the New York “Arming Black Millennials

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Vol. 27 No. 32 August 13 – August 19, 2020 website: NewYorkBeacon.com

KERRY WASHINGTON
DONS A FRO
"It is one of
the things I am
most proud of
in my career"
Kerry Washington stars in new documentary, ‘The Fight’ that gives
rare access to the work, lives and legal battles of the ACLU lawyers
who defend the constant challenges to America's civil rights. Kerry is
photographed on the cover of Town and Country magazine, page 3

BREAKING NEWS Harris is the

JOE BIDEN first Black
PICKS woman to
SEN. KAMALA
HARRIS AS run on a
VP RUNNING presidential
MATE ticket
 2 Kanye West withdraws his name
More than 97,000 children in
the US tested positive in last
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
two weeks of July
Newyorkbeacon.com
M
ore than 97,000 chil-
dren in the US tested
positive for corona-
virus in the last two weeks of
July, a new report says.
The report, published by
the American Academy of
Pediatrics and the Children’s
Hospital Association, said in
those two weeks, there was
a 40% increase in child cases
across the states and cities that
were studied.
The age range for children
differed by state, with some
defining children as only those
up to age 14 and one state —
Alabama — pushing the limit
to 24.
The compiled data comes
during back-to-school season
as health officials are trying
to understand the effects of
the virus on children and the
role young people play in its
spread. Some schools have
begun welcoming crowds
back to class and others have
had to readjust their reopening
plans in response to infections.
Martin Birch, producer for
West’s campaign full of
controversy
Newyorkbeacon.com
W
est’s campaign for
president has been
full of controversy
since he announced his run-
ning on July 4. For the past
couple of weeks, he’s been
trying to collect signatures in
different states so he can get
on the ballot.
However, states like Wis-
consin are calling out West,
saying he’s late in submitting
signatures. According to Mil-
waukee Journal Sentinel, their
state Democratic Party filed a
complaint on Friday requesting
state officials block West from
appearing on Wisconsin’s pres-
idential ballot this November.
They even said West has vari-
ous problems with his nomina-
tion papers, including incorrect
addresses for circulators and
bogus signatures like “Mickey
Mouse” and “Bernie Sanders”.
Affidavits are included from
six individuals saying they
were duped into putting their
names on West’s paperwork.
“If the affidavits are true
… crimes were committed by
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Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath
and more, dies aged 71
I n o n e G e o rg i a h i g h
school that made headlines
after a photo of a crowded
school hallway went viral, nine
coronavirus cases were report-
ed, according to a letter from
the principal. Six of those cases
were students and three were
staff members, the letter said.
While some US leaders
— including the President —
have said the virus doesn’t
pose a large risk to children,
one recent study suggests old-
er children can transmit the
virus just as much as adults.
Another study said children
younger than 5 carry a higher
viral load than adults, raising
even more questions about
their role in transmission.
At least 86 children have
died since May, according to
the new report. Last week, a
7-year-old boy with no pre-ex-
isting conditions became the
youngest coronavirus victim in
Georgia. In Florida, two teen-
agers died earlier this month
bringing the state’s death toll
of minors to seven.
the West campaign,” explained
attorney Michael Maistelman,
who collected the affidavits
for the state Democratic Party.
On top of all this, Republi-
cans have been helping West
get on the presidential ballots
as a third party candidate.
The New York Times wrote
that it’s “increasingly looking
like an operation run by Presi-
dent Trump’s allies and Repub-
lican activists that is aimed at
diverting votes from Joseph R.
Biden Jr.”
“The strategy became overt
on Tuesday, when Lane Ruh-
land, a lawyer who has worked
for the Trump campaign, deliv-
ered ballot signatures to Wis-
consin elections officials on
behalf of the West campaign,”
reported the Times.
from New Jersey’s 2020 presidential
ballot
Newyorkbeacon.com
A nother state won’t bear
Kanye West’s name on
the upcoming presiden-
tial election ballot according
to NJ.com.
Billionaire rapper and busi-
nessman West had announced
last month via Twitter that he
is running for the office of the
president of United States,
but he won’t be appearing
on the ballot in New Jersey.
West withdrew his petition to
be on the ballot according to
email correspondence obtained
by The Associated Press.
“At this time, Kanye 2020
has no further option than to re-
grettably withdraw from New
Jersey and cease further efforts
to place Mr. West’s name on
the New Jersey ballot,” the
Kanye 2020 email said earlier
this week.
Administrative Law Judge
Gail Cookson replied, “I will
consider this email as a request
for a withdrawal of your peti-
tion to be placed in nomination
for the President of the United
States in the State of New
Jersey.”
The validity of the signa-
Stephanie Mills says Nick Cannon
and Kanye West are acting like
‘Paid slaves’ over presidential run
Newyorkbeacon.com
S
tephanie Mills had
some words for Kanye
We s t   a n d   N i c k C a n -
non amid West’s apparent run
for president.
The singer and stage leg-
end took to Instagram to get
her feelings off her chest. She
started by expressing empa-
thy for West, who has bipolar
tures collected by West was
challenged by Florham Park-
based elections lawyer Scott
Salmon. The attorney said he
found hundreds of inconsisten-
cies, including signatures with
apparently identical handwrit-
ing and names of people who
are not registered voters.
West submitted 1,327 sig-
natures to the state Division of
Elections by Monday’s dead-
line, significantly more than
disorder.
“First, I know that Kanye is
suffering mentally. I know that
he’s swinging high and low
and I really pray and hope that
he gets help,” she started. “But
I must say that I’m disappoint-
ed because if he’s trying to help
our community by running for
president, it’s not helping our
community. He’s not qualified
to be president. Neither is the
the 800 needed for independent
presidential candidates.
“I am glad to see the Kanye
campaign has realized that
their petition was not going to
survive here,” Salmon told NJ
Advance Media on Tuesday
morning. “It was so clearly
deficient that it wasn’t even
worth defending. I think that’s
the main takeaway here. I
wish it wouldn’t have gotten
this far.”
person at the White House at
this time.”
Mills then turned her at-
tention to Nick Cannon, who
recently told TMZ that he
“loves” the idea of Kanye run-
ning for president and that he
would vote for him at the polls.
“You I don’t understand,”
Mills said in her video. “For
you to come out and do what
you did, like supporting Kanye,
what is that?”
   Mills continued:
“I don’t understand it.
Kanye’s being paid to do what
he’s doing. Now are we to
believe that you’re also being
paid to be a distraction? You
guys are acting like little boys
in a sandbox with toys. But
being that you’re acting like
that, as a mother, I would like
to say, take your toys go home
and sit down and get help. Get
therapy.”
Mills further explained how
people were suffering during
this time due to the coronavirus
pandemic and high unemploy-
ment.
“Nick you should know bet-
ter because you’ve learned and
listened to the teachings. So
you should know better,” Mills
said. “We have no time for you
two to be out here acting like
little paid slaves. I said it.”
Black mayor in Virginia City
receives threats after announcing
confederate statue removal
Newyorkbeacon.com
R ichmond mayor Levar
Stoney has reportedly
been assigned body-
guards after he received nu-
merous “serious” and “cred-
ible” threats, which surfaced
after he called to remove Con-
federate monuments in the
Virginia city amid nationwide
civil unrest.
Among the statues targeted
for removal include those of
Richmond’s Monument Ave-
nue, which features Confeder-
ate monuments, among others.
Stoney issued an emergency
order to dispose of the statues
at the start of July along with a
lawsuit filed to block the order,
citing concerns protesters may
hurt themselves attempting to
pull them down.
The monuments that have
already been removed by the
city have been taken down
and stored at a wastewater
treatment plant, according
to Newsweek.
The Richmond Times-Dis-
patch reports that a spokesper-
son for Stoney says the mayor
began receiving threats after
he vowed in June to remove
the Confederate monuments.
“Due to serious, credible
and on-going threats to Mayor
Stoney, RPD Chief Smith has
assigned a security detail to
Jay-Z to launch school with
Brooklyn’s Long Island University
NEW YORK (AP)
— Jay-Z’s Roc Nation entertainment com-
pany is partnering with Brooklyn’s Long Island
University to launch the Roc Nation School of
Music, Sports & Entertainment.
The new school will begin enrolling students
for the fall 2021 semester, and 25% of the in-
coming freshmen class will receive Roc Nation
Hope Scholarships. Hope Scholars will graduate
the mayor,” a Richmond Po- son for the mayor told the As-
lice Department spokesperson sociated Press: “The mayor has
confirmed to Newsweek. “It is spent the last three and a half
now in effect and will remain
in place for the time being.
years traveling to hundreds, if
not thousands, of public and
For security reasons, we will
not make public the tactics
employed by the detail. The
private events without police
protection. Unfortunately, re-
cent events have made it clear
threats are being investigated.”
Additionally, a spokesper-
that we are now in different
times.”
without any debt.
Jay-Z, a 22-time Grammy winner and
entertainment mogul, was born and raised in
Brooklyn. He launched Roc Nation in 2008
and the company has worked with some of
the top players in music, including Rihanna,
Alicia Keys, DJ Khaled, J. Cole, Megan Thee
Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert and more. The company
also partnered with the NFL and co-produced
this year’s Emmy-nominated halftime show
with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Roc Nation
Sports was founded in 2013 and has worked
with many athletes.
Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez called the
new partnership with LIU “a true investment in
our community and young people in Brooklyn,
in New York City, and beyond.”
“We’re excited that The Roc Nation School
of Music, Sports & Entertainment will provide
unique insight, knowledge and experiences for
students and introduce the world to the next
generation of unmatched talent,” Perez contin-
ued in her statement Tuesday.
The Roc Nation School of Music, Sports &
Entertainment will offer undergraduate degrees
in music, music technology, entrepreneurship
and production, and sports management. The
school will begin accepting applications this fall
for the fall 2021 semester and Roc Nation Hope
Scholarship recipients will be selected from a
group of academically competitive, need-based
first-time freshmen from New York.
“Our proximity in and around New York
City’s epicenter of music and sports clearly
positions us to offer unparalleled experiential
learning and access to professional opportuni-
ties that will launch students to success,” LIU
President Dr. Kimberly Cline said in a state-
ment. “We look forward to joining with Roc
Nation to offer an unprecedented educational
resource that opens up the entertainment and
sports world to a new and eager generation.”
Black athletes pay debts of
former felons in Florida so
they can vote
Newyorkbbeacon.com
L
eBron James and
his More Than A Vote
group recently an-
nounced a partnership with
the Florida Rights Restoration
Coalition to help Florida voters
with past felony convictions.
James teamed with Trae
Yo u n g ,   S k y l a r D i g -
gins-Smith and other Black
celebrities and athletes to form
the voter rights organization,
with the goal to fight against
voter suppression.
  The group donated
Kerry Washington rocks
a Fro on cover of Town &
Country Magazine
Newyorkbeacon.com
K erry Washington is
the latest star to cov-
er Town & Country
Magazine and for the Septem-
ber issue, she’s ditching her
straightened tresses look to
show off her natural side–and
we are loving it!
Dressed in a slinky
one-shoulder lavender gown,
a natural afro and possessing
the face of a goddess, Kerry’s
mere appearance on the T&C
cover is a testament to her
grace, work and passion for
justice through telling stories
that matter.
Though the Little Fires Ev-
erywhere actress and producer
is dressed in wealthy staples
like Chanel, Ralph Lauren
and the Black-owned brand
Mateo throughout the maga-
zine spread, it’s social justice
and her new documentary, The
Fight, that Kerry chooses to
talk about in the T&C inter-
view, rather than the usual
topics of movies or fashion
that the magazine is known for
featuring.
   The new documenta-
ry film, which the 43 year
old actress calls, “one of the
things I’m most proud of in
my career,” gives audiences
rare access to the work and
lives of a group of lawyers for
the American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU). The film will
follow four of the main legal
battles surrounding recent ad-
ministration policies such as
immigration and border patrol,
transgender military policies,
census cases and reproductive
rights.
3
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
$100,000 for FRRC’s fines
and fees fund, which pays off
the outstanding debts convicts,
who have served their time but
are still unable to vote in Flor-
ida, reports CBS Los Ange-
les. “That’s why More Than A
Vote is supporting the Florida
Rights Restoration Coalition
to help formerly incarcerated
American citizens—too many
of them Black and brown—pay
off their outstanding fines and
fees and register to vote in the
2020 election and beyond,” the
group said on social media of
their donation.
“These lawyers are real life
superheroes,” Kerry told T&C.
“So it’s just such an honor to
bring this film to the world
because what they each do so
beautifully and vulnerably in
the film—they’re much more
courageous than I am, I would
never let cameras in my bed-
room and kitchen—is show us
that while they are truly taking
on the greatest challenges to
our civil rights in our lives,
they are also just people.”
Kerry’s inspiration to join
the fight began in January 2017
after the ACLU’s request for an
injunction against deportations
under Trump’s Muslim ban
was granted by a federal judge.
She hopes that by creating
this documentary film, she’ll
inspire other young people to
also “join the fight’, just as
she was inspired by the law-
yers who were already deeply
involved.
 4 Bronx Zoo apologizes for putting
African man in ‘Monkey House’
more than 100 years ago
Newyorkbeacon.com

