Pete Buttigeg at National Action Network convention. Credit: Tywanna Webb

By Tywanna Webb

Pete Buttigeg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a Democratic presidential candidates, discussed his agenda with the Rev. Al Sharpton at the National Action Network’s Convention.

“I believe that the time has has come for a new generation to put forward leaders in enterprise, activism and in politics at the highest level,” Buttigeg said to the crowd on Thursday.

The National Action Network is a civil rights organization founded in 1991 by civil rights leader, Reverend Al Sharpton.

Buttigeg (prounounced Buddha-Chegg)  was deemed the “Most Interesting Mayor You’ve Never Heard Of” by the Washington Post in 2014. He is a Afghanistan War Veteran and the first openly gay municipal executive in Indiana. If he secures the Democratic nomination, he would be the first openly gay presidential nominee.

While speaking to the predominately African-American crowd, Buttigeg focused on ways to improve the quality of life for people of color.

“I believe an agenda for black Americans needs to include five things that all of us care about: homeownership, entrepreneurship, education, health and justice,”  Buttigeg said.

Buttigeg spoke of changes he would like to see made in each of those areas, as he also addressed the social shortcomings his hometown, South Bend.

“We worked hard to address the racial inequities that still hold us back from being the city we wish to be,” he said.

Buttigeg was born in South Bend and resides in his childhood neighborhood, living with his husband and their two rescue dogs.

Buttigeg acknowledged that, despite his efforts, there is still much more work to be done in South Bend, as in the rest of the nation.  Issues such as criminal justice reform, police accountability and educational reform are expected to be hot topics among African-American voters in the run-up to the 2020 election.

Referring to what he called “disparities that have strong and unfair racial consequences,” Buttigeg said that he plans to invest in economic rehabilitation programs for disadvantaged minorities.

“These disparities did not just happen,” he said. “They are the side effects a poison and those inequities won’t take care of themselves.”

These “side effects,” he said, included higher maternal mortality rates in African-American women, higher statistics of mass incarceration in African-American men and obstacles that adversely affect home ownership rates in black neighborhoods.

“That’s what politics is about,” he said, “to mend what is broken and to make right what is wrong. That is the nature of American greatness.”

Buttigeg formed a exploratory campaign committee in January and is expected to officially announce his candidacy later this month.

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ASPCA CEO Matt Bershadker, with Apple. Credit: Jada May

By Jada May

There was a lot of puppy love in the Upper East Side ASPCA adoption center Thursday. The group welcomed its one hundred thousandth pet, a transported female Dachshund mix named Apple.

ASPCA staff, journalists and onlookers stood outside in the cool breeze, in the early afternoon, waiting for the truck to arrive with Apple and 29 other dogs from Mississippi. The staffers sported their orange ASPCA t-shirt. Apple was the first dog to come off the truck and she was greeted with an orange bandana. The happy watchers took pictures and videos, and Apple seemed to feel right at home.

As CEO Matt Bershadker held Apple in his arms, he discussed the issue of animal homelessness. Apple appeared a bit nervous as Bershadker talked. “The problem of animal homelessness is very much a geographic problem and in pockets of the country we [have] come a long way to solving that,” he said.

Apple had been roaming streets before his rescue and eventual delivery to New York, where his life will hopefully be happier. Bershadker said the ASPCA not only rescues dogs and cats but helps families keep their pets healthy and happy.

Bershadker said adoptions have gone up tremendously across the country and that those who take animals into homes are “saving lives.” ASPCA has three relocation routes around the country. The mission of ASPCA, the association proudly says, is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.”

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By Austin Santiago

The Sheraton Hotel in Times Square is buzzing with activity as the 2019 National Action Network (NAN) convention is underway. Founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton in 1991, the NAN has become one of the leading civil rights organizations in the United States. It has pushed for reform is areas such as criminal justice, police accountability, and voting rights.

This year’s convention has a focus on the 2020 presidential election, and there is certainly no shortage of candidates attending. The conference will welcome close to a dozen 2020 democratic candidates for the presidency.

