ATTENTION: Columbia Univ. Summer Public Health Scholars Program

Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons is hosting the Summer Public Health Scholars Program (SPHSP), a ten-week summer program for underrepresented minority students to increase interest and knowledge of public health and biomedical science careers.

The Summer 2012 Program spans May 28th to August 3rd.

Eligible Participants are:
-Students who have completed at least two years of college or recent college graduates
-African American/Black, Hispanic /Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander and/or economically disadvantaged

SPHSP offerings include:
● Public Health field experience
● Seminars and lectures with public health leaders
● Faculty mentoring
● Visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
● Stipend upon program completion

For more information and the program application please visit
www.oda-ps.cumc.columbia.edu, or e-mail sphsp-ps@columbia.edu. The application deadline is February 14, 2012.

MLK Holiday Breakfast for 500 Men Making A Difference Renovation of Paul Robeson Theatre in FG: 1/16 at 10AM

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
January 15, 2012

Contact: Amyre Loomis (718) 260-9191

MLK BREAKFAST ON MONDAY IN FORT GREENE: PARTNER WITH NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS TO HONOR DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR’S LEGACY

(Brooklyn, NY) "It is my pleasure to join 500 Men Making a Difference to provide a great service for the community over this holiday weekend by helping with renovations of the historic Paul Robeson Theater. Also, on Monday, January 16 at 10am, a Men's Breakfast will be held at 525 Waverly Avenue. All are welcome; please read below for more information. Happy Martin Luther King Birthday Holiday to all," said Council Member James.

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The Paul Robeson Theater, located at 40 Greene Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, is receiving renovation assistance from the organization “500 Men Making A Difference”. The late Dr. Josephine English (former owner of the theater) had expressed interest in renovating the recently-landmarked 147-year-old space, but needed financial assistance to do so. Council Member James seeked to provide budget funding, and assist in establishing a solid management plan. Unfortunately, Dr. English passed away in December 2011 before these matters were finalized.

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500 Men Making a Difference is doing a 72-Hour Straight Renovation Project at the theater this MLK weekend. They have asked members in the community to come down and help with the removal of debris, fixing, installing and painting that needs to be done.

500 Men is working with the following sponsors:
Brooklyn Weinstein
Bedford Central Community Development Corp
BEHR Paint
Home Depot
Park Ave Building & Supply

Renovation Schedule:
-Opening Ceremony 11:00 PM Friday
-Work Start 12:00 AM Saturday
-Press conference 11:00 AM Saturday
-Party hour 2:00 AM Sunday
-Church Service 10:45 AM Sunday
-Men's Breakfast 10:00 AM Monday
-Closing Ceremony & Ribbon cutting 12:00 AM Tuesday

Shifts:
Man shift- 10 hours
You are the Man shift- 12 hour
Inhuman shift- 16 hour

Contact:
Wayne Devonish
500 Men Making a Difference Inc.
www.500MenMakingaDifference.com
wmdkaos@aol.com
917-297-2365

Elected Officials Speak Out Against Hateful Language By NYPD Officers Exposed On Facebook

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
December 6, 2011

Contact: Aja Worthy-Davis at (212) 788-7081

Elected Officials Speak Out Against Hateful Language By NYPD Officers Exposed On Facebook
Outrage Follows Police Officers Found Making Disparaging Comments Concerning West Indian American Day Parade, Community

New York, NY— Individuals affiliated with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) have been found making offensive and disrespectful comments on the social networking website Facebook regarding the West Indian American Day Parade in Central Brooklyn, an annual multiday event that unfolds over the Labor Day weekend.

In the Facebook group, entitled “No More West Indian Day Detail”, posters were found referring to parade participants as “animals”, “savages”, and “filth”, and the parade overall as a “scheduled riot”. In fact, the language was so inflammatory that some posters sent out the warning that it could be exposed to the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau.

In early November 2011, Council Member Letitia James joined State Senator Eric Adams, Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries, and Council Member Jumaane Williams to urge Mayor Bloomberg to appoint an independent commission to investigate corruption within the NYPD. This request followed a number of recent well-publicized scandals involving New York City police officers including ticket-fixing, evidence tampering, and drug-planting; as well as overall policies such as unlawful surveillance activity and discriminatory stop and frisk tactics.

