Karen Pecora President
John Infelice 3rd Vice President
Yazmin Hernandez 4th Vice President
Teri Rella Secretary
Elio Giuliani Treasurer
Juliet Aguiar Union Representative
UNIT OFFICE 112 East Post Road | 4th Floor-Suite 420 White Plains NY 10601-5113 914-995-2151
9200
Multicultural Committee
CSEA 9200 Multicultural Committee is taking the time to recognize
Black Americans from the past and present. Please check out the wall
located near the 9200 Union Office.
February is Black History Month (BHM), a time when the U.S. reflects on
all the contributions Black Americans have made throughout the country’s
history. BHM has been celebrated in the U.S. for over a century. During
the month of February, schools and communities come together to
commemorate Black American culture, history, and achievements. Given
that racial tensions in the U.S. are now reaching critical levels, some say,
it is imperative that the country find ways to bridge the racial divide.
Although Black history should be studied everyday by everyone in
order for the country to grow, heal and evolve from past transgressions
like slavery, Jim Crow laws, redlining and Black codes, BHM is an
excellent time to shine a spotlight on Black history to pay homage and
create more opportunities for learning.
A quote from a wise man: “At the core, labor unions (we) are working men
and women, unified as one force. Despite any personal differences that
may exist between us, we have banded together to protect and improve
the lives of workers. We rise together for the greater good. We defend one
another like Family”.
as a reminder of the struggles, tribulations and achieve-
ments of black people both past and present. The reason to choose February to celebrate Black
History is that it was the birthday month of two individuals that greatly influenced African
Americans. Those two people were Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Racial and ethnic
diversity is an expression of God’s manifold beauty. No single race of its culture can
comprehensively display the infinite glory of God’s image, so He gave us our differ-
ences to help us appreciate His splendor from various perspectives.
Celebrating Helps Us Better Stewards of the Privileges and Creates Awareness for All People.”
We celebrate …
American Deputy County Executive
Deputy Executive Ken Jenkins takes his seat at the county exec’s
table on the heels of vast experience in politics. In addition to having
served as the president of the Yonkers chapter of the NAACP and the
chairman of the Yonkers Democratic Committee, Jenkins went on to
become the chairman of the County Board of Legislators.
We also celebrate …
DENISE BERKLEY newly elected CSEA Statewide Executive Vice President
Ms. Berkley is the chair of AFSCME’s Racial, Social and Economic Justice
Workgroup where she leads union members across the country in
addressing racism and injustice both in the labor movement and in
the larger national conversation. She is also currently running for CSEA
State Wide Election 1st Vice President.
The Dominican Republic’s Carnival is celebrated every year
during the entire month of February, culminating with the largest celebra- tion on Independence Day, February
27. The Dominican’s cultural identity
and creativity are on display through- out this vibrant month. The festivities in the Dominican Republic can be traced back to the 1500s, in the ruins of a town called La Vega, even before it was celebrated in the capital city of Santo Domingo.
Most towns will send their representa- tives to La Vega around Independence Day to march in the parade, dressed in a variety of costumes from around the country. Carnival in the Dominican Republic is an event in which everyone participates in and prepares for. Most Dominican towns commemorate
Carnival with slight differences from within their own traditions. These distinctions are reflected by the outrageous costume styles and masks, which represent many religious and traditional characters. Each town organizes groups to dress in the same costume or similar colors to symbolize a character representing their individual town. The most commonly known characters are the Diablo Cojuelo (Limping devil), the Calife, and Roba la Gallina (Steal the Chicken).
The Diablo Cojuelo is the most popular character seen throughout Carnival. It is viewed as a flamboyant costume and some suggest it symbolizes early colonizers of the Americas. The interesting history of Dominican Republic independence intertwined with their aweinspiring Carnival in February is an experience everyone should have at least once in his or her lifetime.
4 ~ February 2020
Most people think of Rosa Parks as the first person to refuse to give up their seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. There were actually several women who came before her; one of whom was Claudette Colvin.
