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ANOTHER ONE TERM BLACK MAYOR IN NEW YORK CITY
Mayor Eric Adams
Probably Mayor Eric Adams may not complete his first term due to his legal problems with the federal government. He is no Donald Trump who has a train load of lawyers. The late David Dinkins was defeated in his bid for a second term by Rudy Giuliani. If Adams is forced to resign, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a Grenadian-American, will become mayor until a mayor is elected. Since there is a mayoral race in 2025, there’s a chance that there could be two mayoral elections in 2025. That’s up to Governor Kathy Hochul.
New York Presidential Primary
The early voting days for the New York presidential primary is Sat., March 23-Sat. March 30. For voters who did not cast their ballot during the 8 days, Election Day is Tue., April 2. New York is a closed primary state meaning only voters who are registered Democrats and Republicans can vote. If you are a registered voter but you are NOT a Democrat or Republican then you will have to wait for the general election in November when all registered voters can vote. President Joe Biden (Dem) and former President Donald Trump (Rep) have no serious challengers in the NY State presidential primary. Biden and Trump are already their respective party’s presumptive nominee heading to the general or presidential election on Nov. 5. President Biden recently posed with the Kennedy family clan who are supporting him except Robert F. Kenndy Jr. who is running as a third-party candidate.
For decades New York governors have attempted to have an early presidential primary when the Republican and Democratic candidates are still in fierce competition for their respective party nomination. Yet, by the time NY State holds its primary, states that held early primaries such as New Hampshire and those holding their primaries on Super Tuesday almost determine who the nominee of the Democrats and Republicans will be. Seldom NY is in the national conversation during the primary season.
Persons of the Year – 2024 Global Caribbean Calendar
PERSONS OF THE YEAR
Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph And Olympian Kirani James
By Wendy Gomes
Purchase here
Jamaican-American Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph and Grenadian Olympian Kirani James are EVERYBODY’S, the Caribbean-American magazine, Persons of the Year for 2023. In recent years, they have been steadily receiving a sizable number of votes from our readers. In 2023, Ralph and James garnered the most nominations. We thank all who nominated someone.
Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, singer, producer, activist and “Jamaican to the bone,” is one of the most respected and admired women in the United States. When Miss Ralph sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during the opening ceremonies at the 2023 Super Bowl, millions of Americans, including young Black people, thought it was a new song. They were oblivious that for almost a century within African America “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was referred to as “The Negro National Anthem” or “Black National Anthem.” The song, written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson, was rendered up to the 1960s to open meetings of Black organizations.
Until she came of age, Sheryl Lee may have sung “Lift Every Voice and Sing” with her dad, Stanley Ralph, or heard him rendering it at events in Uniondale, Long Island, NY, in churches and at West Indian organizations meetings in Harlem.
Reviews of DIVA 2.0 are in EVERYBODY’S April edition, other print publications and in the electronic media.
For Kirani James of Grenada, 2023 was not his most successful year. Track and field historians will say that in 2012, James won a Gold Medal at that year’s Olympic Games. But 2023 may have been his most significant year. After winning Gold in 2012, Silver in 2016 and Bronze in 2020 (21), and when considering his years in regional competitions long before his Olympic debut, it was unbelievable that James competed in global premier track and field events in 2023 and won the 400m dash in September at the Diamond League held in Xiamen, China.
Grenada – consisting of three islands, Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique – is a nation of approximately 100,000 persons. Yet, in proportion to its size and population, it boasts that it received three Olympic medals courtesy of Kirani James. His victories have inspired young Grenadians, and they are creating their legacy in global sports. For example, the world of sports expects Grenadian Anderson Peters to win a medal in the 2024 Olympic Games scheduled in Paris, France. James plans to compete in Paris, his 4th Olympian presence, now in his thirties; he hopes to give his Spice Island and the people of Gouyave, his hometown, another Olympic medal.
