Unveiling of Christopher Rose Way.

Join the Christopher Rose Community Empowerment Campaign   

        Hon. Jumaane D. Williams 

 

 the unveiling of

Christopher Rose Way.

 

Christopher Rose, 15, is  is believed to be the first  person who was murdered in an iPod robbery. I wonder if the young man who killed Christopher would of had a job, or parents with money to buy an iPod for him, or perhaps someone to teach him about materialism and where it leads- would this have happened?

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NYC Council Members Arroyo, Levin, Lander, Speaker Quinn, and Vann advocate for a $10 Billion Dollar Waiver

 

 

"We are writing to urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to approve the New York State Department of Health (DOH)’s Medicaid 1115 Waiver Amendment.  We are approaching the one-year mark of the State’s request, and the approval of the Waiver has never been more vital to the health of New York State residents and healthcare system.  In New York City, we are faced with a crisis in our healthcare delivery system, as our hospital system struggles to provide the high quality care necessary to meet the needs of our patient population.  The $10 billion Waiver would not only allow the State to invest in innovative models of healthcare delivery, but it would also allow our hospitals to continue providing the care that saves the lives of our residents. "

NYT: Pope Francis "Who Am I to Judge"

As an openly gay Christian I have experienced many challenges practicing my faith in fellowship. While I certainly understand the motive of most religious leaders is not to judge or bring harm to their membership but rather to share what they believed to be Gods plan for his followers is. I also understand on a very personal level that sometimes it can go to far and religion can be used as a tool to beat people down. This is why I am especially proud of Pope Francis for his affirmative comments to gay religious leaders.

The New York Times reports that Pope Francis has stated that he will not judge gay priests. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis said, according to media reports.
The popes comments come at a significant moment in my own life. While I am not Catholic I still appreciate his comments because the arguments against LGBT presence in church has been present not only in the Catholic church. I was baptized at my new home church in Harlem. This Baptism was especially momentous for me given my past experiences with other religious institutions. I am humbled that there is room at the cross for me, even with all of my imperfections.

       When I was a teenager I was an avid church goer. I went to church at least three times a week. To bible study, teen night, and Sunday morning fellowship. I noticed that while many of my friends were in relationships and have engaged in activities that the Bible does not condone my homosexuality was placed on a hierarchy of sins. In stead of me going to church to receive the gospel and hear the words of God. I was turned away after being ostracized. It meant a lot to me that I was able to be baptized an resume fellowshipping in a Christian congregation while remaining truthful to all of my identities.

Portland

So many exciting things to share!

 First, I got to spend more time with parents Josh and Jenny. It has been about 2 months into this family; after so many foster homes and experiences that I'd rather forget getting to know anyone isn't easy. Learning to trust after you have been hurt can be one of the hardest things. I'm sharing this in hopes that any foster child who may come across it will at the very least knew someone who went through something similar. Sometimes I feel as though there can be a stigma attached to being a foster child or an adopted child. The more time I spend with my family the less I am aware.

FIRST TIME ONE A PLANE
To get to Portland we obviously took a plane. It was an amazing experience. There were no crying babies just absolute tranquility. I expected the six hour flight to be more turbulent. The seating was really comfortable and I had a window seat so that also made for an enjoyable experience.

When we arrived in Portland we took a taxi to visit a community Jenny lived in for several years and considers home. This neighborhood, probably unlike many neighborhoods in Portland was populated by many plant species and houses that were painted bright groovy colors. We  met up with some good friends of Jenny and had some amazing Ice cream at Salt and Straw. This handmade icecream joint was amazing.

Another highlight of my trip to Portland was seeing  "fairy Grandmother" Rupert and his partner Scott. I had been really looking forward to meet the because they are all Jenny talks about. Rupert and I got to spend some real quality time at the Saturday market. I got a personal tour of downtown Portland. T top off an amazing weekend we had a dance party with many of Rupert's friends

I love the city of Portland. The people are kind.  The weather is nice, and there is some Darn good coffee.

Carlos Menchaca for Brooklyn

Friends,

I wanted you all to know about a very good friend of mine who is running to be the next Council Member from the 38th district Carlos Manchaca. When Carlos is elected he will be the 1st openly gay council member from Brooklyn. Inspired by his humble upbringing Carlos Menchaca says he seeks to fight for those who are struggling.

Carlos' historic election to the NYC council cannot happen unless we make it happen. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez who's congressional district encompasses the 38th Congressional District has endorsed Carlos. In addition to the endorsement of Representative Velasquez Carlos has been endorsed by the Working Families Party, 32BJ, Communication Workers of America, 1199 and a host of other organizations fighting for the working families of Brooklyn's 38th Council District.