It was March 2, 1955, when the fifteen-year-old schoolgirl
refused to move to the back of the bus, nine
months before Rosa
Parks’ stand that
launched the Montgom-
When the bus driver
ordered Claudette to get
up, she refused, “It felt like Sojourner Truth was on one
side pushing me down, and Harriet Tubman was on the
other side of me pushing me down. I couldn't get up."
Claudette Colvin’s stand didn’t stop there. Arrested and
thrown in jail, she was one of four women who challenged
the segregation law in court. If Browder v. Gayle became
the court case that successfully overturned bus
segregation laws in both Montgomery and Alabama, why
has Claudette’s story been largely forgotten? At the time,
the NAACP and other Black organizations felt Rosa Parks
made a better icon for the movement than a teenager. As
an adult with the right look, Rosa Parks was also the
secretary of the NAACP, and was both well-known and
respected – people would associate her with the middle
class and that would attract support for the cause. But the
struggle to end segregation was often fought by young
people, more than half of which were women.
Image: Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose
While Jewish and African
American communities have a
the pursuit of civil rights, there is a chapter
that is often overlooked. In the 1930s
when Jewish academics from Germany
and Austria were dismissed from their
teaching positions, many came to the
United States looking for jobs. Due to the
Depression, xenophobia and rising anti-
Semitism, many found it difficult to find
work, but more than 50 found positions
at HBCUs in the segregated South.
Originally established to educate freed
slaves to read and write, the first of the
Historically Black Colleges and
Pennsylvania, established in 1837. By the
time Jewish professors arrived, the number
of HBCUs had grown to 78. At a time when
both Jews and African Americans were
persecuted, Jewish professors in the Black
colleges found the environment
nities to engage Blacks and whites in
meaningful conversation, often for the first
time.
Jewish and African American communities
increasingly diverged, but this once-shared
experience of discrimination and interracial
cooperation remains a key part of the Civil
Rights Movement.
Pennsylvania. | http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/ explore/10-black-history-little-known-facts/
5 ~ February 2020
One in four cowboys was Black, despite the stories told in popular
books and movies ...
In fact, it's believed that the real “Lone Ranger” was inspired by an African
American man named Bass Reeves. Reeves had been born a slave but
escaped West during the Civil War where he lived in what was then known as
Indian Territory. He eventually became a Deputy U.S. Marshal, was a master
of disguise, an expert marksman, had a Native American companion, and
rode a silver horse. His story was not unique however.
In the 19 th century, the Wild West drew enslaved Blacks with the hope of
freedom and wages. When the Civil War ended, freedmen came West with
the hope of a better life where the demand for skilled labor was high. These
African Americans made up at least a quarter of the legendary cowboys who
lived dangerous lives facing weather, rattlesnakes, and outlaws while they
slept under the stars driving cattle herds to market.
While there was little formal segregation in frontier towns and a great deal of personal freedom,
Black cowboys were often expected to do more of the work and the roughest jobs compared to their
white counterparts. Loyalty did develop between the cowboys on a drive, but the Black cowboys
were typically responsible for breaking the horses and being the first ones to cross flooded streams
during cattle drives. In fact, it is believed that the term “cowboy” originated as a derogatory term
used to describe Black “cowhands.”
Esther Jones was the real Betty Boop … The iconic cartoon charac-
ter Betty Boop was inspired by a Black jazz singer in Harlem. Introduced by cartoonist Max Fleischer in 1930, the caricature of the jazz age flapper was the first and most famous sex symbol in
animation. Betty Boop is best known for her revealing dress, curvaceous figure, and signature vocals “Boop Oop A Doop!” While there has been controversy over the years, the inspiration has been traced back to Esther Jones who was known as “Baby Esther” and performed regularly in the Cotton Club during the 1920s. Baby Esther’s trademark vocal style of using “boops” and other childlike scat sounds attracted the attention of actress Helen Kane during a performance in the late 1920s. After seeing Baby Esther, Helen Kane adopted her style and began using “boops” in her songs as well. Finding fame early on, Helen Kane often included this “baby style” into her music. When Betty Boop was introduced, Kane promptly sued Fleischer and Paramount Publix Corporation stating they were using her image and style. However video evidence came to light of Baby Esther performing in a nightclub and the courts ruled against Helen Kane stating she did not have exclusive rights to the “booping” style or image, and that the style, in fact, pre-dated her. Baby Esther’s “baby style” did little to bring her mainstream fame and she died in relative obscurity but a piece of her lives on in the iconic character Betty Boop.