EVERYBODY’S commenced its Person of the Year Award in 1978 upon the suggestion of Helen B. Lucas to celebrate the magazine’s first anniversary. That year, Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad & Tobago who in 1977 became the first woman of color to be crowned Miss Universe received the accolades. She shared the honor with Calypso Rose, the first woman to shatter the male domination of Calypso by winning the 1977 National Calypso King title, thereby forcing the renaming of the prestigious competition to the National Calypso Monarch. Sir Arthur Lewis and his wife attended the magazine’s 1980 dinner in his honor, celebrating his 1979 Nobel Prize. Sir Lewis, a Saint Lucian, was the first Black person to win the Nobel prize for economics. Recent EVERYBODY’S Person of the Year include Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
Brooklyn Book Fair
Several authors are hosting a book fair on Sunday, March 26, 3pm-7pm, at the Coal Pot, 1466 St. John’s Place, Brooklyn, NY. Authors include:
Pat Chin, VP Records cofounder. Her book, My Reggae Music Journey, is cherished worldwide.
Herman Hall, a recipient of a national journalism award and publisher of EVERYBODY’S Magazine. His two easy reading history books on revolutionary leader Julien Fédon have attracted major book reviewers.
Burnett Coburn was celebrated last July at the St. Maarten Book Festival.
The Skatalites were revered in pre-and-post independence Jamaica. James Haynes, Jah Jerry: Legacy of an Original Skatalites, is a must read.
Claudette Joy Spence, an inspirational speaker, has written several books.
Grenada’s Anthony W. Deriggs, Jamaica’s Keisha-Gaye Anderson and Trinidad & Tobago’s Dr. Meagan A. Sylvester have penned thrilling short stories and novels.
Miss Pat Chin and Herman Hall who are organizing book fairs remind everyone of renowned authors the Caribbean and the diaspora have produced such as Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott, Shirley Chisholm, George Lamming, historian Dr. Eric Williams, Jamaica Kincaid and Césaire, Aimé.
“Many local authors have exciting novels and poems but they believe by placing their publication on Amazon it will automatically sell; they do not promote and then authors are disappointed by lack of sales,” explains Hall.
He continues, “Bestselling authors frequently promote their books in spite of their fame. Millions of people worldwide saw actress Sheryl Lee Ralph singing The Negro National Anthem at the 2023 super bowl. Her portfolio includes her 2022 Emmy Award from the TV show Abbott Elementary, on Broadway in Dreamgirls, Modern Milli and Wicked, a Tony Award and in several big screen movies. But the icon is realistic. She understands promotion. She was at Restoration Plaza in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, on Saturday marketing her book, DIVA 2.0: 12 Life Lessons From Me For You.” Visit Sheryl Lee Ralph on social media to know when she is visiting your city. (Photo: Sheryl Lee and Hall. Her parents were early subscribers of EBM. She displays her 1985 EBM cover last Saturday in Brooklyn.)
[email protected] or (718) 930-0230 – VP Records (718) 297-5802
Caribbean shines in Superbowl
Fans of American football (not soccer) around the world are aware of Rihanna, the R&B, pop, hip-hop superstar, presence in the 2023 Superbowl entertainment thereby indirectly bringing a touch of the Caribbean and Caribbean music – the reggae and soca genre – to millions worldwide.
Do you know that back in the day, 1979, long before Rihanna was born, the Caribbean Tourist Association (CTO) provided the half time entertainment “Super Bowl XIII Carnival” – calypso, steelband and carnival?
Just fitting for Sheryl Lee Ralph to render ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ at Superbowl. (Sheryl Lee Ralph parents were active in the NY-Jamaican community; they were original EVERYBODY’S Magazine subscribers and Sheryl Lee while attending HS in Queens read EVERYBODY’S).
Do you know that West Indian immigrants of the early 20th century joined other Blacks by adopting James Weldon Johnson ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ composed in 1900 as “The Negro National Anthem”? The British Jamaican Benevolent, Tobago Benevolent, Antigua Progressive, Grenada Mutual, Sons & Daughters of Barbados and other associations – all based in Harlem -opened their meetings by singing – “The Negro National Anthem,” ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’.
Back to Rihanna Fenty. Do you know that her late granduncle Vernon Fenty wrote for this magazine?
Do you know that Caribbean-born persons have played on Superbowl teams?
