2020 Christian Times Black History Month edition

P2 February 2020

Tribute to a

editorial Corporate Giant

PUBLISHER I walked into our makeshift boardroom on the lower level With Ed, you can skip the skepticism and the speculations,
of The Christian Times building with a small army of commu- and forget about broken promises. To the fullness of his ca-
nity leaders for a meeting called by some Macy*s executives. pacity, he does what he says and splendidly uses every ounce
Five of them – all White men – were assembled, and as our of influence he can muster to bring answers and just solutions
custom was, twelve of us – representing clergy, business and to our community.
the Black press – gathered around the table in our Bedford-
Stuyvesant neighborhood to discuss what we perceived as Last week, we lost Edward Jay Goldberg, who made his
Macy*s’ exploitive activities in the Black community. transition on February 20 at the age of 77. Ed had retired from
Macy*s a few years ago, but it is worthy to note that this cor-
The tension was already high be-
cause I led 120 clergy and Black busi- porate giant was instrumental in elevating
ness leaders directly to the executive Macy*s’ corporate-community profile
suite of what was formerly A&S’s flag- through a series of innovative initiatives that
ship store in Downtown Brooklyn. were the envy of America’s corporate retail
Present on Fulton Street at that precise landscape. His work with the Black press,
moment was almost every major news philanthropic support to Black institutions
outlet in New York. The report was and his solid commitment to supplier diver-
damning and cast a negative light on sity and inclusion is a significant contribu-
Macy’s treatment of Black consumers tion to the legacy of a great leader and
and their lack of commitment to the trusted advisor.
community. In response, Macy’s made
numerous attempts for a meeting on Walking into Macy*s and seeing Black-
their turf in one of their elaborate berry Store, Harlan Brand Footwear,
boardrooms, but we refused; insisting HerGame2 and a number of other Black de-
instead that they meet us in the community. signers was a testament to his work and
commitment. And it is always noteworthy
The meeting lasted almost two hours and involved mo- that Macy*s eventually began to advertise in more than 120
ments of intense dialogue and tense negotiations. The com- Black newspapers across the country – all because of Ed and
munity held firmly to a posture that there must be a Macy*s our work together.
commitment to economic reciprocity and a renewed commit- He was truly a remarkable man – a world traveler, a pho-
ment to improved relations between the corporation and the tographer, a musician and a “Jewish preacher” who graced our
community. pulpit several times in Brooklyn. Despite the fact that it started
out with Ed calling me for advise on key community-related
The calming voice on the other side of this “Bedford matters, it ended with me calling Ed for advice and suggestions
Stuyvesant makeshift boardroom” was a man small in stature, on a long list of key issues, including our most recent conver-
calm in decibels, but vibrant in personality and sagacious in sations on Africa and the DOOR of Our Return initiative.
thoughts. He was Edward Jay Goldberg. Ed gained my atten- Ed was, according to Jose Lugo, “a collaborative partner.
tion and elevated my consciousness. He wanted proof and He was, says Michelle Shannon, “a great gentleman.” “He
promised that with proof, there would be action on the part of was an incredible colleague and friend,” says Chris Meier.
Macy*s. “He was one of the great corporate leaders to work with,” Aziz
Adetimirin expressed. Chuck Miller said that “he was a beau-
By our next meeting – in the same “boardroom” – an abun- tiful man who leaves a legacy of relationships and accomplish-
dance of irrefutable data was presented to the Macy*s execu- ments.”
tives and a new chapter of greater community engagement For me, he was a man of unparalleled integrity who was a
began at Macy*s, consistent with The Christian Times’ com- pillar of justice, fairness and the balance between corporate
mitment to an annual survey and report on Black spending pat- community responsibility and corporate prudence at Macy*s.
terns in New York. Somehow when he left, it appears that justice, fairness, cor-
porate-community responsibility left with him.
The idea of a close relationship with the corporations we Ed, who was at the very maximum just two phone calls
challenge and the institutions we fight jolts me into a terrifying away, is now a pleasant memory. Death has taken our mo-
space and the damnable feeling of sleeping with “the enemy”. ments with him but can never take our memories of him.
The fear of giving up the fight for justice and wallowing in Death snatched his life, but can never take his legacy. Our
compromise was haunting. Ed Goldberg was my greatest test condolences to his wife of 56 years, Judi, and his children and
– and I passed. What a great teacher he was. You can be an grandchildren.
activist, sit in hundreds of boardrooms like I have, and yet re-
main true to your convictions and mission.

February 2020 P3

Fashion & Lifestyle Icon

B. SMITH

Dies at 70 after gracefully

battling early onset

Alzheimer’s

“Heaven is shining even brighter introduced her B. Smith with Style spark of elegance to each person
now that it is graced with B.’s dazzling Home Collection with Bed, Bath and Be­ who crossed her path. We are the
and unforgettable smile,” wrote Dan yond, which is still touted today as the better for it. May her spirit live on.”
Gasby, the husband of the trailblazing first line from an African American
lifestyle entrepreneur, restaurant woman to be sold at a nationwide re­
owner, TV personality and former tailer.
model B. Smith as he announced her
earthly departure via Instagram last Her command over both the culi­
week. nary and domestic arts led some to
deem Smith the “Black Martha Stew­
Born to a steelworker father and a art,” a moniker that made her cringe.
mother who was a part­time house­ “Martha Stewart has presented herself partment and former fashion direc­
keeper, Barbara Elaine Smith left her doing the things domestics and African tor of ESSENCE. “B. Smith offered
Western Pennsylvania hometown for a Americans have done for years … we her signature twinkling smile and
modeling career right after high school. were always expected to redo the chairs
Her first big break came in 1969, when and use everything in the garden. This
she won a place at the Ebony Fashion is the legacy that I was left – Martha just
Fair, a show that traveled to 77 cities got there first,” she declared. “And why
across the United States. Two years do I have to be compared?” she asked
later she signed with Wilhelmina Mod­ USA TODAY in a 2000 interview. “I’ve
els in New York City. In 1976, she made climbed a mountain of no’s to get one
history as the first Black model to ap­ yes. I don’t go about trying to prove my­
pear on the cover of Mademoiselle self. I do what I do … I was not an instant
magazine, and graced the covers of 15 success. And no one discovered me. I’ve
magazines during her career as a fash­ always worked for whatever I’ve got­
ion model. ten.”

As her popularity and influence In 2013, after she lost her train of
grew, she expanded her footprint into thought while she was doing a cooking
other areas of interest. She never al­ demonstration on NBC’s Today show,
lowed race, gender, skin color or any­ she sought a doctor’s opinion – and the
thing else to stand in the way of her devastating verdict indicated that she
vision. She constantly searched for was in the beginning stages of early
ways to invite people into a world of onset Alzheimer’s disease. She went
beauty, grace and style. Smith’s first public with the news in 2014, putting on
restaurant opened in 1986 on 8th Av­ a brave face and telling the public that
enue in Manhattan’s Theater District, she intended to live and enjoy life until
and she would later open restaurants in she couldn’t. As a result of her diagno­
Sag Harbor, NY and Washington, DC. sis, Smith and Gasby rose to the fore­
Buoyed by the success of her restau­ front of encouraging more research on
rants, Ms. Smith wrote two books on Alzheimer’s for people of color. She was
home entertaining followed by cook­ 70 years old when she passed.
books, and in the midst of it all she so­
lidified herself as a much­respected “B. Smith personified grace. She
media personality and lifestyle expert was living proof that you could reach
with her show “B. Smith with Style” and the stars and dwell there while remain­
guest appearances on news, talk and ing grounded in our rich cultural her­
entertainment shows. In 2001, Smith itage,” shared Harriette Cole, the former
editor of the Contemporary Living de­

P4 February 2020

BLACK HISTORY SUCCESSFUL BLACK

Africans have long been the pioneers and trailblazers of global commerce and
business innovation and development. Some of the most revolutionary and
transformative inventions and enterprises have emerged from the minds and
hands of Black entrepreneurs who have helped to transform America and the world.

Against great odds, then and now, Black business leaders are trendsetters who clearly

reveal the strength of resilience, the courage of creativity and the power of the African

in America and around the world. This Black History Month, The Christian Times jour-

neyed back to take a look at a few Black entrepreneurs who have had great impact.