Image: Bass Reeves, The first African-American US Deputy Marshal This and additional information can be found on PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/10-black-history-little-known-facts/
Image: Esther Jones ("Baby Esther"), late 1920s by James VanDerZee This and additional information can be found on PBS:
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/about-us/ fundraising
Wildlife Information, RESCUE, and Education Service):
https://www.wires.org.au/donate/ emergency-fund
https://frrr.org.au/ cb_pages/ supporting_bushfire- affect- ed_communities.php
OUR HEART & SOUL GO OUT TO
EVERYONE TOUCHED BY DEVASTATION
1
John S. Rock be- comes first African American to prac- tice before the US
Supreme Court - 1865
NAACP’s Spingam Medal - 1915
3
man, speaks at Alabama capital -
1868
4
- 1913
5
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame - 1972
6
man to win a singles title at
Wimbledon dies - 1993
White House - 1867
pitcher to win a World Series
game, born - 1924
Martin Luther King, Jr. at the White
House - 1965
1992
11
2007
12
National Association for the Advance- ment of Colored People (NAACP) founded - 1909
13
can Protestant minister, dies -
Richard Allen, founder of African Methodist Episco- pal Church, born -
1760
15
major American orchestra - 1968
& Trust Co. - 1874
King, Jr. hung in Georgio’s capital -
1974
18
slavery - 1688
makes London debut - 1790
dies - 1895
member of NAACP, born - 1868
24
25
Senate - 1870
26 ASH
Bank - 1966
27 DOMINICAN
INDEPENDENCE DAY
FEBRUARY 2020
true essence
13 ~ February 2020
14 ~ February 2020
In the spirit of empowerment,
inspiration and encouraging
annual Wow Conversations, a
Friday, March 13 in honor of
International Women’s Day at
Manhattanville College, was
together women of different
A P
R IL
17 ~ February 2020
• Danielle Blackwell • Justin Gonzalez • Sheryll Brownlee
• Desiree Nieves • Lenore Sherrod-Higgs • Tenecia Williams
• Eustaquia Galan • Reni George • Tracy Alberto
• Jesse Prince • Richard Solensky • Yajaira Maldonado
• John Rahmer • Ronnie Cox
Committee Things to Come:
WESTCHESTER COUNTY MULTICULTURAL COOKBOOK - Westchester County & CSEA members are welcome to submit YOUR favorite family recipe
(& 1 or 2 family picture/s if you’d like) - Committee Contact: … more info to come
TRAVEL SIZE TOILETRY BOTTLES NEEDED - UNUSED Male & Female products: lotions, soaps, tooth paste, mouth wash, etc…
Committee Contact: Hattie Adams, re: Sample Bottles
DONATIONS WANTED: COLLECTING OLD EYEGLASSES Committee Contact: Hattie Adams, re: Old Eyeglasses
Desktop Publishing by: Sheryll Brownlee
Valentine’s Day Friday February 14 Presidents’ Day Monday February 17 Ash Wednesday Wednesday February 26 Independence Day (of Dominican Republic) Thursday February 27
St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday March 17 Palm Sunday Sunday April 05 Passover (Jewish) Wednesday April 08 begins at sundown Good Friday Friday April 10 Easter Sunday April 12 Ramadan (Muslim) Thursday April 23 begins at sundown Cinco de Mayo (Hispanic) Tuesday May 05 Mothers’ Day Sunday May 10 Eid al Fitr (Muslim) Saturday May 23 at sundown Memorial Day Monday May 25 Juneteenth Friday June 19 Father’s Day Sunday June 21 Independence Day Saturday July 04 Eid al Adha (Muslim) Thursday July 30 at sundown
More added each month … There may be other Observances that we would like to include ...
Please forward that information to Hattie Adams, Committee Co-Chair. Thank you
Important Dates Observed