“These comments are deeply bigoted, and suggest that these officers view their duty as some kind of war against the communities they have sworn to protect,” said Council Member Letitia James. “This attitude mars the integrity of the department and is reminiscent of a time before community policing was established as NYPD policy. When officers suggest ‘dropping a bomb’ on a community, I have to question not only their commitment to their duties, but the degree to which they value basic human life.”

“Such deeply offensive remarks don’t belong anywhere, anytime in our City,” said Comptroller John C. Liu. “The Officers who were responsible for these comments don’t represent the NYPD, but do reinforce concerns about biased policing. The NYPD needs to get the bottom of this.”

“The comments made by these police officers are disgraceful and need to be investigated immediately,” said Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito. “I know that these views do not represent the entirety of the police force, but unfortunately, this only serves to reinforce distrust of the police among communities of color.”

“I cannot say that today's report surprises me, based on the growing avalanche of these stories coming from every corner of New York City,” said Council Member Jumaane Williams. “Yet, Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly have maintained their deafening silence towards this issue. These comments come out in the wake of other concerning statements from NYPD officers, including a racially motivated arrest on Staten Island in April where an officer said he ‘fried another n-----’, as well as racist language captured in wiretaps during the ticket-fixing investigation in the Bronx.”

The 2011 West Indian American Day Parade saw a total of nine shooting victims, with four of those victims shot along the parade’s route. Those who lost their life include Denise Gay, 56, who was shot while sitting on a stoop with her daughter. Mayor Michael Bloomberg blamed the violence on gun-accessibility.

WHO: Council Member Letitia James
NYC Comptroller John Liu
Public Advocate Bill De Blasio (Representative Kirsten Foy)
Representative Yvette Clarke (Representative Latrice Walker)
Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito
Council Member Jumaane Williams
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez
Council Member Robert Jackson
Council Member Brad Lander


WHEN: December 7, 2011
1:00 PM

WHERE: steps of City Hall

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ATTENTION: DYCD Young Adult Literacy Program

Mayor Bloomberg Kicks-Off Young Adult Literacy Program as First Component in Young Men’s Initiative

On October 11, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs and Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Jeanne B. Mullgrav announced the expansion of the Young Adult Literacy Program.

The program, developed and administered by DYCD, aims to improve literacy for disconnected youth who read between the fourth and eighth grade level. The Young Adult Literacy Program works to overall strengthen the safety net of services for black and Latino young men who have left high school without a diploma and may not be ready to take the GED exam. The program will receive $3 million over the next three years through the City’s Young Men’s Initiative.

The Program is now fully operational at 17 sites across all five boroughs and will serve nearly 1,000 participants this year. Sony has generously donated more than 1,500 Readers to assist with the City’s literacy effort and partnered with the public libraries to offer program participants free access to library book downloads.

CM James Statement On Arrest of NYPD Officer Michael Daragjati for Violation of Civil Rights

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** October 17, 2011

Contact: Aja Worthy-Davis at (212) 788-7081

Council Member Letitia James Statement On Arrest of NYPD Officer Michael Daragjati for Violation of Civil Rights

Officer Accused of Arresting Black Citizen Under False Charges and Using Offensive Racial Language


“While we all know that the majority of New York City police officers are excellent public servants who exercise their authority in appropriate situations and with probable cause, this officer underscores the need for NYPD reform on stop-and-frisk. Had this officer not allegedly bragged about this arrest, what evidence of false reporting and misconduct would exist? It has been proven time and time again that stop-and-frisk is an unbalanced practice that has disproportionately affected minority and immigrant communities. I urge Commissioner Raymond Kelly to end this practice, weed out bad officers who fabricate arrests, and work to build a climate of trust with minority communities.”



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Weeksville Heritage Center Fall 2011 Harvest Festival

The Weeksville Heritage Center presents
the Fall 2011 Harvest Festival - the final day of Weeksville's Farmers Market.

The mission of Weeksville Heritage Center is to document, preserve and interpret the history of free African American communities in Weeksville, Brooklyn and beyond and to create and inspire innovative, contemporary uses of African American history through education, the arts, and civic engagement.