On Thursday, John Delaney and Pete Buttgieg spoke; on Wednesday, convention goers heard from candidates Beto O’Rourke and Andrew Yang. On Friday, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders and John Hickenlooper will be speaking.

Rev. Sharpton. Credit: Austin Santiago

The convention will also feature appearances from New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as another rising national progressive star, Stacey Abrams of Georgia.

Although there are plenty of special guests to garner excitement, perhaps the most anticipated speaker is Sharpton himself. The crowd erupted into applause as Sharpton made his way to the podium, and chanted in unison when the reverend kicked off the day with his saying of “No justice, no peace!” On Thursday, Sharpton himself questioned both presidential candidates, U.S. Resentative John Delaney of Maryland and Mayor Pete Buttgieg of South Bend, Indiana.

Sharpton’s questions ranged from reform in the nation’s police departments to if they would sign a bill that offered reparations for descendants of slaves. Both candidates said “yes” to the latter question.

In an official press release, Sharpton highlighted the goal of this year’s convention: “The convention is an opportunity for Black America to cut through the noise and hear from our leaders on the issues and policies that are going to be driving our voting agenda in 2020.”

Bea Pickney and her husband, Ron, traveled all the way from Georgia to attend the event. They use the convention as a way to better understand those running for the highest office in the land. “Every year you get to meet the candidates,” said Bea Pinckney, “and being here we get to learn more about those candidates.”

Not only do those in attendance get to meet presidential candidates, but they also get to listen to panels discuss issues such as fair media coverage and mental health in the black community. The influence of the NAN founder has not been lost on the attendees. When asked about the importance of Al Sharpton to the NAN movement, Ron Pickney said, “He brings attention to a lot of issues that otherwise would not be seen in the media.”

Sharpton says he created the NAN in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, who was assassinated 51 years ago Thursday.

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By Jada May

The morning session of The Women’s Catalyst Awards Conference — Future@Work — took place in the Hilton Hotel in Midtown, celebrating four organizations: Schneider Electric, Bank of America, Deutsche Post DHL and Lilly.

The event had two floors of thriving technology organizations, giving the women attendees an opportunity to network and learn. In the grand ballroom of the hotel, there were many women of different races and ethnicities. They were all motivated by a desire to be inspired. The morning hours put a spotlight on the four organizations, which will be receiving their awards on March 14.

Catalyst President and CEO Lorraine Hariton, speaking at the awards conference.

Every year the Catalyst awards have been given out to help in the advancing of women in business, making it less male dominated, a day at a time. The event spreads the belief that “change is possible” and it reminds women that they have to take care of each other.

Bank of America’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Cynthia Bowman started off her speech with a moving testimony of what the bank stands for. “Being a great place to work means to have diversity and inclusion,” she said. The quote was not only moving but was the main topic of the conference — inclusion as a concept advancing women.

Bowman stood on stage in front of a podium, looking down at notes to make sure she brought up everything important to Bank of America in the context of the day. The first point had to do with people, including not only the workers but their clients. Another point was the programs that help women across racial and ethnic lines: the Women’s Executive Development Program, the Women’s Next Level Leadership Program and the Global Women’s Conference, which is actually open to both (all) genders.

Bowman touched on the topic of maternity leave, noting that her company give 26 weeks off to new moms. The company also offers up to $5,250 for tuition support. After speaking about Bank of America, she ended her segment stating, “We want the power to invest in women.”

Deutsche Post DHL Group representatives President of Human Resources Kimberlee Harrison and Val Huggee walked on stage all smiles, waving, before sitting on the couch. Huggee mentioned the communications and skills gap that she had while working at male-dominated workplaces, before joining DHL. She said, “Open communication really helped me at DHL.”

A topic that Harrison brought up was maternity leave at DHL, making special mention of Europe. In Europe, the maternity leave is longer than in America, and she and her allies want the countries to be at the same level. DHL has developed an app for their employees on maternity leave, so that they miss out on everything while they’re gone. At the end the two women were asked what advice they would give, and Harrison took the bait and said, “Know what you want, articulate it and tell everyone — and don’t let anyone tell you no.”