PAUL CUFFEE sails for ships that had participated in or were suspected of partici­
The ship builder pating in the slave trade. As one of the organizers of the American
A sea captain and an entrepreneur Anti­Slavery Society in 1833, Forten provided support, especially eco­
who was perhaps the wealthiest nomic, to abolitionist activities.
Black American of his time. Born to
a freed slave family in 1759, he STEPHEN SMITH
started as a whaler then moved into A Christian minister who made
maritime trading. He eventually millions in the lumber business
bought and built ships, developing after buying his freedom
his own maritime enterprise that in­ Born into slavery in Lancaster
volved trading the length of the U.S. County, PA, Smith purchased his
Atlantic coast, with trips to the freedom for $50 at the age of 21,
Caribbean and Europe. The first and soon afterwards began to ally
free African American to visit the with the abolitionist cause that he
White House and have an audience with a sitting president, he was would support through most of his
the organizer of the first “Back to Africa” movement, designed for adult life. He became the chair of
free African Americans and freed slaves to establish a prosperous an abolitionist organization in Co­
colony in Africa with native Africans based on emigration and trade. lumbia, PA while developing a suc­
cessful lumber business. After
ROBERT GORDON vandals destroyed his office, papers, records and books, he moved
The Black coalman who outsmarted White merchants to Philadelphia where he again entered the lumber business, and
Born enslaved in Richmond, VA, Gordon served a rich yachtsman who after a few years regained his prosperity and he redoubled his efforts
owned a coal yard. Gordon maintained the yard so faithfully that his to abolish slavery throughout the nation. In addition to his efforts
master eventually gave him full control over the handling and selling on the Underground Railroad, he collaborated with leading abolition­
of the coal. He sold the coal to local manufacturers and blacksmiths, ists, using his money and influence to create education programs, li­
accumulating thousands of dollars in the course of just a few years. braries, and schools for free Blacks. He helped build churches and
With his wealth, Gordon was finally able to buy his freedom in 1846. later contributed to facilities to aid poor and neglected children, and
He then moved to Cincinnati and invested in a coal yard there, built he founded the first home for aged African Americans.
his own docks on the river and purchased coal by the boatload. In
an attempt to price Gordon out of the market, White coal dealers WILLIAM ALEXANDER LEIDESDORFF, JR.
sold their coal below market rates. He outsmarted them by hiring America’s first Black millionaire built the first hotel in San Francisco
mulattoes to purchase the dirt cheap coal sold by Whites and then
selling it at a higher price once the White dealers had limited coal The son of a drifting Danish seaman
left in their reserves. and a mulatto woman on St. Croix Is­
land in the West Indies, Leidesdorff was
JAMES FORTEN a social, economic and political force in
The Philadelphia sailmaker who supported the anti‐slavery pre­gold rush San Francisco, California
movement with a number of “firsts” credited to his
Born free in Philadelphia in 1766, Forten worked under the tutelage name. Named the U.S. Vice Consul to
of a Philadelphia sail maker and his skill and aptitude guaranteed his Mexico in 1845, he became the nation’s
success in the industry; by the age of 20 he was the foreman of the first African American diplomat. He
shop. Upon the owner’s retirement in 1798, Forten became the was elected to San Francisco’s first city
undisputed master of the shop and developed a reputation for ex­ council and its first school board in
cellent service and innovative sail handling techniques. He used his 1847. He built the first hotel, the first
fortune and fame to forward his agenda for the destruction of slav­ shipping warehouse, he operated the
ery. A lifelong advocate of immediate abolition, he refused to rig first steamboat on San Francisco Bay, and he laid out the first horse
race track in California.

February 2020 P5

ENTREPRENEURS BLACK HISTORY
IN AMERICA’S HISTORY
SAMUEL T. WILCOX
The revolutionary upscale grocer before grocery stores
were upscale
Well before the Civil War started, Wilcox built a grocery empire with
annual sales in excess of $4 million in today’s dollars. He had been
a boat steward on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and he managed
to save money and gain experience in trading. In 1850 he built a
wholesale grocery store in Cincinnati, and soon emerged as a pio­
neer – one of the first to establish high quality grocery stores that
offered only premium brands of hams, dried fruit, soaps and other
items. The quality of his merchandise catered to and attracted
mostly wealthy customers. He eventually built up a large wholesale
market in New York, Boston and Baltimore. He leveraged his success
to invest heavily in real estate.

CLARA BROWN the annual countrywide tour (beginning in 1958) featuring haute
Ex‐slave who operated a laundry busi‐ couture and ready­to­wear fashions designed mainly for African
ness and real estate holdings American women. She was also instrumental in establishing (1973)
Born into slavery in /Fredericksburg, Fashion Fair Cosmetics that were formulated for the complexions of
VA, and subsequently separated from women of color. Her initiative prompted other cosmetics companies
her husband and 4 children, Clara was such as Max Factor, Revlon and Avon to follow suit.
freed by her owner at the age of 56.
Subsequently discovering that her hus­ ANNIE MALONE
band and 2 children had died in slav­
ery, she served as a midwife and cook The woman who helped guide
for a wagon train headed West, even­
tually bringing her to Denver, Colorado. Madam CJ Walker and created jobs
She established her first laundry and accumulated a large sum of
savings, eventually acquiring housing and mining properties worthy for 75,000 women
approximately $1 million in today’s dollars. She earned herself the
nickname “Aunt Clara” for providing shelter and food for the local A businesswoman, educator, inven­
townspeople and helped to establish Colorado’s first Protestant
Church. tor and philanthropist, Malone

JOHN H. & EUNICE JOHNSON launched her hair care business four
The publishing couple who created the Negro Digest, Ebony and
years before Madam C. J. Walker. In
Jet magazine
Widely regarded as the the first three decades of the 20th
most influential African
American publisher in century, she founded and developed
American history, John
Johnson was born in 1918 a large and prominent commercial
in Arkansas City, Arkansas.
After graduating from high and educational enterprise centered
school, he worked for Supreme Life Insurance Company while at­
tending the University of Chicago. He was given the job of compiling around cosmetics for African Ameri­
weekly news clippings for his boss, which eventually gave him the
idea for his first publication. After graduating in 1942, he acted on can women. Coupled with the influ­
the idea and with a $500 loan against his mother’s furniture and
$6,000 raised through charger subscriptions, Johnson launched ence of her aunt who was an herbal doctor and her knowledge of
Negro Digest, which later became the Black world. Three years later,
he launched Ebony – the title of which his wife, Eunice, conceived – chemistry, Annie developed a chemical which could be used to
and in 1951 created Jet magazine. Besides serving as secretary­trea­
surer of the publishing empire that she and her husband built, Eunice straighten hair without causing damage to the hair or scalp. By the
became a force in the fashion world, creating the Ebony Fashion Fair,
time she was in her late 20’s, she had developed a straightening so­

lution which would grant her entry into the annals of hair care his­

tory. She began selling her products door­to­door, and word of her

products and teaching method spread like wildfire. By 1917, she had

become so successful that she founded and opened Poro College in

St. Louis, the first educational institution in the US dedicated to the

study and teaching of Black cosmetology. By 1926, the college em­

ployed 175 people and franchised outlets in North and South Amer­

ica, Africa and the Philippines employed 75,000 women. She lived

conservatively and gave away much of her fortune to help other

African Americans. She is one of America’s first major Black philan­

thropists. During the 1920s, her philanthropy included financing the

education of two full­time students in every historically Black college

and university in the country. continued on page 23



February 2020 P7

February is Black History contributed so much to the world, important first step toward ensuring better overall survival rates. Access to healthcare
Month, and while typically a time it seems fitting to include a quote is also a factor in recovery and survivability. Together, screening and access are powerful
to celebrate the achievements of from Harry Belafonte who was tools to combat prostate cancer.
African Americans around the treated for prostate cancer. Mr. Be­
world, Men’s Health Network lafonte was quoted in Everyday
(MHN) is taking the opportunity to Health as saying, “The prostate is
spotlight a recent study highlight­ something that attacks that central
ing the deeply concerning disparity part of the male body that men are
between Black men’s prostate very preoccupied with. Somehow,
health and that of other men na­ any disorder there means your life
tionwide. Specifically, African is over, you can’t be a man any­
American men have the highest more, you are now something less
prostate cancer morbidity and … however, if you’re going to have
mortality rates than any other [prostate cancer], you’re going to
racial or ethnic group in the U.S. have it. IT’s what you do about it
And while these statistics are cer­ that makes the difference – how
tainly alarming, there is some good you conduct your life.”
news to share from a recent study.
MHN agrees with Mr. Bela­
The study, published in the fonte about action being vital to
American Cancer Society (ACS) the successful treatment and over­
journal Cancer, confirmed what all good health outcomes related to
many already knew – that screen­ prostate cancer. Taking action to
ing and access to the medical sys­ get screened for this cancer is an
tem encourages better health
outcomes for prostate cancer for Places to Get Help and Free Information
African American men. Men’s
Health Network (MHN) would add Men’s Health Network American Cancer Society
to that the fact that improvements 202-543-MHN-1 (6461) www.cancer.org
in screening also promote higher www.MensHealthNetwork.org
survivability rates. Together, these National Cancer Institute
tools – screening and access – can Men’s Health Library 1-800-4-CANCER (toll free)
go a long way towards combating www.MensHealthLibrary.com
cancer and fostering real advances www.cancer.gov
in cancer care overall. Prostate Health Guide
www.ProstateHealthGuide.com Men’s Health Month
The ACS Journal study found www.MensHealthMonth.org
that men diagnosed with prostate Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
cancer in the Veterans Administra­ www.ProstateCancerAwarenessMonth.com Men’s Health Resource Center
tion (VA) health system did not “ap­ www.MensHealthResourceCenter.com
pear to present with more
advanced disease or experience American Urological Association www.auanet.org
worse outcomes compared with
Non­White Hispanic (NWH) men.”
The ACS Journal study indicated
this finding is in contrast to na­
tional trends, suggesting that “ac­
cess to care is an important
determinant of racial equity.”