OCTOBER 29TH / FROM 11AM-4PM
(Free Admission)

WEEKSVILLE HERITAGE CENTER
1698 Bergen, Brooklyn, NY 11213
Directions are available on website at http://www.weeksvillesociety.org/

~ Children’s Cooking Classes
~ Canning & Seed Saving Workshops
~ Iron Chef Competition
~ Food Vendors & Farmers Market
~ Youth Art Exhibition
~ Tours of the historic Weeksville houses
~ DJ

This event is funded by the National Grid Foundation, Valentine Perry Snyder, and Con Edison. For additional information, please contact 718-756-5250 or info@weeksvillesociety.org

ATTENTION: FREE Prostate Cancer Screening Today; 9/21; Manhattan

The Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) (affiliated with the Weill Cornell Medical Center) is hosting their 5th Annual Free Prostate Cancer Screening today. The event is sponsored by New York Presbyterian.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 21, 2011
7:00AM- 5:00PM

WHERE: Clinical Translational Science Center
525 East 68th Street
2nd Floor, Room F260, Payson Elevators
New York, NY

The screening is for men over the age of 40. Please contact (212) 746-5450, or see here for more information.

ATTENTION: NY Association of Black Journalists Hosts "First Take" Journalism Program for HS Students

The New York Association of Black Journalists is now accepting applications for its high school journalism program, FIRST TAKE. Students accepted into the program will learn how to report and produce local stories in multiple media formats from New York City’s top journalists.

The eight-week program meets every Saturday from October 1 through November 12, with an additional eighth session that meets on Sunday, November 20. Students will learn how to write news, how to produce a blog, how to shoot and edit video, and how to produce a televised newscast. Students will also have the opportunity to visit a live newsroom in Manhattan.

The program’s instructors include professionals from ABC News, The Associated Press, The New York Times, the New York Post, the Huffington Post and more. The workshop is hosted by the Journalism & Media Arts Department of Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus.

Applicants should be current high school students from the New York City area who have a strong interest in pursuing journalism careers.

Students who successfully complete the program will receive digital and printed copies of their work to begin building their own work portfolios. Also, each student will be awarded a certificate during a brunch ceremony attended by their parents and the workshop mentors.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2011

Students who are interested in participating must complete the online application at firsttakenyc.com/apply.

For additional information, students and parents are encouraged to contact: info@firsttakenyc.com

CM James’ Response To Mayor Bloomberg's Efforts To Bridge Disparities Between Young Black/Latino Men

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
August 4, 2011

Contacts: Amyre Loomis at (718) 260-9191

COUNCIL MEMBER JAMES’ RESPONSE TO MAYOR BLOOMBERG’S EFFORTS TO BRIDGE DISPARITIES BETWEEN YOUNG BLACK AND LATINO MALES AND THEIR PEERS IN NYC

(Brooklyn, NY) Mayor Bloomberg's legacy will be defined by his victories and his failures. One of his major failures can best be illustrated by his lack of investment and focus on issues affecting urban youth. Black and Latino young men represent the most disaffected and disconnected constituency in the City.

Despite repeated warnings by members of the City Council, leaders and organizations… crying out in the wilderness of central Brooklyn and other urban settings urging investment; who for too long have been dependent primarily upon religious and civic volunteers and their individual small donations - the Mayor is finally showing up late to the carnage.

The mountain of disparity has consistently been dangerously trending upward. And unfortunately, the Bloomberg administration’s response has often been short-sighted, and more focused on policing youth. Bloomberg’s stop and-frisk policy has led to the systematic humiliation and harassment of Black and Latino residents who are innocent of any wrongdoing. That response was a band aide approach to deep structural inequities.

I applaud the Mayor; I guess this initiative is better late than never. But, it does appear to look like a major ‘mea culpa’ in the final leg of his term, as he finally turns his attention (and vast wealth) to probably the most marginalized and historically ignored group of individuals, who truly needed it, and could have benefited early on from his philanthropy and administration the most.

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ATTENTION: Black Girls Rock, Inc. Host Summer Leadership Camp

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Inc. will launch its two-week summer leadership camp for exemplary teenage girls of color from various social, economic, and geographic backgrounds in upstate New York. Participants will be chosen through a strict and highly selective application process. The goal is to foster the participant’s intentional pursuit of excellence, integrity, self-discipline, and collective accountability so that they may be prepared to be sound leaders in academics, public service, and civic engagements.

