By Nelson A. King
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday
signed legislation (S.5160-B/A.229c)
amending section 34 of the municipal
home rule law to provide that regardless
of any local law to the contrary,
county reapportionment of members
of local legislative bodies is first and
foremost subject to state and federal
constitutional requirements ensuring
fairness and equity, and in furtherance
of the principle of “one person
one vote.”
After a 1991 court decision, Hochul
said there have been efforts to modify
the standards by which county legislative
lines are drawn.
“All too often, county governments
have attempted to manipulate redistricting
for the political advantage of
the party in power,” she said. “This
bill would ensure an end to that practice,
and promote fair and non-partisan
drawing of lines based on specific
guidelines consistent with the constitution.”
Upon signing of this bill, the governor
said lines must be drawn in a manner
that ensures: Districts are as nearly
equal in population as is practicable;
districts are not drawn with the intent
or result of denying equal opportunity
of racial or language minority groups
to participate in the political process;
districts consist of contiguous territory;
districts are not drawn to favor incumbents
or any particular party or candidate;
and form to promote orderly and
efficient administration of elections.
“As bad actors across the country
work to undermine public faith in our
electoral institutions, the importance
of clear and uniform rules to govern
political representation has never been
more critical,” Hochul said.
“This law will ensure the entirety of
our state is governed by rules that are
derived directly from the federal and
state constitutions and ensure the right
to equal participation in our political
process,” she added.
Hochul said this bill updates the
provisions of MHRL Sec 10(1)(a) (13) (a)
and applies those provisions to charter
counties by adding identical provisions
to Section 34 of MHRL, which covers
charter counties. Several of the standards
included in this bill were part
of the 2014 amendment to the New
York State Constitution, which applied
redistricting standards to the drawing
of congressional and state legislative
districts.
By adding these standards to MHRL,
she said they would also apply to the
drawing of county legislative districts.
“The changes set forth in this bill
will extend generally accepted standards
for representation to all the people
of New York,” Hochul said.
Caribbean Life, OCT. 29-NOV. 4, 2021 3
Cooking callaloo soup: Dr. Clifford Young (2nd from left) stirs pot with, L-R, Arden Tannis, Laverne McDowald-
Thompson and Celia Bramble at Vincy Unity Picnic at Brown’s Bay Park, 1,000 Is., Ontario, Canada in July 2017.
Photo by Nelson A. King
Caribbean frontline doctors appeal
to public to take COVID-19 vaccine
By Nelson A. King
Despite misgivings in many countries,
at least two Caribbean-born frontline
medical doctors in the Caribbean community
in Brooklyn are fervently appealing
to the public to take the COVID-19
vaccine.
In exclusive interviews with Caribbean
Life, Dr. Clifford Young and Dr.
Yolande Thomas-Badal, Vincentian and
Trinidadian nationals, respectively, said
it is important that nationals protect
themselves from the raging pandemic.
“This vaccine is the most powerful
tool we have against fighting this virus,”
said Dr. Young, an attending physician
at Cumberland Diagnostic and Treatment
Center and an assistant professor
at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine,
who, in December 2020, contracted the
COVID-19 virus.
“COVID-19 is rapidly mutating, but
the vaccine has still shown to be our
best defense against the virus,” added Dr.
Young, a board-certified internist and a
fellow of the American College of Physicians,
who currently serves as the medical
director of Citi Medical of Canarsie,
Brooklyn, P.C. “It still prevents the spread
of the virus and reduces the number and
severity of the complications.
“Without taking the vaccine, we cannot
work towards a common goal – protecting
ourselves and each other from
severe illness and death,” he continued.
“Many feel that the state has been
trampling our freedoms with vaccine
mandates, but we simply cannot risk
anymore loss of life when we have the
vaccine.
“We must protect ourselves, so we
avoid anyone else experiencing my story,
or worse, again,” warned Dr. Young, stating
that, as a primary care physician, he
knew that he was at great risk of contracting
the virus in December last year.
“My wife (a registered nurse), the office
nurse, and I worked side by side throughout
the pandemic. We had taken every
pre-caution – wore an N95 mask, kept
our home and work clothes separate, and
showered in a different bathroom from
the rest of our family,” he disclosed.
But, even with our abundance of caution,
Dr. Young said they still contracted
the virus, “not from a patient but from a
family member.”
“The virus soon made its way from
myself to my wife, and, lastly, to my son,”
he said. “The next couple of weeks were
unbearable. From late December of 2020
to late January of 2021, we suffered fevers,
body aches, and chest-aching coughs.
The symptoms were endless. No amount
of callaloo soup or concoctions of ginger,
garlic and fever grass would help.
“Even though we came close to calling
911, we were still grateful that we
had enough strength to fight through
every day of sickness,” Dr. Young added.
“Unfortunately, we cannot say the same
for every person stricken with COVID-19.
Every one of us has a story like this or
knows someone who does.”
He said this virus was “particularly
ruthless within our community.
“So, what tools do we have to protect
ourselves now, masks and vaccines?” he
asked.
Dr. Young said this combination has
“severely reduced” the number of persons
hospitalized and dying from COVID-
19.
“We can protect ourselves and those
who are vulnerable, those who are immunocompromised,
and those who suffer
from chronic conditions like diabetes,
hypertension, and heart disease,” he said.
“Vaccines have proven that they reduce
hospitalizations, deaths and transmission
within our community. They have
prevented countless hospitalizations and
deaths, allowing us to resume many of
our daily activities.”
Yet, Dr. Young queried why many
people still express concerns over the
vaccine.
He noted that research into coronavirus
vaccines started in 2003, and mRNA
vaccine research started in 2015.
“So, we had years of background information,”
Dr. Young said. “And, by March
of 2020, countries across the world collaborated
to develop and produce safe
and effective COVID-19 vaccines.”
RN, Diana Maldonado, at Interfaith
Medical Center, administers Pfi zer
COVID-19 Vaccine to Dr. Yolande
Thomas-Badal, on Dec. 18. Dr. Prissana
Alston
Hochul signs
redistricting
legislation