Given that February is Black
History Month, with its focus on
those African Americans that have

P8 February 2020

February 2020 P9

… the birthing of the Harlem Renaissance and a
mass migration of African descendants from the
south and the West Indies to Bedford-
Stuyvesant, Flushing and Jamaica, Queens. That
same year – one hundred years ago, a lot more
happened: Charles Ponzi invented an elaborate
sales scheme, commercial radio hit the airwaves,
women gained the right to vote, the League of
Nations was established, America had its worst
terrorist attack on Wall Street, and the Ku Klux
Klan launched a decade of terror. That must
have been the year that made the decade roar and
caused the century to rumble.

And a hundred years ago, Black New Yorkers

were deeply engaged in their pioneering work of

blazing paths upon which to tread. Thanks to

those masterful molders of history, whose weary

years and silent tears have brought us thus far on

our way … continued next page

P 10 February 2020

One hundred years ago, the New York Chapter of protection under the law. W. E. B. Dubois was a in New York, America and the world. They
the NAACP held a mass meeting at Metropolitan forceful voice as the editor for Crises magazine, may look like your average New Yorker,
Baptist Church, and among its speakers was James headquartered in Greenwich Village. Uptown in but these men and women have this seem-
Weldon Johnson. A capacity crowd attended the Harlem, Marcus Garvey was incorporating the ingly endless ability to decipher some of
meeting themed “The Negro, the Mob and the Law.” Negro Factories Corporation. An extension of the society’s key challenges and economic cav-
In 1920, the Mob was the enemy of the Negroes. United Negro Improvement Association, the com- ities, boldly filling the gaps and meeting
The KKK, the lynching brigade and – in many cases pany’s mission was to subsidize and create African the needs head on.
– the government sponsored and sanctioned hostility American owned businesses and to build and oper-
towards Black people. ate factories. Within a few years, the company was While most New Yorkers are busy tending
operating a dry cleaner, a tailoring and dressmaking to their lives, bustling between scores of
The NAACP’s rally in Harlem spoke to the re- shop, 3 grocery stores, a printing shop and 2 restau- activities, here listed is a select group of
silience and courage of the Negroes who, at the time, rants. highly driven individuals who are carving
were less occupied with New York’s heavily con- out niches, cutting chunks from the Big
tested statewide election and more committed to A century later and a new generation of trailblazing Apple, slicing away at the American pie,
Black New Yorkers having a voice, jobs and basic pioneers are advancing the cause of colored people building bridges, and creating and inter-
preting laws to ensure that Blacks in Amer-
ica, and all people of color, are fully
engaged in the American mainstream.

2018 & 2016 ELI PICK AWARD One hundred years after the NAACP’s his-
FOR TOP PERFORMANCE toric gathering at Metropolitan Baptist
Church in Harlem, Dr. Hazel Dukes, the
Offering outstanding short-term rehabilitation New York president of the NAACP, is busy
programs and an array of customized treatment in the continued fight for equality and jus-
programs designed to get you back on your feet tice. One hundred years ago, Blacks and
Latinos held no major elected office in the
after a hospital stay. State of New York. In 2020, our list in-
cludes the first Black governor, the first
Region’s foremost rehabilitative physicians, Black mayor of New York City, the first
nurses, therapists & clinicians Black comptroller, the first female attorney
Superior rehabilitation care general, the first female majority leader of
Individualized therapy the State Senate, the first Black speaker of
the State Assembly, African American and
State-of-the-art equipment & technology Afro Latino borough presidents, presidents
of major corporations and development en-
HARLEM CENTER FOR NURSING AND REHABILITATION terprises, and chancellors of huge educa-
30 W. 138TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY tional systems.
(212) 690-7400
WWW.HARLEMCENTERREHAB.COM Fueled by their passion, motivated by their
convictions, and propelled by their desire
to defy the status quo and break glass ceil-
ings, these men and women have had great
impact at every level – from the penthouse
to the outhouse – and New York is the big
beneficiary of their inventive paths and in-
novative works.

The following list – developed by a panel
of organizations including the NAACP,
One Hundred Black Men, and The Greater
Harlem Chamber of Commerce – is com-
prised of men and women of the African di-
aspora who have demonstrated leadership
through their influence and impact in many
fields, including government, business, ed-
ucation, faith, and community. The panel
wishes to acknowledge the impact and in-
fluence of the thousands of leaders in New
York who are transforming lives and com-
munities every day.

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE ...

February 2020 P 11

Borough President Adams began his career in the NYPD and rose to the rank of
Inspector; he is a co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care. He
served in the New York State Senate before he was elected as the first person of
color to serve as Brooklyn Borough President. His signature theme of “One Brook-
lyn” builds on the borough’s dramatic diversity with the aim of reducing inequity.

The Barrons have a long HON. ERIC ADAMS
history of community ac-
tivism. Assembly Member Brooklyn Borough President
Barron is known as a fear-
less fighter for equality and Senator Brian Benjamin represents
human rights, and is de- New York State’s 30th SD, which en-
scribed as “unbought and compasses Harlem, East Harlem
unbossed.” Council Mem- and the Upper West Side. Prior to
ber Barron served a 36- his service in the Senate, he worked
year tenure with the NYC in investment banking, advising non-
Board of Education prior to profit businesses and individuals on
her political career. how best to allocate hundreds of mil-
lions of dollars
HON. CHARLES & INEZ BARRON

NYS Assembly Member & NYC Council Member

HON. BRIAN BENJAMIN

Dr. Bernard is the pastor of the New York State Senator
Christian Cultural Center in Brook-
lyn, NY. Prior to entering full-time Mr. Bragg currently serves as the pres-
ministry in 1979, he had a 10-year ident of 32BJ, an organization of which
career with a major New York bank- he has been a member for more than 35
ing institution. What started as a years. He led his first strike at 16 years
small storefront church in Williams- of age. He began his union activism as
burg, Brooklyn has grown into a a member and shop steward of 1199
nearly 40,000 member church that while he was a student at York College
sits on an 11½-acre campus in the of City University. Mr. Bragg also serves
Canarsie section of Brooklyn. as trustee of several 32BJ funds and as
chair of the union’s social and economic
REV. DR. A. R. BERNARD justice committee.

Pastor, Christian Cultural Center KYLE BRAGG

President, 32BJ

Dr. Bushell is the Executive Chair Imhotep Gary Byrd is the award winning
of The New Terminal One Devel- host, creator, and executive producer of
opment at JFK and the Chair of The GBE, the longest running Black
CAG Holdings, the airport invest- radio broadcast in the history of New
ment platform of The Carlyle York City. His more than 40-year ca-
Group. He is leading the team re- reer as a multimedia radio personality,
sponsible for advancing a spoken word and recording artist, song-
public/private partnership with the writer and motivational speaker has al-
Port Authority, valued at $8 billion, ways focused on “raising human
and promoting community en- consciousness through communica-
gagement, labor participation, and tions.”
MWBE goals beyond 30%.
IMHOTEP GARY BYRD
DR. GERRARD BUSHELL
Executive Producer, The GBE
Chair, CAG Holdings

P 12 February 2020

THE 450,000 HEALTHCARE
WORKERS OF 1199SEIU JOIN
THE CHRISTIAN TIMES IN

Celebrating
Black History
Month

AND CONGRATULATE THE
50 INFLUENTIAL BLACK
LEADERS IN NEW YORK,
INCLUDING OUR VERY OWN

GEORGE GRESHAM,
PRESIDENT, 1199SEIU UHWE

Thank you for highlighting impactful
and transformative influencers in
New York who continue to uplift
our communities.

February 2020 P 13

Mr. Carrion is the commissioner of NYC’s Community Affairs Unit, which serves

as a direct link between the Mayor and our city’s neighborhoods. The son of

a public school teacher and a community activist, Commissioner Carrion has

deep roots in NYC, possessing a keen understanding of our city’s diverse com-

munities and the respective needs of the neighborhoods and constituents he

represents.

HON. MARCO CARRION Prior to being elected to Congress in
2006, Rep. Yvette Clarke served on
Commissioner, NYC Community Affairs the NYC Council, where she suc-
ceeded her pioneering mother, Dr.
Una S. T. Clarke, making them the

A lifelong educator and public school administrator, first mother-daughter succession in
Dr. Crew serves as President of the history of the City Council. Dr.
Medgar Evers College. His career Clarke, currently serving on the
has spanned from the classroom Board of Trustees of the City Univer-
to being the chancellor of Amer- sity of New York, was the first
ica’s largest municipal school sys- Caribbean-born woman elected to
tem here in New York. He is a the NYC Council.
reformer who has made it his mis-
sion to improve student achieve- HON. YVETTE & UNA S.T. CLARKE

ment, especially for poor and Member, US Congress & Former NYC Council Member
minority students.