Teenage girls aged 12-17 are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is June 18, 2011. The application is available here: http://blackgirlsrockinc.com/live/sites/default/files/Summer%20Camp%20Application.pdf

For more information, you can contact the organization at 718-789-ROCK (7625).

CM James Commends City Council Restoration of Funds for SWMP Implementation

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
April 26, 2011

Contact: Aja Worthy-Davis at (212) 788-7081

Council Member Letitia James Commends City Council Restoration of Funds for SWMP Implementation
Important Plan Addresses Borough Equity and Environmental Responsibility In Waste Handling

“Last week, the New York City Council restored important capital funding for the implementation of the 2006 Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP). During recent Preliminary Budget discussions, the administration proposed a budget that all but gutted SWMP by eliminating funding for critical infrastructure, and delaying that funding as far into the future as Fiscal Year 2019.

As the Chairperson of the New York City Council’s Committee on Sanitation and Waste, I believe that SWMP is both timely and integral to achieving the City's vital goal of diminishing the impact of exporting our waste outside of the City, and addressing the injustice of siting solid waste infrastructure in low-income communities.

For over ten years since the premature closure of the Fresh Kills landfill, New York City has operated under an ‘Interim Plan’ for handling waste. This system relies on privately-owned waste transfer stations concentrated in low-income communities that unfairly bear the brunt of waste-handling. In addition, the system depends heavily on long-haul trucks to export waste out of the City. In 2006, SWMP was passed in an effort to serve the critical goals of equity and environmental responsibility for the City of New York. Central to this Plan was a system of marine- and rail-based transfer stations located throughout the City that would eliminate millions of miles of truck traffic each year, as well as advance borough equity.

The Department of Sanitation’s Preliminary Budget would have effectively eliminated funding for four Marine Transfer Stations (MTSs), including all three MTSs to be sited in Manhattan (approximately 40% of the new waste-handling capacity envisioned in the SWMP plan). If this proposed budget had been implemented, this would have cut borough equity out of the SWMP, dramatically reduced its environmental benefits, and betrayed commitments made by the administration to both the City Council and the stakeholders that worked to pass the Plan. In fact, the proposal would have effectively undermined the Plan under the guise of delaying capital funding beyond the current administration. Waste and recyclables that would otherwise go to these facilities would instead be trucked to overburdened communities, and back out of the City.

I have stood by my colleagues in the New York City Council— some of whom represent districts overburdened with waste-handling facilities— to support SWMP and its important goals. In the coming years, City Council oversight will be integral as the administration and the department move forward with the construction of these facilities.”

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CM James Joins WFAC Faith Leaders In Denouncing Domestic Violence; 3/28; 11AM; BK Supreme Court

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2011
Contact: Reverend Cheryl Anthony
718-930-3120

wfac@judahinternational.com

‘The Women of Faith Advocating Change’ Takes Action to Denounce the Escalating Incidences of Domestic Violence

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK —The Women of Faith Advocating Change in conjunction with Judah International Christian Center, Church of God of East Flatbush, the Historic Rugged Cross Baptist Church, Agape Tabernacle International Fellowship, Women Organizing, Mobilizing and Building (WOMB), Council Member Letitia James, Assemblywoman Annette M. Robinson, TOP Development Corporation (Domestic Violence Prevention Program), the 77th Clergy Precinct Council, the 73rd Clergy Precinct Council and other prominent leaders and organizations are taking action against the rising incidences of Domestic Violence.

On Monday, March 28, 2011 at 11:00 am, The Women of Faith Advocating Change will hold a Press Conference denouncing the escalating incidences of Domestic Violence in our city and to lend support and prayers for Deputy Inspector Juanita Holmes, Commander of the 81st Police Precinct, here, in Brooklyn, New York. Female faith leaders, community leaders, elected officials and police colleagues will gather to send a strong message that Domestic Violence is a rising issue throughout our city and the nation, however, its impact on urban communities is devastating.

The Reverend Dr. Cheryl Anthony, Pastor of Judah International Christian Center and President of Women of Faith Advocating Change was quoted as saying “Domestic Violence in our homes, houses of worship, schools and community at large will not be tolerated or ignored. We are grieved that our sister and community colleague has suffered immensely (physically, emotionally and spiritually) because of a recent vicious domestic attack. We are in prayer for everyone involved.”