Zain Asher, Anchor of CNN International, and Catalyst President and CEO Lorraine Hariton discussed the “Future@Work” in ways meant to bring hope to those gathered. The two women talked about gender bias, as well as racial and ethnic bias, in the workplace. “Some aren’t aware of bias, but you can bring awareness,” Harison said. She added that men must be given the right tools to deal with the issue with fairness and honesty, because they often know so little about the problem.

Rachna Mukherjee of Schneider Electric (based in India) talked proudly about women’s advances. Schneider Electric is a multinational corporation that specializes in energy management, automation solutions, spanning hardware, software and services. The organization has not only increased women’s overall representation from 15.9 percent 20.8 percent (and increased senior management representation from 6.7 percent to 9.4 percent). It has also help to boost equality throughout a country. “I can tell you this year, India closed the gap,” she said, referring to the wage gap between men and women in India.

Walking onto the stage with a vibrate and positive attitude that couldn’t be missed was Caroline Wanga, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, as well as Human Resources Vice President, for  Target Corporation. She held a conversation with Michael E. McNamara, the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Target was the premier conference sponsor, supporting the Catalyst events for four consecutive years. The company is “extremely diverse, having 40 percent to 45 percent women,” said Wanga. Target’s goal is to be 50-50, she added.

McNamara encouraged women to get engineering degrees and go into STEM fields. He said, “I’m not trying to create a bias, I’m trying to fix one.”

The last company to walk on the stage was Lilly, a pharmaceutical company. Lily walked on as two people: Joy Fitzgerald, Chief Diversity Officer and David Ricks, Chairman and CEO. They said the company is continuing to grow the presence of women within its collective walls.

The daylong conference not only put businesses in the spotlight, but made a gathering of women more aware of the fight for equality and inclusion that is making great process in the corporate world.

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By Shanika Carlies

Barry James, 34, a resident of the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, was charged with murdering his grandmother, Joyce James-Spears, 70, in their Union Street home on March 22, 2017.

According to court reports, James murdered his grandmother by repeatedly stabbing her and then stricking her with a dumbbell.

The reason that James gave for murdering his grandmother was that he thought she was possessed, according to police reports.

It was reported that her body was covered up in a bloody sheet outside her home near the trash. Her deceased cat was found nearby as well.

According to police reports, a person found her body while taking out the trash.

James has a prior psychiatric history, and neighbors described him as a man with mental issues, who often talked to himself, according to news reports.

Spears was viewed in the neighborhood as a hard-working woman who was friendly and mainly kept to herself.

James was charged with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

James’ defense attorney, Steven Chaiken, couldn’t reveal much information because of client privilege.

“He took a plea, which is called a not responsible plea, by reason of mental defect or disease,” Chaiken said of James.

The case was supposed to be held on Thursday morning at 320 Jay Street in the Supreme Court building.

Judge Matthew J. D’ Emic was not present because he had to sign off on where James was going to be held, which resulted in all of his cases being postponed that day.

Judge D’ Emic was scheduled to be back in court on Friday.

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By Alfonsina Venegas

In line with this month’s theme of women and their achievements, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New York organized  an event to honor six Latino women for their contributions to the community in their respective fields.

The ceremony took place inside the beautiful Bateaux New York, a boat in which guests are taken for a sail around the harbor while they eat lunch and enjoy the view.

Left to right, Wendy García, Teresa Gonzalez, Lisette García, Grace Matos and Idelsa Méndez. Credit: Alfonsina Venegas

As the boat passed in front the Statue of Liberty, author and host Cristy Marrero called Dyanne Rosado to the podium. Rosado is the Global Director of Talent & Culture Design at Nadaq.

“One of the lessons I learned in my career is: be true to yourself and to your family, your friends and your organization,” Rosado said. “But what does it mean?  It means Don’t hide who you are. I don’t. I dance, I speak, sometimes too loud, and I laugh too loud, but it’s ok, I support my sisters and friends.” She added, “The best opportunities of my life came because I speak Spanish!” She spoke those words as she lifted her award, a wooden eagle spreading its wings. The audience cheered as she shouted “speak Spanish!”