DR. RUDY CREW Bronx Borough President Diaz en-
tered public office as a member of
President, Medgar Evers College the NYS Assembly and is currently
serving his third term as Bronx Bor-
A tireless fighter for civil and human rights, ough President. Under his tenure,
social justice, wage equity, inclusion and di- he has led the implementation of a
versity, Assembly Member Dickens was a robust agenda – on economic de-
council member serving Central Harlem, velopment, housing, health and
Morningside Heights, East Harlem and parts wellness, education and public
of the Upper West Side before she was safety – in every corner of the bor-
elected to her current seat in the Assembly. ough.
She has brought millions of dollars in serv-
ices and resources to her constituency and HON. RUBEN DIAZ, JR.
to economically distressed communities
throughout the City of New York. Bronx Borough President

HON. INEZ DICKENS Rev. Dillon is pastor, publisher and economic ac-
tivist. He has spearheaded key negotiations with
New York State Assembly Member major corporations and has helped to leverage tens
of millions of dollars into local communities. He en-
Hon. David Dinkins served as the 106th gineered one of the nation’s largest home ownership
Mayor of New York City (1990-1993). He campaign and helped hundreds of
was the first and, to date, the only African businesses, churches and organ-
American to hold that office. He served in izations to access bank loans
the NYS Assembly (1966) and was Manhat- and procurement opportunities.
tan Borough President (1986-1989). He Working with African govern-
was one of many African American in- ments and businesses, he co-
vestors who helped Percy Sutton found chairs The DOOR of Our Return,
Inner City Broadcasting. After leaving office, an initiative to bridge Africa with
he joined the faculty of Columbia University Blacks in the diaspora to help
School of International and Public Affairs. fuel economic growth.

HON. DAVID DINKINS REV. DENNIS DILLON

Former Mayor, New York City Publisher, New York Christian Times

P 14 February 2020

A civil rights activist of the 1960s and 1970s and a campaigner for over 30 years, Dr.
Dukes is a leading figure in the NAACP, serving as its national president between
1989 and 1992. She built a career in various social service agencies, most success-
fully for the NYC Off-Track Betting Corp., where she worked for 25 years before being
made its president by NYC Mayor David Dinkins in 1990. Dr. Dukes currently serves
as President of the NAACP New York State Conference and as a member of the
NAACP National Board of Directors

Congressman Espaillat is in his sec- DR. HAZEL DUKES
ond term representing New York’s
13th Congressional District. A President, NAACP New York State Conference

steadfast champion for working-

and middle-class New Yorkers, he is A former U.S. Congressman, Rev. Dr. Floyd Flake and his
a staunch advocate of a fair living wife Elaine are the senior pastors of the more than 23,000-
wage, affordable housing, meaning- member Greater Allen AME Cathedral of New York in Ja-
ful criminal justice reform, and better maica, Queens. During their 41-year
educational opportunities. Prior to pastorate, Allen and its subsidiary
coming to Congress, he served as corporations obtained expansive
a NYS Senator. commercial and residential devel-

HON. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT opments, and various commercial
and social service enterprises

Member, US Congress which have placed it among the na-
tion’s most productive religious and

Mr. Floyd is the president of Teamsters Local 237, City urban development institutions.
Employees Union in New York, a position he has held Rev. Elaine also served as principal
since 2007. A Teamster for over 20 years, he began for Allen School.

his career as a hospital police officer REV. DR. FLOYD & REV. ELAINE FLAKE
and was the youngest hospital po-
lice captain in the NYC Health and Senior Pastors, Greater Allen AME Cathedral

Hospitals Corporation’s history. He

is a strong advocate for maintaining Mr. Francois is the president of DC37, the largest public em-
affordable housing, rallying to en- ployee union in New York City (150,000 members, 1,000 job ti-
sure that people are not left home- tles). He began his civil service career over 25
less from the privatization of years ago as a Sr. School Lunch Helper. As a
housing in densely populated areas. young city employee, he became very active

GREGORY FLOYD in the labor movement and became a voice for
the voiceless. He helped to lead the fight to

President, Teamsters Local 237 eliminate income inequality and the campaign
to increase New York’s minimum hourly wage

to $15, a fight that was won on December 31,

2018 when the city’s minimum wage was

Mr. Garner serves as president of the founding chapter raised to $15 per hour.

of One Hundred Black Men of New York City, providing SHAUN D. FRANCOIS
scholarships, mentorship, and inspiration to hundreds

of youth in the NY area. He is the President, DC37
Chief Diversity Officer at the MTA

and is committed to increasing di- Mr. Gresham is the president of 1199SEIU
versity in the industry by empower- United Healthcare Workers East, the
ing minority- and women-owned largest union in New York and the largest
businesses throughout the state. healthcare union in the nation. He has a
He has a long history in the minor- long career in labor unionism and spent 32
ity business community and is a years in 1199SEIU as a member and offi-
passionate advocate for minority cer before taking office in 2007. He has led
and small business development. 1199SEIU into being a major player in New

MICHAEL GARNER York’s politics.

President, One Hundred Black Men of NYC GEORGE GRESHAM

continued President, 1199SEIU
on pg. 18

February 2020 P 15

THE JOURNEY

HAS BEGUN

The Door of No Return on ... 400 YEARS
Gorée Island in Senegal

Almost everyone had checked their two pieces of lug- Delegates leave boat after L
gage and had one or two pieces in hand as we moved returning to Gorée Island a
through the concourse – headed for Terminal 3 at the in Senegal. t
Washington Dulles International Airport, not very far e
from the nation’s capital, in a place called Dulles, Vir- r
ginia.

It was in this same state of Virginia that the journey of the 400 years
started back In 1619 when “20 and odd” Africans were sold into servi-
tude. Now four hundred years later and this group of African Ameri-
cans – descendants of enslaved Africans in the Americas – were
journeying back to Mother Africa to help spark a new African Renais-
sance and an economic revolution.

The group – which included Dr. Julius Garvey, son of the honorable
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Dr. Ron Daniels of the Institute of the Black
World 21st Century, Dr. George Fraser, PowerNetworking Conference,
and the honorable New York State Senator James Sanders – journeyed
from Dulles to Accra, Ghana, and was splendidly greeted with music,
dance, and a cheering crowd including government officials and re-
porters.

This was just the beginning of a splendid journey from Wednesday,
November 13 to Monday, November 25, 2019. We toured 3 countries
but touched down in six, participated in more than 4 business summits,
visited several museums and historic sites, ate like kings and queens,
and made history by joining with the Pan African Parliament for a joint

continued on p. 30

Africans in the Americas
are Reconnecting with
the Continent

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AMAZING TRIP TO AFRICA!

P 16 February 2020

THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT | MEETING WIT

MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF GHANA | EMPOWERMENT SESSIONS “BEST

TRIP

EVER!”

REV. DR. EDWARD
& HELEN DAVIS
Presbyterian Church
of St. Albans

Hundreds of South Africans join

Rev. Dr. Edward Davis (in white) and his wife, Helen, with Rev. Dennis Dillon (center), and Elder Robinson
(brother of Rev. Davis) and his wife, Patricia.

“Helen and I had the most informative, insightful and inspiring journey we have traveled with and
participated in during our 48 years of marriage. We thank you and are grateful from the depth of
our hearts for your diligence, intelligence, spiritual depth and sincere love for our beloved Home-
land, Mother Africa, and the Door of Our Return movement.”

– REV. DR. EDWARD DAVIS

JAM

(above) Ghanaian press welcomes THE DOOR OF OUR RETURN delegation at the airport in Accr

Members of the Hundreds of delegates and diplomats fro
delegation taking countries at the Pan African Parliam
selfies in front of
the tour bus, | CULTURAL CE
manufactured by
Busmark, a Black-
owned company
that provided the
ground transporta-
tion for the group
in South Africa.

CONVERSATION WITH THE CHILDREN

February 2020 P 17

H THE MAYOR OF DAKAR | BUSINESS SUMMITS

THE CHILDREN MEET HISTORIC SITES & TOURS | HUMANITARIAN OUTREACHES

The Dillons Meeting the President of Ghana
arranged the
meeting of (l to r) Atty. Eric Darko, Dr. Julius Garvey,
Maki Mandela, Hon. Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana,
(2nd from left), and Rev. Dennis Dillon.
daughter
of Nelson
Mandela, and
Julius Garvey
(2nd from
right), son
of Marcus
Garvey.

ned the Americans in a celebration to welcome the sons and daughters home.

ESTOWN,GHANA Voza Rivers, vice president of the Greater Harlem Chamber of
Commerce and president of New Heritage Theatre, speaks during
Sunday service at Kingom Embassy Church in Johannesburg.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE Cleon Peoples poses with
children on Vilakazi Street
“My sojourn to the Motherland with my brothers and sis-
ters from the Door of Our Return can only be described as in Soweto after a visit to
"transformational." The ancestors called me – I went; they Mandela House.
spoke to me – I listened; and they blessed me – I received it.
ra. My steps were ordered and orchestrated by The Creator. I
didn't know how my brothers and sisters would receive us
om African because I had heard so much negative propaganda from the
ment. West. Well, any concerns I had were obliterated when I got
off the plane as my brothers and sisters welcomed us with
open arms. It was like a family reunion and I loved every
minute of it.

