In Houston, 2 Cases Raise Tough Racial Questions

clipped from www.nytimes.com In Houston, 2 Cases Raise Tough Racial Questions Nick De La Torre/Houston Chronicle, via Associated Press A day after the acquittal of a police officer in the shooting of a young black man, Robert Tolan, outside his home, a protest was held Wednesday in front of the police building in Bellaire, Tex. By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. HOUSTON — This is a town that prides itself on being among the most diverse and tolerant cities in the country, but two recent cases of alleged police brutality against young black men have stirred anger among civil rights leaders and left some residents wondering just how far race relations in their city have come.

New Heinz Ketchup recipe shakes up fans of the condiment - NYPOST.com

New Heinz Ketchup recipe shakes up fans of the condiment

 May 13, 2010

Heinz will change the recipe for its flagship ketchup product this summer, sparking outrage among some lovers of the condiment Thursday.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday that the salt content of the condiment will drop by 15 percent, saying it was the most significant change in the ketchup recipe in nearly 40 years. Under the new formula the average serving will have 160mg of sodium, down from 190mg.

Heinz has been testing the new recipe in its hometown of Pittsburgh and six other cities to "ensure the recipe met our consumers' expectations," Heinz spokeswoman Jessica Jackson told the Post-Gazette.

But there were mixed reactions to the news on the Heinz Ketchup Facebook page.

"PLEASE DON'T CHANGE YOUR RECIPE!!!!!!!!! We need salt in our diets. Make a low sodium one if you want.....but don't mess with perfection. Wars use to be fought over salt.....do I have to start hoarding Heinz with salt?," one fan wrote.

Another added: "Just read the article in the PG about changing our ketchup! No, no, no!!!! We like our ketchup just as it has been for over 100 years. Remember that whole "New Coke" fiasco?!?"

But some of the about 390,000 fans of the Heinz Ketchup Facebook page welcomed the change.

"Very happy to hear about the new reduced sodium ketchup coming to a supermarket near me soon," one wrote Thursday.

New Heinz Ketchup recipe shakes up fans of the condiment - NYPOST.com.

Harlem Village Academies needs a summer intern -paid; New York, NY

ORGANIZATION: Harlem Village Academies
POSITION: Paid Summer Internship
REPORTS TO: Academic Intern Advisor
LOCATION: Harlem, New York City
WEBSITE: www.harlemvillageacademies.org
CONTACT: resumes@harlemvillage.org

THE ORGANIZATION
Harlem Village Academies is widely recognized as a national leader in the education reform movement. Its growing network of public charter schools are transforming the lives of children in Harlem by providing them with an excellent education. Led by a team of passionate social entrepreneurs, Harlem Village Academies has developed and effectively executed on a clear, focused strategy: hire talented and passionate teachers, provide them with autonomy and extensive professional support, and hold them accountable for results. HVA sets high standards for students’ academic performance and personal conduct; intervenes with love and rigor when a child is off-track; and engenders in students a love of learning, a spirit of community, and dedication to academic and behavioral excellence.

The results have been extraordinary, and Harlem Village Academies has achieved national prominence as one of the highest performing urban school networks in the country. Students enter the academies several years below grade-level, many with a history of poor behavior. Yet after a few years with the school they make remarkable gains.

• 100% of eighth graders passed the NYS Science Test.
• 100% of eighth graders passed the NYS Math Test, ranking Harlem Village Academy #1 of all open-enrollment public schools in New York State.
• Over 90% of eighth graders passed the NYS English Test.
• 96% of eighth graders passed the NYS Social Studies Test.
• 100% of high school students passed the Integrated Algebra Regents exam.

In addition to its remarkable, consistent track record of educational excellence, Harlem Village Academies has an exceptionally committed Board of Directors and an extraordinary group of supporters including some of the country’s most prominent and influential leaders in business, finance, real estate and media. Harlem Village Academies is regularly featured in New York and national media and serves as a model for schools across the United States. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls Harlem Village Academies “a model of excellence” and “the poster child for this country.”
THE OPPORTUNITY
Harlem Village Academies Summer Interns will tutor and mentor high school students with particular emphasis on preparing students for the SAT this fall. This is a unique opportunity for talented college students to have a direct impact on our students’ futures while gaining experience in urban education. This summer internship will be particularly valuable for anyone considering work in education reform after college, especially with programs such as Teach for America.

