A plaque commemorating two of the known enslaved Africans buried at
the site - Phyllis and Eve. Corazon Valiente
Caribbean Life, JULY 2-8, 2021 3
By Tangerine Clarke
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo while
announcing that the New York COVID-
19 State of Emergency has ended,
effective June 24, 2021, noted that
the state will provide $25 million in
child care scholarships for essential
workers.
As of June 23, 2021, these scholarships
are the first in a series of new
investments to support working families
and the childcare industry, through
the federal CARES Act. https://ocfs.
ny.gov/main/contracts/funding/COVID
relief/essential-workers.php.
“I signed the Safe Staffing Bill to
improve the care given at our healthcare
facilities. This law will give
nurses and other healthcare facility
staff stronger voices at their hospitals
and ensure that these facilities collaboratively
plan for the future,” said
Cuomo.
Additionally, free childcare is available
to parents and caregivers getting
vaccinated or recovering from the vaccine.
From now until July 4, parents
and caregivers can sign up (https://
www.vaccines.gov/incentives.html) for
free childcare if they need additional
support while getting or recovering
from the COVID-19 vaccine.
Cuomo also announced that there
was only one drawing left in the State’s
Vaccine Scholarship Incentive. “Today,
we announced the fourth group of
winners of the State’s Vaccine Scholarship
incentive. These 10 vaccinated
New Yorkers will attend a SUNY or
CUNY school with their tuition and
room and board covered.
He said there is only one drawing
(and 10 scholarships) left, sharing that
persons can spread the word, and participate
while “you still can.” Parents
can learn more by visiting: ny.gov/vaccinescholarship.
However, the lawmaker remains
cautious that CDC guidelines will
remain in place, meaning if persons
are unvaccinated, they should still
wear a mask in public indoors.
By Nelson A. King
The Bedford-Church African Burial
Ground Coalition in Brooklyn on Saturday,
June 19 hosted a Juneteenth
celebration at 2286 Church Ave., a site
where bones of enslaved Africans have
been repeatedly found.
The coalition told Caribbean Life
that the celebration was designed “to
bring Flatbush’s rich Black history to
light from colonial times to the present,
and to raise awareness of the existence
of an African Burial Ground in the
heart of Brooklyn.”
The Bedford-Church African Burial
Ground Coalition said its petition
to stop city development of the site
already has over 830 online signatures
and over 200 signatures on paper collected
on the ground.
“The number is only growing,” the
group said.
The burial ground is located next to
Erasmus High School at the intersection
of Church and Bedford avenues in
Brooklyn, and dates to the times when
Brooklyn held the largest concentration
of enslaved people north of the
Mason-Dixon line.
The day included gardening projects,
a walking tour and creation of community
art “to draw attention to the location,
which has been long neglected by
the city,” the coalition said.
“But community members have
been envisioning access to the land for
years,” it said.
The coalition said an interactive
walking tour of the burial ground and
connected areas “centered the histories
of enslaved Africans and the indigenous
Lenape inhabitants.”
The tour was created and led by
Shanna Sabio, co-founder of Grow-
House NYC; Frank Schellace, local artist
and member of Q Gardens; and
Jean-Dominique Bonnet, a civil engineer
and member of Q Gardens.
The group also created a fence weaving
using an excerpt of Assata Shakur’s
poem “Leftovers – What is Left?”, as
part of a Global Fence Weaving project
in collaboration with Brooklyn Hi Art
Machine and A Blade of Grass.
The project engages organizations
and communities around the country
and the world to create global fence
weaving projects in their respective
communities, the coalition said.
It said Samantha Bernardine, a
teacher at Erasmus High School, and
her students hung banners exp
ressing their desires for the site to be
honored as sacred.
Members of the coalition are at the
site every Saturday, from noon to 2:00
pm to share information about the
burial ground, to clean and decorate
the site.
The Bedford-Church African Burial
Ground Coalition said it is a group
of individuals and organizations “who
are committed to an open, democratic
process for determining what happens
to this sacred space at 2286 Church
Ave. – the Bedford-Church African Burial
Ground, and all city-owned (therefore
community-owned) land.”
The coalition said it practices “decentralized,
cooperative leadership,” stating
that it’s priorities are to stop the
building of “affordable housing” on
these grounds; to raise awareness of
the rich history of Flatbush, centering
the histories of Black and indigenous
peoples; to facilitate community education
and collective determination of
appropriate uses for the land and any
remains or items found on the land;
and to preserve green spaces for the
health and benefit of Brooklyn residents.
To sign the petition, sign up for
a walking tour, or learn more, visit
https://www.growhousenyc.org/flatbush
african-burial-ground.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Craig
Ruttle / Pool via REUTERS
Bedford-Church African Burial Ground
Coalition celebrates Juneteenth at site
COVID-19 state
of emergency
ends in NY
Members of the coalition weaving the fence. Corazon Valiente
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