On Superbowl Sunday, WCBS-Radio in NY in its Black History Month segment saluted photographer Kwame Brathwaite. Do you Brathwaite was an EVERYBODY’S photographer for more than 29 years?
Now that you know, can you kindly send a DONATION to keep the 46-year-old-magazine alive?
www.everybodysmag.com – Please click the DONATE button to contribute.
I will send you one of my history books or the Marcus Garvey Person of the Century edition if you send us $60 or more. DONATE
MR. SANTOS GOES TO WASHINGTON
MR. SANTOS GOES TO WASHINGTON
IS THE NEW NORMAL IN POLITICS ABNORMAL?
By Ken Jaikaransingh
In Frank Capra’s1939 Hollywood film “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” an unsuspecting head of the Boy Rangers is selected by crooked politicians to go to Washington to replace a recently deceased Senator. Our naïve protagonist has no idea that he has been chosen precisely because of his naivete and ignorance of national politics. His would-be handlers are sure that they can exploit his wholesome image as they pursue a nefarious scheme to build a dam in his home state illegally. Finally realizing political low-lifes have set him up, Smith chooses to resist stoutly, even as attempts are made to discredit him by his former sponsors. Of course, as is required in Capra films and many other American movies, good eventually triumphs over evil, and our hero wins the day and the girl.
In 2023, Mr. George Santos, a Republican who has won a Congressional seat in New York’s 3rd Congressional district, beating out the former Democratic holder, has suddenly been outed as a fraud and liar of immense proportions. He has lied, inter alia, about his religious faith (he is Catholic, not Jewish), his education (he never went to college), his work history (he worked for neither Citigroup nor Goldman Sachs), and his sexual affiliation (he claimed to be gay). Even more alarming, he claimed that he had lost friends in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando (untrue) and that his mother’s parents were Ukrainian Jews (in fact, from Brazil). In recent news, he is now under investigation for a raft of suspect financial dealings, and Brazil has reopened fraud charges against him.
Mr. Santos has, however, not been disowned by his Republican comrades. Their majority in the US Congress is much too slim to be put at risk; the man who would be Speaker of the House desperately needs his vote to fend off internal challenges within his own ranks. Mr. Santos will take his seat in the nation’s legislative body that touts itself as the bulwark of democracy and free speech in the world, even as his Republican party squabbles publicly over its choice for Speaker of the House.
It is unlikely that Mr. Santos feels either guilt or remorse. He will certainly feel no incongruity when he finally takes his place in Congress. Republican members in 1974 voted to impeach a republican president for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress, which ultimately led to President Nixon’s resignation.
Mr. Santos should feel quite comfortable amidst such characters as Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, and Matt Goetz, poster children for the ‘New ‘ Republicans whose allegations of election fraud and anti-immigrant hysteria reflect the sentiments of a sizeable population in the United States that feels that their country should be white, Christian, conservative and isolated. To this fringe, ironically self-titled The Freedom Caucus, the ever-resolute Mr. McCarthy has so far yielded so much to win its support that if he bends any further backward, he is likely to find himself twisted beyond recognition, all still to no avail.
Mr. Santos is probably also taking comfort from signals that the new Congressional majority is also proposing to implement administrative changes that will isolate those who refused subpoenas from the January 6 Committee from a possible investigation by the Lower House’s own Ethics Committee. Mr. Santos will be an unwitting beneficiary of any such arrangement.
Mr. Santos has had a notable tutor in former President Donald Trump, whose capacity for brazenly lying, distracting, and improbable denial has little or no equal in recent political history, American or elsewhere. In January 2021, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker team calculated that Donald Trump ‘had accumulated 30,573 untruths during his presidency—averaging about 21 erroneous claims a day…What is especially striking is how the tsunami of untruths kept rising the longer he served as president and became increasingly unmoored from the truth.
Trump did not invent the science of the brazen lie, which Santos now seems to have perfected. In a 1973 book called ‘The Politics of Lying,’ David Wise laid bare a pattern of contemporary lying by various US administrations beginning in 1966 and culminating with Nixon and Watergate. It prompts one to reflect that deception of the American public has deep-seated roots; one can look back, if so inclined, at the string of broken treaties made with or official promises given to the indigenous Native American populations in the process of territorial expansion.