RESPONSIBILITIES
• One-on-one tutoring/mentoring of seniors with a particular emphasis on preparing students for the SAT
• Assist school leadership with summer program planning and administration
• Fulfill other essential tasks as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS
• Studying toward a Bachelor’s Degree
• Strong content knowledge in 11th-12th grade high school courses and the SATs
• Enthusiastic and willing to learn
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and detail- and deadline-oriented.
• Fine tuned analytical skills with strengths in attention to detail, problem solving, and logical reasoning.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with an ability to communicate to various constituencies and work effectively with a variety of staff at all levels within the organization.
• Strong team player, with willingness to be hands-on and do whatever it takes to support the success of Harlem Village Academies
ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
All staff members are expected to be committed to the mission, vision and values of Harlem Village Academies, have a positive and professional attitude, exhibit a very strong work ethic (including a willingness to go above and beyond) and an inner drive for personal and professional excellence, and demonstrate the willingness and ability to work within an entrepreneurial and results-driven environment.
Application instructions:

TO APPLY
Applications should include a cover letter describing your interest, qualifications, and how you learned of the position. Resumes and cover letters will be reviewed as received. Please e-mail all applications to resumes@harlemvillage.org, subject line: “Summer Intern.”

SOURCE

Harlem Village Academies needs a summer intern -paid; New York, NY.

Lena Horne Funeral Plans Announced

Lena Horne Funeral Plans Announced

By the Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Lena Horne's funeral is to be held at a Roman Catholic church in New York City.

Lena Horne

Celebrities, relatives and friends will gather Friday morning at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan to remember Horne. The singer and actress died Sunday at age 92.

A Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel spokesman says Horne's casket will leave the funeral home just before the 10 a.m. church service.

 

More on Lena Horne's Life and Legacy

Photo Timeline: Lena Horne's Life and Achievement

More on Lena Horne: Before Halle Barry, Diana Ross and Diahann Carroll, Lena Horne Changed the World

White House Statement: Obama Honors Lena Horne

Special Tribute: Thank You, Lena Horne

Send Condolences: Celebrate Horne's Life

News You Should Know Blog: Did You Know Lena Horne Was the Youngest Member of the NAACP ever?

Video Tribute: BET News Reflects on Lena, the Legend

Dark Skin Is Very Good For You! A Scientific Review

http://amplify.com/u/5z9i

Posted via web from blackcotton's posterous

Colonial spring

Philipsburg Manor, 381 N. Broadway in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., will hold its annual Pinkster Festival, on Sunday, May 16, from noon to 6 p.m. Inspired by the grand cross-cultural springtime celebrations that were jointly created by Dutch settlers and enslaved Africans during colonial times, this event will feature colonial dancing, live drummers, fiddlers and other musical performances, African folktales and cooking demonstrations. There will also be special theatrical presentations that dramatize the pageantry of colonial Pinkster celebrations, craft activities and games, as well as tours of the working gristmill and manor house. In addition, traditional West Indian and African- American cuisine will be available for purchase throughout the day. Admission costs $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $6 for ages 5 to 17 and free for children ages 5 and younger. For advance tickets and more information, call 914-631-3992 or go to www.hudsonvalley.org.

This is part of the May 13, 2010 online edition of The Riverdale Press.

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It's My Park Day

Saturday, May 15, 2010

May15

It's My Park Day at Collyer Brothers Park

9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, the Harlem Fifth Avenue Association will be planting shady annuals and…
Location: Collyer Brothers Park, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

May15

It's My Park Day at Frederick Johnson Park

9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, please join the Frederick Johnson Park Association as they conduct a…
Location: Frederick Johnson Park, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

May15

It's My Park Day at Jackie Robinson Park

9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, please join volunteers from Community Board 10 and the Jackie Robinson…
Location: Jackie Robinson Park, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

May15

It's My Park Day at West 132nd Street

9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, please join the Neighbors United of West 132nd Street Block Association…
Location: West 132nd Street Trees, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

May15

It's My Park Day at Marcus Garvey Park

9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, please join the Marcus Garvey Park Dog Run Crew as they paint benches,…
Location: Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

May15

It's My Park Day at Highbridge Park

9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, come out to help the Centro Deportivo Francisco Alfonso, Inc clean-up…
Location: Highbridge Park, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

May15

It's My Park Day at Inwood Hill Park

9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join Inwoof in cleaning their dog run and doing some planting to…
Location: Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

