screening
and misses work to drive her
to the clinic, for the community
college student who has faced
homelessness and survived
abuse—but finds the grit to fin-
ish her degree and make a good
life for her kids, for the little
boy whose mom is serving as
a marine in Iraq, who puts on a
brave face in his video call, and
doesn’t complain when the only
thing he wants for his birthday
is to be with her, for all those
people Joe gives his personal
phone number to, at rope lines
and events—the ones he talks to
for hours after dinner—helping
them smile through their loss—
letting them know that they ar-
en’t alone. He does it for you.”
She concluded, “Joe’s pur-
pose has always driven him
forward. His strength of will
is unstoppable. And his faith
is unshakable—because it’s
not in politicians or political
parties—or even himself. It’s
in the providence of God. His
faith is in you—in us.”
  Among the most unusual
aspects of the convention – oth-
er than it being held remotely –
was the number of high profiled
Republicans who spoke on
Biden’s behalf.
“I support Joe Biden be-
cause on Day One he will
restore America’s leadership
and our moral authority,” said
Powell, who served as secretary
of state under President George
W. Bush and chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff under Bush
and Democratic President Bill
Clinton. “He’ll be a president
who knows America is stron-
gest when, as he has said, ‘We
lead both by the power of our
example and the example of
our power.’ He will restore
Health
America’s leadership in the
world and restore the alliances
we need to address the dangers
that threaten our nation, from
climate change to nuclear pro-
liferation.”
  Former Ohio Gov. John
Kasich, also a Republican and
a former presidential candidate,
weathered criticism from fel-
low Republicans for his open
support of Biden.
“I’m a lifelong Republican,
but that attachment holds sec-
ond place to my responsibility
to my country. That’s why
I’ve chosen to appear at this
convention. In normal times,
something like this would prob-
ably never happen, but these are
not normal times,” Kasich said
in his speech. “Yes, there are
areas where Joe and I absolutely
disagree. But that’s OK because
that’s America. Because what-
ever our differences, we respect
one another as human beings,
each of us searching for justice
and for purpose.”
  A video was shown high-
lighting Biden’s friendship with
the late Republican Sen. John
McCain. It was narrated by
McCain’s wife, Cindy, ending
with his words to Biden, thank-
ing him for his friendship: “My
life and the lives of many have
been enriched by it.”
  Millions anticipated
Biden’s remarks at the close of
the DNC convention Thursday
night. But, even more so, the
race between him and Trump.
The issues at hand in the Black
community, including health
care, criminal justice, police
brutality and economic justice
will be foremost as America
goes to the polls or mail in their
ballots.
  “Too many have lost their
health care; too many are strug-
gling to take care of basic ne-
cessities like food and rent; too
many communities have been
left in the lurch to grapple with
whether and how to open our
schools safely. Internationally,
we’ve turned our back, not
just on agreements forged by
my husband, but on alliances
championed by presidents like
Reagan and Eisenhower,” for-
mer First Lady Michelle Obama
said. “And here at home, as
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor,
and a never-ending list of inno-
cent people of color continue to
be murdered, stating the simple
fact that a Black life matters
is still met with derision from
the nation’s highest office…If
we want to keep the possibility
of progress alive in our time,
if we want to be able to look
our children in the eye after
this election, we have got to
reassert our place in American
history. And we have got to do
everything we can to elect my
friend, Joe Biden, as the next
president of the United States.”
Figuring out face masks
By Glenn Ellis
“W hat kind of face
mask should
I wear to pro-
tect myself from getting
COVID-19?”
There is no longer any
debate to be had on whether,
or not, face masks offer us
protection from the COVID-19
virus (by sensible people, any-
way). The WHO, the CDC,
and the NIH are all in agree-
ment, and the global data on
the transmission and resurgent
spikes in infection rates after
“re-openings” all bear the
stark reality of our collective
foreseeable future: wearing
face masks.
There’s nothing to be
gained by questioning wheth-
er it makes a difference or not.
The science is sound, and the
research is indisputable. If 95
percent of people wear cloth
masks when within 6 feet of
other people in public, it will
reduce COVID-19 transmis-
sion by at least 30 percent. So,
if every infected person trans-
mits the virus to 30 percent
fewer people, it improves the
chances of surviving the con-
tinual spread of COVID-19.
When it comes to choosing
a face mask, The Journal of
Science Advances found that
the best protection from the
COVID-19 virus is a fitted
N95 or three-layer surgical
mask. Let’s look at what it is
about these two.
All things considered
equal, hands down, the fitted
N95 mask is better, compared
to surgical masks. A 2013
study in the Journal of Aerosol
Science and Technology found
surgical masks can filter about
60 percent of smaller, inhaled
particles; an N95 would filter
95 percent.
Some N95 masks have
valves that make them eas-
ier to breathe through. With
this type of mask, unfil-
tered air is released when
the wearer exhales. Have you
seen people walking around
with those face masks with
those “valves” to breathe out
of? Those masks make it eas-
ier to for you to breathe out
but, you’re also exhaling your
germs into the air around
you. Even though they do a
good job protecting the wear-
er, but because of the one-
way valves, they don’t offer
much protection to the people
around the wearer. If the
wearer is contagious, either
knowingly or unknowingly,
they could still be spreading
the virus to others around
them. Since the main reason
to wear a mask is to protect
others, a simpler mask with a
filter may be a better choice.
The N95 will give you bet-
ter filter penetration as a result
of the face-seal leaking when
you inhale or exhale, when
tested in the laboratory. But
we live in the real world, not
a laboratory. This virus’ trans-
mission is sinister and tricky.
A “fitted” N95 face mask is
only as good as it is used under
ideal circumstances and worn
in the proper manner. It is be-
cause the face seal is important
for protection, and fit testing is
important for efficiency; they
are genrally recommended to
be made available for health
care, frontline, and other es-
sential workers as a priority.
Their workplaces typically will
have in the place, systems and
procedures to ensure that N95
masks are used properly to
protect from infection.
Although those blue, dis-
posable masks are not close fit-
ting, like an N95, they are fluid
resistant and do provide you
with some protection against
the larger respiratory droplets
from coughs and sneezes. The
most effective protection that
these disposable masks pro-
vide is that they will prevent
you from spreading infectious
droplets to others. Reminder…
they are DISPOSABLE. One-
time use is it. Anything else,
and you’re doing yourself
more harm than good.
Some folks are getting very
creative…and practical. They
are making face masks out of
socks, and towels, and what-
ever. They have limited effec-
tiveness. A face mask made out
of a towel?
We are going to be wearing
them for a long, long time. We
might as well start looking for
ways to make the reality as
comfortable as possible, while
being as safe as possible.
Johns Hopkins offer some
very good advice on face
masks. They say that you
should look for face masks
with at least 2 layers of fabric.
The mask should cover your
nose and mouth without large
gaps, or lots of movement and
slipping. Try to get a face mask
that has adjustable ear loops. If
you’re like me, and wear glass-
es, Johns Hopkins suggests a
mask with a bendable border
at the top. This type allows
you to mold the face mask
to fit the bridge of your nose
and prevent your glasses from
fogging. Professional masks
should be reserved for health
care workers on the front lines
caring for patients.
Now, with all of that said,
back in 2016, Canadian re-
searchers published study
results that concluded “our
meta-analysis showed that
there were insufficient data to
determine definitively whether
N95 respirators are superior to
surgical masks in protecting
health care workers against
transmissible acute respiratory
infections in clinical settings”.
To sum up face masks, here
is the “takeaway”. No face
mask of any kind is a silver
bullet. Even an N95 won’t save
you if you touch your face with
contaminated hands right after
you take it off. Face masks
must be used in combination
with physical distancing, hand
hygiene, and other protective
measures.
One last thing…Don’t for-
get, you can reduce your own
chances of catching the virus
by wearing one yourself, even
if nobody else around you is.
Remember, I’m not a doctor. I
just sound like one! Take good
care of yourself and live the
best life possible!
The information included
in this column is for educa-
tional purposes only. I do
not dispense medical advice
or prescribe the use of any
technique as a replacement
form of treatment for physical,
mental or medical problems by
your doctor either directly or
indirectly.
Glenn Ellis, MPH is a
Visiting Scholar at The Na-
tional Bioethics Center at
Tuskegee University and a
Harvard Medical School Re-
search Bioethics Fellow. He
is author of Which Doctor?
and Information is the Best
Medicine. Ellis is an active
media contributor on Health
Equity and Medical Ethics.
For more good health informa-
tion visit: www.glennellis.com