It would be a mistake to unilaterally drape American leadership with perfecting the art of the politically motivated lie. The history of the world would suggest that deception of one’s public is an essential ingredient of leadership the world over. Recent events in Trinidad and Tobago suggest that our politicians have long mastered this critical skill and adopted the brazenness about it that is now seemingly a required adjunct. The philosophers would argue that the compulsion to lie and deceive is inherent in human nature; the anthropologists might claim that it became a necessity to ensure survival and self-preservation; political thinkers and historians would see it as yet another item in the public figure’s toolbox of required skillsets, the end always justifying the means.
That there should be such a profound distaste in some of us for deceptiveness and outright lying in public affairs may surprise a few (or is it more than a few?). Some of us may naively believe that an oath of office is still a sacrosanct thing and that those who would lead us must be held to a higher standard. In his 1973 book, Wise spoke of a ‘credibility gap,’ a lack of confidence by the public in what their elected officials say; fifty years later, this has hardened into political cynicism, best represented in Trinidad and Tobago not only by the large numbers who no longer choose to exercise their hard-won franchise but by the many who now believe that when we stain our fingers in electoral ink, we do so for exchange, not change. But withdrawn or cynical as one might be, we cannot help but cling to the belief, in the words of the late Black Stalin, that ‘better days are coming.’
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Ken Jaikaransingh is a former educator and publisher who lives in Trinidad. He posts occasional essays for friends on Facebook and has provided student guides for several examination texts. Now retired, he has published two collections of short stories, both available on Amazon.com. The link to his most recent,The Mark of Cane, is https://a.co/d/fwft6RG‘
Honoring Mayor Eric Adams
(L to R) Mayor Eric Adams listens to remarks by Herman Hall, Publisher of the 45-year-old Caribbean-American magazine, and Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix and Corporation Counsel for the City of New York . 2nd Photo: Mayor Adams displays 2021 EVERYBODY’S Magazine Person of the Year plaque and Herman Hall
City Hall, New York, NY – December 21, 2022
Remarks by Herman Hall Presenting 2021 Person of the Year Award to New York City Mayor Eric Adams
Announcing Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell as 2022 EVERYBOODY’S Magazine Person of the Year
Mayor Adams, on behalf of EVERYBODY’S, the Caribbean-American magazine, we wish you, and all New Yorkers, Happy Holidays.
We know it is not an easy task to lead the greatest city on earth and to have the 2nd most demanding job in America. During your almost 12 months in office, you have addressed the most burning and controversial issues in our city and nation with great alacrity. This magazine, primarily an immigrant one, applauds you for aiding migrants from the southern border and the dignity you have afforded them. Yet, we know it is a tremendous strain on your budget.
Mr. Mayor, on February 6, 2020 (I may add Bob Marley’s birthday), as Borough President, you recognized the 46th Anniversary of Grenada’s Independence. At the ceremony, and perhaps the last time we may have seen him, our friend Roy Hastick, founder of CACCI, warned guests that they would have to cross the bridge into Manhattan if they wished to see you, effective January 1, 2022. Hastick boldly proclaimed that you would be our next mayor. We embedded the photo of you and Roy at the flag-raising event in your Person of the Year plaque in memory of Roy’s foresight.
Even before you were elected Mayor on November 2, 2021, many EVERYBODY’S readers were nominating you as their Person of the Year.
This EVERYBODY’S Magazine Person of the Year Award was possible because the late John H. Johnson, founder of EBONY and JET Magazines, encouraged me to establish EVERYBODY’S Magazine at an EBONY Fashion Show held at Brooklyn College in the mid-1970s.
Finally, Mr. Mayor, as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day next month, Black History in February, and Women’s History in March, your Person of the Year Award is in tribute to “The Father of Black Journalism,” John B. Russwurm. As a pathbreaker like you and Mayor David Dinkins, Russwurm founded America’s first Black newspaper, Freedom Journal, on March 16, 1827, which catapulted more African American voices into the public debate setting the stage for the ongoing struggle for equity and social justice for all.