I've known Carlos personally for about three years. He's been one of my solid supporters as I pursue my undergraduate degree at Brandeis. He's even made the trip! Look- we owe it to our fellow Brooklynites to make sure Carlos Menchaca is elected to the 38th Council District.  To find out how you can help click HERE.

Let's make it happen!

Jay

What I learned at Church

Today, I had an amazing time at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. The pastor was on fire with his message. The energy in the congregation made you feel as though you were family.

 The times I have visited I had always felt inspired by the message of the preachers. I am definitely going to make Abyssinian my church home.

The Rev Butt's forcefully preach on the need for courage. There was a point in which he referenced Justice Thomas and the lack of courage that he had when striking down the Voters Rights Act. What stuck with me the most was when he said it's about standing up courageously to fight for justice not just singing about it, or clapping your hands the loudest.  I wouldn't like to paraphrase the Rev because I would not be able to do his sermon justice. (Def check out Aby.)

I will pass this that I learned today. To fear a man is to doubt GOD.

Today in the southside (HONEY TURKEY WITH EVERYTHING ON IT)

Today I had an awesome July 4th. Happy 4th everyone! I spent part of the day hanging out with a good friend from Brandeis and part of the day relaxing with my best friend. When leaving out the house to day I purposely brought $15 dollars with me because I haven't been good at budgeting lately. Long story short over the course of the day my friend and I became hungry so and we could not agree on what to get. I was really craving a honey turkey with everything on it. The first store I went to was clearly a new store so I thought to myself oh this is cool I get to support a new business. I walked to the deli section and asked how much was a honey turkey with everything on it the guy looked at me so confused. So I broke it down to him. The guy turned around looked at a chart and said $7.25.

I thought he must of made an error so I begged his pardon and the sandwich was in fact $7.25. We are not going to get in to how much money I had in my pocket left from the $15 I left with. I told the guy that every other store charges 3.50 for the same sandwich. The guy just looked at me and blinked.

I told him I hope your business fails. How dare you come to this neighborhood and charge 7.25 for a god damn hero. I feel like businesses could do whatever they want legally but it's not ethical to do that. The lower income people that remain will not be able to afford anything. Yes, there are corner stores still but they are being brought out before you can blink.

Anywho Happy July 4th everyone.

What Would Chisholm Do?

  

    I'm feeling especially inspired after talking to voters about the upcoming mayoral election. Almost everyone who stopped talked with me seemed to have a since that this election was an important one.

     Two conversations in particular stood out to me during my outreach. One was with a short elderly woman whom by her accent I could assume to be West Indian. Growing up in Brooklyn, and watching the media it would not be inclined to vote for the first openly gay mayor. The woman looked up at me after she heard me say the Name Chris .. before I could say Quinn she said "Oh the gay one?" I immediately assumed that this woman would not be interested in signing a petition to get Chris on the ballot let a lone vote for her in September and November. To my surprise the woman signed the petition. She looked at me and said "The lady wants to be Mayor.. the rest is none of my business. While she never said she was affirming of LGBT lifestyles I left with a great amount of respect for her. She asked me " You like her?" We talked for a second, the woman began to walk away and she turned around and said " I have a good feeling about her." I said "I know, me too" smiling.

   To me it wasn't just a conversation, over even just about this Mayoral election. This conversation was so inspirational because I learned a lot about the assumptions I make. I also learned to be patient and to realize that progress is happening within communities of color regarding accepting LGBT people.

    Another conversation that stuck with me was with a mother. She told me that she feared for her son's life because she heard the mayor say that he wanted Black and Latinos stopped and frisked. She told me that she wanted a mayor that would oppose Black and Latino young men being targets of the NYPD. I smiled when she said "We need a black woman, another Shirley Chisholm." If Mrs. Chisholm was alive today what would she say about stop and frisk?

This Calls for a Blender

                    
This past weekend I was pleased to visit my family friends house at their house in Brooklyn Heights. It was a very beautiful one might I add. When I was visiting John and his partner Mike and their two children the only thoughts that were in my head was "I gotta Look Good, you know how these queens can be" and OMG they have such a lovely family.

                  Openly sharing about the adoption of his own children was very affirming. Some times the images I have seen of adoptive family situations are not always positive. Speaking of portrayal of foster families in media I have to ask: has anyone seen the show the Fosters? I couldn't stand to watch the whole first episode.
                    
