PA James Holds Media Event Ahead of NYCHA Hearing
Public Advocate Letitia James will take questions from the media about the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) recent lead paint crisis today, ahead of her testimony in federal court against the city’s housing authority.
On Wednesday, the Public Advocate will give her statement regarding NYCHA at a hearing on the federal government’s settlement agreement with the NYC housing authority’s handling of lead in it’s buildings.
In June of this year, the federal government sued NYCHA asserting it had violated basic federal health and safety regulations, including regulations requiring NYCHA to protect children from lead paint and otherwise to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing.
Additionally, the federal government alleged that NYCHA repeatedly made false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the public regarding its lead paint compliance, and intentionally deceived HUD inspectors.
NYCHA entered into a settlement agreement with the federal government that imposes a federal monitor over the agency and requires the City, among other things, to provide $1.2 billion of additional capital funding to NYCHA over the next five years, and $200 million every year thereafter until the problems are fixed. That settlement is subject to the review and approval of the Court, which is the purpose of today’s hearing.
The event is slated for 9 a.m., today, Sept. 26, at Moynihan Courthouse, at 200 Worth Street in Lower Manhattan.
Cumbo Announces WEB Dubois Aspirations High School Community Meeting Dates
New York City Council Majority Leader Laurie A. Cumbo (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) announced yesterday the upcoming dates for W.E.B. DuBois Aspirations High School’s community meetings.
The meetings will give parents, teachers, students and local leaders an opportunity to discuss working together as a community, and the school’s name change. The high school was originally titled, “W.E.B. Dubois High School,” but was recently changed to its current name after the Department of Education (DOE) combined the school with Aspirations Diploma Plus High School, previously located in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The name change was part of a consolidation plan by the DOE to address low enrollment rates at both schools.
Du Bois, a seminal figure in African-American history, preached self-empowerment and opposed the controversial Atlanta Compromise. He believed that black empowerment came from increased political representation through the African-American intellectual elite, the idea that African-Americans needed the chances for advanced education to develop its leadership.
The Dubois high school previously had a history of serving Black and Hispanic over-aged, under-credited students since 2001. Additionally, the school has a history of serving academically challenged students and has been critical in the predominantly Black community of Crown Heights for giving second chances to any student willing to earn their high school diploma.
The meetings are all slated to take place at WEB Dubois Aspirations High School, at 402 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights. The meetings are slated for:
Wednesday, Sept. 26, 4:30PM – Parent Teacher conference and Parent Association meeting. Discuss officer nominations.
Tuesday, Oct. 16, 4:30PM – Parent Association meeting; Elections.
Thursday, Oct. 25, 4:30PM – School Leadership Team meeting.
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 4:45PM – Community meeting. The main agenda item will be the name change.
Attendees can confirm date and times prior to the meeting by calling the school at 718.773.7765 or contacting Majority Leader Cumbo’s office at 718.260.9191; Monica Abend, Chief of Staff can answer any questions.
Carroll To Hold Hearing On Impact of Arts, Cultural Organizations On State’s Economy
Assembly member Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington), Museums and Cultural Institutions Subcommittee Chair, will hold a hearing today to examine the impact New York’s artistic and cultural institutions have had on the state’s economy.
Carroll alongside Assembly Tourism, Arts, Parks, and Sports Development Committee Chair Daniel O’Donnell (D-Manhattan) will take testimony on how the support and successful marketing of artistic and cultural attractions has the potential to create and sustain jobs while strengthening the state’s economy.
The hearing will also provide an opportunity to review the effectiveness of state-supported programs aimed at enhancing the arts and cultural institutions, as well as the potential for locally-supported events, such as hosting festivals and conferences in cultural institutions to increase tourism and impact local economies.
New York currently ranks second among all states in arts and cultural value added to the economy and in arts and cultural employment. The artistic and cultural sector generated $114.1 billion for the state economy and employed nearly 463,000 people in 2015. Members of both committees will also look into how new and existing artistic and cultural programs can help increase job growth and economic development throughout the state.
The event is slated for 1 p.m., today, Sept. 26, at 250 Broadway, Assembly hearing Room 1923 (19th Floor) in Lower Manhattan.
Cornegy To Honor Record-Breaking Olympian
City Council member Robert Cornegy, Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant) will join New York City Officials and the Black, Latino, Asian Caucus today to honor a legendary Olympic champion from Queens on the 50th anniversary of his world-record setting long jump.
Bob Beamon, of South Jamaica, at 22 years old, secured a world championship in the 1968 Olympic Games, with a Long Jump which set a record of 29’2 1/2”. This feat, while no longer the world record, remains the Olympic record to this day and has been named one of the five greatest sports moments of 20th Century.
After learning that he broke the record, Beamon collapsed out of emotional shock, and was helped to his feet by his teammates, which has become one of the most endearing images of the games. Beamon is in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and was one of the first Olympians inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
The 1968 Olympic Games, held in Mexico City, Mexico, were filled with political disagreement around issues of race and ethnic controversies happening around the globe. The 1968 Olympics produced, perhaps, one of the Olympics’ most iconic moments, in which Tommie Smith and John Carlos, both American runners, raised their fists in a “Black Power” salute.
The event is slated for 1 p.m., today, Sept. 26, on the Steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