The purpose of the sojourn ultimately was predicated on
economic empowerment and certainly we fulfilled that objec-
tive. There's a plethora of opportunities in Africa and I've
dedicated the rest of my life to do what I can to help connect
the Diaspora economically and culturally.

Each country had its own unique experience; however the
people in each place were all the same – loving!!! One of the
things I noticed during my interaction was that we are all the
same. It felt like being around family.

A friend asked me "What was your most memorable ex-
perience throughout the trip?" I could have mentioned our
visits to the 'slave' dungeons, the various museums, the con-
ferences; however, my greatest and most memorable experi-
ences were with the people – my brothers and sisters.

I could go on forever about my experience; however I will
tell the rest of my experience in my memoirs.”

– CLEON PEOPLES

ELEBRATIONS | STOPPING IN 6 AFRICAN COUNTRIES

P 18 February 2020

As president and founder of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce

& Industry (CACCI), Dr. Hastick has helped develop expertise in providing busi-

ness assistance to small and start-up business owners in areas of business

planning, financing, procurement, certification, expansion and export/import

opportunities. The Chamber has an extensive track record of service delivery

and developing partnerships. Dr. Hastick has a longstanding commitment to

representing the interests of Caribbean people and en-

DR. ROY A. HASTICK, SR. terprises, and serves on many boards, including the
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation.
President & Founder, Caribbean American Chamber

of Commerce & Industry Hon. Carl Heastie is the 100th Speaker of

Hon. Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General the NYS Assembly, and has the historic dis-
for the State of New York. With decades of experi- tinction of being the first African American
ence as an attorney and public servant, she has a in that position. Since becoming Speaker
long record of accomplishments and is the first in 2015, he has led the Assembly Majority
in efforts to uplift communities and promote
woman of color to hold statewide of- a Families First agenda that prioritizes
fice in New York, and the first strategic investments in the health, safety,
woman to be elected Attorney Gen- economic and social well-being of New
eral. She served as NYC Public Ad- York’s families.
vocate (2013-2017), transforming

the office into a formidable engine HON. CARL HEASTIE
for change. She began her career

as a public defender for the Legal Speaker, New York State Assembly
Aid Society, and was subsequently

elected to the City Council. Congressman Jeffries is currently serving
his fourth term in the United State Con-
HON. LETITIA JAMES gress, representing large parts of Brook-
lyn and a section of Queens. He is Chair
Attorney General, State of New York

of the House Democratic Caucus, making

Mr. Jones serves as the president and chief executive of- him the fifth highest-ranking Democrat in

ficer of the Community Service Society of the House of Representatives. In Con-

New York, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit gress he has emerged as a tireless advo-

organization that promotes economic cate for social and economic justice. He

advancement and full civic participation begins each year determined to move for-

for low-income New Yorkers. A highly ward in a bipartisan manner.

respected leader on issues of urban HON. HAKEEM JEFFRIES
poverty and economic advancement, he

is a founding member of the Upper Member, US Congress
Manhattan Empowerment Zone and for

seven years was president of Black

Agency Executives. Mr. Knuckles served as president and CEO of the

DAVID JONES Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, retiring in 2018
after 15 years. During his tenure, UMEZ provided $87

President, Community Service Society of NY million in loans for real estate proj-
ects, $57 million in tax-exempt

Mr. Louis is a political analyst for CNN, regu- bonds for real estate development,
larly appearing since 2008. The political an- and $98 million in grants for arts,
chor of NY1 News, he is the host of “Inside culture, and workforce develop-
City Hall,” a nightly prime-time show that fea- ment projects. This prominent
tures in-depth reporting and interviews with a business and civic leader from the
wide range of political and cultural leaders. He Bronx has distinguished himself as
is Director of the Urban Reporting Program at an attorney and public servant. He
CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. currently serves on the board of
Carver Federal Savings Bank.

ERROL LOUIS KENNETH KNUCKLES, ESQ.

Political Anchor, NY1 News Vice Chair, New York City Planning Commission

February 2020 P 19

Dr. Matos Rodriguez took office as the eighth Chancellor of the City University of
New York in May 2019. He is the first educator of color and the first Latino selected
as CUNY’s Chancellor. His distinguished career spans both academia and the pub-
lic sector: he’s a scholar, teacher, administrator and former Cabinet secretary for
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; he has used his extensive regional and national
networks and board membership to advance the visibility and recognition of CUNY.

Hon. McCall served as Chairman of the Board DR. FELIX MATOS RODRIGUEZ

of Trustees of the State University of New Chancellor, City University of New York
York (2007-2019). His administration ex-

panded SUNY’s academic breadth, ele-

vated its national and international brand, Known for his compassionate and tenacious represen-
and diversified its senior administration tation of his constituents and his coalition-building
and student body. He was the first African skills, Congressman Meeks proudly serves
American elected to statewide office in the constituents of NY’s 5th C.D. in the
NYS – he served as NYS Comptroller from House of Representatives. Now in his
1993-2002. He is currently the Hunter Col- 11th term, he has devoted his energy
lege Roosevelt House Leader in Resi- and skill to serving one of the most di-
dence for the 2019-2020 academic year. verse constituencies in the nation. He

HON. H. CARL McCALL is focused on revitalizing the economy,
creating jobs, and enhancing the re-

Former Chairman, State University of New York siliency of his district’s transportation,

housing and environmental infrastruc-

ture.

Prior to elected office, Hon. Montgomery worked as a

teacher, adjunct professor and day HON. GREGORY MEEKS
care director. First elected in 1984,

her career as a New York State Member, US Congress
Senator includes steadfast commit-

ment to her constituents of North

and Central Brooklyn and tireless Hon. Paterson was the first African American
advocacy for youth, public educa- to serve as governor of New York State. He
tion, criminal justice reform, environ- has also served the State of New York as a
mental preservation and civil rights. Lieutenant Governor and Minority Leader in

VELMANETTE MONTGOMERY the State Senate. He was elected to the State
Senate in 1985, representing the same dis-
trict his father Basil had represented. He
New York State Senator gained national attention in the 1990s be-

cause of his efforts in preserving the African

Ms. Procope joined the Apollo Theater Board of American Burial Ground.

Trustees in 1999 and in 2003 became its President and HON. DAVID PATERSON
Chief Executive Officer. During her tenure as Presi-

dent, she has led a team of 50 full-time employees and Former New York State Governor
an executive team responsible for all operating and

strategic functions of the legendary

Theater. During this period, she Known in his Harlem district as the “Lion of Lenox Avenue,”
spearheaded the successful Apollo Rep. Rangel rose to become the first African
Rising Capital Campaign to restore American chair of the powerful Ways and
the legendary theater, focused on Means Committee. With a House career
the development of the Apollo The- that spanned 46 years, Rangel was one of
ater Board of Directors, and at- the longest-serving Members of Congress in
tracted and engaged a first-rate American history — and he is one of only
executive team and staff einsuring two African American representatives to
the long term stability of the organ- chair three separate committees.
ization.

JONELLE PROCOPE HON. CHARLES RANGEL

President, Apollo Theater Foundation continued Former Member, US Congress
on pg. 20

P 20 February 2020

Mr. Rivers serves as the Chairman of the Harlem Arts Alliance, Executive Pro-
ducer and Founding Member of the New Heritage Theatre Group, and Vice
Chairman of HARLEM WEEK. He is an award winning producer of theater,
music, and television projects, film festivals, and music tributes in the United
States, Japan, South Africa and the UK.