It's My Park Day

May15

It's My Park Day at Morningside Park

9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, please join Morningside BARC as they haul and spread fresh woodchips at…
Location: Morningside Park, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

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May15

It's My Park Day at Abyssinian Tot Lot

9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, Abyssinian Head Start program will host a family event for students and…
Location: Abyssinian Tot Lot, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

May15

It's My Park Day at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, Malls

9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, please join the Friends of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. Malls as…
Location: Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard Malls, Manhattan
Category: It's My Park Day, Volunteer
Cost: Free

Minorities Frisked More but Arrested at Same Rate

clipped from www.nytimes.com Minorities Frisked More but Arrested at Same Rate By AL BAKER Blacks and Latinos were nine times as likely as whites to be stopped by the police in New York City in 2009, but no more likely to actually be arrested. The more than 575,000 stops of people in the city — a record number of what are known in police parlance as “stop and frisks” — yielded 762 guns. Of the reasons listed by the police for conducting the stops, one of those least commonly cited was the claim that the person fit the description of a suspect. The most common reason listed by the police was a category known as “furtive movements.” Under Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, the New York Police Department’s use of such street stops has more than quintupled, fueling both an intense debate about the effectiveness and propriety of the tactic and litigation aimed at forcing the department to reveal more information about the encounters. Graphic Profiling of Policing?

Group Backs Ritual ‘Nick’ as Female Circumcision Option

clipped from www.nytimes.com Group Backs Ritual ‘Nick’ as Female Circumcision Option By PAM BELLUCK In a controversial change to a longstanding policy concerning the practice of female circumcision in some African and Asian cultures, the American Academy of Pediatrics is suggesting that American doctors be given permission to perform a ceremonial pinprick or “nick” on girls from these cultures if it would keep their families from sending them overseas for the full circumcision. The academy’s committee on bioethics, in a policy statement last week, said some pediatricians had suggested that current federal law, which “makes criminal any nonmedical procedure performed on the genitals” of a girl in the United States, has had the unintended consequence of driving some families to take their daughters to other countries to undergo mutilation.

Ch-Ch-Chilly S-S-Saints

Spring may be in full swing, but May 11, 12, and 13 often revert to the colder days of winter, according to weather lore.

The Three Chilly Saints—Mamertus, Pancras, and Gervais (also called Mammertius, Pancratius, and Gervatius or Servatius)—often celebrated their feast days during a cold snap. Some called them the Ice Saints or Frost Saints, and many farmers held off planting until after the Three Chilly Saints’ days had passed.

Germans knew these days as the Icemen Days, and both the English and French watched for a late frost at around this time. St. Boniface (May 14) and the chilly “blackthorn winds” were sometimes associated with them, too.

St. Pancras Day [May 12] never passes without frost.

GOP Attacks National Hero Thurgood Marshall To Get To Kagan

GOP Attacks National Hero Thurgood Marshall To Get To Kagan

via Oliver Willis by owillis@gmail.com (Oliver Willis) on 5/10/10

Seriously. It’s like the RNC is trying to redefine stupid.

Republicans are questioning Elena Kagan’s ties to a liberal icon and the nation’s first African American Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall.

In its first memo to reporters since Kagan’s nomination to the high court became public, the Republican National Committee highlighted Kagan’s tribute to Marshall in a 1993 law review article published shortly after his death.

Kagan quoted from a speech Marshall gave in 1987 in which he said the Constitution as originally conceived and drafted was ‘defective.’ She quoted him as saying the Supreme Court’s mission was to ‘show a special solicitude for the despised and the disadvantaged.’

‘Does Kagan Still View Constitution ‘As Originally Drafted And Conceived’ As ‘Defective’?’ the RNC asked in its research document. ‘And Does Kagan Still Believe That The Supreme Court’s Primary Mission Is To ‘Show A Special Solicitude For The Despised And Disadvantaged’?’

RELATED: Conservatives Defend Slavery, Male/Whites-Only Suffrage From Thurgood Marshall.