WHEN: Monday, March 28, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: The Steps of Brooklyn Supreme Court

CM James Supports Video Report Exposing Vendor Exploitation of Women of Color

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

March 21, 2011

Contact Amyre Loomis at (718) 260-9191, (646) 201-8183

COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA JAMES SUPPORTS VIDEO REPORT BY BLACK AND BROWN NEWS (BBN)- ‘NEW YORK CITY NEWSSTAND VENDORS: EXPLOITING SOME, PROTECTING OTHERS

(Brooklyn, NY) As a member of the New York City Council, and an advocate for the well-being and progress of women and girls, I stand alongside Black and Brown News in requesting the enforcement of laws to protect this segment of New York City from the exploitation of Newsstand Vendors. I am currently drafting legislation to increase penalties for offending vendors. Please watch the video for more information about this issue, as well as read the law included below.

(Original Video Report) New York City Newsstand Vendors: Exploiting Some, Protecting Others (see link below). Through the course of travels around the city by BBN, they report noticing a disturbing pattern of disparity in how New York City newsstand vendors take liberties in their display cases with the image of Black and Latino women, who model for covers of sexually provocative magazines. BNN found shopkeepers (of all backgrounds) who exploited the images of Black and Latino women, while going to great lengths to protect the image of White women on similar magazine covers. New York City newsstands are licensed by city government and they are bound to state law. According to New York Penal Code Penal Law Sections:

--245.10 Public display of offensive sexual material is defined as showing of the female genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering, or the showing of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple.

-- 245.11 And a person is guilty of public display of offensive sexual material when he with knowledge of its character and content he displays or permits to be displayed in or on any window, showcase, newsstand, display rack, wall, door, billboard, display board, viewing screen, moving picture screen, marquee or similar place, in such manner that the display is easily visible from or in any: public street, sidewalk or thoroughfare; transportation facility; or any place accessible to members of the public without fee or other limit or condition of admission such as a minimum age requirement.

Please view these links:
-- Video on You tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHnVVc-x_gw
-- New York City Newsstand Vendors: Exploiting Some, Protecting Others
http://blackandbrownnews.com/digital/2014262536_story.php

I thank you in advance for joining this important cause and sharing the message with others. We must do everything we can to protect women and girls from exploitation, specifically as we lift up all women during this March in honor of Women’s History month 2011.

-Letitia James, Member of City Council
35th District, Brooklyn


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ATTENTION: GMHC Presents Club 1319 Youth Program

GMHC has launched a new youth program focused on LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13 and 19. Club 1319 challenges young men to produce extraordinary results through engaging in social media and group workshops that assist with tutoring, financial planning, college exploration, and job placement.

For more information, contact GMHC Leadership In Action at (212) 367-1017 or leadership@gmhc.org.

ATTENTION: AABE Scholarship Program

The American Association of Black in Energy (AABE) is a professional organization of African Americans in the energy industry. Through its scholarship program, the AABE seeks to increase the number of African Americans and other minority groups in energy-related fields. Applicants should be entering an accredited college or university, and have a 3.0 GPA. Application due March 11, 2011.

For more information, or for the application, please call (212) 788-7081 or email teamtish@gmail.com

Council Member James Comments on Removal of Offensive Billboard Targeting Abortion in Black Community

**For Immediate Release**
February 24, 2011

Contact: Amyre Loomis at (718) 260-9191

Statement by Council Member Letitia James About Anti-Abortion Billboard in SoHo Coming Down: We Won

(Brooklyn, NY)- The Office of Council Member Letitia James received confirmation today from Women of Color Network (NYU) and LAMAR Outdoor Advertising that a billboard (located on Corner of Watts and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan) paid for by Life Always targeting abortion in the black community, will be removed. Mr. Peter Costanza, Vice President and General Manager of LAMAR, agreed to take down the billboard featuring an African-American young girl with an offensive tag-line stating “The most dangerous place for African Americans is in the womb.” Community activists, women’s rights advocates, civil rights leaders, elected officials, people of color and others agreed that the content underlying this billboard was racial profiling, and demeaning to African-American women and communities. The enormous outcry against this billboard reflects the true purpose of this politically motivated campaign as being an attack on pro-choice, as well as Planned Parenthood located nearby.