VOZA RIVERS For the past 39 years, CARIB News has addressed important
issues and concerns facing the Caribbean- and African-
Chair, Harlem Arts Alliance American communities and beyond.
Dr. Karl, publisher/CEO, and Dr.
The internationally renowned civil rights leader, Faye, President, have consistently
founder and president of the National promoted a better understanding of
Action Network is the host of “Poli- the Caribbean community, closely
tics Nation” on MSNBC, “Keepin’ It cooperating and constructing part-
Real,” a nationally syndicated daily nerships between the Caribbean
radio show, and a nationally broad- Diaspora in the United States and
cast radio show on Sunday titled the other communities through out-
“The Hour of Power.” Rev. Sharpton reach programs and special events.
has been at the forefront of the
modern civil rights movement for DR. KARL & DR. FAYE RODNEY
nearly a half of a century.
Publisher & President, NY CARIB News

REV. AL SHARPTON Senator Stewart-Cousins is widely recognized as a trail-
blazer in local and state government, and a champion for
President, National Action Network progressive action. In 2012, she became the
first woman, and first African American
Ms. Tatum is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the New woman, to lead a New York State legisla-
York Amsterdam News, the oldest and tive conference, and she shattered the
largest Black newspaper in the City of glass ceiling when her peers elected her
New York, and one of the oldest ethnic as Majority Leader of the State Senate. In
papers in the US. Under her watch her first year as Leader, she has led the
since 1997, the publication was mod- most productive legislative session in
ernized and refocused with content rel- state history. She currently represents
evant to a wider African American Greenburgh, Scarsdale and parts of White
community in New York and across the Plains, New Rochelle and Yonkers.
nation. She has positioned the paper
as a critical part of the national political HON. ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS
discourse concerning African Ameri-
cans. Majority Leader, New York State Senate

ELINOR TATUM Hon. Thompson served as the 42nd comptroller of
New York City for two terms (2002-2009). He was
Publisher, New York Amsterdam News the youngest person to serve as Deputy Brooklyn
Borough President, and as 5-term
Hon. Tingling is a former justice for the New York County president of the NYC Board of Ed-
Supreme Court, elected to that position in ucation (1994-2001), he worked
2001. His highest-profile decision was his for centralized management of the
2013 rejection of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s public school system. Since
proposed regulation of large sugary bever- 2015, he has served as chair of
ages. Another of his rulings in 2010 ended the the NYS Housing Finance Agency,
state practice of shackling juvenile offenders chair of the State of NY Mortgage
while taking them to court. He retired from the Agency, and since 2016 chair of
court in December 2014 to become the first the City University of NY board of
African American New York County Clerk. trustees.

JUDGE MILTON TINGLING HON. WILLIAM THOMPSON

New York County Clerk Chair, City University of NY Board of Trustees

February 2020 P 21

Mr. Orin Tucker is the president/CEO of Terminal Wholesale Seafood, Good Food
For Less, Food Savers and Restaurant Suppliers, all in Brooklyn. With more than
30 years of experience in the business, Mr. Tucker has built the largest Black-
owned supermarket operation in the region and is a wholesale distributor of fish,
meats and dry goods to the restaurant and food service industry.

Currently serving her 14th term as Representa- ORIN TUCKER
tive of NY’s 7th C.D., Congresswoman Velazquez
Wholesale Food Distributor

was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the

House of Representatives. As a fighter for equal

rights of the underrepresented and a proponent Currently president/CEO of Queens Public Li-

of economic opportunity for the working class and brary (since 2016), Mr. Walcott has spent his en-

poor, she is the top Democrat on the House tire career in public service and education. From

Small Business Committee and has been a vocal 2011-2013, Mr. Walcott served as

advocate of American small business and entre- Chancellor of the NYC Depart-

preneurship. ment of Education. Prior to his

HON. NYDIA VELAZQUEZ appointment as Chancellor, he
served as Deputy Mayor for
Member, US Congress Education and Community De-
velopment for the City of New

York. Before venturing into

public service, he served as the

Pastor Mike, as he’s affectionately known, is the Senior Pastor president/CEO of the New York

of First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem. Considered a vi- Urban League.

sionary, cultural architect and game-changer by his peers, the DENNIS WALCOTT
church has experienced exponential growth: over the past 13

years, it has increased from 300 to over 10,000. He and his President, Queens Public Library
wife, Executive Pastor LaKeesha

Walrond, also opened the H.O.P.E. Public Advocate Williams began his career as a com-
Center, the first faith-based mental munity organizer fighting for truly affordable, income-
health facility in Harlem. Rev. La- targeted housing across New York City and State. After
Keesha is an educator deeply com- serving more than two decades as an advocate for the
mitted to child advocacy. She was public, he began as an activist-
appointed president of New York elected official in the NYC Council
Theological Seminary in May 2019, in 2009, serving for 2 terms where
the first woman to hold this position he championed landmark legisla-
in the institution’s 119-year history. tion that fundamentally trans-

REV. DR. MICHAEL WALROND & formed policing in NYC. He is
REV. DR. LaKEESHA WALROND currently the Public Advocate of
the City of New York, and contin-
First Corinthian Baptist Church ues to be an activist-elected offi-
cial who brings the voices of
everyday New Yorkers to City

government.

HON. JUMAANE WILLIAMS

Dr. Kevin Williams is the Chief Medical Officer for New York City Public Advocate
Pfizer Corporation with a strong focus on rare dis-

eases, where he leads a medical affairs organization of more than 200 purpose-driven medical

professionals. His organization urgently and intentionally creates the essential two-way commu-

nication between people living with and impacted by rare diseases and people working to discover

DR. KEVIN WILLIAMS and share the breakthrough science that will ad-
dress their unmet medical needs.

Chief Medical Officer, Pfizer Corporation continued on pg. 22

P 22 February 2020

Mr. Williams is a consummate organizer. As President of The Greater Harlem
Chamber of Commerce, an organization with a strong focus on the physical, edu-
cational, spiritual, residential, commercial, cultural and economic revitalization of
upper Manhattan, he has guided much of the development and business growth
in Harlem and the larger business community. He is chairman of HARLEM WEEK,
Inc., the organizers of the more than month-long celebration now in its 46th year.
He is also the President of Greater Harlem Housing Development Corporation and
Chair of the Executive Board of The City College of New York.

LLOYD WILLIAMS

President, The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce

Hon. Wright has served as Chair of the New York County Democratic Committee since Sep-

tember 2009, and is also the New York County Leader for the Democratic Party. He served

for 23 years in the New York State Assembly (1993-2016), chairing such committees as Hous-

ing, Election Law, Social Services, and Labor. Active in the Harlem community, he has helped

foster small business development, create affordable housing, and increase opportunities

for youth. HON. KEITH WRIGHT

Never underestimate the power of dreams

and the influence of the human spirit. We Chair, New York County Democratic Committee

are all the same in this notion: the potential for greatness lives within each of us.

– Wilma Rudolph

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APPLICATION DEADLINE SUMMER SEASON: APRIL 12, 2020

February 2020 P 23

SUCCESSFUL BLACK ENTREPRENEURS IN AMERICA (cont. from pg. 5)

REGINALD F. LEWIS He made 28
First Black to lead a business across the billion different
dollar threshold horse­drawn
A business pioneer, philanthropist and Harvard vehicles. By
Law School graduate, Lewis rose to prominence 1883, Patter­
as a lawyer, financier, and leader of the global son’s two
food company TLC Beatrice International. He was sons Freder­
the first African American ever to close an over­ ick Douglas
seas billion dollar leveraged buyout deal. He ac­ and Samuel
quired an unprecedented global conglomerate of helped dad
64 companies in 31 countries, and paved the way work at what
for future entrepreneurs and Black leaders had become
though his life’s work until his untimely death at age 50. He was the first person C.R. Patter­
to be admitted to Harvard Law School without formally applying, and founded son and Sons Carriage Company. After Charles died in 1910, Fred began tinker­
the first African American law firm on Wall Street. While he was a highly trained ing with motor­driven vehicles with a goal to build a car that could rival anything
corporate attorney, he also set aside time and leveraged his expertise as a lawyer produced by the new automotive industry. In 1915, the first Greenfield touring
to work as an activist, supporting the civil rights movement. Also a prominent car and roadster rolled off the line with a sale price of $850. Without the finan­
philanthropist, his 1992 gifts to Harvard law School was the largest single dona­ cial ability to expand on a large scale, the company built only 150 cars and began
tion the school had received and created the Reginald F. Lewis Fund for Inter­ to make specialized buses and trucks.
national Study and Research.
CHARLES CLINTON SPAULDING, continued next page
FREDERICK PATTERSON & CHARLES RICHARD PATTERSON AARON MOORE, AND JOHN MER­
The first Black car manufacturers in America RICK
Some of the finest buggies made in the late 1800s came out of a small, Black­ Founders of Mutual Life Insurance
owned company in Ohio. Charles Patterson’s Company later made motor vehi­ Company, which still stands today
cles, and history, by founding the country’s only African American­owned North Carolina Mutual Life Insur­
automobile manufacturing company. Just before the Civil War, Patterson left ance Company opened for busi­
slavery and headed north, bringing blacksmithing skills he learned in Virginia. ness on April 1, 1899 in Durham,
Not long after settling in, he began working at a carriage company. By 1870 he NC. The first month’s collections,
was a foreman, and by 1873 he went into business with White carriage maker after the payment of commissions,
J.P. Lowe. When Lowe died 10 years later, Patterson became the sole owner. amounted only to $1.12, but from

P 24 February 2020

CONTINUED FROM P. 23

such beginnings it grew to be the largest
African American managed financial in­
stitutions in the United States. Forced
out of politics by the successful “White
Supremacy” political campaign of 1898,
Durham’s African American leaders
turned their talents to the business
world instead. John Merrick, born into
slavery in 1859, had become a business
success in the late 1890s. Owner of a
half dozen barber shops and a real estate
business, Merrick brought together six of
Durham’s leading Black business and
professional men and organized North
Carolina Mutual. Guided by the “tri­
umvirate” of John Merrick, Dr. Aaron
Moore, and Charles Clinton Spaulding,
“the Company with a Soul and a Service”
survived the hardship of its first years to
achieve success and help make
Durham’s reputation as a center of
African American economic life.