Feminism in spotlight
at South African
Book Fair 2020
(GIN) –
“F
eminism: Our Bod-
ies, Our Truths” will
take center stage at
the upcoming South African
Book Fair taking place virtu-
ally from Sept. 11-13 at the
culmination of South Africa’s
National Book Week.
  Featured speakers in-
clude Mishumo Maduma,
Terry-Ann Adams, Jen Thorpe
and Anelile Gibixego in dis-
cussion with Dr. Alma-Nal-
isha Cele on how women’s
bodies filter their life expe-
riences and can be tools for
conformity or resistance.
  “Feminism was the portal
through which I stepped into
the highway version of my-
self,” said Dr. Alma-Nalisha
Cele. “Black, womxn and alive
in this world. Feminism gave
me the language to name my
experiences.”
  A discussion of the book:
“Perils of Patriarchy: Whenev-
er, Wherever, Everyday – Con-
International
front not Cower” – a collection
of 10 essays, will be led by
Candice Chirwa, the book’s
editor and a thought leader
with an interest in gender and
youth issues.
  “Black women will write
ourselves into history’s ar-
chives,” said Anelile Gibixego,
contributor to Living While
Feminist: Our Bodies, Our
Truths with the essay “Fem-
inism in the church – The
Teaching and the Unlearning”.
“When I write as a feminist,
I write to empower, to ac-
knowledge and to explore our
diversities.”
  The September virtual
event includes a mix of poetry
sessions, author-led panel dis-
cussions, small business skills
development workshops, an
industry marketplace as well as
the National Book Week Mag-
ic Tent offering children online
storytelling, poetry sessions,
writing and illustration work-
shops as well as motivational
talks and puppet and theatre
shows.
  New this year is a Battle of
the Bookclubs Literature Quiz
which begins in August and
a history-themed session that
looks at the role of women in
struggles for liberation, with a
focus on how their stories are
not documented or, if they are,
are frequently located in the
domestic, not national, realm.
  Other topics to be cov-
ered include Race & Identity
(Black Lives Matter, White
Privilege), Relationships &
Erotica, Crime (Investigative
Journalism; Villains of Past
and Present), Food (Down
to earth: from farm to table),
Travel, Science Fiction and
Poetry.
  Over 23 expert and au-
thor-led panels will present
topical issues with the books
to match.
  Additional information on
the Virtual South African Book
Fair 2020 can be found on the
official website www.southaf-
ricanbookfair.co.za
Celebrate the diversity that makes America,
America. Add your photo to the true portrait of
America at lovehasnolabels.com
Cameroon reconsiders
plan to strip last intact
forest in Central Africa
(GIN) –
G
ood news is rare for
those toiling to save the
environment, but this
week environmentalists could
finally share the excitement of
a hard-won success.
  The government of Cam-
eroon just announced it was
canceling plans to log some
170,000 acres of the Ebo For-
est, home to hundreds of rare
plant and animal species, in-
cluding the tool-using Nige-
ria-Cameroon chimpanzee, the
western gorilla and giant frogs.
  The decision to save the
forests followed organized
pressure from indigenous com-
munities, conservation groups
and scientists.
  In addition to its rich bio-
diversity, the Ebo Forest, locat-
ed in southwestern Cameroon,
is culturally and societally
important for the Banen Indig-
enous people, who consider it
their sacred ancestral home.
  The Banen were ousted
from the forest in the 1960s,
but settled just a few miles
from its borders and still rely
on it for food and medicine.
The community has fought for
decades to return to their native
villages.
  “We have always lived in
harmony with this forest and
its diversity, but people just
want to make money,” Chief
Victor Yetina, a ruler among
the Banen, told The Guardian
9
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
newspaper. “Much of our his-
tory can still be found [in the
forest]. You can still find our
cocoa plantations, even after
60 years. Our dead are buried
there.”
  The clock to save Ebo
began to tick in July, when
Cameroon Prime Minister
Joseph Dion Ngute signed
a decree that turned half of
the Ebo Forest into a “forest
management unit,” allowing
the government to sell logging
concessions.
  But on August 11, Ngute,
at the direction of President
Paul Biya, withdrew the de-
cree, suspending any logging
plans, according to the news
site Afrik21. President Biya
also ordered a delay to reclassi-
fy an additional 160,000 acres
of the Ebo, which could have
potentially opened up even
more forest for logging.
  The government’s “inter-
vention to halt the imminent
destruction of this unique for-
est is hugely welcome,” said
Bethan Morgan, head of the
San Diego Zoo’s Global Cen-
tral Africa Program who has
worked to protect the forest’s
great apes, in a statement.
  “We hope that the inter-
national community will seize
this opportunity to work with
the government of Cameroon
to make Ebo a showcase for
long-term conservation in
harmony with very challenged
communities.”

10
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Mariah Carey channels Noted writer confronts UK for Its
Lauryn Hill for new failure to address reparations
single ‘Save the Day’
Newyorkbeacon.com
M
ariah Carey has
dropped new song
“Save the Day,” fea-
turing Lauryn Hill (sort of),
which will appear on her up-
coming album, “The Rarities”.
Carey teamed with her
longtime collaborator Jer-
maine Dupri on the track,
which features Hill’s vocals
from The Fugees 1996 track
“Killing Me Softly With His
Song.”
Have a listen to the “Save
the Day” via the YouTube clip
above. The album drops Oct. 2.
On Wednesday, Carey
dished about the new album
during an interview with Good
Morning America.
“I found stuff in my vault
that I had either started to work
on a long time ago and never
released or that I wanted to fin-
ish mixing,” she said. “They’re
songs that have previously not
been released. It’s exciting and
it’s a monumental occasion for
my career.”
Nets Swept By Toronto Boston and Miami Sweep
From page 24Doncic Stuns Clippers
the game and Temple scored
the first 3-pointer of the night.
LaVert followed it up with an-
other 3-pointer. Brooklyn ended
the first quarter behind only
39-32. Raptors’ Kyle Lowery
left the game in the first quarter
because of a left ankle injury.
Yet the Nets' persistence
could not withstand the de-
fense of the Raptors, even with
Lowery, a lead scorer, out of
the game. The Nets trailed 77-
68 at halftime and 116-87 by
the end of the 3rd quarter. Both
coaches used their reserves in
the 4th quarter as the game was
all but over.
LeVert led the Nets with 35
points and 6 assists. Allen had
Culture
According to Amazon Mu-
sic, Carey’s “Rarities”  album
will feature recordings from
her live shows at the Tokyo
Dome during her 1996 Day-
dream tour.
The 32-track album is set to
be released days after the sing-
er releases her memoir, “The
Meaning of Mariah Carey.”
To celebrate the 30th an-
niversary of her debut album,
MiMi is serving up a memoir
in print and via Audible on
September 29, through Andy
Cohen Books, essence.com re-
ports.
Carey penned the memoir
with former ESSENCE Fash-
ion Editor, Michaela Angela
Davis.
“It took me a lifetime to
have the courage and the clar-
ity to write my memoir. I want
to tell the story of the mo-
ments — the ups and downs,
the triumphs and traumas, the
debacles and the dreams, that
contribute to the person I am
today,” wrote Carey in a state-
ment on Instagram.
a team high of 15 rebounds.
The Nets shared LeVert’s
comments after the game on
Twitter: "Yeah I think mental-
ly, I definitely need a break.
Just for maybe a couple of
days maybe a week or howev-
er long. I don't think I've ever
gone through a season like this
before like you said that is so
long so I'll definitely take some
time to myself and reflect,
make sure my body is good
and gear up for next season.”
The Raptors face the Boston
Celtics in the next round. The
Nets anticipate next season
with the addition of their other
players and have to decide if
they want to bring back interim
head coach Jaque Vaughn.
(GIN) –
N
oted writer Afua Hirsch
doesn’t shy away from
difficult questions and
she recently posed one to a
British cabinet minister.
  “Why,” she asked the
minister, “has England never
apologized for the transatlan-
tic slave trade?” Britain, she
reminded him, had trafficked
more enslaved Africans than
almost any other – at least 3
million on British ships.  Yet
the most the European country
had to offer was “regret.”
  “It’s a strange choice of
words for playing a leading
role in the greatest atrocity in
human history,” she said to
herself.
  He explained: The UK
cannot apologize because it
might make England liable
morally, ethically and legally.
“In other words,” she con-
cluded, “Britain won’t use the
language of apology out of fear
this might pave the way for
reparations.”
  And so the debate about
reparations has, conveniently,
been branded extreme and
From page 24
shoulder injury and his health
could determine the outcome
their next series.
The Western Conference
playoffs have been more com-
petitive with the exception of
the Los Angeles Lakers and
Portland Trail Blazers. Portland
stunned the Lakers in game 1.
Los Angeles came back to win
the next 3 games. They scored
80 points (15-0 to start the game)
in the first half of game 4 lead-
ing to a 137-115 blowout. The
Lakers looked to close out the
series last night. The Oklahoma
unrealistic by those who don’t
want to pay them, Hirsch says
pointedly. And when Prince
Charles, heir to the throne,
recently thanked members of
the Caribbean community in
Britain for their contributions
to society, Hirsch rebuffed the
thanks, saying what Britain
owes is, in fact, a straight-up
financial debt.
  As the U.S. debate over
reparations gathers steam, sim-
ilar debates have been taking
place on the European conti-
nent since the 18th century, she
points out. Black people have
stated the case in petitions,
correspondences, pamphlets,
public speeches, slave narra-
tives and judicial claims – ad-
vocating in English, French,
Spanish and Portuguese.
  “As the French colo-
nial writer Prince Marc Kojo
Tovalou Houénou wrote of
Benin, Black people ‘cry ‘Rep-
arations!’ without ceasing’.
That this cry was deliberately
ignored for so long in the past
cannot logically form the basis
of a denial in the present.”
  The Guardian article
sparked over 1,000 letters
City Thunder evened their series
against the Houston Rockets
Monday afternoon with their
117-114 win. 6 Thunder players
scored in double figures led by
James Harden's 32 points. Game
5 took place last night. The Utah
Jazz took a commanding 3-1
lead over the Utah Jazz with
their 129-127 over the Denver
Nuggets. Donvan Mitchell of
the Jazz scored 51 becoming
only the 4th player in NBA
history score 50 or more points
in two postseason games. Den-
ver's Jamal Murray ripped off
50 points in the loss. The Jazz
looked to close out the series
starting with Mary Ruck of
Manchester, who wrote:
  “Afua Hirsch is right to
challenge the shiftless re-
sponse to the case for repara-
tions. Her argument is fortified
by the fact that within living
memory Britain, as a colonial
power, exploited the forced la-
bor of those in captivity to gain
economic advantage.” Ruck
was counsel for Kenyans de-
tained during the “Emergency”
(also known as the Mau Mau
Uprising) from 1952-1962.
(Reparations in 2018 were
denied because of the length of
time elapsed and a three year
time limit on such claims)
  Hirsch, of Ghanaian her-
itage, writes for the Guardian
newspaper where her article:
“The case for British slavery
reparations can no longer be
brushed aside” appeared this
month. An earlier article: “The
Racism that killed George
Floyd was built in Britain”
was published in June. Her
book, “On Race, Identity and
Belonging” was published in
2018.  
A. Hirsch (left) at book
event
Thursday night. The best series
has been between the Los An-
geles Clippers and Dallas Mav-
ericks. Dallas tied the series
at 2 after Luka Doncic buried
a 3-pointer in overtime in the
135-133 win. Doncic finished
the game with a triple-double
( 43 points, 17 rebounds, 13
assist) as the team came back
from a 21-point deficit. Game
5 took place Tuesday night and
ex-Knicks Kristaps Porzingis,
who sat out the game with a sore
right knee, is expected to play. It
would be a surprise if the series
goes the full 7 games as many
expect the Clippers to go to the
 Wednesday's woman
New grassroots political advocacy group forms ‘Broadway for Biden’
Posted by Audrey J. Bernard
B roadway for Biden is a
newly formed, inclusive
online community dedi-
cated to bringing together profes-
sional theater makers, students,
and Broadway fans around the
country to raise awareness on key
issues in the 2020 presidential
election, increase voter turnout,
and raise funds to elect Joe Biden
and Kamala Harris to the White
House this November. The grass-
roots volunteer organization has a
quickly growing online presence
and is activating the national
theater community and the fans
who love it by hosting events,
disseminating key information,
and amplifying the unique stories
of individuals within the theater
world’s diverse population to
build connections and humanize
the issues at stake in this year’s
election.
Broadway for Biden’s top
priority is getting the Biden/
Harris ticket elected this No-
vember, and in every action it
takes to accomplish that goal,
the organization takes inspira-
tion from the campaign’s motto:
“Build back better.” Since its
first event held at the end of July,
the organization has united more
than 50 volunteers, made up of
current and former Broadway
performers, producers, writers,
Krystal Joy Brown from “Hamilton”
directors, choreographers, stage
managers, and marketing spe-
cialists from within the Broad-
way community.
 The Broadway for
Biden leadership team is com-
prised of Halle Morse, Jeff
Metzler, Julie Boardman,
and Nolan Doran. Its field
team was created by Dimitri
Moise and is led by Flora Sta-
matiades, Josh Daniel, Matt
DiCarlo, Stephanie Israel-
son, and Roxanne Quilty. Ty-
ler Mount is Head of Digital
Strategy.
“Broadway for Biden pri-
oritizes intersectionality and
inclusivity to build deeper em-
pathy and understanding across
identities, geography, and po-
litical affiliations,” said Exec-
utive Director Halle Morse.
“When founding Broadway
for Biden with Jeff and Dimi-
tri, in partnership with Julie and
Nolan, our aim was to establish
a community that is uniquely
Broadway, future-looking,
accessible, and deeply inclu-
sive at every level. While our
theaters remain dark due to
the ongoing pandemic, we are
rallying our community and
its immense talent and passion
to not only build back a better
Broadway, but to continue to
inspire dreams, and to work for
a better tomorrow. That better
11
future begins now by unifying
as a community, using our col-
lective talent to get Joe Biden
and Kamala Harris elected.”
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Broadway for Biden’s
current initiatives include:
‘Broadway Phone Banking’
events featuring Broadway
star hosts held every Monday
from 7-9pm EST since July 27
(more details below).
DNC Watch Party, in
partnership with Women for
Biden-Harris. On Thursday,
August 20, Broadway for
Biden hosted a virtual DNC
Watch Party in partnership
with Women for Biden-Har-
ris. The event featured spe-
cial appearances and per-
formances by Broadway
s t a r s , i n c l u d i n g :  Tr a c i e
Thoms (Rent, Broadway and
film), Nikki M. James (The
Book of Mormon, Les Miser-
ables), Kerry Butler (Bee-
tlejuice, Mean Girls, Hair-
spray, Xanadu), Krystal
Joy Brown (Eliza in Ham-
ilton),  Lilli Cooper (Toot-
sie,  SpongeBob SquareP-
ants, Spring Awakening, Wick-
ed), Kristolyn Lloyd (Dear
Evan Hansen),  Kathryn
G a l l a g h e r  ( J a g g e d L i t -
tle Pill,  Spring Awaken-
ing), Sharone Sayegh (The
Band’s Visit), Vasthy Mom-
point (The Prom, SpongeBob
SquarePants), and Alysha Halle Morse
Deslorieux (Hamilton, Once
on This Island, Beautiful).
Other upcoming events in-
clude: virtual Town Hall events
highlighting issues affecting the
theater community; ‘Uni for
Biden’ college campus initiative,
connecting Broadway alumni
with their schools’ current stu-
dent body to increase issues
awareness and encourage voter
turnout; Social media activa-
tions and testimonials across
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter,
and TikTok, featuring Broadway
stars creating unique content in
support of the campaign; and
a Series of performance-based
fundraisers, from cabaret to
large-scale virtual shows, fea-
turing top-tier Broadway talent Adrienne Warren from “TINA”
to be announced soon.
Broadway for Biden’s most calls. Participants receive tine Bruno. The subsequent
‘Broadway Phone Banking’ instructions from Broadway three events featured former
campaign, now in its fourth for Biden’s Stephanie Israel- cast members from the Broad-
consecutive week, has already son and establish a virtual way shows Mean Girls (Ash-
gained steady momentum, with sense of community activism ley Park, Kate Rockwell,
the last event bringing together as each caller makes their and Grey Henson) and Bee-
more than 70 volunteers. The ini- rounds while staying connect- tlejuice (Alex Brightman, Jill
tiative has made a total of 8,000 ed to the rest of the (muted) Abramovitz, Rob McClure,
calls over the past four weeks. group via Zoom. and Dana Steingold) on August
  Every Monday, the theater   In a uniquely Broadway 3; Wicked (Shoshana Bean)
community’s typical ‘dark’ for Biden touch, the volun- and Jagged Little Pill (Eliza-
day, from 7-9pm EST, Broad- teer callers are treated to an beth Stanley and Kathryn Gal-
way for Biden connects Broad- exclusive live performance lagher) on August 10; and Adri-
way stars with the Broadway from that night’s guest stars enne Warren and Dr. Dawnn
for Biden community for vir- and a brief discussion of their Lewis from Tina: The Tina
tual phone banking, making personal stakes in the election. Turner Musical; and Ephraim
calls to voters in swing states to Participation is free. Sykes, Jelani Remy, and Nik
discuss their registration status   The inaugural ‘Broadway Walker from Ain’t Too Proud on
and engage in conversations Phone Banking’ event was August 17.
about topical campaign is- held on Monday, July 27, and, To learn more, get in-
sues. Callers are distributed on in celebration of National Dis- volved, or make a dona-
teams aligned with the Broad- ability Independence Day, fea- tion, visit www.Broadway-
way shows represented by that tured 2019 Tony Award win- forBiden.com, and connect
night’s guest hosts, and there is ner Ali Stroker, “The Poli- with us on Instagram, Face-
a light-hearted competition to tician’s” Ryan J. Haddad, book, Twitter, and TikTok:
see which team can make the and artist and activist Chris- @broadway4biden.
 12