“I truly believe that our collective quick action, phone calls and letters to the company are directly responsible for their decision to pull the ad. However, we must remain vigilant. Life Always is committed to spreading the campaign throughout country and there are continued threats to access to the full range of reproductive health services for low-income women and communities,” said C. Nicole Mason, Executive Director, Women of Color Policy Network, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU. “This billboard is only one of the many attacks on reproductive freedom and services for low-income women across the country. Both the House and Presidential budgets propose to eliminate critical funding to programs that provide services to women and families.”

Council Member James said: “This victory is a sweet one for all involved, especially as Black History Month 2011 ends. The billboard coming down is symbolic for the power of the human spirit, the power of social media and angry women, as well as reinforces the notion that nothing is more dangerous than a made up mind. An innocent face got caught in the middle of the controversy; yet the young girl’s expression speaks of only strength, life, and love, not race or gender based politics. I support woman having the right to make personal choices in regards to what’s best for their body, and I will continue to respect many different points of view. Congratulations to everyone for swift action, and I would like to share the following sentiment sent to me via e-mail by a friend that accurately sums up the positive ending to such a negative beginning: Great Work! Score one for the good guys / gals / men / women / brethren / sistren in the ongoing battle with the barbarians! Simply put, the community put up a good fight and we won.”

Update: Offensive Billboard Targeting Abortion in Black Community Removed

A Message from Council Member Letitia James--

"Earlier this afternoon, my office received confirmation from Women of Color Network (NYU) and Lamar Outdoor Advertising that the offensive billboard by Life Always targeting abortion in the black community would be removed today, Thursday, February 24, 2011. I consider the outrage voiced by myself, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Planned Parenthood, and numerous advocacy agencies and New Yorkers to have been successful in sending the clear message that Black women and children will not be misrepresented in political efforts to attack reproductive rights."

NYC Billboard Targets Abortion in Black Community

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

February 22, 2011

Contact: Aja Worthy-Davis at (212) 788-7081

New York City Billboard Targets Abortion In Black Community
Compares Abortion to Terrorism; Refers to “Genocidal Plot”

New York, NY— On February 23, 2011, a number of pro-life leaders will unveil a controversial billboard in Soho, New York. The billboard—which features the face of a young African American girl— is part of a larger campaign focused on abortion in the black community which claims that “the most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.”

Information released by Life Always, an advertising organization that represents pro-life campaigns, states that “During Black History Month…our future is in jeopardy as a genocidal plot is carried out through abortion.” The press release notes the launch of a campaign website www.ThatsAbortion.com, which states, “There is a battle being waged in the United States that has taken more lives than any foreign war or act of terrorism. The enemy is abortion.” According to the organization, the campaign is meant to raise public awareness of Planned Parenthood’s supposed agenda to target minority neighborhoods.

However, the website’s “Pregnancy Help” section guides users to various Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs), which are the focus of a City Council bill know as Int. 371-2010. These CPCs are notorious for being intentionally vague concerning their agenda to deter women from seeking abortion services; and some have been accused of being deceptive about abortion risks and procedures while intentionally targeting poor and working-class women, immigrant women, and women of color to utilize their services.

“It is misguided to use Black History Month as a tool to promote this message,” said Council Member Letitia James. “Every woman has the right to make personal choices in regards to her body, and I respect many different points of view, but to compare abortion to terrorism and genocide is highly offensive.”

According to Planned Parenthood, 3 percent of the organization’s health services are abortion services, while an overwhelming 82 percent are services to prevent unintended pregnancy.


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REMINDER: Inaugural Cinema Festival Begins Black History Month

"Inaugural Festival by Brooklyn-Based Film Organization Opens Up Black History Month 2011 at BAMcinèmatek"

Read more here.

Inaugural Cinema Festival Begins Black History Month: ActNow, Council Member James & BAMcinematek

Inaugural Festival by Brooklyn-Based Film Organization Opens Up Black History Month 2011 at BAMcinèmatek

Brooklyn, NY - Fort Greene based ActNow Foundation, in conjunction with BAMcinématek and NYC Council Member Letitia James, presents a new film festival that directly reflects the wide spectrum of views and themes within the African diaspora communities in Brooklyn and beyond.