                  Ok- Back to Mike and John. Even if Mike and John was the meanest person I have ever met they would still deserves the full service of his government; all of the benefits straight couples have. But it happened that they weren't Bitches at all and I don't need to tell anyone but yes, they were a family.

                    What was interesting is that Mike and John loved each other. They loved their children. Regardless of what the Federal government said they were married. The love was there. The only thing that was missing however was a blender. Mike said that if DOMA passes he and John would wed. Someone better get looking for a blender soon!

Jay

What condition will Earth be in for future generations?

It angers me that folks are willing to put profit before the wellbeing of their own environment and the environment their children and children's children must inhabit. We must not play Politics with the future of our planet. The facts do n...ot lie. It's time to get read about the danger fossil fuels pose to our home!

In an article for Thinkprogress.org Joe Romm cites multiple studies that illustrate the peril our planet is in and the threat it poses to future generations.

"The website RealClimate... points out that the amount of dangerous carbon dioxide we spew into the air each day from burning fossil fuels and deforestation is roughly equivalent to 'five thousand spills like in the Gulf of Mexico, all going at once … every day for decades and centuries on end."

Our crops are withering, our shores are being hammered by historic storms. It is not impossible to argue that climate change is not a reality. The question is: What are we going to do to stop it?"

Happy Passover

Passover is a time where Jewish people reflect on their deliverance from the house of bondage into their holy land. In doing so they overcame those who sought to destroy them for who they were. They story of passover is an important one not only for Jewish peoples but for people's across our country who have been oppressed. It is a day to give thanks for what we have while remembering those who do not. To all of my friends celebrating Happy Passover.

Jay

The Reality of Global Warming

Wake up folks! GlobalWarming is a reality! Last year was the warmest, and second most extreme year for whether in history. 

-2012 was the 9TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR we broke the warmest temperature record. 

-65.5 percent of the contiguous U.S experienced a drought in Sept. 

-13.88 the number of feet of storm surge from Post-tropical storm Sandy measured at The Battery in New York City Harbor.

We must act soon to save our environment

Jay

The current unemployment rate amongst African Americans is a little above 14 percent. While we are debating the tax rates for the very wealthy we cannot endanger our families who are more venerable. IT IS IMMORAL TO MAKE CUTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY for millions of Americans and then turn around and not ask the wealthy to pay a little more.

The current unemployment rate amongst African Americans is a little above 14 percent. While we are debating the tax rates for the very wealthy we cannot endanger our families who are more venerable. IT IS IMMORAL TO MAKE CUTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY for millions of Americans and then turn around and not ask the wealthy to pay a little more.

With our environment in peril MA residents must elect Rep. Markey to Senate.

With our environment in peril from anthropogenic climate change we need  Rep. Ed Markey leadership in the U.S Senate. MA residents must elect Rep. Markey to Senate.

Common Sense Solution to Handle Climate Change

A tax on fossil fuels is one common sense solution to help states get back at least a fraction of the billions of dollars spent on storms resulting from Climate Change. While we work invest in clean alternatives we must also make up for the billions of dollars in recovery by passing a Pigovian tax on such fuels.

Tea With Jay Episode 5: A message to my Trans/ Gender non-conforming family.

We Must End Gender Expression Discrimination Nationwide

The denial of equal protection under the  law for transgendered and Gender-Non Conforming individuals is unjust, and unamerican. However, the conversations regarding expanding rights toward groups that have been left out is a very American one. Our counties history is filled with great moments, where through great struggle we expanded rights to groups who deserve it because they are American, and further more they are human.

Currently, only 21 States ban employment discrimination based on Gender Identity. This is unacceptable, we must demand of a the end of discrimination based on gender idenity nation wide. Not gaureenting equal protections that their cisgendered counterpars are under the law blatanly unconstitutional and just plain wrong. All states have the obligation to protect the rights of it's minoties. As a New Yorker, I am not pleased that our state has yet to pass such protections for Transgendered Individuals. I am shocked that there is not a greater outcry to pass the Genda Expression Non-Discrimination Act. We must live up to our reputation as being the state that leads on expanding rights, not follows. As an American I DEMAND FEDERAL PROTECTIONS FOR TRANSGENDERED and gender non-cnforming individuals. It's appaling that we will allow politics or popular opinion to trump civil rights. This is unnacceptable and we must make it right now by passing a Federal Gender Non-Discrimination Act. Transgendered individuals have the right to these protections regardless of where they live. 

Jay Polite              


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