Another one of the honorees was Dr. Lisette García, senior VP and Chief Operating Officer at the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR). After receiving her award, García said:

“Eight years ago I decided to get out of my comfort zone and do a drastic change in my life. Every day now I have the opportunity to work with amazing people, to help them achieve their career goals and to help companies understand the importance of Hispanic inclusion for the continuous success in their business. What I learned from that decision is that it is ok to take a chance. While it was hard to be away from my family, I learned to build my own support system in D.C. We all need to be that for each other.”Le

García received the award from Cristy Marero.

Wendy García, Chief Diversity  Officer at the Office of New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, said, as she held her award in her hand:

“The truth is we are in a time of movement, of a revolution, of a new space to co-exist as women. With 127 new congressional seats represented by women, we are finally ‘in the room where it happens,’ and now more than ever, it is our responsibility to work every day to make sure that sustained racism and patriarchy is out of state, federal, and city government.”

The Luncheon was sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, Delta Airlines, Brandthumb, Berkeley College, Ponce Bank, and Hostos Community College.

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By Carolann Lowe

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his intent to create a greener city through reduction of the city’s cars and to increase use of environment-friendly vehicles.

One thousand city vehicles will be replaced with electric vehicles in efforts to reduce the use of gas. There will be electric vehicle chargers run by solar power installed all over the city. Four billion dollars will be invested in renewable energy, de Blasio said.

De Blasio said many New Yorkers would rather commute by vehicle because of the unreliability of the MTA. Therefore, he plans to invest money in fixing and upgrading the MTA.

Mayor Bill de Blasio. Credit: Carolann Lowe

De Blasio spoke to the media in the empty parking lot of the Citi Field Stadium, which could be considered an usual venue for a press conference. He said, “I know the Mets are not here today…We wanted to be here specifically because we needed a really big parking lot to show you the impact of what today’s announcement would mean. All the cars that will disappear from the city fleet because of the actions we are going to take today.”

Commissioner Lisette Camilo, of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, said the mayor’s plan involves reducing the number of SUVs in the city.

New York City fleet vehicles will be equipped with new technology known as Vehicle Telematics, officials said. This technology will track where vehicles are going and when they are being used, which will help to identify patterns and provide information as to learn how vehicles can be used more efficiently.

Vehicle Telematics will make sure that every “take home” vehicle is justified. If the vehicle is being misused or its driving patterns show that it is being used for purposes other than commuting to work, it will be pulled off the road, officials said.

The executive order will also lead to he phasing out of SUVs, which are highly gas consuming.

Although officials were not certain about the cost of the electric vehicles, de Blasio insisted that buying more electric vehicles will help reduce costs overall.

“We have to shift into high gear to fight global warming and this has to be one of the leaders of this earth,” de Blasio said. The mayor intends for the reduction of traditional vehicles to be in effect by June 30, 2021.

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Credit: Salamat Ellam

By Salamat Ellam

When it comes to the Citi Bike fire incident that happened last Sunday in Brooklyn, Brooklynites are willing to give Lyft, who’s the owner of the Citi Bike, a second chance.

“It’s easier to rely on Citi Bike than the MTA,” said Joel McDowell. He said that even with the recent apps provided by MTA, sometimes he has to wait for trains and buses longer than expected.

Some were disappointed but said they believed Lyft can rectify the issue — new batteries that caught fire — and make bikes safe for  everyone.

“Citi Bike is a fairly new venture,” said Brittny Clark, 37 and a school teacher. “Mistakes are bound to be made – as long as no one gets hurt.”

Some seemed more interested in the $2 increase in bike rentals than the safety aspect. Jaime Velez, who lives in the Bronx, has family in Brooklyn. When he goes to visit his family in Brooklyn, they all go riding. “It already cost me a penny to travel from the Bronx – I don’t need the extra cost,” he said.

Carmen Carde explained how she used to rely on Uber but now uses City Bikes to commute to work. It’s all about changing New York, she said.