The New Voices in Black Cinema Festival is a multi-genre showcase of quality movies geared towards getting general and new audiences to appreciate Black independent film. Choosing excellence over spectacle and boldness over standard fare, this program pushes the gamut of showing how film explores Black society and provides exhibition to new voices, and existing ones.

Taking place February 4th to the 9th at BAM Rose Cinemas, this program is an extension of ActNow’s ongoing New Voices in Black Cinema screening series at BAMcinèmatek, which last summer premiered Idris Elba & Thomas Ikimi’s festival hit Legacy and in 2009 showed the stirring documentary on soul music legend Bill Withers, Still Bill. “This festival continues ActNow’s mission of giving independent filmmakers the opportunity to present their stories to audiences on a grand scale,” proclaims ActNow Executive Director Aaron Ingram. He continues, “Especially being in Brooklyn, they’ll be able to reach out to our borough’s diverse African diaspora and beyond.”

New Voices in Black Cinema features documentary films of cultural and socio-political significance like Coming Back For More (2009—Feb. 5 & 6), in which the search for reclusive soul music superstar Sly Stone takes documentary filmmaker & musician Willem Alkema on a memorable, musical journey of a lifetime. Heart of Stone (2009—screening Feb. 4 & 9), examines Newark’s Weequahic High School principal Ron Stone’s efforts in confronting the extra-violent gang problems in his school and the backlash from the once-proud Jewish alumni in what was once among the highest-rated schools in the USA and journalist Dream Hampton’s documentary Black August (2010—Feb. 4 & 6), showcases a grassroots movement’s efforts to raise awareness about political prisoners, featuring interviews with intellectuals and social activists such as Assata Shakur, as well as performances by Hip-Hop artists such as Brooklyn natives Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

The series also includes personal narrative films like Money Matters (2010—Feb. 7), award-winning filmmaker Ryan Richmond’s portrayal of a single mother and her teenage daughter, as well as Tanya Hamilton’s Night Catches Us (2010—Feb. 4 & 7)—named one of the Best First Features in The Village Voice 2010 Film Critics’ Poll—starring Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington, about a former member of the Black Power movement returning home. Robert Heath’s SUS (2010—Feb. 4 & 7) a “sharply written, beautifully acted, and devastating critique of institutional racism,” (David Edwards, Daily Mirror) set entirely in a British interrogation room on election night in 1979, centers on two bigoted cops attempting to pin a murder on a man, played by Clint Dyer, who also produced.

The festival concludes on Feb. 9 with the ‘Brooklyn Block’ showcase of short films from local filmmakers, as well as a screening of Wendell B. Harris’ newly-restored Chameleon Street (1990—Feb. 9), inaugurating ActNow’s New Black Classics series. This race-examining satire based on the life of William Douglas Street, Jr.—played by the director himself—a Detroit con artist who successfully impersonated numerous professionals, became the first black film ever awarded Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize in 1990.

For more information about the New Voices in Black Cinema Film Festival, please contact Curtis John at curtis@actnowproduction.org or Donnet Bruce at donnet@actnowproduction.org or (347) 274-0563 and go to www.ActNowproduction.org. The contact for Council Member Letitia James is Amyre Loomis at aloomis@council.nyc.gov, (718) 260-9191.

For press and more information on BAMcinèmatek , please contact:
Gabriele Caroti at 718.724.8024 / gcaroti@bam.org
Matthew Yeager at 718.636.4129x1 / myeager@bam.org
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New Voices in Black Cinema schedule
Q&As with filmmakers at select screenings
Friday, February 4
2pm: Heart of Stone
4:30pm: SUS
6:50pm: Night Catches Us
9:30pm: Black August
Saturday, February 5
6:50pm: I Will Follow
9:30pm: Coming Back for More
Sunday, February 6
6:50pm: Coming Back for More
9:15pm: Black August
Monday, February 7
4:30pm: Night Catches Us
6:50pm: Money Matters
9:30pm: SUS
Wednesday, February 9
4:30pm: Heart of Stone
7pm: Brooklyn Block shorts
9:30pm: Chameleon Street

Website: www.actnowproduction.org
Blog: actnowfoundationfilmandtheater.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ActNowFoundation
Twitter: twitter.com/actnowfilmstage

General Information
BAM Rose Cinemas is located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place).
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue;
D, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue
Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue
Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM
Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM
For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.
For ticket information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.