City's Sick-Pay Plan: A Battle of Perspective

http://amplify.com/u/5y0a

Posted via web from blackcotton's posterous

NYC's Apollo Theater unveils its Walk of Fame

Last Update: 5/10 7:23 pm

 

Jonelle Procope (C) , President and CEO of the Apollo Theater and Billy Mitchell (R), Apollo Historian install the first plaque, the one of late James Brown at the Apollo Legends Walk of Fame unveiling at The Apollo Theater on May 10, 2010 in New York City. (Slaven Vlasic, Getty Images) NEW YORK (AP) — Smokey Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown are among the music legends being honored on the Apollo Theater's new Walk of Fame in New York City. Workers on Monday began installing sidewalk plaques in front of the storied Harlem theater celebrating some of the artists who have performed there. Others include Little Richard, Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight and the Pips. Robinson said he first performed at the Apollo with the Miracles in 1959, and he's been back countless times since then. He told The Associated Press that he always says if they tear down 125th Street and everything on it, "please leave the Apollo standing." The Apollo is celebrating its 75th anniversary. It is one of New York's best-known performance venues.

State's budget woes may close 55 parks for a long, dry summer

BY Erica Pearson
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sunday, May 9th 2010, 4:00 AM

Showalter for News

The outdoor pool at Riverbank State Park in upper Manhattan is likely to not open this summer in the wake of state budget woes.

The outdoor pool in Riverbank State Park is empty - dried brown leaves filling each corner - and it just might stay that way, through a long, hot Harlem summer.

Riverbank's staff should already be hiring lifeguards for its 25-yard outdoor lap pool and filling summer class rosters at the park, which perches above the Hudson near 145th St. But it, and other state parks, are facing an uncertain future.

"It's devastating," said Harlem dad Lewis Burgess, 59. "One of the worst things to do in the summertime is to take away the pool."

Burgess lives five blocks from Riverbank, where a sign at the information desk says registration for all summer programs is on hold.

"The real frustration is not being able to get any information about what is going to happen," he said.

In response to Gov. Paterson's proposed budget cuts, the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has said it will close 55 parks and historic sites around the state - and reduce hours and shutter facilities at others.

The proposed cuts include padlocking Bayswater Point State Park in Queens - a favorite spot for planespotters near JFK Airport - and slashing hours at Riverbank as well as closing its outdoor pool and canceling classes and community programs for kids and seniors.

At Jones Beach State Park on the Long Island shore, a swimming pool is also slated to close, and Fourth of July fireworks would be canceled. At Harriman State Park, in Rockland and Orange counties, the Anthony Wayne Recreational Area would be closed.

The parks ultimately may be spared - both the Senate and the Assembly have voted to restore $11.3 million in parks operating funds to the final budget. But parks advocates say time is running out as negotiations stall on an already overdue budget.

The delays put summer activities like swimming and camping in jeopardy because the hiring and preparation that needs to happen each spring has been put on hold.

"Parks are going through this limbo-land, so to speak," said Robin Dropkin, executive director of Parks & Trails New York, a statewide advocacy organization. "They are treading water - but there's no water in the pool!"

Eileen Larrabee, a spokeswoman for the parks agency, said that it is going ahead as if Paterson's budget cuts will stay in place. Spring preparations are completely on hold for the parks on the close list.

"We are not opening rest-rooms," she said. "We are not doing the general maintenance, whether it be putting out picnic tables or mowing the lawns... we're not hiring seasonal employees for those parks."

That includes not hiring nine lifeguards at Riverbank. Larrabee also said that in the next several weeks, the agency is planning to follow through with cutting the Harlem park's hours to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. The 28-acre park - built on top of a sewage treatment plant - is now open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The reduced hours would cut indoor lap swimming time and make it impossible for many kids' sports teams to practice and compete at the park, said Burgess, whose 14-year-old son plays on the Riverbank State Park Rangers hockey team. He said that any money saved would be offset by losses in registration fees and facility permits.

"The children are being hurt, clearly," said Burgess, who is part of a group called New Yorkers to Save Riverbank. "Just cutting seems to be counterproductive, and it hurts so many people."

epearson@nydailynews.com

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/09/2010-05-09_states_budget_woes_may_close_55_parks_for_a_long_dry_summer_.html#ixzz0nY131oIB

NYC charter review commission to examine city constitution

NYC voters may have chance to change city charter

Last Updated: 10:53 AM, May 10, 2010

Posted: 10:50 AM, May 10, 2010

NEW YORK — New York City voters could have the chance this fall to change the balance of powers in city government, overhaul development procedures and maybe make city elections nonpartisan.

