Applications Now Open for 2019 Carey Gabay Scholarship Program


Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced the State University of New York is now accepting 2019 applications for the Carey Gabay Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship, now in its fourth year, honors Carey Gabay, an attorney and public servant who was tragically killed as an innocent victim of gun violence in 2015. This program provides full scholarships to five incoming SUNY students who exemplify Carey's commitment to social justice, leadership and mentoring, as well as his personal story of succeeding academically despite having an economically disadvantaged background.

"Carey devoted his life to public service, putting others before himself and always striving to make an impact in his community and beyond," Governor Cuomo said. "This scholarship proudly honors all that Carey stood for, and his legacy will continue through each and every student empowered to achieve their dreams through this program."

"We remember Carey Gabay who dedicated his life to giving back and helping others with the fourth round of the Carey Gabay Memorial Scholarship," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "This scholarship is part of our efforts to ensure students have access to an affordable, quality education. We are committed to making sure all New Yorkers have the resources they need to pursue rewarding careers and achieve success in the future."

SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson said, "Providing access and opportunity to a high quality education to students from disadvantaged backgrounds is at the core of SUNY's values. We are all deeply proud to make this scholarship available to continue Carey Gabay's extraordinary legacy of education, public service and social justice."

Carey grew up living in public housing and attending public school in the Bronx. After a successful high school career, he went on to graduate from Harvard University and Harvard Law School. He had a longstanding commitment to public service and giving back to those around him, and while at Harvard University, he ran to become the president of his undergraduate student body. During his career, he worked tirelessly in public service, first as an Assistant Counsel to Governor Cuomo and later as First Deputy Counsel for the Empire State Development Corporation.

The annual Carey Gabay Memorial Scholarship will once again award full scholarships to five students to attend four-year SUNY colleges beginning in the 2019-20 school year. These scholarships will cover all costs of attendance, including tuition, room and board, college fees, books and supplies, and transportation and personal expenses. Applications are available here and are due on June 30, 2019.

This is the fourth year of awards under the program, with students previously awarded scholarships in 2018, 2017 and 2016.

Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Illinois Video Gambling Tax Hike Will Be Decided by Lawmakers With Financial Ties to the Industry

 
As video gambling has grown in the state, so have the industry’s links to lawmakers.

Click here for the report.

Source: ProPublica

Arms Manufacturers Tell Investors That Iran Tension Fuels Business


By Lee Fang

Defense executives from around the country crowded into Goldman Sachs’ glimmering tower in downtown Manhattan in mid-May, eager to present before a conference of bankers and financial analysts. 

While much of the world was on edge over simmering tension in the Middle East, as the U.S. and its allies have stoked tensions with Iran, the businessmen at the conference talked of opportunity.

Click here for the report.

Source: The Intercept_

Cannabis Week in New York City: Screening of 'Grass is Greener'

 
Click on the flier to increase its size. 

Event Will Feature a Panel Discussion
with Hip-Hop Pioneer Fab 5 Freddy

Call the Soho Playhouse at (212) 691-1555 for details. 

Source: Fred Polsinelli

Nomi Prins Explains Why We Face Another Economic Crash


This report was published on YouTube on May 25. 

Source: This Week, BBC One 

Social Issues and Religious Freedom in America

 
Heritage Foundation’s Emilie Kao discusses the intersection between key social issues, such as LGBTQ rights and abortion laws, and religious freedom.

Click here for video. 

Source: C-SPAN

De Blasio Got Their Donations. Their Votes for President? Not So Much.


The Times asked donors to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s federal political action committee if he should be president. Their answers showed why he is viewed as such an outsider.

Click here for the report.

Source: The New York Times 

Something Doesn’t Add Up: No Method to NYPD’s Off-Kilter Disciplinary Findings, Advocates Say

New York Police Department Commissioner James O'Neill
 
Click here for the report. 

Source: The New York Daily News

Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Develops 2020 Strategy for Black Electorate

 
(NEW YORK) -- Today, the Black Futures Lab released More Black than Blue: Politics + Power in the 2019 Black Census, the first in a series of reports analyzing the largest survey of Black people conducted in the United States since Reconstruction. The report was published in partnership with Color of Change, Demos, and SocioanalĂ­tica Research.

The Black Census Project launched in early 2018 with an ambitious agenda to poll tens of thousands of Black people on their political beliefs, frustrations and aspirations. The Black Census provides much needed insight for advocates, activists and candidates hoping to understand the diverse and varied needs of the Black community.  The report showed that respondents were strongly aligned with key Democratic policy priorities like closing significant gaps in quality of life through a living wage, quality public education, and healthcare. But the findings also caution that alignment does not translate to immediate, energetic support for the party or its candidates.

“No Democratic candidate will win the White House without an engaged national movement of Black voters. More than half of Black Census respondents saying politicians do not care about Black people and their interests is a major problem for the party and for the country,” said Alicia Garza, principal at the Black Futures Lab and co-founder of Black Lives Matter. “Candidates at every level, and especially those running for President, are being advised to follow a playbook for reaching Black voters that is ineffective, insincere and sometimes even embarrassing. The Black Census shows that the Black electorate want policies that improve our lives, not pandering photo ops at Black institutions.”

“We went to barbershops and bars, prisons and professional gatherings to document the diverse, highly active network of Black people who share many policy priorities with Democrats, but have a clear vision for their future that runs even deeper. The winning candidate in this crowded field will show that they care as much about ‘Black’ as they do about ‘Blue,’ by demanding policies that close the social, economic and political gaps that have left Black people at the bottom when both Democrats and Republicans are in power.”

Conducted through an innovative research methodology that allowed the project to reach deeper into the Black community than standard probabilistic studies, the Black Census was supported by both national and grassroots organizations across the country, driving respondents to participate in the Census online and on the street. More than 30 organizations in 28 states partnered with Black Futures Lab to conduct the Black Census.

The result is a powerful representation of the Black community featuring voices often lost to traditional survey methodologies, including homeless, currently and formerly incarcerated and LGBTQ people, Black conservatives, Black immigrants, and mixed race people with a Black parent. The Black Census respondents are younger, more likely to be female, and more likely to identify as LGBTQ than the Black population as a whole.

"For far too long, Black voters in this country have been marginalized, misrepresented, and taken for granted in electoral politics. As the largest survey of Black people conducted in the United States since Reconstruction, the Black Census has the potential to revolutionize voter engagement and radically change how politicians meet the needs of voters in the Black community,” said Sabeel Rahman, President of Demos. “The Black Census has unearthed timely and relevant truths about the power of the Black vote and will hopefully unlock a bolder, responsive, and much more inclusive democracy."

The Black Futures Lab is leveraging the findings of the Black Census to build a national legislative platform to inform and inspire candidates up and down the ballot to build platforms and campaigns that represent the real interests of Black voters.

“Engaging Black voters and communities in a meaningful way isn't about words but action. Far too often candidates come to our communities focused on the promises they will make without the steps to back them up.”  said Rashad Robinson, President of the nation’s online racial justice organization, Color of Change. “This important work done by the Black Futures Lab provides a road map to any candidate interested in moving beyond rhetoric to dealing with the issues that have held so many back. Meaningful change for Black people and our communities will come through clear and focused interventions and this groundbreaking survey provides those who are interested with important next steps.”

The Black Census Project’s first edition, More "Black than Blue is the first of a series of reports from the 2019 Black Census. More Black than Blue focuses on political engagement, economic and criminal justice issues, while the second and third report will focus on the most pressing issues of the LGBT community and millennials. The Black Census project will also develop policy recommendations related to the findings of Black LGBT and millennial communities.

Source: Mercury