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By Austin Santiago

It was big day in the South Bronx as the New York Yankees officially kicked off their 2019 season, with a game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Although Yankee Stadium is the place to be for opening day, the start of a new Yankee season is being celebrated with almost equal enthusiasm all over New York City. At Grand Central station, fans on their way to today’s game were offered the unique opportunity to ride a 1917 IRT Lo-V train.

Unidentified fan. Credit: Austin Santiago

The train was retired in the 1960’s, but for opening day, Yankee fans could travel to the game riding in a piece of history.

Yankees opening day isn’t only for New Yorkers. Just ask the Hollis family, who came all the way from Alabama to see the Bronx Bombers. “It’s our first time here,” said Jason Hollis. “In New York you gotta go to Yankee Stadium.”

And the reach of the Yankees not only goes to the Midwest as well as the South. Lifelong Yankees fan Sandy Winnard, sitting in front of the stadium, told this reporter she flew in from Wisconsin to see her beloved baseball team. Though she grew up in Wisconsin, a chance meeting with Mickey Mantle in 1957 made her forever loyal to the pinstripes. “I still have a ball,” she said. “It says, ‘my best wishes Sandy- Mickey Mantle.’”

Thursday’s festivities marked Winnard’s first time at opening day, though for many New Yorkers opening day is a tradition as customary as Christmas and a birthday party.

“This is my fifth or sixth opening day,” said Joe Petry, while waiting for the vintage train to arrive.

Credit: Austin Santiago

“The only thing better is game seven of the World Series.”

Sandy Winnard, Yankees fan. Credit: Austin Santiago

While the feeling of opening day is exciting in its own right, many Yankee fans already have their eyes set on October. One of those with forward vision is Jim Biggers, who was attending his seventh Yankee Opening Day.

“The way they have played this spring, I’m expecting them to go all the way through to the end,” Biggers said.

This high expectation proved to be one thing every fan in attendance had in common, no matter where they came from.

“We are winning the pennant,” said Winnard. “I’m the good luck charm from Wisconsin.”

With a team of heavy hitters, and a passionate fan base behind them, the attitude in the South Bronx was “World Series or bust.”

Yankee baseball season is officially upon us. As Biggers put it: “It’s the start of our season, the season we love.”

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By Joseph Leo and Milette Millington

The opioid crisis in the United States is one of the biggest problems the country is facing, and New York City is right in the thick of it. Attorney General Letitia James announced on Thursday that New York State is filing a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma.

The suit details how systemic failures led to massive shipments of opioids to specific New York pharmacies that fill prescriptions written by providers who have been charged with or convicted of illegal prescribing.

New York Attorney General Letitia James. Credit: Milette Millington

Purdue is one of the major distributers of opioids, selling over seven million pills to New York pharmacies. “Each day more than 130 people in the United States, about nine of whom live in New York, died as a result of opioid related overdoses,” said James in a press conference.

The attorney general wants to change the laws surrounding opioids—ultimately banning the distribution in the state of New York. “If you do not go into compliance with the law, we will not allow you to sell controlled substances such as opioids,” she said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (the CDC), almost 400,000 people died from an overdoses involving opioids, prescribed and illicit.

Purdue Pharma, however, still claims that addiction related opioids is still small or non-existent. In 1996, Purdue launched Oxycontin. Marketed as providing 12 hours of pain relief, it packed a large amount of addictive narcotic into a single pill, becoming an instant market sensation generating billions of dollars. Purdue Pharma claims that patients that show signs of addiction are not addicted, but suffering from undertreatment of their pain.

However, the addiction problem of the United States has steadily increased since 2015, with more than 3,200 New Yorkers dying from an opioid related overdose.

The CDC also claims overdose deaths involving prescription opioids are five times higher in 2017 than they were in 1999.

There was a survivor in attendance at Thursday’s press conference, Justin St. George, who spoke. St. George is one of the lucky ones who realized he had a problem before it was too late. St. George is in recovery at Youth Clubhouse in Staten Island. Referring to people like St. George, Attorney General James said companies like Purdue Pharma “chose money over the health and safety of their patients.”

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