This is your city. Beacon on the scene

Do you know your zone? Hip Hop legend Mary J. Blige
is Ambassador for 2020 ABFF
By Audrey J. Bernard

I
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

conic Grammy Award-winning and

Visit NYC.gov/knowyourzone or call 311
to find out what to do to prepare for
hurricanes in NYC. #knowyourzone
KYZ2020_5x7_revised.indd 1 5/29/2020 12:56:50 PM
Academy Award-nominated singer,
songwriter, actress, producer and
philanthropist Mary J. Blige is the am-
bassador for the 2020 American Black
Film Festival (ABFF), which will be
held online from August 19 through
August 30, 2020. Blige is a figure of
inspiration, transformation and empow-
erment making her one of the defining
voices of the contemporary music era.
As ambassador, Blige will help bring
media awareness to the ABFF’s mission
and its 24-year legacy, as well as head-
line a one-on-one conversation during
the Center Stage Talk series. “So many
incredibly talented Black filmmakers
have come out of the American Black Ambassador Mary J. Blige
Film Festival, many of whom I’ve had
the pleasure to work with and many transcended into the film and TV indus-
I can’t wait to collaborate with,” said tries. Her body of work personifies the
Blige. “As an actress and producer, ABFF mission, which is to celebrate and
there couldn’t be a more important uplift the African American community
event to be a part of. I am a longtime through entertainment,” said Nicole
supporter and admirer of ABFF and I Friday, General Manager of ABFF
am honored to be an ambassador and Ventures LLC. For more information on
continue to help foster new talent.” ABFF and up-to-date news, go to abff.
Previous ambassadors include Idris com and follow @ABFF on Twitter
Elba, Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina Hall, and @AmericanBlackFilmFestival on
La La Anthony, Jay Ellis, Morris Instagram and Facebook. Join in on the
Chestnut, Omari Hardwick, Common conversation by using #ABFF20 and
and Taraji P. Henson. “Mary J. Blige #WeAreABFF. (See page 21 for more
is a hip hop legend whose artistry has information)
 13

BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

The 2021 TUCSON,
it’s like dancing in # 1 Compact SUV

the streets. in Initial Quality

-J.D. Power, 2020

With a bold design and advanced technology, it has smoother moves than others
in its class. Built for comfort and depended upon for reliability, this is an SUV that
busy people like you can count on. Just relax and let the music play. The Tucson is
better at its best.

Options shown. For J.D. Power 2020 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards. Hyundai is a registered trademark of Hyundai Motor Company. All rights reserved. ©2020 Hyundai Motor America.