O ta Benga. (Photo: “The

Tragic Life Of Ota Ben-
ga, The Man Who Was
Caged In the Zoo” YouTube/
screenshot)
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

The Wildlife Conservation

Society (WCS), which runs
New York’s Bronx Zoo, has
apologized for its racist past.
The WCS issued a state-
ment on Wednesday, in the
wake of the zoo’s 125th an-
niversary celebration, apol-
ogizing for its treatment of
an African man named Ota

Louisiana Supreme Benga. Benga, a man of the

Mbuti people — who were
once known in the West as

Court decides a Black “pygmies” — of the modern

day Democratic Republic of
Congo, was put on display in

man should stay in a “monkey house” for multiple

days in September 1906.
“First, we apologize for
down the display and transfer
Benga to an orphanage, that
tionary link between humans
and man’s ape-like ancestors.

prison for the rest of his and condemn the treatment

of a young Central African
from the Mbuti people of pres-
the mockery came to an end.
Benga’s teeth had been filed
to sharp points in accordance
A baby chimp was kept inside
the cage with Benga.
WCS said that the apology

life for stealing hedge ent-day Democratic Republic

of Congo. His name was Ota
Benga. Bronx Zoo officials,
with his tribe’s culture, but the
zoo used the feature to repre-
sent Benga as “the wild man
comes as a result of deep re-
flection and self-examination
in the aftermath of the nation’s

clippers led by Director William Horn-

Newyorkbeacon.com
failed effort to steal a set of
aday, put Ota Benga on display
in the zoo’s Monkey House for
several days during the week
of September 8, 1906,” the
from Africa.”
Visitors at the zoo taunted
Benga all day, chasing and
tripping him on the grounds of
the display when he was out-
reckoning with systemic rac-
ism.
“In the name of equality,
transparency, and account-
ability, we must confront our

M
ore than 20 years
ago, a Black man was
given a life sentence
for stealing a pair of hedge
clippers. Last week, the Lou-
isiana Supreme Court denied
that man a request to have his
sentence reviewed citing prior
bad acts, most of which were
nonviolent. Only one of the
seven justices on the bench
agreed that his sentence should
be reviewed—the Black one.
The Washington Post re-
ports that Fair Wayne Bryant
was 38 years old when he was
hedge clippers. organization said in a state- side of the enclosure, laughing organization’s historic role in
“This man’s life sentence ment posted on the official and poking him in the ribcage. promoting racial injustice as
for a failed attempt to steal a website. A sign above his cage read we advance our mission to
set of hedge clippers is grossly It was not until local Black “The Missing Link,” as if to save wildlife and wild places,”
out of proportion to the crime ministers joined forces to shut suggest Benga was the evolu- the statement said.
and serves no legitimate penal
purpose,” she added.
Prior to being condemned
to spend the rest of his life in
a maximum-security prison,
Michigan official defends N-word
Bryant had four felonies on
his criminal record. His most
serious and only violent crime
against Black Lives Matter: ‘It is
was an attempted armed rob-
bery of a cab driver for which
he was convicted in 1979 and
not racism’
served 10 years in prison. His Newyorkbeacon.com “Black Lives Matter has ev-

arrested in Shreveport, La., and
has now spent nearly 23 years
at Louisiana State Penitentiary
at Angola, which happens to
be America’s largest maxi-
mum-security prison and one
that sits on land that used to
be home to a slave plantation.
    Chief Justice Bernette
Johnson was the lone voice
of dissent, the only African
American justice and, appar-
ently, the only one among her
colleagues able to see systemic
racism working in real-time.
“Mr. Bryant has already
spent nearly 23 years in pris-
on and is now over 60 years
old,” she wrote in a statement.
“If he lives another 20 years,
Louisiana taxpayers will have
paid almost one million dollars
to punish Mr. Bryant for his
other crimes include being in
possession of stolen goods and
forging a check. In 1992, he
was convicted of breaking into
a home and stealing personal
property for which he served
another four years in prison.
In 1997, when Bryant was
convicted of attempted simple
burglary for stealing the hedge
clippers, prosecutors cited
Louisiana’s habitual offender
laws, which “allows prosecu-
tors to seek harsher sentences
for lesser crimes if a defendant
has previous convictions,” the
Post reports.
Johnson believes those laws
are a “modern manifestation”
of the “Pig Laws,” which she
said were designed to keep
Black people in poverty during
the Reconstruction era.
A
n elected official from
northwest lower Mich-
igan has caused outrage
due to his repeated used of the
N-word.
According to The Detroit
News, Leelanau County road
commissioner Tom Eckerle-
was first reported as spewing
the racial slur at a public meet-
ing on Tuesday. He is accused
of saying the word after he
went on a “tirade” about why
he refused to wear a mask amid
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eckerle, a Republican, is
quoted as saying, “Well, this
whole thing is because of them
ni**ers in Detroit.”
   “I can say anything that I
want,” he continued, according
to the Leelanau Enterprise.
erything to do with taking the
country away from us.”
Bob Joyce, the chairman of
the Leelanau Road Commis-
sion, explained to The Detroit
News that he heard Eckerle say
the N-word and he’s calling on
him to resign. Joyce said he
quickly condemned Eckerle
for using the racial slur, which
Eckerle used after Joyce asked
his thoughts about kids return-
ing to school amid COVID-19.
“(Eckerle) said ‘I can say
whatever I want’ and I said
‘no you can’t,’” Joyce said.
“It’s horrible. It’s absolutely
horrific.”
Joyce said that he and the
three other commissioners had not tolerate that,” Joyce said.
planned to give Eckerle a letter “That’s not who we are.”
on Thursday requesting he step NEWS UPDATE: Eckerle
down from his post. “We do has now resigned

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fatherhood.gov
#DanceLikeaDad

6
CFPB gives green light to
predatory Payday lenders
By Charlene Crowell
(TriceEdneyWire.com)
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
NEWS ANALYSIS
A
s COVID-19 contin-
ues to wreak havoc
throughout the coun-
try, the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau (CFPB)
recently took an ill-advised
and untimely action. On July 7,
the agency gutted its own 2017
payday rule that required lend-
ers to first determine whether a
consumer could afford to repay
the high-cost loan.
  This regulatory reversal
represents a financial favor to
payday and car-title lenders,
and certain harm to consumers
who are just a few hundred
dollars short for their monthly
expenses. In very real and
measurable ways, the agency
created to protect consumers
gave a green light to predato-
ry lenders to continue to prey
upon the nation’s poorest and
most vulnerable consumers.
  “There is never a good
time to enable predatory loans
carrying 400 percent interest
rates,” noted Mike Calhoun,
President of the Center for
Responsible Lending (CRL),
“but this is the worst possible
time. The pain caused by the
CFPB gutting the payday rule
will be felt most by those who
can least afford it, including
communities of color who are
NO
ONE
GETS A
DIPLOMA
ALONE.
If you’re thinking of finishing your high school diploma, you have
more support than you realize. Find teachers and free adult
education classes near you at FinishYourDiploma.org.
Editorial
disproportionately targeted by
payday lenders.”
  The COVID-19 pandemic
has jeopardized the ability of
people to safely go to work,
altered how students try to
continue their studies, and im-
posed grim realities in meeting
life’s most basic needs like
food, shelter, and utilities.
  Consumers affected by
job layoffs should also mark
their calendars for July 31.
On that day, the additional
$600 in monthly federal un-
employment benefits through
the  CARES Act will ex-
pire.  Additionally, renters who
have managed to preserve their
housing even when they could
not pay, should also be mindful
of whether eviction notices
will come their way. Either of
these circumstances carry the
potential for America’s most
cash-strapped consumers to
seek and become financially
trapped in unaffordable pred-
atory loans.
  The lure of ‘quick and
easy’ cash entraps an estimated
12 million American consum-
ers each year. Instead of a
short-term financial fix, most
loans last several months or
longer to fully repay. CRL re-
search finds that the typical
payday loans are in strings
of 10 or more. Further, the
amount of interest paid on the
loan often exceeds the dollars
originally borrowed.
  Even with decades of
consumer advocacy, triple-dig-
it interest on payday loans
remains legal in 34 states. In
these locales, the profusion
of payday and car-title stores
located in Black and other
communities of color increases
the likelihood of consumers
becoming financial prey that
ensures lenders of an annual
$8 billion in fees alone. The
growth in online lending in-
creases access to these loans.
  “By disproportionately
locating storefronts in major-
ity Black and Latino neigh-
borhoods,” observed Rachel
Gittelman, Financial Services
Outreach Manager with the
Consumer Federation of Amer-
ica, “predatory payday lenders
systematically target commu-
nities of color, further exacer-
bating the racial wealth gap.”
  Historically Blacks have
been disproportionately af-
fected by unemployment com-
pared to other racial and ethnic
groups. That trend continues to
hold in the midst of the pan-
demic. As of early July, and
according to the Bureau of La-
bor Statistics, 17.8 million peo-
ple were unemployed.  Black
unemployment at 15.4 per-
cent, was closely followed by
that of Latinos at 14.5 percent.
By comparison, only 10%
of whites were unemployed.
However, multiple news out-
lets report that the nation’s
total unemployed since the
spring onset of the pandemic
is 30 million.
  “The CFPB has no ba-
sis for gutting the heart of
common-sense protections
that merely required payday
lenders to do what responsible
lenders already do: ensure that
the borrower has the ability to
repay,” noted Lauren Sanders,
the National Consumer Law
Center’s Associate Director.
“The evidence to support the
debt trap of payday loans is
overwhelming and the CFPB’s
flimsy excuses for repealing
protections do not stand up.”
  Earlier this year, a poll
conducted by Morning Con-
sult and commissioned by
CRL found strong and bipar-
tisan support for a 36 percent
rate cap on payday and install-
ment loans. With a 70 percent
national majority, voters sup-
ported the double-digit rate
cap. On a state-by-state basis,
voter support for a rate cap
had a range of 64-73 percent.
Further 62 percent of polled
voters had an unfavorable view
of payday lenders.
  With nearly half of Ameri-
can adults living in households
that have experienced a loss of
income, and more than 40% of
adults delaying medical care
due to financial concerns, there
is no justification for aban-
doning consumer financial
protections.
  If a 36% rate cap is good
enough for the nation’s mili-
tary be protected from pred-
atory lending – which is the
law for service members under
the federal Military Lending
Act — it is time to extend that
same protection to the civilian
population.
  Charlene Crowell is a se-
nior fellow with the Center for
Responsible Lending. She can
be reached at charlene.crow-
ell@responsiblelending.org.