MAGGIE LENA WALKER
First Black to charter a bank in the US
A teacher and businesswoman, Walker
was the first African American woman to
charter a bank and serve as its president
in the United States. As a leader, she
achieved successes with the vision to
make tangible improvements in the way
of life for African Americans and women.
Upon her marriage in 1886, she left her
teaching job (the school had a policy
against married teachers) and became
more active within the Independent
Order of St. Luke, an organization dedi­

cated to the social and financial ad­
vancement of African Americans. She
became its grand secretary 13 years
later, a position that she would hold for
the rest of her life. When she assumed
control of the organization, it was on the
verge of bankruptcy. She outlined her
plans to save it and in the coming years,
she followed through on each item she
had described. She opened the St Luke
Penny Savings Bank in 1903 and 2 years
later, she opened the St. Luke Emporium,
a department store that offered African
American women opportunities for work
and the the Black community access to
cheaper goods.

continued next page ...

February 2020 P 25

MADAM C J WALKER ARTHUR G. GASTON
One of America’s first self‐made millionaires The serial entrepreneur
strongly supported the anti‐lynching cam‐ The grandson of slaves, Gaston was
paigns born in 1892 in Alabama. Over the next
Sarah Breedlove, better known as Madam C seventy years, he became the wealthi­
J Walker, was considered the wealthiest est Black man in Birmingham, with a
African American businesswoman and fortune of $40 million. After the 10th
wealthiest self­made woman in America at grade, he served in the army during
the time of her death in 1919. Walker in­ World War I and then went to work in
vented a line of African American hair prod­ the mines in Alabama. While working
ucts after suffering from a scalp ailment that in the mines, he hit on the plan of sell­
resulted in her own hair loss. She was hired ing lunches to his fellow miners and then branched into loaning money to them
as a commission agent by Annie Turnbo Mal­ at 25 percent interest. It was also while working in the mines that he conceived
one in 1905 and oved to Denver, Colorado. of the idea of offering burial insurance to co­workers. As a result, he formed the
Walker and her husband promoted her products by traveling around the country Booker T. Washington Burial Insurance Company in 1923. In 1938, he bought
giving lecture­demonstrations. In 1908 she opened a factory and beauty school and renovated a property in downtown Birmingham where, in partnership with
in Pittsburgh, and by 1910 the Madam C.J. Walker Laboratories in Indianapolis his father­in­law, he started Smith & Gaston Funeral Home. Realizing that there
had become wildly successful manufacturing cosmetics and training sales beau­ were not enough Blacks with sufficient training to work in the insurance and fu­
ticians. In 1916 after she and her husband divorced, Walker moved to Harlem neral industries, he established the Booker T. Washington Business School. Other
where she would continue to operate her business, while leaving the day­to­day Gaston enterprises included Citizens Federal Savings and Loan Association the
operations of her factory in Indianapolis to its forelady. She quickly immersed first Black­owned financial institution in Birmingham in more than 40 years. In
herself in the social and political culture of the Harlem Renaissance, founding 1954, he opened the A. G. Gaston Motel. Although reluctant to confront White
philanthropies that included educational scholarships and donations to homes authorities and the White business establishment directly, he supported the Civil
of for the elderly, the NAACP, and the National Conference on Lynching, among Rights movement financially. His net worth was estimated to be more than $130
other organizations focused on improving the lives of African Americans. million at the time of his death at the age of 103 in 1996.

A Weekend of African Music Premiers in Harlem

Voza Rivers and the New Heritage Theatre Group present a weekend
of African music!

On Friday, March 6 at 7:00 pm, Motherland Messengers will make
their Harlem debut as part of their 2020 USA tour. Motherland Messen­
gers is an ensemble of South African gospel recording artists and musi­
cians. Collectively they have won numerous individual awards and have
performed all over the world. This talented group of singers and musi­
cians celebrates the power of spiritual music in their native languages
and English through various musical genres including South African tra­
ditional gospel, acapella, American gospel and R&B.

IT IS AFRICAN, a spiritual afternoon of African music and dance, will
take place on Sunday, March 8 at 5:00 pm. This special Harlem premiere
performance features Francisco Mora­Catlett and his New York­based
Afro Horn jazz ensemble, and a dance performance by the extraordinary
Oyu Oro Afro­Cuban Dance Company, co­founded by Mora­Catlett’s wife,
Cuban dancer, international Afro­Cuban folklore performer, choreogra­
pher, teacher and dance ethnologist from Santiago de Cuba Danys “LaM­
ore” Perez. Oyo Oro is committed to the preservation of Afro Cuban
folklore, as well as encouraging cross­cultural understanding of dance
and music.

The New heritage Theatre Group, the oldest Black non­profit theater
company in New York City, was foudned in 1964 under the name New
Heritage Repertory Theatre by the late Roger Furman, a revered play­
wright, director, actor and lecturer, with a mission to preserve and sustain
classic works of Black theater and beyond. In 1983, award winning music
and theatre producer Voza Rivers took over teh company and, under the
new name New Heritage Theatre Group, expanded the mission to include
providing training, performance opportuniteis, expeirence and interna­
tional exposure to veteran and emerging artists.

Admission to both performances is complimentary; reservations can
be made through Eventbrite. Williams Institutional CME Church, under
the leadership of Rev. Jermain J. Marshall, is located at 2239 Adam Clay­
ton Powell, Jr. Boulevard at 132nd Street in Harlem. For further infor­
mation, please contact New Heritage Theatre Group at 212­926­0104.

Oyu Oro Afro‐Cuban Dance Company

P 26 February 2020

Boro Prez Adams Calls for Airline

Rules Against Discrimination

In response to a former state receive one. Ms. Goggin then (l to r) Attorney Roger Archibald, Julie Goggin, Brooklyn Borough President
prosecutor and her family being or- asked to speak with the flight at- Eric Adams.
dered off a JetBlue flight, Brooklyn tendant’s superiors. After they
Borough President Adams joins the spoke separately, the flight atten- conference with Mr. Archibald and Lynda was then also granted a seat
plaintiff and her lawyer to demand dant’s superiors allegedly informed another of his clients, Shaun Lynda, upgrade by another in-flight staff
that the airline institutes compre- Ms. Goggin that the flight atten- the founder of a Brooklyn-based member, but was allegedly then or-
hensive protocols against racial dis- dant was “uncomfortable” with her nonprofit Financially Clean, which dered to his original seat by the flight
crimination and redress for her being on the flight and wanted her provides financial literacy education attendant with whom he initially in-
grievances. removed. Ms. Goggin has since to young people in underserved teracted. After returning to his origi-
filed a claim with the United States communities. nal seat, the first flight attendant
On December 22, 2019, Ms. Department of Transportation allegedly patted him on the knee and
Julie Goggin, a New York resident, (USDOT). According to Mr. Lynda’s com- asked him if he was going to behave.
former State prosecutor in civil plaint, during the Thanksgiving hol- She then allegedly made a complaint
rights litigation, and her two sons, “As a frequent customer of Jet- iday, he was returning from to the pilot, who brought security on
14 and 18 years of age, boarded a Blue, I am deeply troubled by what Barbados to New York City. Prior to board to inform Mr. Lynda that po-
flight from JFK to Long Beach, appears to be a systemic pattern of the flight’s departure, he asked why lice would be escorting him from the
California to visit their elderly rel- discrimination against people of one of the flight attendants was up- plane prior to takeoff. Part of the in-
atives. Goggin had purchased extra color on the airline. Just weeks ago, grading a White family of four to cident was captured on video.
legroom seats for her sons, but be- we stood with Shaun Lynda, who even more spacious seating. Mr.
fore the flight departed, she says also alleges he was the victim of
that a flight attendant escorted both racial discrimination aboard a Jet-
of her sons to the back of aircraft. Blue flight over Thanksgiving. Ms.
No other people were removed. Ms. Goggin’s case also raises troubling
Goggin claims she was not in- questions about how the airline
formed prior to their being moved treats people of color, even loyal
and, when she asked, was told her customers. It’s clear that JetBlue
sons were being relocated else- must undertake far-reaching, com-
where due to a weight distribution prehensive reforms, including
issue on the aircraft. racial sensitivity training for em-
ployees, to ensure this pattern does
After asking for a refund be- not continue,” said Brooklyn Bor-
cause her sons were moved to the ough President Eric Adams.
regular economy seats, Ms. Goggin
alleges that she was told by the In December of last year, Bor-
flight attendant that she would not ough President Adams held a press

REV. DENNIS A. DILLON President / Publisher The Christian Times is published in Brooklyn, New York. We welcome
KAREN COX Vice President / Senior Editor your letters to the editor, news, information and articles of interest to the
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1990 - 2020 Celebrating 30 Years of Journalistic Excellence

February 2020 P 27

LIVE • Roads & Bridges
IN NYC? • Hospitals

YES, you fill out

the census.