A panel examining an update to the city constitution on Monday announced areas it is planning to study. The charter review commission will be holding forums on five issues over the next two months.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed the panel earlier this year, following up on a campaign promise.

When he had the term-limits law changed so that he could run again, he promised a charter group would look at the issue again.

That’s one of the possible changes the group says it will look at.

The panel has an eye on putting potential changes to the voters by referendum this fall.

NYC charter review commission to examine city constitution - NYPOST.com.

Lena Horne dies at age 92

Reuters - 2 hours, 14 minutes ago

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Entertainer Lena Horne, a show-stopping beauty who battled racism in a frustrating effort to become Hollywood's first black leading lady and later won acclaim as a singer, has died at age 92.

Horne died on Sunday night at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, a hospital spokeswoman said. She declined to give the cause of death.

Horne went to Hollywood in the late 1930s and while she never became a major movie star, she is credited with breaking the ground for black actresses to get bigger roles in Hollywood.

Horne had a stage persona that was mysterious, elegant, haughty and sexy and it helped her become an enchanting nightclub performer who made "Stormy Weather" her signature song.

Known as the "Negro Cinderella" early in her career, she was as complex as she was beautiful. She had a reputation for coldness and insecurity and her career frustrations led to bitterness.

With her big bright eyes, brilliant smile and light complexion, biographer James Gavin said Hollywood considered Horne "as the Negro beautiful enough -- in a Caucasian fashion -- for white Americans to accept." Until then, black women had usually been cast as servants or prostitutes -- roles that Horne did not want.

Many of her movie appearances in the 1940s and '50s were relegated to songs that had no bearing on the plot and could easily be edited out for showings in the South, where white audiences might protest the appearance of a black actress.

Her first substantial movie role did not come until 1969 when she was a brothel madam and Richard Widmark's lover in "Death of a Gunfighter." Her only other movie role after that was as Glinda the Good Witch in "The Wiz," an all-black adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz."

"I really hated Hollywood and I was very lonely," Horne said in a Time magazine interview. "The black stars felt uncomfortable out there."

WON TWO GRAMMYS

She moved back to her native New York and became a singing star in nightclubs and theaters and on television. She won two Grammys.

Gavin, author of the 2009 book "Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne," said Horne was especially sensitive to rejection.

"Every perceived or real slight, she recoiled from it in a violent way," Gavin told the Los Angeles Times. "This does not make for a happy lady. She was angry."

Horne's life was filled with contradictions. Despite being too dark for Hollywood stardom, as a girl she was taunted by peers because of her light complexion. She campaigned for civil rights in the 1950s and '60s but admitted she had ulterior motives for marrying second husband Lennie Hayton, a white bandleader, in 1947.

"It was cold-blooded and deliberate," she told Time. "I married him because he could get me into places a black man couldn't. But I really learned to love him. He was beautiful, just so damned good."

Horne and Hayton were married until his 1971 death. Horne and her first husband, Louis Jones, married in 1937 and divorced in 1944. They had a son, Teddy, who died of kidney problems, and a daughter, writer Gail Lumet Buckley.

Horne was born in New York on June 30, 1917. Her father was a gambler who left the family when she was a toddler and her mother was an actress who often left Lena to live with her grandparents while she toured with a black acting troupe.

Horne began her career as a 16-year-old dancer at the Cotton Club, the storied Harlem nightclub where the leading black entertainers of the time performed for white audiences, before going to Hollywood.

In the 1950s, her support of civil rights group landed Horne on a list of celebrities with alleged communist leanings, which further hurt her movie career.

In 1981, she received a special Tony Award for "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music," the Broadway show in which she sang and discussed the ups and downs of her life.

(Writing by Bill Trott; Editing by Peter Cooney)

A Black Abolitionist and Barbecue Diplomacy - NYTimes.com

A Black Abolitionist and Barbecue Diplomacy
By SAM ROBERTS
Published: May 6, 2010

Mention American abolitionists and David Ruggles rarely comes to mind. In “David Ruggles: A Radical Black Abolitionist and the Underground Railroad in New York City” (University of North Carolina Press, $30), Graham Russell Gao Hodges goes a long way toward rectifying that oversight. Ruggles published what might have been the first black periodical in the country, sheltered a fugitive slave named Frederick Washington Bailey — later Frederick Douglass — at his home on Lispenard Street in Lower Manhattan, and led a committee that helped save more than 600 escaped slaves.