Animal Crossing catapults
Nintendo to stratospheric
428% jump in profit
By Joséphine Li
Special to the New York
Beacon
N
intendo, The Japanese
video game company
had a phenomenal lock-
down-hit quarter—that’s April
through June, and its sales are
still skyrocketing—as their
social simulation video game
Animal Crossing continues
to be a sales juggernaut that
drives purchases of the Switch
hardware.  self-care regimen that can also
The earliest edition of An-
imal Crossing in the series
of Nintendo games can date
back to 2001. The idyllic game
where players can design their
dream island and create their
personal getaway has taken
off since its March launch,
selling 5 million digital copies
in that month alone, according
to Nielsen’s SuperData—an
organization that analyzes the
gaming industry.  has continued to be a boost
During the pandemic, peo-
ple have searched for fossils,
gone out fishing, collected sup-
plies, even held weddings and
bid their coworkers farewell in
Animal Crossing.
Last Thursday, the com-
pany posted another round of
blockbuster earnings, proving
its pandemic hot streak far
from over—their operating
profit is up 428 percent year-
on-year to $1.37 billion off
revenue of $3.39 billion, with
Switch sales up 166 percent
in the quarter to $5.68 million
systems. Nintendo has shipped
61.44 million Switch consoles,
just 470,000 shy of the original
Nintendo/Famicom Entertain-
ment System.  The title Animal Crossing
Released last quarter in
March, the new Animal Cross-
ing title sold over 10 million
copies and brought the cu-
mulative total to 22.4 million
units in less than half a year,
second only to Mario Kart 8
Deluxe (26.74 million), which
took three years to achieve that
figure.  due to the current situation.  new titles and by strengthening
The findings suggest that
months after its release, peo-
Business
ple are still flocking to buy
Nintendo’s Switch game con-
soles. Nintendo sold about 5.7
million devices from April
through June, marking a signif-
icant year-over-year increase.  output at their factories in
  Animal Crossing: New
Horizon’s phenomenal success
for the company. The game,
which runs on Switch, is set on
a soothing virtual island utopia
and allows players to go bug
catching, fossil hunting, fishing,
frolicking with their friends on
the beach and meeting various
anthropomorphic animals. The
game has been in high demand
since people around the world
began staying at home because
of the Covid-19 pandemic. In
the most recent quarter, Nin-
tendo sold 10.6 million copies
of the game. The company said
in a statement that the sales of
this title remain strong, without
any loss of momentum and this
game was their bestseller this
quarter.  of games. It plans to release a
was such a hit that it also con-
tributed greatly to the overall
software sales growth.  players.
The Switch, first released
three years ago, sold out earlier
this year on various websites
thanks to the fact that custom-
ers are scrambling to find new
types of home entertainment
The Kyoto-based multina-
tional company ran into sup-
ply problems with the Switch
this spring, as factories in
China were shut down. These
closures triggered some com-
ponent shortages and slowed
Vietnam. Demand for Nin-
tendo’s new adventure game
was so much higher than the
forecasts.  them.
As a result, the global sup-
ply has been unable to keep
up since release. “The linger-
ing effects of this component
shortage in the market are
still an inconvenience to our
consumers, but as with the
Nintendo Switch family of
systems, we will continue to
work to ensure a sufficient
amount of shipments for the
holiday season.”The company
says in its statement, and now,
“The overall production situa-
tion has almost recovered.” the
company said. 
Nintendo has also taken the
opportunity to tease its pipeline
new title, “Pikmin 3 Deluxe,”
this fall, as well as offer some
new content for Pokémon
Last month, Nintendo re-
leased another new game,
“Paper Mario: The Origami
King,” the company stated
that they will keep working to
keep the platform active with
sales of popular titles that have
already been released.
These women
entrepreneurs raised
$2.6M for their
skincare brand
Newyorkbeacon.com
T
he skincare industry
generates billions in rev-
enue each year with nu-
merous collections promising
to hold the secrets to beautiful
skin. This week, two women
of color entrepreneurs set out
to create their own line of skin-
care products aimed to treat
stigmatized skin conditions so
they can indulge in their own
tend to their special needs.
To p i c a l s  i s a n e w l y
launched skincare company
founded by Olamide Olowe
and Claudia Teng for people
dealing with chronic skin
conditions that one in four
Americans deal with. Both
women deal with their issues
when it comes to maintaining
their own skincare regimen
and wanted to create a product
that represented women like
“With my background in
clinical research and dermatol-
ogy, I saw firsthand the lack of
access to care that existed for
these types of skin conditions,”
said Teng, chief product officer
and co-founder of Topicals in
a press statement.
7
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
“For me, I knew there was
a serious opportunity to create
something affordable, and
that not only educated a broad
amount of people, but also
made their treatment experi-
ence more enjoyable.”
The young women were
able to raise their $2.6 million
starting capital with the help
of celebrity angel investors in-
cluding Netflix CMO Bozoma
Saint John, entrepreneur and
DJ Hannah Bronfman, and In-
secure actors Issa Rae and
Yvonne Orji, lead by venture
capitalist firm Lerer Hippeau
in partnership with Mucker
Capital.
“Olamide and Claudia have
deep founder-market fit sup-
ported by their expertise in
skincare and intimately un-
derstand their target consum-
er,” says Caitlin Strandberg,
principal at Lerer Hippeau in
a press statement.
“They’ve developed an
authentic product for a Gen-Z
audience that addresses an
underserved area of the beau-
ty market while changing the
conversation through skin
positivity and self-expression.
We’re thrilled to partner with
them on this journey.”
 Health
8

Strengthen mental health

by embracing culture
Newyorkbeacon.com this problem requires a unique life experiences are at the cen-
understanding of cultural dif- ter of therapy. Patients can ex-
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

*(Family Features) One in ferences.” pect their narratives will be not

five U.S. adults experience
mental illness each year, ac-
cording to the National Alli-
ance on Mental Illness, and
adult African Americans are
20% more likely to experience
mental health issues compared
to the general population.
“The factors that cause or
exacerbate mental illness are
often found in higher numbers
among minorities,” said Dr.
Rufus Spann, chief clinical
officer with Henry Health,
a culturally sensitive mental
health organization. “Tackling
Organizations like Henry
Health make access to men-
tal health care accessible and
convenient for minorities, re-
moving barriers to seeking
treatment. The organization
offers culturally intentional
care delivered by practitioners
equipped to treat any popula-
tion dealing with emotional
and mental health issues, and
believes effective care follows
three essential principles: it puts
culture first, is evidence based
and is built on best practices.
   This means culture and
only heard and acknowledged,
but also put into perspective to
help gain a greater understand-
ing of their experiences.
Research shows therapists
whose patients perceive them
as having cultural humili-
ty deliver improved therapy
outcomes. That’s why Henry responsiveness and provides Cognitive behavior therapy is
Health therapists complete education and coaching to a widely used therapeutic tech-
training that equips them with improve their cultural humility. nique that has lasting impacts
the skills needed to effec- In addition to cultural con- on mental health outcomes
tively address issues of race, siderations, therapy involves while trauma-informed care
ethnicity, class and culture. the noted clinical best practices ensures patients have access
A scientifically validated tool of cognitive behavioral thera- to safe spaces to examine,
measures therapists’ cultural py and trauma-informed care. process and transcend trauma.

I asked what kind of family Amina

wanted. She said, ‘A family like yours.’
That’s when I knew I had to adopt her.
Denise, adopted 17-year-old Amina

LEARN ABOUT ADOPTING A TEEN

A D O P T U S K I D S . O R G
YO U C A N ’ T I M AG I N E T H E R E WA R D

Community leaders in Africa, Haiti
innovate in fight against the pandemic
By Viviane Faver  ORGs, facilitating the work.
Special to the New York
Beacon
H
ow to wash your hands
and keep asepsis to a
minimum when you
don’t have water? What to do
when the water arrives but it is
contaminated?  How can you
denounce domestic violence,
if in many places, access the
authorities, is complicated and
distant?
Amid so much adversity,
two community leaders do
their best to reverse these prob-
lems. Salma Simeus, resident
of the Onaville village, north
of Port-au-Prince; and Pauline
Juma, who lives in Kibera,
Nairobi, tell us how they help
their communities and set an
example of overcoming and
persistence.
Salma Simeus
 Salma is a survivor of a
magnitude 7 earthquake, which
left more than 300 dead on the
island on January 12, 2010.
After the tragedy, he began to
lead the community, working
to rebuild the affected sites.
“My brother was a deputy
and this made it easier to col-
lect supplies for distribution.
Since then, I have become a
volunteer. Because I knew
people’s needs up close, I
made this bridge for foreign
International
My first action, right after the
earthquake, was to create and
define the streets of Onaville
that were destroyed.”
From that moment on, he
started to do awareness work,
showing how important it was
for the community to engage,
civically and socially. “This
was very good for my intellec-
tual development. Helping or-
ganizations, I received training
and quickly learned what was
only possible in college years ”.
In the coronavirus phase,
Simeus taught the communi-
ty how to use the “Tiptape”
project, which besides being
useful in the pandemic, helps
to save water. “It is a very
simple mechanism in which we
don’t need to touch anything
to be able to wash our hands.
As soon as the crisis started, I
placed it at strategic points in
my community and focused
on orphanages. Hundreds of
people already benefit from
access to water, as not every-
one can buy gel alcohol. My
dream is to expand and reach
the entire community, which
is divided into 15 blocks (our
neighborhoods) ”.
 Salma Simeus created the
“Tiptape“: a mechanism made
of wood, string, and nails, for
the community to wash their
hands without touching any-
thing. According to Simeus,
there are 42 thousand inhab-
itants who face difficulties in
infrastructure, streets without
asphalt, lack of access to water,
electricity, safety, health and
environmental vulnerability
problems, such as earthquakes.   could have made her revolt
Pauline Juma  depression. Instead, she looked
Pauline Juma is mother of
two boys and founder of the
ORG “Rebirth of a Queen” for
women who suffer domestic
violence, rape, among other
situations that affect mental
health.
According to her, since the
beginning of the pandemic,
one in four women in Kibera
slum has experienced sexual
violence, especially teenagers.
To provide assistance, the
institution created a center that
offers psychological support
and basic care, with volunteers
who go to the victims’ homes
and do routine monitoring.  a Queen’ as a transformative
The ORG, which keeps on
donating friends, was created
in 2017 with the aim of pro-
moting self-confidence and
training girls in communica-
tion skills. “In the beginning it
was a small group and talked
about violence against women
in an indirect way, using poetry
to express fear, anxiety, and
the pain of survivors. I told my
own story of sexual violence
and, from there, many started
to open up and we formed a
therapy group”, says Pauline
Juma.  According to one of the
At 16, Pauline was raped
by a gang and, at 19, suffered
domestic violence after an
early marriage. All of this
with life and go into a deep
for a way to help women who
are going through similar sit-
uations.
 “We also have a group that
supports survivors, encourag-
ing, supporting and strength-
ening women’s self-esteem,
in addition to distributing
intimate tampons to more
than 500 girls and food to 100
families. In May, we rescued
60 vulnerable girls ”.
And it won’t stop there:
Pauline Juma dreams of having
an art therapy school for wom-
en in Kenya. “In five years, I
would like to see ‘Rebirth of
center – fragile girls come in,
more powerful women come
out, both economically and
socially, to help victims fight
for their rights.”
As well as individual atti-
tudes of born leaders, agencies
focused on voluntary aid are
also having to reinvent them-
selves. That is the case of the
agency“Volunteer Vacations
(VV)”, which operates in 26
countries in partnership with
institutions, ORGs, and hu-
9
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
manitarian aid agencies.
founders, Mariana Serra, the
most significant difficulty with
the coronavirus crisis is the
lack of money given that do-
nations have been suspended. 
As a solution the ORG created
crowdfunding.
“We enumerated the main
needs of the communities and
created a new way of acting:
financially sponsoring a social
initiative or a local leader. We
have plans of 1, 3 or 6 months,
with help from R $ 3 per day,
and we set up the planning.
With this we are able to con-
trol and measure the entire
result of the action. We have
projects that need help from
management skills, social me-
dia, women’s empowerment,
to classes and pedagogical
initiatives,” says Mariana.
VV works in different com-
munities and always with local
leaders, who become partners,
giving the list of people’s
needs. “Each country has its
obstacle, but the main one is
usually the lack of resources,
especially financial, and it
also has unhealthy conditions,
which increases the spread of
diseases. In conflict countries,
on the other hand, the difficul-
ties are those of logistics, entry,
development and execution of
the project itself ”, concludes
Mariana.