14
2020 Mix of hot mess
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
By Hazel Rosetta Smith
Contributing Scribe
I
know you have heard it
said, “We are all in the
same boat.” I say, “We are
all in the same mess.” Some
folks have a yacht, while others
do not have a raft to hold them
afloat. I believe; nobody wants
to be impoverished and nobody
is foolish enough to think they
can run on empty. Surviving
and thriving are not the same
across the board.
We agree COVID-19 hit
everybody hard in health,
housing, employment, busi-
ness, psychologically and
emotionally, but certainly not
in the same way. The haves
and the have nots may share
the same trauma of unexpected
deaths due to the virus, but not
the same drama of trying to
make it on a dime.
January 2020 seemed like
just another entry into a new
year. Out of the blue, shock
waves catapulted our new year
resolutions into how to handle
an invasion of an unseen ene-
my. We started out bumping
elbows and minimizing hugs
and kisses, hoping that would
win the battle. The infectious
COVID war took hold, we
were ordered to stay home and
shut down.
We have moved from con-
fusion to crisis to chaos and
then head on into calamity
Ponder this
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris wearing masks are stepping into the mess
under the leadership of a pres-
ident who comes up out of
an imaginary tunnel when he
chooses, rambling on with triv-
ial nonsense, boosting his ego
by way of arrogance and insult,
barely offering any assistance
when we need it the most.
If anyone is thinking the
2020 mess is subsiding, stay
ready for what is yet to come.
Do not deceive yourself, the
TRUMP will be taking advan-
tage of every moment of every
day leading to the election to
flaunt his form of patriotism
to his platform and to those
who still cannot see the forest
for the trees that are standing
before their eyes.
Confusion and distraction
have been the name of his
game from early on in this ad-
ministration. There is more to
come. First, they wanted more
time for the Census, now rush-
ing to an early end in the count
that could hinder the numbers
needed in communities for
budgets and fair political rep-
resentation.
The wishy washy of what is
going on with USPS is a part of
the chaos TRUMP validates. It
does not take a wizard to know
a slowdown in postal opera-
tions will delay mail in ballots
and curtail the count. This is
warranting damage control to
assure what is the law, every
citizen has the right to expect
their vote to get counted.
There is no shame in ac-
cepting the fact that a stagnant
postal service creates danger-
ously late delivery of medical
supplies, which has already
been reported. And there is
still a large majority of citizens
who receive monthly checks
by mail from social security,
pensions, and other forms of
assistance.
From good help, to no help,
to a little bit of something,
the unemployed are jockeyed
back and forth with threats of
evictions from landlords as the
rules seemingly change from
week to week. Are evictions
legal during this time or is it
up to the individual landlord
according to their personal
needs, which can be valid.
Unemployment across this
nation is flying over the roof,
while the bartering continues.
$600, no; $400, maybe, could
be merely $300. How long will
it take to resolve that insensi-
tivity? You will not know until
the check is in your hand. A
second stimulus check is far-
fetched, when some are still
reporting they did not receive
the first.
September is just a step
away and parents shiver at
the thought of their children
returning to unsafe school
buildings and teachers fear
what the children will spread to
them and their families if they
return. The struggle is real.
If the need to clear the
white house of this ineffective
governing body is as urgent as
it is obvious, we must take a
stance to trust team BIDEN/
HARRIS to be the best they
can be under great duress in the
mess they will step into come
January 2021.
Yes, Joe Biden’s choice of
Senator Kamala Harris as his
VP nominee was a proud day
for African American women
and the country. As Harris ac-
cepted the nomination, I could
hear Marvin Gaye singing
“Let’s Get it On.” I say, hold
up, the White House has an
occupant who could be shadyto
the end.
Nothing must hold us back
from climbing out of the pit of
discontentment, disorder and
various degrees of disgust that
is exhibited for the world to see
from the current resident of the
house the slaves built.
As we sift our way through
all the messiness of what we
heard and saw this week from
the TRUMP family caravan
and others who refuse to see
clearly the reality show they
helped to create and continue
to support, we the people must
be about getting everybody’s
vote, young and old, to the
polls or the post office. God
bless America, please!
[Hazel Rosetta Smith is a
journalist, playwright, and
director for Help Somebody
Theatrical Ministries, retired
former Managing Editor and
Woman’s Editor of The New
York Beacon News and current
columnist of Harlem Com-
munity News, Inc. Contact:
misshazel@twc.com]

Bounce features bold new originals in 2020-21 line up
Posted by Audrey J. Bernard
A
T L A N TA , G A —
Bounce, the first and
only broadcast and
multi-platform entertainment
network serving African Amer-
icans, today unveiled its 2020-
21 original programming slate
during the 2020 summer press
tour.
The wide-ranging array of
originals includes: Two new
comedy series-one produced
by Cedric The Entertainer-three
new movies, a limited-run true-
crime murder mystery, the U.S.
premiere of a new documenta-
ry special about the death of
Michael Jackson, the renewal
of the mega-hit drama Saints
& Sinners plus a first-ever
stand-alone movie based on
the franchise, new seasons of
popular network sitcoms In
The Cut and Family Time, the
29th annual Bounce Trumpet
Awards and more.
New Scripted Series -
Bounce will debut two new
original comedies looking–and
laughing–at single life from both
the male and female perspective.
Both series, debuting in the sec-
ond quarter of 2021, will include
guest appearances and cameos
from top names in entertainment,
music, sports, and more.
Johnson - Executive Pro-
ducer Cedric The Entertainer,
iconic comedian D.L. Hugh-
ley and a stellar cast of fresh
new faces are part of this
single-camera dramedy about
life-long best friends navigat-
ing the world while Black. Pro-
duced by Cedric’s A Bird & A
Bear Entertainment. Premieres
second quarter of 2021.
Secrets of the Salon comed-
ically chronicles the lives, loves,
relationships, and daily web of
gossip that finds its way into an
Atlanta hair salon. Vivica A. Fox
stars along with Reginae Carter
and Monique Coleman. Pro-
duced by Swirl Films. Premieres
third-quarter of 2021.
True Crime Docuseries
& Documentary
Specials
Killing Michael Jack-
son - Bounce will present the
Bounce partners with NAACP to stream 2020 Virtual March on Washington
Additionally, Bounce will
partner with the NAACP to
live stream the 2020 Virtual
March on Washington.  The
two-day event will take place
on August 27-28, the 57th
anniversary of the first March
on Washington which was
highlighted by Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a
Dream” speech. The 2020
Virtual March on Washing-
ton will feature speakers and
performances that prioritize
equity, justice, and opportunity
for all, with speakers including
Rev. William Barber II, Stac-
ey Abrams, Congresswoman
On the tube
“A Chance in the World”
exclusive United States pre-
miere of Killing Michael Jack-
son on Mon. Sept. 7 at 8:00 pm
(ET). This ground-breaking
documentary special, featuring
never-before-seen images of
that fateful day, is told through
the eyes of detectives Orlando
Martinez, Dan Myers, and
Scott Smith, all three of whom
were involved in the investiga-
tion that ultimately leads to the
arrest and conviction of Jack-
son’s doctor Conrad Murray.
Dying To Be Famous: The
Ryan Singleton Mystery is an
intriguing six-episode, true-
crime docuseries–Bounce’s
first–following the extraor-
dinary story and mysterious
death of Ryan Singleton, a
24-year old aspiring model
and film producer, who sets
out to pursue fame and fortune
in Hollywood with two of his
friends. His dreams of stardom
turn into a tragic nightmare
when he is found dead in Cal-
ifornia’s Mojave Desert, his
body dumped, mutilated and
missing all vital organs. World
Premieres Sun. Nov.1 at 9:00
pm (ET) with two back-to-
back episodes.
Original Movies
A Chance in the World -
The true, inspiring and un-
believable story of Steve
Pemberton (Terrell Ransom,
Jr.), an orphaned boy who “In The Cut”
Brenda Lawrence, Mayor
Steve Benjamin, Yusef Sa-
laam and Tamika Mallory
with performances by B.B.
Winans, Lisa Ramey, Al-
vin Ailey Dance Company,
H.E.R. and Macy Gray.
“Bounce was founded to
serve the African-American
community with a focus on ed-
ucating our viewers on issues
that matter most to them. Our
partnership with the NAACP
and live streaming of the 2020
Virtual March on Washington
will bring awareness to the
policy changes needed to end
police brutality and racial
“Family Time”
endures the abuse of his fos-
ter parents (Kelly Owens,
Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs) and
siblings. While searching
for his biological family, he
meets a caring teacher (Tom
Sizemore) who will change
the course of his life. World
Premieres Sat. Sept. 5 at 7:00
pm (ET).
Will You Merry Me? - This
holiday movie is the story of
Daniel English, a bigheart-
ed, energetic, buoyant pastor
who returns to his hometown
church to take over for his
discrimination but with an
urgent call-to-action to vote,”
commented Bounce General
Manager Cheryle Harrison.
“Bounce is committed to fight-
ing systemic racism and racial
injustice and the launch of
our Your Vote, Your Voice
campaign provides actionable
information for our viewers,
from registering to volun-
teering. Black voices need to
be heard and counted in this
upcoming election; this is not
the time to be silent.”
“The NAACP is incredibly
grateful to Bounce for live
streaming the Virtual March
mentor and falls for a pa-
rishioner. When out of the
blue she asks him, “Will you
marry me?” Pastor Daniel is
thrilled-until he realizes she
is asking him to officiate her
wedding with someone else.
Just how far will the Pastor go
for true love? World premieres
December 2020.
Faith Heist - When a
preacher finds his church in
financial ruin after being swin-
dled by a shady businessman,
he moves heaven and earth to
save his flock. When every-
thing fails, he turns in desper-
ation to an old friend who’s a
former convict from the neigh-
borhood who, in turn, recruits
an ensemble of assorted misfits
to run a scam on the scam artist
who robbed the church. This
family comedy/action movie
World premieres in the second
quarter of 2021.
Returning Series
Saints & Sinners Re-
newed + Stand-Alone Mov-
ie - Bounce has renewed the
mega-hit drama series Saints
& Sinners for an all-new fifth
season coming in the spring
of 2021. Mayor Ella Johnson
(Vanessa Bell Calloway) will
be bracing for the ride of her
life when a father comes to
town seeking revenge for
his son’s murder-revealing a
“Killing Michael Jackson”
on Washington and ensur-
ing that programming from
the event reaches a larger
audience within the African
American community,” said
Aba Blankson, Senior Vice
President of Marketing and
Communications for NAACP.
“We are in a critical moment in
our nation’s history, and now
more than ever we must show
our collective power in putting
forth a bold new Black agenda
that promotes equity, justice,
and equal opportunity for all.”
About the NAACP
Founded in 1909 in response
15
long-kept secret that threat-
ens to take the entire town
down. Bounce will also pro-
duce a first-ever Saints &
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Sinners movie, with the two-
hour stand-alone event airing
in the first quarter of 2021.
Set against the backdrop of a
large southern church, Saints
& Sinners centers around the
pursuit of power, intertwined
with greed, deception, cor-
ruption, compromising sexual
affairs and murder. The series
stars Calloway, Clifton Pow-
ell, Tray Chaney, Keith Rob-
inson, J.D. Williams, Donna
Biscoe, Jasmine Burke, Dawn
Halfkenny and Karon Joseph
Riley.  
Returning Series,
cont.
In The Cut - Bounce’s
popular comedy In The Cut is
back in the barbershop for an
all-new seventh season starting
August 26at 9:00 pm (ET).
Series stars Dorien Wilson and
Kellita Smith will be joined
by TV veterans Mark Curry
(Hanging With Mr. Cooper)
and Kim Coles (Living Single)
in the hilarious cast.
Family Time - The new sea-
son of Family Time, Bounce’s
longest-running original series,
will bow this October and will
see Tony (Omar Gooding, Jr.)
and Lisa (Angell Conwell)
dealing with all the good and
the bad that comes with being
empty nesters.
About Bounce
Bounce (@bouncetv) is the
first and only broadcast and
multi-platform entertainment
network serving African
Americans, with program-
ming seen over-the-air, on
cable, on DISH channel 359,
over-the-top on Roku ®, on
mobile devices via the Bounce
and Brown Sugar apps and
on the web via BounceTV.
com. Bounce features a pro-
gramming mix of original
series, docuseries and movies,
off-network series, theatrical
motion pictures, specials, live
sports and events and more.
Bounce is part of The E.W.
Scripps Company (NASDAQ:
SSP). 
to the ongoing violence
against Black people around
the country, the NAACP
(National Association for
the Advancement of Col-
ored People) is the largest
and most pre-eminent civil
rights organization in the
nation. We have over 2,200
units and branches across the
nation, along with well over
2M activists. Our mission is
to secure the political, educa-
tional, social, and economic
equality of rights in order to
eliminate race-based discrim-
ination and ensure the health
and well-being of all persons.
 #Hotoffthepress
16
DDBS Goes Virtual with Pivot Champ Summit
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Dedra N. Tate
T
raditionally, the Derby
Diversity & Business
Summit (DDBS) brings
together the world’s top suppli-
ers, executives and businesses
to network, develop relation-
ships and enjoy the Kentucky
Derby. Participants are lead-
ers representing all diverse
groups, including minorities,
women, LGBTQ, veterans and
the disabled. This year, due
to the unprecedented effects
stemming from the COVID-19
pandemic, entrepreneurs, small
businesses and corporations
have been forced to re-think
their strategies and “pivot” the
direction of their companies, in
order to achieve success during
the quarantine.
DDBS has also pivoted by
hosting their first ever DDBS
Virtual Pivot Champ Sum-
mit (PCS). This three-day
virtual event, taking place from
Monday, August 31st through
Wednesday, September 2 nd,
will include panel discussions,
breakouts and keynotes from
highly sought-after speakers,
and attendees will also have
the opportunity to participate
in virtual one-on-one network-
ing opportunities. Guests can
attend the conference by pur-
chasing a 3-day summit pass
or daily passes. The first five
hundred people to register will
receive a DDBS Pivot Champs
swag bag filled with feel-good
items, courtesy of HJI Supply
Chain Solutions. Fifty lucky
recipients will receive a hand-
made VIP African bag courtesy
of Bosisi Designs, a fashion
company that produces quality
handmade products with cultur-
PepsiCo’s Kourtney Moody
DDBS Pivot Champs Summit Logo
al fabric and textiles and has a
strong mission to help women
lift themselves out of poverty.
The highly anticipated PIV-
OT Champs Challenge com-
petition takes place on opening
night. Online submissions have
been narrowed down to nine fi-
nalists–three per category–rep-
resenting businesses with gross
revenues of Under $1 Million,
$1-5 Million and $5 Million+.
The three finalists selected,
in each revenue category, are
those who have created a new
selling strategy that assisted
with maintaining or exceeding
sales for their business during
Covid-19. During the competi-
tion, each will do a “live” pitch
and answer questions from
DDBS’ distinguished panel of
judges. The three winners will
be announced on September 2nd
at 10AM EST, and each will
receive a priceless 12-month
mentorship package and a cash
prize.
DDBS Founder & CEO,
Tawana Bain says, “Bringing
all groups together intentional-
ly enables our members, com-
munity and corporate allies to
have honest dialogues and con-
versations about our differenc-
es, as well as our similarities,
to strengthen solidarity across
race, gender, age, and ability.
We seek to grow economically
and bring an understanding of
culture and inclusion to the
forefront, while also tearing
down the stereotypes and prej-
udices held against different
groups. Recent events have
shown us once again that these
conversations are a necessity.”
Bain will serve as PCS’s
UOL President Neeli
Bendapudi
Tawana Bain, DDBS Founder & CEO
mistress of ceremony with
opening remarks being de-
livered by Neeli Bendapudi,
President of the University of
Louisville (UOL). The virtual
main stage will host a diverse
group of keynote speakers in-
cluding The Sales Pivot with
Demetrius Gray, Founder
& CEO of WeatherCheck,
the only company making
premise-specific damage as-
sessments and sending pre
and post event weather alerts
to trigger specific actions.
Theo Edmonds and Michele
Shelton will present Exec-
utive Debrief – The State of
Innovation and Belonging in
Keynote Speaker Demetrius
Gray
By Dedra N. Tate
Diversity. Edmonds, known
as a cultural evangelist, is the
co-Founder/CEO of UPOP.
He’s also a UOL faculty mem-
ber, where he leads the Center
for Creative Placehealing – a
21st Century entrepreneurship
program at the intersection of
public health and the creative
industries. Shelton is an inter-
national speaker, author, coach
and consultant committed to
building inclusive commu-
nities in the workplace and
beyond.
The span of summit topics,
as well as the panelists, are
diverse. Uncovering Black
Girl Magic in the Workplace
Keynote Speaker Theo Ed-
monds
will be feature Bain, Kourtney
Moody, Director of Retail at
PepsiCo. and Dr. Karme-
tria Burton, CEO of PYLR.
Additional panels include
Strength in Sisterhood: How
Women Owned Businesses are
Making a Difference, The Dark
Side of Diversity in Academia,
Leveraging Supplier Diversity,
Straight White Dudes, Get Out
The Vote with DDBS Young
Executives and The Oppression
I See Looks Like Me.
PCS will also feature a Black
Jockey’s & Bourbon Virtual
Tasting, comedy sets with Tara
Cooley and Kendra Dorsey,
a DDBS Youth Jam Fest and
virtual exhibition booths.
Breakout sessions will take
place in major cities across
the country, with a select host
from each who will create
conversations around relevant
topics including Forming Al-
lies Around Racism, Diversity
in Sports, Young Executives in
the Workplace, Oppression,
and more.
Sonia Jackson Myles,
Founder & CEO of The Sis-
ter Accord and DDBS Host
Committee Chair in Detroit
says “Now, more than ever, it is
critically important to engage
businesses and people of all
backgrounds to understand
how we can make progress
together. The DDBS Summit
is designed to do just that by
bringing everyone to the table
to drive success for our cities,
communities and country.” For
more information www.pivot-
champs.com (Photos courtesy
of DDBS)
City Host Committee Chair
Sonia Jackson Myles
Keynote Speaker Michele
Shelton