Bookshelf - A Black Abolitionist and Barbecue Diplomacy - NYTimes.com.

Cupar stonemason helping Harlem build for the future - Fife Today

Cupar stonemason helping Harlem build for the future

 By Lindsey Alexander

A NORTH east Fife stonemason is to help young New Yorkers rebuild their community.

Kenny McCaffrey from Cupar travelled to the run-down district of Harlem this week where he will spend time training youngsters in the art of masonry and building preservation.

Kenny, who is based at St Andrews Cathedral, and fellow stonemason Malcolm Hutcheon from Aberdeenshire will help the Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC) which aims to revitalisate the community by focussing on the physical infrastructure.

To help achieve this, ADC has implemented Youthbuild, a nationally recognised workforce development initiative for 'at risk' youth.

As part of the trip, which is organised by Historic Scotland, a workshop will be held at the Cathedral of St John the Divine, where the Scottish team will be working with Chris Pellitteri the cathedral's stone carver in residence, to help share advice and expertise on stonemasonry with the local young people.

Speaking prior to leaving for the US, Kenny said: "I have worked on a number of fantastic buildings in my time, but to have the opportunity to visit and train young people in New York City is a huge honour.

"A lot of the stonework used in the New York area is of a similar consistency to Scottish sandstone and we have a wealth of expertise here, honed over many hundreds of years that can be used to help train others working with similar materials on the other side of the world."

He said a key part of the visit will be focussing on skills that can be transferred into caring for other buildings, and visiting other projects in the area.

A large part of housing stock in Harlem is of 'brownstone', much of which was in the hands of the city when the ADC was launched 20 years ago.

Now less than 30 per cent of the housing stock is owned by the City of New York, and the ADC has provided over 1000 units of affordable housing.

Read more in the Fife Herald.

Cupar stonemason helping Harlem build for the future - Fife Today.

James Leeson Jr. Dies at 79; Taped Execution Scene

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN

James Leeson Jr., whose taping of a May 1951 radio broadcast describing the atmosphere at a black man’s execution in Mississippi in a highly publicized rape case was drawn upon for a newly released book and a radio documentary, died Monday in Franklin, Tenn. He was 79.

Mr. Leeson committed suicide, said Detective Lt. Tony Phillips of the Williamson County Sheriff’s office. His body was found outside his home. A friend, E. Thomas Wood, wrote on a blog on the Web site of Nashville Scene, a weekly newspaper, that Mr. Leeson died of a gunshot wound.

Mr. Leeson was a part-time college student and a journalist for The Hattiesburg American when he taped a broadcast from the lawn of the Laurel, Miss., courthouse where Willie McGee, a black handyman, was executed in a “traveling electric chair” that was moved around the state. The broadcast was made while a crowd of hundreds gathered on the lawn, some of its members whooping in delight.

Mr. McGee was put to death for the 1945 rape of a white woman, a mother of three. He maintained his innocence but was convicted by all-white juries in three separate trials. The first two verdicts were reversed on technical grounds.

Albert Einstein, William Faulkner and Josephine Baker were among those who sought clemency for Mr. McGee in a case that drew worldwide attention amid allegations of perjured testimony, suppressed evidence and a hostile and racially prejudicial atmosphere. Bella Abzug, a young lawyer at the time, handled the final appeals.

Mr. Leeson’s tape recording was used by Alex Heard for his book “The Eyes of Willie McGee: A Tragedy of Race, Sex and Secrets in the Jim Crow South,” to be published by HarperCollins next week. Mr. Heard was a student of Mr. Leeson’s at Vanderbilt University in 1979 when he first heard the tape. Mr. Leeson had been in ill health recently, according to Mr. Heard.

The tape was also a basis for the documentary “Willie McGee and the Traveling Electric Chair,” which was broadcast Friday on National Public Radio stations as part of the “Radio Diaries” series.

James Turner Leeson Jr., a native of North Carolina, was a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He brokered sales of farm property.

He is survived by two nieces.

Mr. Leeson worked as a reporter for The Associated Press in Nashville and covered the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and ’70s for the Race Relations Information Center.

In an e-mail message to The New York Times last month, Mr. Leeson told how he had recorded the execution broadcast using a tape recorder with two seven-inch reels that he had obtained primarily to record music.

He said he did not “recall having any special sense in making the McGee recording other than it was a most interesting and most unusual event to be broadcast, to say the least.”