10
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Zaila Avant-Garde, 13,
wins National Online
Spelling Bee
Newyorkbeacon.com
A
ccording to wafb.
com, 13 year-old Zai-
la Avant-Garde, a 7th
grader from Harvey, LA,
beat out 88 of the best young
spellers in the country to
win the first-ever Kaplan
Online Spelling Bee, hosted
in association with Hexco
Academic.
Garde, who was the 2019
New Orleans regional spelling
champion, won with the word
“Qashqai” (definition: a migra-
tory Turkic-speaking people of
the Zagros mountains), after
a hard-fought back-and-forth
with runner-up Harini Logan,
a 6th grader from San Antonio,
TX. Chaitra Thummala, a 5th
Take time to
be a dad today.
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877-4DAD411
grader from San Ramon, CA,
placed third.
   “There were so many
great spellers in the bee,”
Avant-Garde said. “To be able
to compete against so many of
the top spellers in the country
was definitely a great experi-
ence. Even If I hadn’t won I
would have been super proud
of myself just for making it to
the finals.”
As she took the top prize,
Avant-Garde expressed that
she was “kind of confused for
a second — I guess because
I was a little shocked that I’d
won. After that, I just felt a
great sense of relief knowing
that all of my hard work had
led to the best possible out-
come.”
WWE Superstar
Roman Reigns and
daughter Joelle
Culture
Michael Jordan, Jordan Brand
donate millions to groups fighting
voter suppression
Newyorkbeacon.com
T
he basketball Hall of
Famer and his appar-
el brand commit $2.5
million to the NAACP Legal
Defense and Educational Fund
and other organizations
Michael Jordan and his Jor-
dan Brand are donating mil-
lions to combat voter sup-
pression as part of their new
commitment to social justice
causes.
Jordan Brand, which is
owned by Nike, announced
Wednesday that it has pledged
$2.5 million to three organiza-
tions to “support reformative
practices that drive real change
in the Black community.”
The NAACP Legal Defense
and Educational Fund and
the Formerly Incarcerated &
Convicted People and Families
Movement will receive $1 mil-
lion each, while Black Voters
Matter will receive $500,000.
“There is a long history
of oppression against Black
Americans that holds us back
from full participation in
American society. We under-
stand that one of the main
ways we can change systemic
racism is at the polls,” Jordan that remains in society.”
said in a statement announcing The overall 10-year plan
the donation. “We know it will will address three main points,
take time for us to create the including raising “civic en-
change we want to see, but we gagement from the Black
are working quickly to take ac- community to address issues
tion for the Black community’s that disproportionately affect
voice to be heard.” them,” building “generational
Back in June, the NBA wealth in Black communities,”
legend and his billion-dollar and educating others on the
conglomerate announced a “deeper understanding of the
10-year plan to donate $100 effects and consequences of
million in a way that will “di- racism.”
rectly impact the fight against Jordan, the six-time NBA
systemic racism.” The three champion who officially re-
pillars of the initiative included tired from the game in 2003,
social justice, economic justice was consistently criticized
and education and awareness. during his days as sports’
   Craig Williams, Jordan biggest superstar for not being
Brand president, said the 10- outspoken on social and polit-
year plan is about more than ical issues. As documented in
just donating money. the Emmy-nominated ESPN
“The $100 million com- docuseries The Last Dance,
mitment was just the start. We Jordan received backlash for
are moving from commitment his infamous soundbite “Re-
to action. Our initial partners publicans buy sneakers, too,”
can directly impact the social in refusing to endorse Harvey
and political well-being of Gantt, a Black candidate run-
the Black community,” Wil- ning against incumbent Sen.
liams said in a statement. “We Jesse Helms in for North Car-
will have a disciplined focus olina in 1990.
on social justice, economic Jordan expressed that he
justice and education, as the had no regrets for his apolitical
most effective ways for us to stances due to his intense com-
eliminate the systemic racism mitment to basketball.
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 Wednesday's Woman
651 ARTS appoints industry veteran
Monica L. Williams as new arts leader
B ROOKLYN, NY — As
the world continues to
adjust to a new normal in
the midst of the global pandem-
ic, renowned Brooklyn-based
organization 651 ARTS today
announced a major step forward
in reimagining its programmat-
ic strategy to make sure that
the institution will thrive in a
post-pandemic arts and culture
space with the appointment of
Monica L. Williams in the new
role of Director of Programs
and Chief Curator (DPCC).  She leads the team responsible
With more than 20 years of
experience as a leader in the
arts, Williams brings to 651
a unique artistic perspective
and a proven track record as a
producer, curator and director
of the African Diasporic arts.
“I am excited to step into
this new role and to join the
talented and dedicated team at
651 ARTS. It is an incredible
honor to now be part of con-
tinuing 651’s long and rich
legacy of growing Black arts
and Black artists, which has
always been the heartbeat of
the institution,” said Williams.
“Throughout my career, I have
been dedicated to amplifying
the voices and perspectives of
those across the African Dias-
pora. It is now more import-
ant than ever before to meet
the challenges of the current
moment and sustain and grow
institutions like 651 ARTS that
are telling our stories. I look
forward to working to create
opportunities for many in the
Diasporic arts, both locally
in the wonderful borough of
Brooklyn as well as abroad.”  Chair Yvonne Joyner Levette.
 In addition to Williams
coming on board, 651 also
welcomes three new mem-
bers to its Board of Directors
in Claude Johnson, Bahia
Ramos and Lise Suino. All
esteemed leaders in their re-
spective areas of expertise, the
newly elected members have
all been staunch supporters
of the arts throughout their
careers and represent a vari-
ety of experience in business,
About
Monica L. Williams
Monica L. Williams is a con-
ceptual performance artist and
artistic leader who specializes
in cross-sector collaborations.
Over her 20-year career, she
has produced, curated, and
directed performances dedi-
cated to the African Diaspora
with major cultural institu-
tions including TEDWomen,
the World Famous Apollo
Theater, National Black Arts
Festival and Brooklyn Acad-
emy of Music. Her latest
work, In Love and Struggle,
produced with The Meteor,
is currently streaming on
Audible. She is the creator of
LoveHustle, a seven-year ex-
ploration of artist’s work/life
nonprofits, finance, media,
education, and the arts.
Johnson has amassed forty
years of experience in the
not-for-profit sector in higher
education and arts and culture.
As an accomplished senior
executive, he possesses both
advanced technical skills and a
proven track record as a fund-
raiser and strategic planning
consultant. Ramos joined The
Wallace Foundation in Sep-
tember 2018 as director of arts.
for the strategy and implemen-
tation of the foundation’s work
in the arts. Before joining Wal-
lace, Ramos led the strategy for
a $35 million annual invest-
ment in arts funding across the
country for Knight Foundation
as Program Director of Arts.
Suino joined Houston Grand
Opera as CFO in November
2017. Her previous experience
includes comparable positions
in the performing and visual
arts in New York City, as Chief
Operating Officer at the Apollo
Theater (2002-13); SVP, Spe-
cial Projects at The New 42nd
Street (1993-2002); and Dep-
uty Director of Administration
and CFO at the Museum of the
Moving Image (2015-17).
“An institution’s Board is
always one of its biggest assets.
It was imperative to us to find
the right mix of people who
could help guide 651 through
these uncharted waters. In
fact, I would say it is vital to
our mission to have a wide
variety of strong leaders serv-
ing on our Board,” said Board
“Claude, Bahia and Lise all
bring an invaluable wealth of
experience, talent, subject mat-
ter expertise, and enthusiasm
to the table. I look forward to
partnering with them and we
are very fortunate to have them
by our side as we continue to
build a sustainable future for
our beloved 651 ARTS.”
With Williams scheduled
to begin in her role at 651 on
August 3, the institution looks
balance, and producing artis-
tic director for Bailey’s Cafe
As Quiet As It’s Kept.  Her
design of Kentucky Foun-
dation for Women’s Special
Project has received national
recognition and philanthropic
support for community-based
arts with families of the incar-
cerated.  She is the founder
of Create Legacy, a creative
self-development company
and formally full-time lectur-
er in African American Stud-
ies Department at New York
City College of Technology.  nature programs have featured
Monica is a 2020 MAP Fund
recipient, a 2016 CCCADI
Innovative Cultural Advo-
cacy Fellow, a Rockwood
Leadership Institute Fellow,
a member of Stage Directors
towards resuming its program-
ming activity which has been
in development with a suite of
digital and live/hybrid anchor
programs and will soon unveil
its plans for its Fall 2020 sea-
son in the coming weeks. Wil-
liams will also oversee 651’s
recently announced Artist As
Resident Initiative, centered
around Brooklyn’s local per-
forming artists and the diverse
neighborhoods throughout
the borough they represent.
The Initiative includes The
Neighborhood Project focused
on emerging creatives, the Mi-
cro-Works Project for online Monica L. Williams
content and community-build-
ing, and the Artist As Resident aspects of 651’s programs
Feature Presentation Series.
Prior to the COVID-19
crisis, the Black-led insti-
tution, now in its 32 year,
was in the process of a
major expansion effort with
the organization scheduled
to move into its first-ever
permanent home in Down-
town Brooklyn next year. As
productions were halted and
the construction postponed
due to the pandemic, the or-
ganization led by Executive
Director David J. Roberts,
pivoted and quickly worked
to reassess the institution’s
programmatic footprint to
face these challenges.
The 651 team secured a
grant from the New York
City COVID-19 Response
& Impact Fund created
to aid nonprofits during
the coronavirus pandemic.
651’s award goes in part to
support its new digital ini-
tiatives through 2020 as it
also prepares to eventually
resume live performances
and presentations. Report-
ing directly to Roberts, the
new DPCC role will allow
the institution to more deep-
ly execute on its reimagined
program offerings com-
prised of curated small- and
large-scale programs, digi-
tal, and live presentations.
The DPCC will oversee all
and Choreographers Society
and a graduate of Wright State
University and New York
University.
About 651 ARTS  sented dialogues and perfor-
Founded in Brooklyn, NY in
1988, the mission of 651 ARTS
is to deepen awareness of and
appreciation of contemporary
performing arts and culture of
the African Diaspora , and to
provide professional and cre-
ative opportunities for artists
of African descent. 651’s sig-
pioneering black choreogra-
phers from around the world
including Germaine Acogny,
Nora Chipaumire, Carmen de
Lavallade, Diane McIntyre,
Bebe Miller, Abdel R. Salaam
and presentations, playing
a primary role in season
planning, line producing,
and curating education, hu-
manities, and related events.
“We, as a nation, have
been deeply impacted
by two pandemics–the
COVID-19 crisis and the
systemic racism that has
plagued this country for
over 400 years. Since its
inception, 651 ARTS has
always provided a platform
for performing artists from
across the African Diaspo-
ra. We pride ourselves on
being both hyper-local and
global–bringing Brooklyn
to the world and the world
to Brooklyn. We know that
our constituents are at the
intersection of those most
disproportionately affected
by these crises. As an arts in-
stitution, this was a moment
to be both reflective and
responsive. This time has
allowed us to examine not
only how we produce with
respect to alternative pro-
gram delivery but how we
think about programming in
this new era,” said Roberts.
“The new DPCC role will
really allow us to explore
innovative ideas around
programming in this new
terrain. I am delighted to
welcome Monica to the
and Jawole Willo Jo Zollar. As
part of its commitment to the
furtherance of conversations
and celebration of Diaspora
music, the institution has pre-
mances by Somi, Hugh Mase-
kela, and Grammy-winning
artist Betty Carter, to name
a few. Theatrical and text-
based works by Anna Deavere
Smith, Sekou Sundiata, Marc
Bamuthi Joseph, Ntozake
Shange, Okwui Okpokwasili
and Maria Bauman are rep-
resentative of the hundreds
of artists and productions
featuring solo creations, col-
laborations, emerging artists,
and works-in-development
all produced by 651’s vision-
ary leadership. 651 ARTS’
11
By Audrey J. Bernard
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
team as she will spearhead
the most integral piece of
651’s identity – our artistic
programs. She is an accom-
plished and passionate cura-
tor deeply rooted in the arts
of the Diaspora. The ways
in which she centers com-
munity to the work, thinks
globally, not to mention
her deep love of Brooklyn,
will transform 651’s pro-
gramming and serve our
larger organizational vision
to illuminate the evolving
stories and varied cultural
experiences. I believe that in
Monica we have found the
best match for 651 in these
historic and future-focused
times,” Roberts concluded.
Since its start in 1988, 651
ARTS has become a trusted
convener of contemporary
African Diasporic artistic
expression, a champion and
nurturer for emerging artists
and their work and a vital
cultural resource for its sur-
rounding community. Part of
651 ARTS’s goal is to keep
the legacy of Black culture
in Brooklyn, celebrate the
eclecticism of Black perfor-
mance and to pioneer new
visions of African Diaspora
artists–continuing to lay the
framework for the next de-
cade and reinforcing its role
as an incubator for artistic in-
novation in the 21   century.
st
programs are made possible
by gifts from generous in-
dividuals and grants from
the Bay and Paul Founda-
tions, Con Edison, Doris Duke
Charitable Foundation, Ford
Foundation, Howard Gilman
Foundation, Lambent Foun-
dation, the LuEsther T. Mertz
Charitable Trust, Mertz Gilm-
ore Foundation, New York
Community Trust, the Emma
Sheafer Charitable Trust, the
New York City Department
of Cultural Affairs in partner-
ship with the City Council,
including Majority Leader
Laurie A. Cumbo, and the
New York State Council on the
Arts with the support of Gov-
ernor Andrew Cuomo and the
New York State Legislature.
 Beacon on the scene
12

By Audrey J. Bernard

Exquisite elegance tailored to perfection

in Christopher John Rogers’ F/ W show
N ew York, New York –
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

Models walk the run-

way for Christopher
John Rogers during New York
Fashion Week: The Shows At
Gallery I At Spring Studios in
February 2020 in New York
City. For his perfect presenta-
tion, Rogers sent synchronized
models down the runway in
sculpted afros and an array of
colors and silhouettes to wild
applause. “If I’m in the south,
I have to dress to the nines.
There’s no casual. There’s
no minimal. I’m in a look,”
he exclaimed! Bottom Line:
Effortless ecstasy! (Photo By
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
For NYFW: The Shows) Designer Christopher John Rogers dances out on the runway at the finale of his fall-winter NYFW 2020 presentation
 13

BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

There are no
limits to what you
can accomplish.
You have the power to redefine
what’s possible. From being the first
to graduate college to becoming the
next big star in your field — you work
relentlessly to knock down barriers and
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and your family, Wells Fargo will be right
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© 2020 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. IHA-25987
 In the community
14