By Victoria Horsford
2020 U.S. ELECTION
The presidential conven-
tion seasons ends immi-
nently. President Donald
Trump was renominated
by the Republican Party in
Charlotte, NC on Monday.
Vice President Mike Pence
said that the economy is on
the ballot. Didn’t President
Barack Obama say at the
Democratic Convention that
democracy was on the US
ballot this year. Democracy
NEW YORK
EDUCATION: The NYC
Department of Education has
a few problems with brief
classroom encounters this
school year. The United Fed-
eration of Teachers and the
Principals unions vow not to
return to schools until all par-
ties to school environment are
COVID tested, which sounds
like a plan considering the
experiences at schools of
higher learning since the fall
semester began. Failure to do
so will result in teacher ab-
sence, boycott, despite state
laws banning those actions.
Last week the Department of
Homeland Security classified
teachers as essential workers.
On Monday the NYC Schools
Chancellor referenced the
possibility of outdoor class-
es. Some NYC K-12 private
schools open this week.
BUSINESS: NYC Mayor
COVID19 UPDATES
COVID19/August 24:
The following are the latest
figures reported by 214 coun-
tries for the coronavirus. The
BLACK ENTERPRISE
America’s richest Black
billionaire/philanthropist Rob-
ert Smith, founder of Vista
Equity Partners, who paid full
four-year tuition costs for the
Morehouse College Class of
2019, is the subject of a four-
year tax inquiry. Did Smith
failed to pay US taxes on $200
million in assets that moved
from Vista’s first private equity
fund through offshore entities.
The problem: Was Smith the
beneficial owner of the off-
shore structures that received
subject proceeds or were funds
directed to a charity. The Jus-
tice Department has not filed
any charges against Smith
whose net worth is $5.2 billion.
The Black Business Em-
powerment Commission,
BBEC, is a national organiza-
tion focused on the Economic
Health of the Black communi-
ty, a group which boasts $1.5
A Harlem-based management consultant, Victoria Horsford can be reached at Victoria.horsford@gmail.com
What's going on
and/or the economy PO-
TUS 45 does not get high
marks in either category. The
President has no platform
nor record which merits a
second term. The GOP Con-
vention opening night was
peopled by a confederacy of
liars. It is imperative that all
Americans who still love the
country and its promise must
get out and vote before or by
November 3.
de Blasio moves forward with
the Sale of Tax Liens on Real
Property by the City Of New
York on September 3 like he
is impervious to the disrup-
tions to the economy since
the advent of COVID19 this
year. Many of the houses on
the list are based in Harlem,
Brooklyn, Queens and the
Bronx, disproportionately
affecting Black homeowners.
Fortunately, NYS Senator Le-
roy Comrie is urging Albany
legislators to defer NYC tax
lien date. Hizzoner needs
money…..but at the expense
of the city’s homeowners.
A NYC initiative with
Ernst & Young, Goldman
Sachs and Mastercard will
aid Black Entrepreneurs an-
chored at the Brookyn Navy
Yard. The aid consists of one-
on-one consulting, access
to affordable financing, and
total global infections is 23.7
million with 815,000 since
December 2019. In the US
there are 5,755, 002 infec-
trillion in annual disposable in-
come. It is a collective of Black
business owners, community
and religious groups whose
purpose is to devise a plan for
Black economic empower-
ment via business growth and
workforce development, which
should be a priority for all
elected officials. Some of the
key BBEC organizers include
the Harlem Business Alliance,
hbany.org; WEG, a group of
Harlem entrepreneurs, we-
gnyc.org; the National Black
United Front, Dallas Texas;
and DMG Global Media, um-
brella for HarlemBusiness-
Journal.com and Bmorenews.
com, which established the
National Black Wall Street
Foundation in 2019. BBEC
which will host three virtual
Town Hall Meetings focused
on political accountability and
the November US elections.
Barack Obama
Leroy Comrie
creating virtual storefront.
This initiative should be
duplicated throughout NYC.
This should be duplicated
throughout the city, custom-
ized to community needs.
tions with 177,000 deaths.
The first documented corona-
virus reinfection was reported
in Hong Kong a few days ago.
Robert Smith
For more info and to register
for Town Hall meetings #2 and
3, visit bbecommission.org
There is a C-Suite opportu-
nity for Director of the World
Trade Center and Campus
Complex in NYC for the Port
Authority of NY & NJ. Direc-
tor is responsible for oversight
of WTC facility, its safe and
effective operations which in-
cludes management of a $200M
annual budget. Contact Billbur-
gess@TheBurgessGroup.com
or call 212.406.2400
17
OUT OF AFRICA WORLD
On August 18, a group intervened holding summits
of Colonels headed Assimi aimed at détente. Coup leader
Goita, staged a peaceful coup “pledged to restore stability
in Mali, ousting President and oversee a transition to
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who elections within a reasonable
resigned and dissolved Parlia- period.” ECOWAS members
ment. For weeks, tens of thou- have closed their borders
sands of Malian protesters hit with Mali which has some of
the streets venting their dis- the largest gold deposits in
content re: government cor- Africa. Three West African
ruption. The 15-nation Eco- countries–Ivory Coast, Burki-
nomic Community of West no Faso and Ghana–hold
African States, ECOWAS, national elections this year.
ARTS/CULTURE
SIP.EAT.HARLEM Join
Angie Hancock and Black-
owned restaurants for SIP.
EAT.HARLEM on restaurant
row, whose participants are
Chocolat, Cove Lounge, Lo-
lo’s Seafood Shack, Londel’s
Supper Club, Ponty Bistro,
Renaissance Harlem, Ruby’s
Vintage + Sexy Taco Pop
Up, Settepani, and Vinateria,
on Wednesday, August 26,
from 5 pm-9 pm. SIP.EAT.
HARLEM tickets are $25
which includes one appetizer
and a cocktail and must be
purchased in advance. Some Angie Hancock
event proceeds will be benefit
the Boys and Girls Club of celebrates African American
Harlem. Contact www.expe- culture. Four trailblazing
rienceharlem.com. About 41 business leaders are honored
% of Black businesses have as Parade Grand Marshals.
closed permanently since They are Elbert Shamsid
COVID-19s arrival. Deen, Thruway Builders;
The 51st African Ameri- Cheryl McKissack Daniels,
can Day Parade will be held McKissack & McKissack;
virtually on Sunday Septem- Dapper Dan, Dapper Dan
ber 20 at 12 pm. The Harlem Harlem; and Michael Garner,
parade is the largest and oldest Metropolitan Transportation
procession in America which Authority.
NEWSMAKERS
The NFL Washington team
named Jason Wright, 28, as its
team president, a first for an
African American in Nantional
Football League history. For-
mer NFL running back, Wright
played with the SF 49ers,
Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland
Browns, Arizona Cardinals.
He retired in 2010, earned an
MBA at the University of Chi-
cago, before joining McKinsey
& Company, a management
consulting firm, as a partner. Jason Wright
Wedding Anniversaries:
Congratulations to New CEO/Chair; Misty Copeland;
York based African Ameri- Edris Elba; Geoffrey Eaton,
can scholars Linda and Edgar Jon Haggins, travel maven;
Ridley who celebrate their Tamron Hall; Linda Haynes;
49 th wedding anniversary Julian Alexander Arriola-Hem-
in September. Congrats to mings, Morehouse Class of
New Yorkers Nerissa Rivers 2020; Ruth Hunt; Fern Khan,
and Steve Lawrence who Dean Emerita Bank Street
celebrated their 12th wedding College; Justin Khan; Debi
anniversary on August 9. Jackson, WBLS; Errol Louis,
Happy Birthday Anniver- NY1; Gerald Peart photogra-
sary greetings to Virgoans… pher/videographer; fashioni-
Dr. Thelma Adair; Geoffrey sta Elsie Rodriguez; Shirley
Atkins, entrepreneur; Bishop Scott; Ashley Sharpton; Alisha
William Barber II; Dr. Janet Sidberry; Charles Dion Spring-
Dewert Bell; Beyonce; Sani- field, lifestyle author; Twins
yya Brannon; Deneane Brown Skylar and Daniel Torruella;
Blackmon, Manhattan CB10 Torie Stewart; Odis Von Blas-
exec and Harlem Communi- ingame; Coanne Wilshire, real
ty doyenne; Carlton Brown; estate broker; and Rev. Jeremi-
Ursula Burns, former Xerox ah Wright
 Entertainment
18