The more New Yorkers who
fill out the census, the more
money we get for our:

• Schools • Senior Centers
• Housing • Jobs

THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS ABOUT IMMIGRATION OR CITIZENSHIP

THE CENSUS IS EASY AND SAFE

Fill it out now at My2020census.gov or call 1-844-330-2020.

JUST 10 QUESTIONS: NO QUESTIONS ABOUT: BY LAW, YOUR RESPONSES CANNOT BE SHARED:

• Fill out online • Immigration • Your job • Not with ICE • Not with your landlord
• By phone • Citizenship
• By mail • Social Security • Not with the police • Not with anyone
number

#GetCountedNYC | Call 311 and say “census” to learn more

P 28 February 2020

BY JUDGE MILTON TINGLING has 27 congressional seats down from a high of unfounded fears.
45. Less seats equals less influence, less power In the 2010 census, New York State lost 2
On March 12, 2020 the Census Bureau and less MONEY.
will begin sending out the first census congressional seats. New York City was cited as
response letters to persons residing in UNDERCOUNT having slightly over 8 million people. Queens
the United States. The United States Constitution An undercount occurs when all members of was reported as gaining just a few thousand per-
mandates that every 10 years the government sons. Anyone who lives or breathes in New York
count all the people living on a non- temporary a household or community or neighborhood are City will probably find those results hard to be-
basis in the country. not included in the census results. This could in- lieve, but that is what undercounting will do. The
clude the homeless or persons living in shelters effect of those numbers has had major and per-
The census response may be the most urgent, or camps. More often in a city such as New York, manent sway over our lives for the last ten years.
important and life changing action that you will an undercount occurs because of two factors. One
be make this year. The 2020 census will be the is that the census workers do not accurately count The results of this year’s census will have a
tool used to determine the distribution of hun- persons in the population. The second is that we major and permanent affect on our lives for the
dreds of BILLIONS of federal funds to our states, do not COMPLETELY report all persons living next ten years.
cities, communities and neighborhoods. in our households. There are many reasons for
that. None of them are good reasons for not CENSUS TIPS
This means that your responding to the cen- COMPLETELY reporting all persons. There are three ways to respond:
sus as well as accurately and COMPLETELY de- online, phone and Mail.
claring all persons in your FAMILIES and There was fear stemming from the focus on
HOUSEHOLDS will have a direct and crucial af- the citizenship question. THERE WILL BE NO If anyone contacts you via email or
fect on the lives of all. CITIZENSHIP QUESTION ON THE CEN- phone and asks you for informa-
SUS. There was fear from landlords or govern- tion, IT IS A SCAM. Do not panic
To be direct, the distribution of those billions ments officials. YOUR PERSONAL and do not cooperate.
of dollars is for everything from infrastructure, INFORMATION IS CONFIDENTIAL. ALL
bridges, tunnels, potholes, subways, affordable INFORMATION FROM THE CENSUS MAY The Census Bureau or any authorized
housing, health care, food stamps, school con- NOT BE USED FOR ANY OTHER PUR- representative will NEVER ask you for:
struction, school lunches, after school programs, POSE OTHER THAN STATISTICAL PUR- 1. your social security number
reentry and rehabilitation initiatives, and public- POSES. IT IS A FEDERAL CRIME TO DO 2. money or donations
school education for our children. SO. We do more harm to ourselves and our com- 3. anything on behalf of a political party
munities by not responding to the census than any 4. bank or credit card account numbers
The census is also used to draw congres-
sional and state legislative district lines. It deter-
mines the number of seats each state has in the
House of Representatives. New York State now

February 2020 P 29

P 30 February 2020

(at left) Delegates, led by
Rev. Dennis Dillon, on the
steps of Dakar City Hall

(at right) Bishop Cecil G.
Riley in front of the
Monument of the African
Renaissance, the largest
statue in Africa, located
outside of Dakar, Senegal.

(below) Bishop Hezekiah
Walker at the Africa Arise
Celebration in South
Africa.

CONTINUED FROM PG. 15 (at left) Senator James Sanders with Nelson Mandela’s
daughter, Maki
session of parliament at the Gallagher Es-
tate in South Africa. (above) Delegates with Mayor of Dakar (center, in pink)

The group landed in Ghana and was (below) Rev. Evelyn Manns, Executive Director for Door of
hosted by Mr. Yofi Grant, the CEO of Our Return (3rd from left), with US delegates and King (2nd
Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, and from right)
other business and government leaders. A
small delegation from the group also met
with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-
Addo. The group continued on to Sene-
gal, and was hosted by Madame Soham El
Wardini, the honorable Mayor of Dakar.
Several mayors of many surrounding
communities joined us in Dakar and on
Gorée Island, where we were joined by
His Excellency, the honorable Jean Pierre
Mbassi, Secretary General of the United
Cities and Local Government of Africa
(UCLGA). Following brief stops in Abid-
jan and Nairobi, the delegation went on to
South Africa for the final leg of what was
by all accounts an uplifting, transforma-
tive and eventful trip.

In addition to the Pan African Parlia-
ment that hosted the delegation on No-
vember 21, the group participated in a
business summit held at The Houghton
Hotel, a cultural exchange in Sophiatown,
a welcome reception in Johannesburg, a
special visit to the Soweto Children’s Vil-
lage, and the Africa Arise Worship Cele-
bration featuring Bishop Hezekiah Walker.

February 2020 P 31

Katherine Johnson, One

of NASA’s “HiddenFigures”,

Dies at 101

Katherine Johnson, a mathe- and Joylette (Lowe) Coleman. Her eventually married and began rais- Americans and women.

matician who was an important con- mother was a schoolteacher, her fa- ing her family. In 1951, she was She exhibited exceptional tech-

tributor to NASA’s space program, ther a farmer. From her earliest hired as a research mathematician nical leadership and is known espe-

died on Monday, February 24 at the childhood, Katherine counted things tabulating sheets of data for engi- cially for her calculations of the

age of 101. – the number of dishes in the cup- neers at NASA’s Langley Research 1961 trajectory for Alan Shepard’s

Johnson, a longtime Presbyte- board, the number of steps on the Center with the National Advisory flight as the first American in space

rian Church (U.S.A.) ruling elder, way to church and, as insurmount- Committee for Aeronautics, the and for her 1962 verification of the

was a central figure in the first flight calculation

2016 Hollywood movie made by an electronic

version of “Hidden Fig- computer, in this case for

ures,” based on Margot Lee John Glenn, the first Amer-

Shetterly’s nonfiction book ican to orbit the Earth.

of the same title published As Mrs. Johnson her-

that year. In 2015, Presi- self was fond of saying,

dent Barack Obama her tenure at Langley was

awarded her the Medal of a “time when computers

Freedom, calling her “a pi- wore skirts.” For some

oneer in American space years at midcentury, the

history who refused to be Black women who worked

limited by society’s expec- as “computers” were sub-

tations of her gender and jected to a double segrega-

race while expanding the tion: consigned to separate

boundaries of humanity’s office, dining and bath-

reach.” room facilities, they were

Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nel- kept separate from the

son III, Stated Clerk of the much larger group of

General Assembly of the White women who also

PC(USA), said that John- Katherine Johnson, in 1966 working for NASA (left), receiving Medal of Freedom nearly 50 years later from President worked as NASA mathe-
son “lived a life of courage Barack Obama in 2015 as fellow honoree Willie Mays looks on. maticians. The White

that ought to be emulated women in turn were segre-

by all of us who profess a faith in able a task as it might pose for one agency that preceded NASA, after gated from the agency’s male math-

Jesus Christ. She was a faithful old enough to be daunted, the num- the agency opened hiring to African ematicians and engineers. But over

woman with regards to how she un- ber of stars in the sky. She entered Americans and women. time, the work of Mrs. Johnson and

derstood her own work, that it was high school at 10 and graduated at A NASA mathematician and her colleagues won them a level of

directly the grace of God that al- 14. The next year, she entered West aerospace technologist from 1953- acceptance that for the most part

lowed her to do the things that she Virginia State and by her junior year 86, Johnson’s computations have in- transcended race.

was able to do and be able to break had taken all the math courses the fluenced every major space program After retiring from NASA, Mrs.

the barriers with work that, quite college had to offer. After graduat- from the Mercury launches through Johnson became a public advocate

frankly, African American women ing summa cum laude in 1937 with the space shuttle program. She was for mathematics education, speaking

were not expected to do and deemed a double major in mathematics and hired as a research mathematician at widely and visiting schools. To the

as incapable of doing.” French, she found, unsurprisingly, NASA’s Langley Research Center end of her life, Mrs. Johnson de-

Creola Katherine Coleman was that research opportunities for Black with the National Advisory Com- flected praise for her role in sending

born on August 26, 1918 in White female teenage mathematicians mittee for Aeronautics, the agency astronauts into space, keeping them

Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, the were negligible, so she took a job as that preceded NASA, after the on course and bringing them safely

youngest of four children of Joshua a schoolteacher in Marion, Virginia, agency opened hiring to African home. “I was just doing my job.”

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