Bed/Stuy Mural Coalition floods Fulton Street Corridor

By Keith L. Forest
Guest Scribe

I t takes a village to bring a

community out of a global
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

pandemic.
In support of local busi-
nesses, the Bedford Stuyvesant
community joined forces to
turn the tide and spread good
will with family-friendly well-
ness activities fostering self-
care. Headed by City Council-
man Robert E. Cornegy Jr., in
partnership with Community
Board 3 Economic Devel-
opment and Committee, The
Coalition for Community Uni-
ty at Black Lives Matter Way
(CCUBLM), Bedford-Stuyve-
sant Restoration Corpora-
tion, Bed/Stuy Gateway BID,
Bridge Street Development
Corporation and Tompkins
Avenue Merchants Association
joined forces to bring socially
responsible activities, wellness
and socially distanced arts and
culture programming to the
Black Live Matter Mural.
The well attended event
kicked off Sat., Aug. 1, with
a variety of safe, healthy,
socially distanced movement
and wellness programming for
the entire family. It included
early morning meditation and
stretching for seniors with
Master Sabu, the Meditation (L-R) Meditation for Black Lives instructor Tiffany Moore, team members Brittany Owens Mikol, Andrea Chaparro, Monique
for Black Lives program by Antoine
local entrepreneurs Brittany
Owens Micek and Andrea Band perform. Later on, in Afrobeats aerobics from Cum- of activities, events, vendors less small businesses globally
Chaparro and Skate-Aerobics the day the Empire Marching be Center for African Diaspora and artistic performance high- to face unprecedented eco-
presented by Tonya Dean. Elite brought the noise with a Dance and a festive yet safe and lighted and supported local nomic hardship while casting
Children had an opportuni- vibrant youthful performance well distanced dance party fea- small businesses and artists a dark shadow on life as we
ty to participate in Brooklyn while Stacked Yoga’s instruc- turing DJ Trama. Spearheaded that live and work within the know it. However, the current
Crescent Lacrosse clinic and tor Natalie Cosby graced the by The Coalition for Communi- community. installation of the Black Lives
watch their peers from Browns- mural with serenity and light. ty Unity at Black Lives Matter The Coronavirus Matter mural in the heart of
ville Excellence Marching The evening concluded with Way (CCUBLM), the majority COVID-19 has caused count- Bedford Stuyvesant has ener-
gized the Fulton Street corridor
providing an emergence of
hope during a season of deep
sadness and disorientation.
“To this community, in this
time, the Black Lives Matter
mural represents hope. It rep-
resents an opportunity for us to
work together and collaborate.
It represents a beacon that
reminds us to take care of our
physical, mental, and emotion-
al well-being.
“It also represents a chal-
lenge that, in this moment, we
do not take for granted, the
chance to unify our voices,
and to demand the best from
each other, to demand the best
from this city, and to demand
the best from this nation,” said
City Councilman Robert E.
Cornegy, Jr.
This coming weekend, and
every weekend up until the Labor
Day celebration, the Bed/Stuy
Mural Coalition will continue
its mural activation with social-
ly responsible entertainment
and wellness activities for the
entire family. The Bed/Stuy
Mural Collective is an ad-hoc
advocacy group made up of local
stakeholders dedicated to uplift-
ing and supporting Black and
minority-owned businesses in
celebration of Black Lives Matte.
(Photos: Qlick The Pho-
Brownsville Excellence Marching Band tographer)

COVID-19 claims life of pioneering
swing musician Helen Jones Woods
“Never give a person credit for what they have done when cash would be more appropriate.” —- Helen Jones Woods
H elen Jones Woods,
a founding member
of the first integrated,
all-women swing orchestra,
The International Sweethearts
of Rhythm, died of COVID-19
at the age of 96 on July 25,
2020. Woods was the ad-
opted daughter of Dr. Lau-
rence Clifton Jones, founder
of the most historic Piney
Woods boarding school in rural
Rankin County, Mississippi in
1909 which advanced from
one student when it started
to roughly 300 students in
grades 9-12 prior to the coro-
navirus pandemic. Woods,
the mother of media mogul,
Cathy Hughes, founder of
Urban One, the largest African
American owned and operat-
ed broadcast company in the
nation, serves as one of PWS’
trustees.
In a statement, the compa-
ny said: “It is with saddened
hearts and deepest condolences
that we announce the passing
of Helen Elizabeth Woods,
the mother of our found-
er and Chairwoman, Cathy
Hughes, and grandmother of
our CEO, Alfred Liggins. Ms.
Helen, as she was affection-
ately called, transitioned on
Saturday, July 25, at the age
of 96. Her remarkable life was
a composite of moments that
are imprinted on the history
of her family and our culture
forever.”
The groundbreaking female
trombonist was born in the fall
of 1923 in Meridian, MS. Her
adopted father, Dr. Laurence
Clifton Jones, was the founder
of the Piney Woods Coun-
try Life School, a historic Mis-
sissippi-based African Amer-
ican boarding school which
is still in existence. She grew
up on the school campus and
began playing music at the age
of six. Dr. Jones wanted her to
learn to play the violin, but she
opted for the trombone instead
because she liked the way the
struts slid up and down.
Dr. Jones raised funds for
the school by touring stu-
dent groups such as The Cotton
Blossom Singers. One evening
when he heard Phil Spitalny’s
All-Girl Orchestra play on the
1930s CBS radio broadcast,
“Hour of Charm,” he had
a new fundraising idea. He
remembered during a forum
discussion at Washington,
D.C.’s Smithsonian Institution
in 2011 — “I’ve got a bunch
of women here [at the school],
why don’t I start a girl band?”
In 1937, Dr. Jones formed
the Swinging Rays of Rhythm
with a pre-teen Woods and oth-
er Piney Woods’ students rang-
ing in age from 13-19. The all-
girl band toured extensively to
raise revenue for the school.
Eventually, the band relocated
Helen Jones Woods
to Arlington, Virginia  where its
manager Daniel Gary changed
its name to the International
Sweethearts of Rhythm to
reflect the ethnic composition
of the group which featured
not only African Americans
but also Asian, Mexican, Na-
tive American and European
American women.
The ensemble became
huge during World War II. For
a time, Jesse Stone, who would
eventually write the Rock N
Roll classic, “Shake, Rattle
& Roll,” was their arranger
and brought polish to their
sound. They had their own
tour bus and set a Howard The-
ater box office record when
they attracted over 35,000
patrons for a week of shows
there in 1941. They did a USO
tour for the troops and per-
formed at prestigious venues
ranging from the Apollo The-
ater in Harlem to Wrigley Field
in Los Angeles.
They shared stages with
or backed acts such as Dizzy
Gillespie, Billie Holliday, and
Ella Fitzgerald. Louis Arm-
strong and Count Basie were
fans. They were cited as Amer-
ica’s Top All-Female Orches-
tra by DownBeat Magazine in
1944. Although, they mostly
performed hit songs of the
day; they also recorded their
Folks!
15
By Audrey J. Bernard
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
As a Black musician, Woods
endured mistreatment and in-
dignity on the road. “Music
broke her heart,” says Hughes.
“In the ‘30s and ‘40s, and even
generations of young people,
including me,” added Crossley,
who became the first alumnus
to serve as president when he
was selected in 2014.
the ‘50s, which was the last time The school off U.S. 49
she played, they wouldn’t get South near the Rankin and
paid regularly. They couldn’t Simpson counties line is a na-
find housing accommodations.” tionally acclaimed boarding
Though she never forgot the school that has attracted stu-
bitter taste of her experience dents from across the United
as a touring musician, Woods States, Africa and the Virgin
acknowledged her place in his- Islands. It is one of only four
tory — notably in a 2011 panel boarding schools left in the
discussion at the Smithsonian, country and is the only pre-
co-moderated by her daughter. dominately Black boarding
“She was proud of her time school in the country.
in the band,” Hughes says. For the last few years,
“She was proud of the music Woods has resided in Saraso-
that they made. She was proud ta, Florida. She is survived by
of the sisterhood that was her four children: Catherine
formed with these women; Liggins Hughes, Jacquelyn
they stayed friends until they Marie Woods, William Alfred
all died. It was a bond that Woods and Dr. Robert Antho-
couldn’t be broken. Music was ny Woods.
their common bond.” One of Woods’ favorite say-
In a statement, Piney Woods’ ings was, “Never give a person
President Will Crossley said, credit for what they have done
“We were devastated upon when cash would be more ap-
learning the news of Woods’ propriate.” In keeping with her
passing. As a school that values wishes, the family requests that
family, we have been enor- the public make financial do-
mously privileged to have the nations in honor of The Helen
continuing support of the very Jones Woods Fund at The Piney
first family of Piney Woods, Woods School to help insure
that of our founder Laurence C. and guarantee a solid education
Jones and his beloved daughter.” for the next generation. (Photos
“As an alumnus of Pin- courtesy Cathy Hughes)
ey Woods, I personally owe
Helen Jones Woods an eternal ###
debt for her immense talent Performance Video:
and unshakable commitment, https://www.youtube.com/
which paved the way for future watch?v=WczP3PyHt20
own songs such as the popular
“Jump Children” in 1945.
By 1949, the group had
folded, and Woods moved on
with her life. “When I found
out other women could play
trombone better than me, I
retired myself,” she cracked at
the Smithsonian forum.
In the late 1940s, she met
and married William Alfred
Woods in Omaha where she
raised her family and earned a
nursing degree and a master’s
in social work. She worked
at the Douglas County Hos-
pital there for over 30 years.
Because of her history with
The International Sweet-
hearts of Rhythm, Woods
was inducted into the Oma-
ha Black Music Hall of Fame
in 2007.
In 2011, the International
Sweethearts of Rhythm were
honored in Washington, DC by
the Smithsonian Institute, and
Woods was there, regaling the
audience with anecdotes from
her colorful career. Recordings
of her music can be located on
YouTube and the NPR website
under “America’s ‘Sweet-
hearts’; An All Girls Band that
Broke Racial Boundaries.”
Legendary Bandleader Earl
“Fatha” Hines gave the band
the nickname “the first Free- (Left to right) Cathy Liggins Hughes (daughter), Helen Jones
dom Riders.” Woods and Alfred Liggins (grandson)
 16
AUDREY'S SOCIETY WHIRL
#Hotoffthepress
Jonathan Rapping advocates for justice
through Gideon's Promise and new book
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Dedra N. Tate
J
onathan Rapping is the
founder and president of
Gideon’s Promise (GP), an
organization dedicated to chang-
ing the culture and practice of
public defense in America. He
is also a professor at Atlanta’s
John Marshall Law School
and Harvard Law School and a
recipient of a MacArthur Foun-
dation “Genius” Grant, which
recognized him for his work as a
criminal justice innovator.
On Tuesday, August 18th,
Beacon Publishing will re-
lease Rapping’s book, Gide-
on’s Promise, which presents
a bold vision for the future of
criminal justice that goes be-
yond discussions of decarcer-
ation. Through collections of
conversations and experienc-
es in criminal justice, Rap-
ping lays the foundation for
a revolutionary shift in how
poor, disempowered popu-
lations interact with the law.
He looks beyond the financial
and structural problems fac-
ing public defense in America
and urges us to confront the
underlying cultural challenge
before providing a blueprint
to do so.
According to Rapping,
“A public defender is the
one person there to stand
up and be the voice of the
voiceless. We need to make
judges and prosecutors see
the people behind the sys-
tem, as the criminal justice
system is currently defined
by a narrative that disregards
their humanity.”
In 2007, Rapping
co-founded GP with his
wife Ilham “Illy” Askia, an
educator who serves as its
Gideon’s Promise Alumni Faculty
Jonathan Rapping at Igniting
Gideon’s Promise Book Cover Change
GP Exec Dir. Ilham Askia Honored by WNBA’s Atlanta Dream
was arrested for a crime he
committed in his youth. At
the time of his arrest, he had
turned his life around, had
three small children and his
wife was pregnant. “Illy’s
father never had an advocate
and was sentenced to 10
years in Attica Correction-
al Facility, a maximum-se-
curity prison located in NY,”
says Rapping. Illy grew up
visiting her dad behind bars
and felt that the people in
her life didn’t matter, due to
the treatment they received.
Aaliyah Rapping at Teens Rapping met Askia while
Looking for Change Rally working as a public defender
in Washington, DC. During
executive director. Togeth- her college years, she wait-
er, they work to raise a new ed tables at a restaurant he
generation of public defend- frequented. They fell in love,
ers, as advocates through a got married and are the proud
vast network of law school parents of two children, who
partnerships, defender train- are just as committed to jus-
ings, programming, and tice reform as they are.
leadership seminars. “GP has shaped the lives
At age 5, Askia’s father of our children,” says Rap-
Gideon’s Promise Leadership Academy
By Dedra N. Tate
Jon Rapping, Honoree John
Lewis, Ilham Askia at Igniting
Change
ping. Their 16-year-old
daughter, Aaliyah, leads an
organization called Teens
Looking for Change and
recently spoke at a youth
rally in Atlanta. Rapping
describes their 12-year old
son Lucas as very conscious.
“As the father of a Black son,
I had to adapt how I moved
through this world. I became
more thoughtful about my
actions, especially when
Lucas is with me.” Rapping
expounded by citing exam-
ples including not speeding,
jaywalking, engaging in road
rage or other behaviors that
could put them in an uncom-
promising position with law
enforcement.
GP, hosts two annual fund-
raisers in support of their
programming and partner-
ships. The first is Igniting
Change, an awards dinner
held in Atlanta to honor legal
industry professionals and
Keynote Speaker Benjamin
Crump, Jonathan Rapping, Il-
ham Askia at Igniting Change
The Rapping Family: Aaliyah,
Lucas, Jonathan, Ilham
partner organizations for their
commitment to improving
the dialogue and engagement
in the Atlanta community,
around the issue of criminal
justice reform. Their second
event, A Night To Celebrate,
is hosted in New York by
friends of GP, to honor cor-
porate organizations that have
been exemplary in defending
the promise of equal justice
for all citizens.
ABOUT GIDEON’S
PROMISE
Gideon’s Promise has
since grown from a sin-
gular training program for
16 attorneys in two public
defender offices in Georgia
and Louisiana to a national
organization with over 1,000
participants from 104 part-
ner, statewide and affiliate
offices across 29 states and
the United States Virgin Is-
lands. The organization also
serves as a critical pipeline
between 25 distinguished
law schools and its partner
public defense offices, en-
suring the next generation
of public defenders.
For more information
about Gideon’s Promise,
or to make a donation to
support their programs and
partnerships, visit www.
gideonspromise.org (Photos
courtesy of Jonathan Rapping
& Gideon’s Promise)