By Don Thomas

Black Heroes kids should know by name

son Bates Day, and in 1999 she Rights movement in Alabama. der, she was the first Black
was Posthumously awarded Nine months before Rosa woman elected to Congress
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

the Medal Of Freedom.
In 1877 Henry Ossian
Flipper became the first Afri-
can American to graduate from
West Point. Upon his comple-
tion, Flipper was also the first
Black man to be commissioned
in the Army (or any branch of
the military for that matter).
Alice Allison Dunnigan, was
the first Black female White
House Correspondent. She was
also chief of the Associated
Negro Press, and in 1948 she
became the first Black woman
to follow a Presidential cam-
paign (Harry Truman’s) on the
road. Years later, she served
as an education consultant on
JFK’s Committee on Equal
Employment Opportunity.
Arturo Schomburg, was
a writer, historian and activ-
ist. As a leader of the Harlem
renaissance, he collected art
literature and other artifacts
belonging to people of African
descent. In 1926 his collection
was purchased by the New
York Public Library, and to-
day the Schomburg Center is
a research division of the NY
public library. With more than
11 million items in the collec-
tion, the Schomburg center is
devoted to the preservation and
exhibition of Black history,
and the arts and culture of the
Maya Angelou African diaspora.
Parks refused to give up her
bus seat to a white woman,
Claudette Colvin did the same.
At the young age of 15, Colvin
was later arrested; violating the
city’s segregation laws were
among the many charges lev-
eled against her. Colvin later
told Newsweek, “I felt like
Sojourner Truth was pushing
down on one shoulder, and
Harriet Tubman was pushing
down on the other—saying,
‘Sit down girl!’ I was glued to
my seat.”
Ron Finley, a young man
growing up in South Central
LA, was all too familiar with
the lack of fresh produce. De-
termined to change that, Finley
started a garden on a dirt patch
in the sidewalk outside of his
home. When the city cited
him for gardening without a
permit, he rallied other “green
activists” and petitioned for the
right to grow food in his neigh-
borhood. Finley won, and to-
day he is affectionately known
as “The Gangsta Gardener.”
Now a community leader, he
is determined to help urban
communities break out of
their “food prisons.” Ron has
traveled extensively, speaking
publicly on the topic, and he
has even done a TEDTalk that
has been watched by more than
3 million people.
representing NY’s 12th Dis-
trict. In 1972, she was also
the first woman to run for the
Democratic Party’s presiden-
tial nomination. During her
time in Congress, Chisholm
fought for improved education,
health and human services and
women’s rights. She famously
said, “If they don’t give you a
seat at the table, bring a folding
chair.”
In 1938, Fred Jones de-
signed and patented a porta-
ble air-conditioning unit for
trucks, which was largely
used to transport perish-
able foods. Jones’ invention
became invaluable during
WWII when the refrigeration
units were used to preserve
and transport food, blood
and medicine to hospitals and
soldiers on the battlefield.
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler,
was the first female African
American physician. She
also wrote “Book of Medical
Discourses in Two Parts” in
1883, which is considered
one of the first medical texts
written by an African Amer-
ican author. After the Civil
War, she also worked for the
Freedman’s Bureau for the
State of Virginia, the federal
agency that helped more than
4,000,000 slaves make the
transition from slavery to

T
here are a handful of
important people kids
learn about in school and
during Black History Month:
Martin Luther King Jr.,
Harriet Tubman and George
Washington Carver, just to
name a few. But while these
Black history figures have cer-
tainly made significant cultural
contributions, there are many
more that have fallen under
the radar. In order to give your
kids an ever-widening view of
the world, we’ve found Black
History Heroes that have left a
legacy for generations to come.
(Photos: Wikimedia Com-
mons)
With more than 30 best-
selling titles, Maya Angelou
wrote 36 books, not the least
of which was her first book “I
Know Why The Caged Bird
Sings.” Although she died in
2014, Ms. Angelou is remem-
bered as a brilliant writer,
poet and Civil Rights activist.
Oprah Winfrey said of her
friend, “Maya Angelou is not
what she has done or written or
spoken, it’s how she did it all.
She moved through the world
with unshakeable calm, confi-
dence, and a fiery, fierce grace
and abounding love.”
Gwendolyn Brooks, was
an American teacher, poet
and author. During her life,
Brooks authored over 20 books
of poetry and one novel. In
1968, Brooks was named poet
laureate for the state of Illinois,
and In 1950 she was the first
Claudette Colvin, was Shirley Chisholm, a true freedom. [See more Heroes
African American to win the an early activist in the Civil pioneer in both race and gen- pictures on page 19]
Pulitzer Prize.
Charles Drew, is consid-
ered a pioneer in blood plasma
research, and the modern blood
bank. While in attendance at
Columbia University, Charles
Drew discovered the “shelf
life” of blood could be ex-
tended by as much as seven
days by separating and stor-
ing whole blood and plasma
separately. Before that, blood
could only be stored for up to
two days. Charles Drew also
wrote a dissertation “Banked
Blood: A Study in Blood Pres-
ervation,” where he described
the technique he developed
and the logistics involved for
the long-term preservation of
blood plasma. Today Charles
Drew is revered as the Father
of Blood Banking.
Daisy Bates, When the
Supreme Court ruled that seg-
regated schools were unconsti-
tutional, Daisy Bates stepped
up to help a group of Black
students integrate into an all-
white high school—that group
is known as The Little Rock
Nine. In the face of constant
fear and intimidation, Bates
worked tirelessly to escort
those young men and women
to school every day and protect
them from violent crowds.
Daisy Bates was a lifelong
Civil Rights activist, and her
work is still recognized and
today. In the state of Arkansas,
every third Monday in Febru-
ary is observed as Daisy Gat- Gwendolyn Brooks
Black Heroes photographs kids should see 19

BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

Charles Drew Daisy Bates Henry Ossian Flipper Alice Allison Dunnigan Arturo Schomburg

Claudette Colvin Ron Finley Shirley Chisholm Fred Jones Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler

Subscribe to the New York Beacon 405

Lexington Avenue, 26th Floor, New York,
NY 10174. $35.00 per year 212-213-8585
www.newyorkbeacon.com
 Gospel Music
20

Tauren Wells drops awesome single “Trenches”

Posted By Don Thomas

I was watching the virtual

BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

production of the 35th An-

nual Stellar Gospel Awards
on BET, Sun., Aug., 23, 2020
as Platinum-selling Tauren
Wells, a six-time Grammy
Award-nominee delivered an
awesome single, “Trenches”
w/Donald Lawrence and Com-
pany, now available via digital
music providers to Gospel
radio.
Produced by Donald Law-
rence, Wells’ new version
creates a soaring anthem
with his vocals and the fea-
tured voices of Lawrence
and his Company. Wells says
of performing on the Stellar
Awards, “It’s an incredible
honor to be among so many
artists that I have admired
as heroes and peers over the
years! To contribute to a night
celebrating a musical expres-
sion that shaped so much of
who I am is surreal for me.
I can’t wait to see all of the
performances and honor the
nominees and winners!”
Celebrating God’s love
and covering in times of
need when we feel defense-
less, “Trenches” is written
by Wells, Chuck Butler and
Ethan Hulse.
Besides releasing “Trench-
es,” Wells also celebrates his
latest Dove Award nomina-
tions, garnering three for the
2020 show airing October
30th with noms for Contem-
porary Christian Artist of
the Year, Pop/Contemporary
Album of the Year for his lat-
est album Citizen of Heaven,
and Short Form Video of the
Year for the song “Citizen of
Heaven.”

Le’ Andria
Johnson debuts
“Hold On” single
Posted By Don Thomas kins’ “Come Together,” a song

G
rammy and Stellar
Award-winning Sing-
er/Songwriter, Le’An-
dria Johnson, unveiled her
single, “Hold On.” The song
is the first new music from
Johnson since her last album,
Bigger Than Me (2017),
and her 2018 hit, “Better
Days,” which was featured
on TV’s Greenleaf’s Season
2 Soundtrack.
Since then, Johnson has
been showcased on other mu-
sic including Donald Law-
rence and the Tri-City Singers’
#1 “Deliver Me,” from the
Goshen album, PJ Morton’s
“All In His Plan,” from The
Gospel According to PJ, and
earlier this year, Rodney Jer-
which benefited COVID-19
relief efforts.
Johnson who has been very
open about some of her own
personal challenges, wields her
powerful contralto to inspire
listeners to “hold onto God’s
unchanging hand” throughout
life’s trials. In addition to the
release of “Hold On,” Le’An-
dria is nominated for two 2020
Stellar Awards for
Albertina Walker Female
Vocalist of the Year (Goshen)
and Traditional Female Vo-
calist of the Year (Goshen).
“Hold On” is available now. To
connect with Le’Andria, visit:
Facebook: https://www.face-
book.com/leandriajohnson/
Instagram: @LeAndria-
JTwitter: @LeAndriaJ

Highlights of American Black Film
Festival Online & Opening Night
T
he American Black Film
Festival (ABFF) is an
annual event dedicated
to recognizing Black talent and
showcasing quality film and
television content by and about
people of African descent. Ded-
icated to the belief that diverse
artists deserve the same op-
portunities as their mainstream
counterparts, ABFF founder Jeff
Friday conceived the festival in
1997 as a vehicle to strengthen
the Black entertainment com-
munity by fostering resource
sharing, education and artistic
collaboration.
This year’s festival kicked
off Friday, August 21 and will
run through Sunday, August 30,
2020 and, in keeping with its
celebrated reputation, will be as
spectacular and star-studded as
ever! ABFF’s Online Festival
will feature the best of indepen-
dent Black cinema, studio pre-
mieres, conversations and panels,
along with virtual networking
events.  “At the heart of the
American Black Film Festival, is
our commitment to community,
bringing together Black artists
to share their work – challeng-
ing, encouraging, appreciating
and uplifting one another,” says
Jeff & Nicole Friday, ABFF
Producers.
This year’s festival opened
with UMC and Partners in
Rhyme (MC Lyte & Bentley
Kyle Evans) teamed up for
a national casting call for a
leading role in the new UMC
series. The panel was moder-
ated by Leah Daniels-Butler,
Casting Director, and panelists
included: Brett Dismuke,
Chief Content Officer; Nikki
Love, VP, Production & De-
velopment; MC Lyte, Co-cre-
ator of Partners in Rhyme;
Bentley Kyle Evans, Co-cre-
ator of Partners in Rhyme;
and Jeff Friday, Founder &
CEO, ABFF Ventures. This
panel was followed by IG Live
Takeover with MC Lyte.
The main attraction of open-
ing night was the 23rd annual
HBO Short Film Competition,
the most prestigious of its kind
for emerging writers and direc-
tors. Hosted by Bevy Smith,
Bevelations, SiriusXM, the
five films competing for the
2020 HBO Short Film Award:
A Rodeo Film, Director/Writer:
Darius Dawson; A Storybook
Ending, Director/Writer: Lanre
The reel
Olabisi; Black Boy Joy, Di-
rector: Martina Mossell Lee,
Writer: Michelle Sam; Dolapo
Is Fine, Director: Ethosheia
Hylton, Writers: Joan Iyiola,
Chibundu Onuzo; and The
Cypher, Director: Letia Solo-
mon, Writer: Wes Akwuobi.
The winner will be announced
at the end of the festival.
ABFF remains committed
to introducing emerging con-
tent creators of African descent
to the industry at large and is
recognized as one of the lead-
ing film festivals in the world.
Festival passes are on sale now
at www.abff.com, and offer
three different levels of access to
the Festival. Questions regard-
ing registration, sponsorship
and programming, should be
directed to info@abffventures.
com. The 2020 Festival will con-
tinue the annual celebration of
highlighting Black filmmakers.
Attendees will enjoy celebrity
conversations, panels, master
classes, spotlight screenings and
independent films and more.
This year the festival hosted
its Legendary All-White Party
on opening night co-sponsored
by UMC and Moet Hennessy
from 10:30 p.m. to Midnight
with music by DJ Kiss &
M.O.S. The live event included
celebrity drop-ins and conclud-
ed with MC Lyte announcing
the winner of the Partners in
Rhyme National Casting Call.
Presenting sponsors include
HBO (Founding), Greater
Miami Convention & Visi-
tors Bureau, and WarnerMe-
dia. For more information on
ABFF and up-to-date news,
go to abff.com and follow @
ABFF on Twitter and @Amer-
icanBlackFilmFestival on Ins-
tagram and Facebook. Join in
on the conversation by using
#ABFF20 and #WeAreABFF.
For additional information
please contact press repre-
sentative MPRM Commu-
nications, abff@mprm.com,
323-933-3399. (See Page 12
for more information)
# # #
Below, please find a list of
films and panel highlights that
are FREE to screen and watch
through  ABFF Play. For a
complete list of programming,
Legendary White Partygoers
MC Lyte
Nicole Ari Parker & Boris Kodjoe
go to https://www.abff.com/  Bowles and Michele Pretty-
Friday, August 28, In
Control: Black Female Per-
spectives on Directing and
Storytelling Daughters of
Eve presents a conversation
with three dynamic Black
female directors on feature
and documentary filmmaking
offering a window into their
creative journeys and process-
es.  Panelists include Gina
Prince-Bythewood, Director,
The Old Guard; Christine
Swanson, Director, The Clark
Sisters: First Ladies of Gos-
pel; Jacqueline Olive, Direc-
tor, Always in Season.  Mod-
erator is Terri Prettyman
man Ph.D., Media Consul-
tants, Daughters of Eve.
Friday, August  28, STARZ
presents Power Book II: Ghost
Join the cast and creators to dis-
cuss the newest chapter in the
POWER universe.  Panelists in-
clude Curtis “50 Cent” Jack-
son, Michael Rainey Jr., Na-
turi Naughton, Mary J. Blige,
Monet Stewart Tejada, Cliff
“Method Man” Smith with
Moderator Yohana Desta the
Editor of Vanity Fair.
Sunday, August 30, Best of
the American Black Film Fes-
tival Awards Hosted by Boris
Kodjoe & Nicole Ari Park-
ABFF Producers Nicole & Jeff Friday
21
By Audrey J. Bernard
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
er The culminating event of
the festival where the com-
petitive film award winners
are announced. Presenters
include Lee Daniels, Director
(The United States vs. Billie
Holliday); La La Anthony,
Actor (The Chi); Spike Lee,
Director (Da 5 Bloods);  Boris
Kodjoe & Nicole Ari Parker;
and Logan Browning, Actor
(Dear White People).
Films are available to
stream throughout the festi-
val.  Some of the highlights
include Award-winning di-
rector Jamal Hill who has
two official selections, The
Available Wife and True to
the Game 2:  Gena’s Story,
starring Vivica A. Fox. Chris
Chalk, currently starring in
HBO’s Perry Mason, directs,
produces and stars in his Nar-
rative Features entry Fare-
well; while Nick Cannon’s se-
lection She Ball stars Brian
“Birdman” Williams, Ced-
ric the Entertainer, Chris
Brown, Marla Gibbs and Big
Boy.  Death of a Telemar-
keter, which is produced
by  Megan Good and stars
Oscar Nominees Jacky Earle
Haley and Haley Joel Os-
ment. Dutch, starring Macy
Gray, Lance Gross, as well
as  The Killing of Kenneth
Chamberlain, starring Anika
Noni Rose among others. 