I now ask Judge Sylvia Hinds Radix, longtime EVERYBODY’S reader, fan of my history books and attendee at the magazine’s Oliver Samuels plays, reggae, and calypso concerts, to present you EVERYBODY’S “Caribbean” Magazine Person of the Year Award for 2021.
MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES OPENING OF SATELLITE ASYLUM SEEKER SITES
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro announced an additional eight Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation sites that will be opened across the five boroughs, in an effort to continue supporting newly arrived individuals and families seeking asylum. Eight community-based organizations have been chosen and granted $2.1 million to run these sites that will build on the ongoing work of the city’s first Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center, operated by Catholic Charities of New York.
“The city’s first Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Centers has served nearly 7,000 individuals since opening a few short months ago, and I’m proud to expand the footprint of this important work across all five boroughs to support the asylum seekers arriving in our city every day,” said Mayor Adams. “In partnership with these eight community-based organizations, these additional centers will help support the more than 26,000 asylum seekers who have arrived here in New York City with a range of services including legal assistance, medical care, and school enrollment. New York City will continue to do all we can to meet our moral and legal mandates and welcome and support asylum seekers arriving here, and these sites will play an important role delivering critical services directly to families and individuals who need them.”
“Throughout the city’s response to the asylum seeker crisis, we have worked in partnership with community-based organizations,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Today’s announcement builds upon that work and offers additional layers of support for individuals and families seeking a new home in New York City. Thank you to our partners who will continue to serve asylum seekers at satellite locations in all five boroughs.”
“New York City has led the nation’s response to the influx of asylum seekers, launching the first Asylum Seeker Navigation Center,” said MOIA Commissioner Castro. “Today, we take another stride forward by announcing several community organizations that will serve as satellite sites across the five boroughs to support our new neighbors. Through this effort, our administration will continue to lead with care and compassion and empower our newest New Yorkers with resources and services.”
The selected organizations will provide individuals and families with in-person support — in Spanish and in other languages — including a variety of supplemental services, comprehensive case management, and immigrant rights workshops:
- Aid for Aids International
- African Communities Together (ACT)
- Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York
- Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services Brooklyn & Queens
- Coalicion Mexicana
- La Colmena
- Mercy Center
- Mixteca Organization
- New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE)
The city’s first Asylum Seeker Resource Navigation Center — located at the American Red Cross of Greater New York headquarters — will continue to operate on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and provide individuals and families with in-person support. Services at the navigation center and Catholic Charities sites will be available by appointments and walk-ins are accepted in all other locations. Appointments can be made by community-based partners and certain city agencies, including city shelter staff. Since this humanitarian crisis began, the city has — largely on its own — taken fast and urgent action, managing the arrival of a rapidly increasing number of buses across New York City with virtually no coordination from states sending them — opening 57 hotels as emergency shelters and three humanitarian relief centers already.
Zeldin seeks Caribbean-NY Vote
Congressman Lee Zeldin, who is running for governor of New York, and his running mate Alison Esposito met with representatives of the Caribbean community in New York City. Polls reflect a close race between Governor Kathy Hochul and Zeldin. While acknowledging that most Caribbean voters are Democrats, Zeldin said he hopes to earn their vote. Zeldin and Esposito provided thorough answers to questions. Many attendees asked what a possible Governor Zeldin will do about the “so-called affordable housing” where the monthly rent is $2700-$3100, making it difficult for people who earn $50,000 or less not to qualify. Zeldin said after 20 years of Democrat governors during that time, two resigned in disgrace, “the system is broken; therefore, a new and strong leadership is essential.” Some attendees at the roundtable meeting said they are lifelong Democrats but plan to vote for Zeldin and Esposito because they are frustrated with the breakdown of law and order and the poor leadership exhibited by seasoned Democrats. They urge voters to cast their ballot for Zeldin.
Nine days of Early voting across New York State begins on October 29. Voters are urged to vote during one of the nine days (Oct 29-Nov. 6) rather than waiting until November 8.
2nd from L: Candidate for Lt. Governor Alison Esposito.
Head Table-L-R: Joe Pinion, Candidate for the U.S. Senate whose mom is Jamaican, Alison Esposito and Congressman Lee Zedlin. (Photo Leonard McKenzie)