By Victoria Horsford
SUMMERTIME IN AMERICA
Hopefully, Joe Biden,pre-
sumed Democratic Presiden-
tial nominee, cannot postpone
announcing his choice for
VEEP to much longer. Sus-
pense will be over by week’s
end about the lucky wom-
an. Announcement should
be made before the Dem-
ocratic Convention. That
Biden choice looms large in
American society, ranking
second only in importance
to when in the hell will the
American COVID 19 crisis
recede so that the economy
recovery begins. Everyone
has answers except President
Donald Trump and the Senate
Republicans.
Some of African-Ameri-
can VEEP contenders like At-
lanta Mayor Lance Bottoms
and Georgia Gubernatorial
hopeful Stacey Abrams are
no longer among the chosen
few. Biden boxed himself
into a corner saying that his
VEEP would be a woman;
and his choices have been
excellent. Elizabeth War-
ren, Massachusetts, Kamala
Harris, California; Gretchen
Whitmer, Michigan; Susan
Rice; Karen Bass, Califor-
nia; Val Demings, Florida;
Tammy Duckworth, Illinois;
Michelle Lujan Grisham,
New Mexico; and Tammy
Baldwin, Wisconsin. What
pre-election role does the
VEEP play? She/he usually
delivers home state election
victory. This year, however,
if a Black woman VEEP is
on the ballot, she delivers
BUSINESS MATTERS
M o rg a n S t a n l e y a n -
nounced a $14.6 million grant
to support Carver Bancorp,
parent company of Carver
Federal Savings, one of the
nation’s top six Black-owned
banks, which opened in 1948
in Harlem to serve African
Americans. The grant will
enable Carver to buy back
shares and bolster its capi-
tal position to help weath-
er the economic impact of
COVID19 in the wake of the
Pandemic. Grant will enable
Carver to assist small busi-
nesses and customers affected
by COVID19, especially the
group who did not receive
federal relief loans. Michael
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
A Harlem-based management consultant, Victoria Horsford can be reached at Victoria.horsford@gmail.com
What's going on
African Americans votes
in every state. Convention
is August 17-20. Rumors
have been running rampant
that Team Biden have has
reduced the VEEP contests
two women, Harris and Rice.
It that happens, in addition
to becoming the first African
American VEEP, the lucky
lady will be the first Jameri-
can US Vice President. All of
the short list women qualify
for top cabinet positions like
Defense, Treasury, Attorney
General, Homeland Security,
and Secretary of State, for
openers!
PS. On 8/11 Biden said
Kamala Harris is his VEEP
choice.
SCHOOL DAYS: Some
American school systems are
open and students and with
more than minor COVID19
problems, according to may-
ors, teachers and students.
Many of HS students are not
using any masks and social
distancing, fuggedaboutit!
Los Angeles and Chicago
schools systems announced
that fall classes will be re-
mote. The NYC school sys-
tem has been approved by the
governor. Now for the hard
decisions. In a system with 1+
million students, about 25%
of the students parents have
elected remote learning. The
remainder will attend classes
a few days and remote learn
on other days, known as the
hybrid option. We learned
about short comings in the
remote system during the
Pugh is Carver President
CEO.
Black Enterprise sto-
ry reports that The Dream
Exchange, the first Black-
owned Stock Exchange in US
history, opens for business
next summer. Co-founded
by Joe Cecala, former lawyer
and capital market expert
and by William H. Ellison
of Cadiz Capital Holdings,
LLC, a minority owned pri-
vate equity firm. Based in
Chicago, The Dream Ex-
change will focus on small
business capital formation
and diversity using the pow-
er of the American investing
public.
Kamala Harris
spring shutdown. Some of
the NYCHA buildings don’t
have technology suitable for
remote learning. Then the
UFT is not totally support-
ive of hybrid learning with
concerns for teachers and
students alike. Class size is
supposed to be smaller which
may present a space problem.
It seems cruel for first grad-
ers, beginning to read, having
to learn that remotely.
Construction began on
the Harlem Academy school
building, which will be lo-
cated at 655 St. Nicholas
Avenue. Harlem, NY. The
Harlem Academy, is a private
school, which caters to Afri-
can American students, K-8.
It is considered one of the
jewels in the crown of Har-
lem education owing to its
rigorous academic learning
environment. New building
is next to the Harlem School
of the Arts.
Michael Pugh
17
COVID19 UPDATES
At press time, more than Trump’s executive or-
20 million global coronavirus ders and economic rehab are
cases have been reported, a deceitful. The power of the
figure that has doubled in 45 purse is congressional juris-
days. The global coronavirus diction. He and the GOP favor
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
death rate totals 737,000, reducing the $600 weekly
which includes 160 million federal cushion to $400 stip-
Americans. ulating that the deficit-ridden
Russia’s Vladimir Putin states assume 25% of the
announced that it has an effi- outlay. The Democrats want
cacious coronavirus vaccine a deal and reduced their orig-
and it has been administered inal $3 trillion coronavirus
to one of his daughters. The package to $2 trillion. Trump
global scientific community and the GOP will not budge
is suspicious because there from its $1 trillion package,
has not been enough time for Meanwhile COVID19
completion of three clinical continues its surges through-
drug trials and hey what about out the US. Moreover, natural
peer review. Russia lied about forces are working against us
its infection rate, considered like hurricanes, tornadoes,
high for a country full to the and last weekend a derecho,
brim with scientists and engi- which are high gusting winds
neers. Wonder if this is a ruse up to 90 miles. A derecho is
for Trump to order vaccines not a hurricane, or maybe, it
and transfer billions of dollars is an inland hurricane, which
to Russia. has terrorized states like Ne-
Another week goes by and braska, Iowa, Wisconsin and
the Republicans are not seri- Illinois adding to extant fi-
ous about the fourth stimulus nancial woes.
program. No,
NEWSMAKERS
Love And Marriage: Con-
gratulations to A-List New
York love birds, Frances
Savage and fine artist John
Dowell, who tied the knot
last month.
RIP: Altomese Tee, Alston,
52, died of natural causes last
weekend. The manager of
Ashford & Simpson’s famous
Sugar Bar Club on West 72
Street, Manhattan, Tee was
the third side of the Ashford/
Simpson isoscoles triangle Charles Moses
empire, engaged in most Nik/
Val businesses for 50 more
than 50 years.
at the University of San Fran-
cisco. A corporate executive,
Correction. Dr. Charles who worked in South Africa
Moses, was appointed Dean for a few years, he also was a
of the School of Management Newsday NY journalist.
AUGUST CALENDAR
August 15 is NATIONAL
REPARATIONS DAY. Join
the December 12 th Move-
ment’s Reparations event at
Trump International Hotel
at Columbus Avenue at 59th
Street, Manhattan at 2 pm.
Visit D12th.com
CEMOTAP, Committee
To Eliminate Media Pffemses
to African People hosts
“Police Violence, Can
Anybody Stop It?” is the sub-
ject of a webinar forum hosted Charles Barron
by A CEMOTA (Committee
To Eliminate Media Offenses MOTAP has fought for con-
to African People) and Black trol of Black Peoples infor-
Solidarity Day Organizing mational lives. Doing battle
Committee on August 22 at
2 pm. Panelists include NYS
Assemblyman Charles Bar-
with racist media, supporting
Black media/personalities,
and culture preservation,
ron, NYC Council member
Inez Barron, Professor Milton
Allimadi, Blackstarnews.com
CEMOTAP produces accu-
rate info for African People
via forums, articles, books,
Publisher; James McIntosh,
MD. Psychiatrist CEMOTAP.
The Meeting ID 870 81933862
radio, TV and video plat-
forms. Support its mission.
Visit GOFUNDME.COM/
. The Passcode: 529823.
Organized in 1987, CE-
CEMOTAP-PROPERTY-IN-
SURANCE.

18
Remembering
Tee Alston, manager of Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Valerie Simpson gives Tee Alston a big hug
By Roger Friedman
Guest Scribe
I
t is with deep sadness that I
must tell you that the great
Tee Alston has passed away
less than a month before her
83rd birthday. We called her
Tee, but her real name was Al-
tomese, and she was the Major
Domo of the world of Ashford
& Simpson for over 50 years.
She was the best friend
of Nik and Val, their con-
sort, cohort, organizer, family
member, Grand Poobah of the
(L-R) Vinney Brown, Lynn Whitfield and Anita Parker Brown with Tee Alston (2nd right) at her
birth-bash at The Sugar Bar (Photo: Ronnie Wright)
Entertainment
Sugar Bar on West 72nd St.
and before that the 20/20 club.
I’m sure I’m not alone when
I say I had Tee’s phone number
memorized for all these years.
If I asked everyone in New
York or the music world to
raise their hands if they had
that number, the whole place
would rise.
Everyone loved her, and the
love went back and forth. She
was one of those people who
glowed from within. I asked
Valerie Simpson how she met
Tee. “It was before there was
a Nik and Val,” she told me. “I
was playing piano for a gospel
group in Harlem.
“Tee and her friends were
walking by and they stopped in
because they heard the music.
I told her she had great shoes.
And that was it.” Best friends
forever.
Tee apparently passed in
her sleep, she was otherwise
perfectly fine. The Sugar Bar
has been closed because of
the pandemic, but she’d been
taking care of herself and quar-
antining.
We all had a long running
inside joke with Tee. She loved
Sam Moore, had a had mad
crush on him. She’d always say
to me, batting her big brown
eyes, “How’s that Sam?” and
give me a wink. Then we’d
hug.
“Lady Tee” gets a standing ovation from adoring Sugar Bar
crowd during her birthday celebration
By Don Thomas
Tee has a daughter, Sharon,
to whom we send condolenc-
es. But also to Val and her
daughters Asia and Nicole, to
everyone at the Sugar Bar, to
everyone who loves Ashford
& Simpson. To Nik in heaven,
who greeted Tee with open
arms. I know they are having
a good time but we wish they
were here.
Tee maybe best exemplified
Ashford & Simpson songs her-
self. She was “Sold as a rock.”
She was “the real thing” from
“Ain’t Nothing Like the Real
Thing,” and she was all every-
body needed to get by.
This picture above was
from Val’s birthday party one
year ago on a boat we sailed
around New York at midnight.
And Tee — look at the smile —
was always getting the cakes,
putting it all together. My
friend, bless you. You will not
be forgotten. (Pictures courte-
sy of Valerie Simpson c2020)
[EDITOR’S NOTE:
Yours truly was among the
many individuals that totally
enjoyed being in the presence
of Tee Alston, who I fondly
called “Lady Tee.” Whether
attending an event at The
Sugar Bar, where she always
greeted and treated everyone
like VIPs, or seeing her at a
Ashford & Simpson concert
or a private party, she was
dressed in a fabulous outfit
and always greeted me with a
broad smile and “hello Child
ho’ yo’ doin’ honey.” R.I.P.
“Lady Tee.” Don Thomas]