22
MCC Theater adds more performers
and presenters to Miscast20 showcase
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
M CC Theater (Bob
LuPone, Ber-
n i e Te l s e y, Wi l l
Cantler, Artistic Directors;
Blake West, Executive Direc-
tor) recently announced addi-
tional performers and present-
ers for their annual gala, Mis-
cast20, which will take place
on MCC Theater’s YouTube
Channel on Sunday, Septem-
ber 13, 2020, at 8PM ET.
Will Van Dyke (Little Shop of
Horrors, Pretty Woman) serves
as Musical Supervisor.
  Added to the stellar list of
performers for Miscast20 are
Tony Award winner Norbert
Leo Butz (MCC’s Fifty Words,
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels),
Tony Award nominee Robert
Fairchild (An American in
Paris, Cats), Emmy Award
nominee  Ingrid Michael-
son (The Great Comet), Tony
Award winner Leslie Odom
Jr. (Hamilton, Harriet), Isaac
Powell (West Side Story, Once
on This Island), and Tony
Award nominee Lauren Rid-
loff (Children of a Lesser God,
“The Walking Dead”).
Additional presenters for
the evening will include so-
cial activist and fashion de-
signer Kenneth Cole, Emmy
Award winner Julianna Mar-
gulies (“The Good Wife”), Pip-
er Perabo (MCC’s Lost Girls,
“Covert Affairs”), and Tony
Award nominee Thomas Sa-
doski (“Tommy,” “Life in
Pieces”). A final casting an-
nouncement will be made in
the coming weeks.
They join the previously
announced roster including
Lucille Lortel and Outer Crit-
ics Circle Award winner Joc-
elyn Bioh (MCC’s  School
Girls; Or, the African Mean
Girls Play),  Tony Award
nominee  Raúl Espar-
za (MCC’s Seared, Com-
pany), Golden Globe nomi-
nee Beanie Feldstein (Hel-
lo, Dolly!, Booksmart), Tony
Norbert Leo Butz
Theater talk
Leslie Odom Jr.
Award winner Heather Head-
ley (Aida, The Lion King),
Tony Award nominee Josh-
u a H e n r y   ( M C C ’s   T h e
Wrong Man, Carousel), two-
time Emmy and two-time
Tony Award winner Judith
Light (MCC’s All The Ways
To Say I Love You, “The Pol-
itician”), Tony Award nom-
inee  Rob McClure (Mrs.
Doubtfire, Beetlejuice), Ni-
colette Robinson (Waitress,
Invisible Thread), Tony Award
nominee Phillipa Soo (Hamil-
ton, Amélie), and Tony Award
nominee  Adrienne War-
ren (Tina: The Tina Turner
Musical, Shuffle Along).
Miscast, MCC Theater’s
annual gala celebration, is one
of the most anticipated and
exciting theater events in New
York each year, where the big-
gest stars of stage and screen
take the stage to sing songs
from roles in which they would
Lauren Ridloff
never be cast. This year, for the
first time ever, Miscast will
go entirely digital, inviting in
theater fans everywhere. The
free, 90-minute broadcast will
be captioned, and will feature
all new performances, special
guests, and more.
Miscast20 will feature a
free raffle to win a table for
10 front and center at Mis-
cast 21 and a toast with the
performers onstage after the
show. Auction items available
for online bidding this year
include an hour-long Mentor
Session with multi-platinum
songwriter Ross Golan, cre-
ator of MCC’s The Wrong
Man. Raffle entry and bids
can be placed here: https://one.
bidpal.net/miscast20/welcome
Funds raised from Mis-
cast20 help MCC Theater
produce exciting new work
Off-Broadway and support its
Youth Company and in-school
Isaac Powell
partnerships that serve New
York City public high school
students, as well as MCC’s lit-
erary development work with
emerging playwrights.
This year Miscast20 will
also support The Mental
Health Coalition (MHC),
who will receive 10% of
funds raised during the broad-
cast. MHC is a new initiative
focused on destigmatizing
mental health experiences that
was founded by social activist
and fashion designer Kenneth
Cole. For more information
visit MCCTheater.org. The
press representative is Liz
Lombardi, Publicist, Matt
Ross Public Relations. (Photos
courtesy MRPR)
About The Mental
Health Coalition
The Coalition is comprised of
the most respected mental
health service providers in the
country along with leading
academics as well as influ-
ential creative and media or-
ganizations.  The launch was
introduced with an innovative
and digital storytelling plat-
form called, “How Are You,
Really?” (www.howareyoure-
ally.org), a safe space to share
uplifting stories that embraces
all mental health experiences.
Through storytelling ‘How
Are You, Really?’ is able to
teach and inspire others and
open-up conversations around
mental health. MHC believes
that together they can help in-
crease the conversation around
mental health, end silence, re-
duce stigma, and engage their
community to inspire hope
at this essential moment. For
more information, visit www.
TheMentalHealthCoalition.
org.  chael Weller’s Fifty Words;
About MCC Theater
MCC Theater is one of New
York’s leading nonprofit
Off-Broadway companies,
By Audrey J. Bernard
driven by a mission to provoke
conversations that have never
happened and otherwise never
would. Founded in 1986 as
a collective of artists leading
peer-based classes to support
their own development as
actors, writers and directors,
the tenets of collaboration,
education, and community are
at the core of MCC Theater’s
programming. One of the
only theaters in the country
led continuously by its found-
ers, Artistic Directors Bob
LuPone, Bernie Telsey, and
Will Cantler, MCC fulfills its
mission through the produc-
tion of world, American, and
New York premiere plays and
musicals that challenge artists
and audiences to confront con-
temporary personal and social
issues, and robust playwright
development and education
initiatives that foster the next
generation of theater artists
and students.
MCC Theater’s celebrat-
ed productions include Azi-
za Barnes’ BLKS;  Jocelyn
Bioh’s School Girls; Or, the
African Mean Girls Play; Pe-
nelope Skinner’s The Village
Bike; Robert Askins’ Hand to
God (Broadway transfer; five
2015 Tony Award nominations
including Best Play); John Pol-
lono’s Small Engine Repair;
Paul Downs Colaizzo’s Real-
ly Really; Sharr White’s The
Other Place (Broadway trans-
fer); Jeff Talbott’s The Sub-
mission (Laurents/Hatcher
Award); Neil LaBute’s reasons
to be pretty (Broadway trans-
fer, three 2009 Tony Award
nominations, including Best
Play), Some Girl(s), Fat Pig,
The Mercy Seat, and All The
Ways To Say I Love You; Mi-
Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The
Pride; Bryony Lavery’s Fro-
zen (Broadway transfer; four
2004 Tony Award nominations
including Best Play, Tony
Award for Best Featured Actor);
Tim Blake Nelson’s The Grey
Zone; Rebecca Gilman’s The
Glory of Living (2002 Pulitzer
Prize finalist); Margaret Ed-
son’s Wit (1999 Pulitzer Prize);
and the musicals Coraline,
Carrie, and Ride the Cyclone. 
Many plays developed and
produced by MCC have gone
on to productions throughout
the country and around the
world. 
Blake West joined the com-
pany in 2006 as Executive Di-
rector. MCC opened the doors
to its new home in Manhattan’s
Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood,
The Robert W. Wilson MCC
Theater Space, on January 9,
2019, unifying the company’s
activities under one roof for
the first time and expanding its
producing, artist development,
and education programming.
 Classified
23

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24
Nets swept by Toronto
By Shara Taylor
A n untraditional and ex-
tended basketball year
BEACON, August 27 – September 2, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
came to an end for the
Brooklyn Nets last Sunday
evening in Orlando.
Despite challenges the Nets
made a successful run to the
playoffs, but were stopped and
swept by the 2019 NBA Cham-
pions. The Nets culminated a
season unlike any other with
a 150-122 loss to the Toronto
Raptor in game 4 round 1 of
the NBA playoffs.
Brooklyn finished their de-
layed regular season strong in
Orlando Florida as a result of
COVID-19. The NBA season
was suspended March 11th due
to the pandemic and resumed
in an eight seeding game series
July 30th. The Nets successful-
ly pushed passed leading teams
like the Los Angeles Clippers
and Milwaukee Bucks and
secured the 7th spot in the
Eastern Conference without
the help of key players. Kev-
in Durant, recovered from
Achilles tendon surgery this
season and Kyrie Irving, who
had shoulder surgery in March
sat out, while key players
like Spencer Dinwiddie and
DeAndre Jordan opted out of
Sports
Vaughn's Future up in the Air
Photo: Special to the NY
Beacon
playing in Orlando due to the
pandemic. Yet players like
Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, and
Jarrett Allen stepped up to lead
the team.
Caris LeVert, Tyler John-
son, Timothe Luwawu, Garrett
Temple, and Jarrett Allen start-
ed Sunday’s game. The Nets
announced last week that Har-
ris left the NBA campus due
to a personal matter. LeVert
scored 26 points in the first
half of the game on Sunday. It
was a career-high for first-half
points for him.
Allen won the tip to start
Continued on page 10
Andrew
Rosario,
Sports
Editor
Boston and Miami sweep
Doncic Stuns Clippers
By Andrew Rosario
T
he Brooklyn Nets were
not the only team to get
swept in the first round
of the Eastern Conference
playoffs. They were joined by
the Philadelphia 76ers who
were swept by the Boston
Celtics and the Indiana Pacers
who were swept by the Miami
Heat. It cost Sixers head coach
Brett Brown his job as he was
fired the day after they were
sent home ending his seven
years running the team. Un-
der his tutelage, Brown had
Luka Star is Rising
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
guided them to the playoffs Jay Wright and ex-Cleveland
the last three years. Last year Cavalier head coach Tyron
in the Eastern Conference Lue will be considered for the
semifinals, they would lose job. Miami took out Indiana
game 7 as Kawhi Leonard hit Monday night 99-87 and are
the game winning shot at the waiting for the outcome of the
buzzer as Toronto went on to Milwaukee/Orlando series.
win the NBA Championship. The Bucks took a 3-1 series
Coming into the playoffs this lead and could have ended the
year, they were without Ben series yesterday. Miami's Jim-
Brown Fired After Sweep Simmons who underwent knee my Butler has been battling a
Photo: Special to the NY surgery. A big blow to the
Beacon team. College basketball coach Continued on page 10