Black revolutionary Fred Hampton’s legacy continues to inspire
W arner Bros. Pic-
tures’ Judas and
the Black Messiah
is the story of Fred Hamp-
ton, Chairman of the Illinois
Black Panther Party, and his
fateful betrayal by FBI infor-
mant William O’Neal. The
film, directed by Shaka King,
stars Daniel Kaluuya as Fred
Hampton and LaKeith Stan-
field as William O’Neal.
Chairman Fred Hampton
was 21 years old when he
was assassinated by the FBI,
who coerced a petty crimi-
nal named William O’Neal
to help them silence him
and the Black Panther Party.  Judas and the Black
But they could not kill Fred
Hampton’s legacy and, 50
years later, his words still
echo…louder than ever.
  I am a revolutionary!
In 1968, a young, char-
ismatic activist named Fred
Hampton became Chairman
of the Illinois chapter of the
Black Panther Party, who
were fighting for freedom,
the power to determine the
destiny of the Black com-
munity, and an end to police
brutality and the slaughter of
Black people.   Pictures’ “Judas and the Black Messiah,” a Warner Bros. Pic-
Chairman Fred was in-
spiring a generation to rise
up and not back down to
oppression, which put him
directly in the line of fire
of the government, the FBI
and the Chicago Police.  Now a comrade in arms
But to destroy the revolu-
tion, they had to do it from
both the outside…and the
inside.  Facing prison, Wil-
liam O’Neal is offered a deal
by the FBI: if he will infil-
Solstice Studios re-opens U.S. movie theaters with thriller
‘Unhinged’ starring Russell Crowe
S olstice Studios’ Un-
hinged will open Au-
gust 21, 2020, making
it the first new wide release
in American movie theaters
since they shut down in March
due to Covid-19. After a con-
frontation with an unstable
man (Russell Crowe) at an
intersection, a woman (Car-
en Pistorius) becomes the
target of his rage. The movie
also stars Gabriel Bateman,
Jimmi Simpson, Austin P.
McKenzie, Juliene Joyner,
Michael Papajohn, and Anne
Leighton.
Directed by Derrick Borte
and written by Carl Ellsworth
with music by David Buckley,
Unhinged also is produced by
Lisa Ellzey, Andrew Gunn
and Mark Gill; executive pro-
duced by Guy Botham, Crystal
Bourbeau, Mary C. Russell,
Christopher Milburn, Gareth
West, Peter Touche, and An-
ders Erdén; and co-produced
by James Portolese and Beth
Bruckner O’Brien.
While the release date plans
for Unhinged have changed a
few times due to the dynamic
The Reel
(Center front-back) LaKeith Stanfield as William O’Neal and
Daniel Kaluuya as Chairman Fred Hampton in Warner Bros.
tures release (Photo by Glen Wilson for Warner Bros.)
trate the Black Panthers and
provide intel on Hampton,
he will walk free.  O’Neal
takes the deal.
in the Black Panther Party,
O’Neal lives in fear that his
treachery will be discovered
even as he rises in the ranks.  militant threat to the status
But as Hampton’s fiery mes-
sage draws him in, O’Neal
nature of reopening movie
theaters in the midst of a pan-
demic, the theatrical company’s
desire to give moviegoers a
safe viewing experience, and
ongoing commitment to exhibi-
tion partners – large and small
– have remained unwavering.
“We know that theaters
won’t be open in every city
or county when we launch.
However, we anticipate that
the vast majority of movie
theaters will be open and ready
to meet what nationwide polls
consistently show is substan-
tial pent-up audience demand
to see new movies in theaters.”
As a result, no opening in
this time period will be largely
about the opening weekend.
A significant number of ad-
ditional theaters plan to open
in the second week, and with
a relatively light schedule of
competitive films, the expec-
tation is that Unhinged will
open more modestly but stay
in theaters longer.  Moviegoers
have expressed a clear desire to
return to theaters this summer
(80% say they will definitely
attend) while making it equally
cannot escape the deadly
trajectory of his ultimate
betrayal.
Though his life was cut
short, Fred Hampton’s im-
pact has continued to re-
verberate.  The government
saw the Black Panthers as a
quo and sold that lie to a
frightened public in a time
clear that they want the expe-
rience to be both comfortable
and safe. Solstice’s partners
in exhibition have answered
this call by employing ad-
vanced sterilization and filtra-
tion methods, social distanced
seating, no-touch payment
systems, and many other mea-
sures to prioritize safety over
all else.  Without this thorough
commitment to safety, they
would not be proceeding.  
“On behalf of the U.S.
exhibition community, I want
to thank Solstice Studios for
their commitment to bring-
ing Unhinged to theaters, and
for doing their part to help re-
invigorate the theatrical movie
business. Movie theaters are
able to safely reopen with
thorough health and safety
measures in many states across
the country, but if studios wait
until 100% of the theaters are
open, it will be too late,” stated
John Fithian, President and
CEO of the National Associ-
ation of Theater Owners. “We
need supporters like Solstice
Studios, and Unhinged is the
perfect film to kick off the
of growing civil unrest. 
But the perception of the
Panthers was not reality.  In
inner cities across America,
they were providing free
breakfasts for children, legal
services, medical clinics and
research into sickle cell ane-
mia, and political education.  ers are Sev Ohanian, Zinzi
And it was Chairman Fred in
Chicago, who, recognizing
the power of multicultural
unity for a common cause,
created the Rainbow Coa-
lition—joining forces with
other oppressed peoples in
the city to fight for equality
and political empowerment.
Messiah stars Oscar nomi-
nee Daniel Kaluuya (“Get
Out,” “Widows,” “Black
Panther”) as Fred Hamp-
ton and LaKeith Stanfield
(“Atlanta,” “The Girl in the
Spider’s Web”) as William
O’Neal.  The film also stars
Jesse Plemons (“Vice,”
“Game Night,” “The Post”),
Dominique Fishback
(“The Hate U Give,” “The
Deuce”), Ashton Sanders
(“The Equalizer 2,” “Moon-
light”) and Martin Sheen
(“The Departed,” TV’s “The
West Wing,” TV’s “Grace &
Frankie”).
Judas and the Black Mes-
siah is directed by Shaka
King, marking his studio
feature film directorial de-
but.  The project originated
with King and his writing
partner, Will Berson, who
co-wrote the screenplay,
story by Berson & King and
Kenny Lucas & Keith Lu-
cas.  King, who has a long
“Unhinged” is a psychological thriller about a mom who upsets
Crowe while driving and his road rage reaches new heights
(Photo courtesy Solstice Studios)
opening of theaters to capture
the last weeks of summer box
office, followed by Tenet on
Labor Day weekend and a
strong fall schedule.”  back to audiences across the
On the International
front, Unhinged opened num-
ber 1 in Germany on July 16
to a great result and remained
the number one film this past
weekend.  The expansion con-
tinues in Australia, New Zea-
land, and the UK.   ing, as it is to our culture and
Solstice Studios was found-
ed on the belief that nothing
19
By Audrey J. Bernard
relationship with filmmaker
Ryan Coogler (“Black Pan-
ther,” “Creed,” “Fruitvale
Station”), pitched the film
to Coogler and Charles D.
King (“Just Mercy,” “Fenc-
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
es”), who are producing the
film.  The executive produc-
Coogler, Kim Roth, Poppy
Hanks, Ravi Mehta, Jeff
Skoll, Anikah McLaren,
Aaron L. Gilbert, Jason
Cloth, Ted Gidlow, and
Niija Kuykendall.
The ensemble cast also
includes Algee Smith (“The
Hate U Give,” “Detroit”),
Darrell Britt-Gibson (“Just
Mercy,” “Three Billboards
Outside Ebbing, Missouri”),
Dominique Thorne (“If
Beale Street Could Talk”),
Amari Cheatom (“Roman
J. Israel, Esq.,” “Django
Unchained”), Caleb Eber-
hardt (“The Post”), and Lil
Rel Howery (“Get Out”).
The behind-the-scenes
creative team includes
director of photography
Sean Bobbitt (“12 Years a
Slave,” “Widows”), produc-
tion designer Sam Lisenco
(“Shades of Blue”), editor
Kristan Sprague (“Ran-
dom Acts of Flyness”) and
costume designer Charlese
Antoinette Jones (“Raising
Dion”)
Judas and the Black Mes-
siah is a Warner Bros. Pic-
tures presentation, in associ-
ation with MACRO Films,
Participant and BRON Cre-
ative, and will be distributed
worldwide by Warner Bros.
Pictures.
matches the theatrical movie-
going experience, and we are
proud to play our part in bring-
ing that beloved experience
globe.  Last year, the theatrical
film industry grossed over $11
billion in the US alone.  Its
revitalization is as important
to our economy and the many
local businesses that support
and benefit from movie-go-
preserving our rich creative
history as storytellers.
 20
Virtual street theatre defies the weather
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com

By Ernece B. Kelly
Drama Critic

F ire up that personal

computer, iPhone, An-
droid or whatever de-
vice you’re using to access
information. Today’s theatre
is being streamed, and you can
be part of it. Theatre for the
New City (TNC) that tireless
troupe that’s been turning out
edgy and challenging drama
for almost 50 years, refuses to
abandon its beloved tradition
of weekend performances in
New York City’s public parks.
But in deference to the
City’s mandate to socially dis-
tance and in light of New York-
ers’ spotty compliance with
mask wearing, TNC is virtu-
ally launching a full month
of weekend performances of
a new family-friendly play,
“Liberty or Just Us: A City
Park Story” beginning in Au-
gust and running until Sept.
13th.
With their usual multi-ra-
cial/ethnic casts, TNC’s Di-
rector Crystal Field who wrote
the script and Joseph Vernon
Banks who crafted the music
for the oratorio re-enact pro-
tests ranging from the 1920’s
Triangle Shirtwaist
to Occupy Wall Street. To
access the live streaming per-
formances go to: theaterforth-
“Liberty or Just Us: a City Park Story”
enewcity.net or facebook.com/ Performances will be at time performance, “Uptown or on Instagram.
theaterforthenewcity/ 6pm on Aug., 14th, 21st, and Bounce 2020: Street to Screen” Finally, there’s the New
New Ohio Theatre is 28th. Talkbacks with the di- with host Fab 5 Freddy and York Times newsletter “The-
streaming the musical “A rector and playwrights will various performers including atre Update” appearing every
Burning Church”—featur- follow. Batala New York the world other week in print and online
ing two Black actors—from Manhattan Neighborhood famous woman-led percussion informing readers of drama
Aug.,13th thru the 15th, at Network (MNNY) is Manhat- group celebrating Afro-Brazil- coming up in our area. Please
7pm. It’s a pay-what-you-will tan’s free public access cable ian culture. Check your local stay safe, stay tuned in, and
arrangement with a suggested network and it’s hosting a one- channel, watch on FaceBook stay in the theatre mix!
admission of $10.00. View it
on-line. The link will be sent
close to the performance time:
newohiotheatre.org/icefacto-
ry2020.htm.
BOLD is a festival of
ten-minute plays, each written
and directed by Black women.
Broadway performer Destinee
Rea (“The Book of Mormon”
and “Tina…”) is a co-founder,
and has arranged free tickets
thru Eventbrite.

Crystal Field, executive artistic director Composer Joseph Vernon Banks


Disney’s Newsies: The Broadway Musical
to stream free on Playbill Playback
Posted by Audrey J. Bernard
P
laybill recently an-
nounced that Dis-
ney’s  NEWSIES: The
Broadway Musical will be
the next production in their
Playbill Playback series. Dis-
ney’s NEWSIES: The Broad-
way Musical will stream in its
entirety, for free on Playbill.
com on Friday August 21,
2020 at 7PM ET and will
benefit The Actors Fund. The
one-night-only streaming of
the Tony® Award-winning
musical was made in arrange-
ment with Disney Theatrical
Productions and Disney+,
and can be viewed on Playbill.
com.
  The streaming event will
feature video appearances
by cast members and will
conclude with a brand-new
video, featuring cast members
from the Broadway and North
American Tour productions
of NEWSIES.
Captured live at The Hol-
lywood Pantages Theatre in
2016, NEWSIES stars Jer-
emy Jordan, reprising his
Tony Award-nominated perfor-
mance as “Jack Kelly,” Kara
Lindsay as “Katherine,” Ben
Fankhauser as “Davey”
and Andrew Keenan-Bolg-
er as “Crutchie,” with NEWS-
IES North American Tour
stars  Steve Blanchard as
“Joseph Pulitzer,” Aisha de
Haas as “Medda Larkin”
and Ethan Steiner as “Les.”
NEWSIES, the new Amer-
ican musical, features a Tony
Award-winning score with
music by eight-time Acad-
emy Award®-winner Alan
Menken and lyrics by Jack
Feldman, a book by four-time
Tony Award-winner Harvey
Fierstein and is produced
by Disney Theatrical Pro-
ductions.  NEWSIES is di-
rected by Tony nominee Jeff
Calhoun and choreographed
by Christopher Gattelli, who
won a 2012 Tony Award for
his work on the show. The
entire creative team reunited
to bring the break-out smash
musical to audiences across
North America.
Cast of Disney’s Newsies “Read all about it!”
Theater talk
21
  Disney Theatrical Pro-
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
ductions is proud to partner
with Playbill for the NEWS-
IES watch party, which is
part of Disney Magic Mo-
ments. #DisneyMagicMo-
ments lets you experience the
magic of Disney wherever you
may be. Enjoy Disney, Star
Wars, Marvel and National
Geographic with stories, vid-
eo, activities and interactive
fun designed to inspire imag-
ination and discovery among
kids, fans and families alike.
It’s all waiting for you at Dis-
neyMagicMoments.com. And
NEWSIES: The Broadway
Musical and other musical
favorites are now streaming
on Disney+. (Photos courtesy
Disney Theatrical Productions)
About The Actors
Fund
The Actors Fund is a national
human services organization
that fosters stability and re-
siliency and provides a safety Cast of Disney’s NEWSIES: The Broadway Musical
net for performing arts and en-
tertainment professionals over to online and phone-based ser-
their lifespan. Through offices vices, which remain available
in New York, Los Angeles for everyone in the performing
and Chicago, The Fund serves arts and entertainment commu-
everyone in film, theater, tele- nity. These services include:
vision, music, opera, radio and Artists Health Insurance Re-
dance with programs including source Center, The Career
social services and emergency Center, Housing Resources,
financial assistance, health Addiction & Recovery, HIV/
care and insurance counseling, AIDS, Women’s Health and
housing, and secondary em- Senior Services, Counsel-
ployment and training services. ing and Emergency Financial
Since March 18, 2020, The Assistance, as well as The
Actors Fund has provided Friedman Health Center for the
more than $14 million in emer- Performing Arts in New York
gency financial assistance to City. To make a tax-deductible
over 12,000 people who work donation to The Actors Fund,
in performing arts and enter- visit www.actorsfund.org.
tainment. With shutdowns on Jeremy Jordan, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and Ben Fankhauser
Broadway and in film and tele- About Playbill
vision, theater, concerts, dance, Since 1884, Playbill has been ter Theater, the Metropolitan offering audiences new ways
music and many other areas of the exclusive publication for Opera House, David Geffen to connect to Broadway and
entertainment, the need is great Broadway and Off-Broad- Hall, Alice Tully Hall, David Off-Broadway around the
and growing. This emergency way theatregoers, providing H. Koch Theater) and Carnegie world via Playbill.com. With
financial assistance is helping complete cast and production Hall; as well as theatres across over 3 million unique visitors,
our most vulnerable and those credits for each show, as well the country, including the Hol- Playbill.com is the preeminent
in financial crisis to cover as features and interviews lywood Pantages Theatre in site for theatre news and fea-
basic living expenses, such as highlighting the many voic- Los Angeles and the Goodman tures, delivering high-quality,
food, essential medications, es that make up the theatre Theatre in Chicago. original content to audiences
utilities and more. community. Playbill proudly Over the past 25 years everywhere.
As the situation with Coro- serves New York’s most prom- Playbill has expanded be- Over the past two decades,
navirus (COVID-19) continues inent performing arts venues, yond a print magazine and Playbill has also launched
to evolve, The Actors Fund including multiple venues at established itself as a trusted PlaybillStore.com, the one
has temporarily transitioned Lincoln Center (Lincoln Cen- name in the theatre industry, stop Broadway shop for theatre
fans, carrying the official sou-
venir merchandise of Playbill
and Broadway shows; PLAY-
BILLder, which allows school
and community theatre pro-
ductions around the world to
build their very own Broadway
quality Playbill program; Play-
bill Vault, a comprehensive
online database of Broadway
history that provides records
of Broadway productions from
1930 to the present; and Play-
bill Travel, which takes trav-
elers and Broadway royalty
around the globe to experience
the sights, sounds and tastes
of the world’s finest cultures,
while offering world-class
Jeremy Jordan and Kara Lindsay concerts at night.

22
There is no shame in the watermelon
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
By Hazel Rosetta Smith
Contributing Scribe
B
lack people have been
racially ridiculed and
mocked in more delib-
erate instances than the years
of slavery can ever depict
centuries later. We know how
it looks and how it feels. We
know racism is degrading and
inhumane. We know who, but
still do not know why an entire
race of people should continue
to be devalued and enslaved
no matter how many laws are
passed or rehashed.
Black Lives Matter carries
a message of great impor-
Ponder this
tance, enough is enough.
People of color no longer want
to be the brunt of the dispro-
portionate sharing of rights as
citizens or tolerate the sight
of confederate flags or slave
owner monuments. And there
is more to it.
Systemic racism is so deep-
ly embedded in the minds and
hearts of white supremacists
and other clandestine groups,
that it boggles the mind to
imagine how it can be turned
around, less more annihilated.
Cultural symbols are more
powerful than they seem. Its
why negative imaging has
endured, decades after the Jim
Crow era of racism turned
into something else. A liking
to certain foods or a simple
cherished pastime during the
warm summer months became
a source of comic relief for
southern whites.
Black people seen eating a
watermelon became a symbol
of what little it took to make us
happy. They billed it as, they
do not need the complicated
responsibilities of freedom;
they just need some shade
and a melon. The image was
perpetuated in magazines,
cartoons, and ad spaces.
It appeared on cookware,
salt and pepper shakers and
other household items. (I
chose not to give such images
any further exposure with this
article). The popular images
point out how illogical and
nonsensical they are. Most
of them show massive wa-
termelons cut lengthwise, as
if to exaggerate the mouths
and lips of African Ameri-
cans, drawn in the style of
the all-too-familiar character
Black Sambo. But those who
eat watermelon know to eat it
in small triangles, which are
less messy and wasteful. Why
pick on the Watermelon?
The watermelon repre-
sented economic freedom for
formerly enslaved Africans.
While enslaved, they were
forced to farm watermelons.
As free citizens, watermelons
provided a way to make money
by doing what they knew. They
grew and harvested watermel-
ons, becoming vendors and
selling them on street corners.
The growing business was a
threat to white residents in cit-
ies across the South during the
Jim Crow era. Research from
the Smithsonian points out that
“many Southern whites react-
ed to this self-sufficiency by
turning the fruit into a symbol
of poverty.
Watermelon came to sym-
bolize a feast for the ‘unclean,
lazy and child-like.’ To shame
Black watermelon merchants,
popular ads and postcards pic-
tured African Americans steal-
ing, fighting over, or sitting in
streets eating watermelon.”
Whatever the narrative was
concerning the shame in being
seen enjoying a watermelon,
our ancestors were medically
correct in its consumption. Wa-
termelon has a natural pigment
called beta-cryptoxanthin said
to protect joints from inflam-
mation.
The bright red color inside
comes from lycopene, an anti-
oxidant. Studies show it may
help curb risk of cancer and
diabetes as part of a healthy
lifestyle. Watermelon has more
of this nutrient than any other
fruit or vegetable — even
tomatoes.
Watermelon is rich in an
amino acid called citrulline
that may help move blood
through the body and can
lower blood pressure. Just one
medium slice of watermelon
contains 9-11% of the vitamin
A we need each day to keep
eyes healthy.
Pick a melon that is free of
dents, nicks, and bruises. Look
for a yellow, not white, spot
on the bottom. This signals
that it is ripe. A ready-to-eat
watermelon will feel heavy for
its size. When you thump it, it
should sound hollow.
There is no shame in the
watermelon, to the contrary,
whenever you partake in this
succulently juicy delight, re-
member the importance the
watermelon was to our ances-
tors. Enjoy and stay carefully
safe.
[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 for Harlem Com-
munity News, Inc. Contact:
misshazel@twc.com
 Classified
23

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24
BEACON, August 13 – August 19, 2020 newyorkbeacon.com
Vaughn Takes Nets to the Playoffs
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
Brooklyn Nets
playoffs bound
By Shara Taylor
T
he Brooklyn Nets se-
cured the 7th spot in the
NBA’s Eastern Confer-
ence without the help of key
players.
Playoffs have looked prom-
ising for the Nets in recent
games as they defeated confer-
ence-leading teams. The Nets
beat the Los Angeles Clippers
in a remarkable 129-120 win
last Sunday evening at Dis-
ney’s ESPN Wide World of
Sports Complex in Orlando,
Fla.
The NBA season was sus-
pended March 11th due to
COVID-19. Games resumed
in an eight seeding game se-
ries July 30th in Orlando. The
Nets have achieved surprising
success as they defeated teams
like the Milwaukee Bucks,
who are in first place in the
Eastern Conference and the
Los Angeles Clippers, who are
in second place in the Western
Conference.
The Nets have been without
leading scorers like Kevin Du-
rant, who has been recovering
from Achilles tendon surgery
to the New York Beacon 405
Lexington Avenue, 26th Floor,
www.newyorkbeacon.com
Sports
and Kyrie Irving, who had
shoulder surgery in March
ending his season. Other key
players Spencer Dinwiddie and
DeAndre Jordan opted out of
playing in Orlando.
Sunday’s game was an
unexpected thriller. The Nets
starting lineup included Caris
LeVert, Garrett Temple, Joe
Harris, Rodions Kurucs and
Jarrett Allen. The Nets were
ahead by 21 points at the end
of the first quarter, led 74-63 at
half time, maintained their lead
and ended third quarter 98-94.
LeVert and Harris were
team leaders in overall points.
LeVert had 27 points, while
Harris had 25 points. LeVert
also led the team in 13 as-
sists. Kawhi Leonard led the
Clippers with 39 points and 6
assists.
The Nets conclude the reg-
ular season tonight against the
Portland Trail Blazers before
the playoffs begin. The Nets
defeated the Trail Blazers 119-
115 in November. Brooklyn
parted ways with head coach
Kenny Atkinson in March.
He was replaced by Jacque
Vaughn.
SUBSCRIBE
New York, NY 10174.
$35.00 per year
212-213-8585
College football
and the pandemic
Harbaugh Wants To Play
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Andrew Rosario
T
he 2020 college football
season is in a paralyzed/
limbo state as the num-
ber of deaths due to the Coro-
navirus/Covid19 Pandemic
has exceeded 150,000 across
the country. There have vary-
ing opinions among college
presidents, coaches, players
as to whether or not to cancel
the season or postpone it and
start it at the end of September.
Some schools have already
cancelled fall sports. President
Donlad Trump has endorsed
playing games saying it would
"be a tragic mistake" if the
season was cancelled. Col-
leges across the country are
only allowing virtual classes
as students are not allowed on
campus or in the classroom.
Last year's number one
college draft pick Joe Burrow
said, "I feel for all college
athletes right now. I hope their
voices are heard by the deci-
2 percent of Saban's Team Tested Positive
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
sion makers. If this happened
a year ago, l may be looking
for a job right now." The ripple
effect as a result of whether
or not there will be a season
will impact college players
who will be eligible for the
2021 draft. No season means
that juniors and seniors will
not be able to enhance their
draft status. Will NFL general
managers take a chance on
drafting players who they feel
are risky because they didn't
show enough on the field? Will
the number of juniors decide to
enter the draft increase?
A movement "We Want To
Play" was created by college
players and was supported by
Clemson quarterback Trevor
Lawrence as some well es-
tablished players like Micah
Parsons (Penn St.) Rashod
Bateman (Minnesota) and
Caleb Farley (Virginia) have
decided to sit out the season
citing health concerns due to
the Pandemic.
Andrew
Rosario,
Sports
Editor
The five power confer-
ences, began meeting this past
week to determine what will
happen this season. The result
of one conference can have a
ripple/domino effect on the rest
of the conferences.
Two prominent head coach-
es, Jim Harbaugh (Michigan)
and Nick Saban (Alabama)
offered their opinions. "We
will continue to follow all
health and safety guidelines,
teach, train and coach those
young men and their families
that have put trust in us, while
advocating for a football sea-
son in the fall," said Harbaugh.
"I want to play," Saban began.
"But I want to play for the
players sake, the value they
can create for themselves. We
have around a 2 percent pos-
itive ratio on our team since
the Fourth of July. It's a lot
higher than that in society," he
concluded.
The NFL announced ear-
lier this month there will be
no pre-season games and no
fans will be allowed to attend
games when the season begins.
It has not been established as
to whether or not stadiums will
allow tailgating prior to the
games. Baseball, basketball,
hockey, golf, boxing and tennis
do not allow fans to attend.
The virus continues to take
lives every day. States are re-
porting spikes in the number
of people testing positive. All
college programs are aware
of the statistics. Whether or
not they want to expose their
players is the big question.
Editor's Note: Late Tuesday
afternoon, it was announced
that both the Big10 and Pac12
conferences are cancelling
their fall football season. The
other conferences had not yet
come to a decision.