With profound gratitude and a humble heart, I, Debbie Burrell-Butler, Executive Director, extend my sincerest thanks to everyone who attended and supported the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau’s 2nd Biennial “Planting the Seeds” Gala, held on July 23, 2026, at the beautiful Greentree Country Club located in New Rochelle, NY.
Your presence and generosity were nothing short of inspiring. In a world where the needs of our young people continue to grow, your unwavering commitment to our mission reminds us that community is not just a word; it is a living, breathing promise we make to one another. Seeing so many faces united in purpose, lifting the next generation, was a powerful testament to the strength and spirit of Mount Vernon.
Because of you, the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau is proud to announce that our mission will be honored in full. Thanks to your support, we will give away $20,000 to 20 fortunate recipients at our Biennial Scholarship Event in 2027. These scholarships are designed specifically for youth pursuing professions within the blue-collar workforce field of limitless dignity, skill, and opportunity. The Bureau is committed to supporting careers not only in HVAC, mechanical technology, and nursing, but also in the vast array of trades and essential professions that build, heal, and sustain our world. From electrical work and plumbing to carpentry, automotive technology, medical assisting, and beyond, the Bureau believes that every honest trade is a pathway to a prosperous future.
This letter is our way of saying THANK YOU, not just for a single evening, but for the lasting impact you are making. To our sponsors and donors, your financial investment is the soil in which these dreams will grow. To our colleagues, friends, and family, your encouragement and belief in this work keep us moving forward. To the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau Board Members and staff, your dedication, late nights, and passion turned a vision into a reality.
Lastly, to our amazing awardees, you made the night one to remember. Your passion and resilience inspire us. You prove there are many paths to success, and the road less traveled often leads to the most beautiful destinations. You are not just recipients; you are trailblazers and the hope for the next generation.
We remain humbled by your trust and inspired by your generosity. As we look toward 2027, we invite you to continue walking with us as we plant, nurture, and harvest the potential within every young person we serve.
With deepest appreciation and sincere gratitude,
Debbie Burrell-Butler, Executive Director, MBA Mount Vernon Youth Bureau
“Planting the Seeds Today, Harvesting the Leaders of Tomorrow.”
This week, thousands of Black families from across the nation are gathering in Baltimore for the 47th National Convention of Jack and Jill of America. For many, it’s a celebration of leadership, education, service, and fellowship.
For me, it’s something even more personal.
As a father and grandfather, I have the privilege of watching my daughter and my granddaughter participate in an organization dedicated to preparing young people for leadership and service. Seeing three generations represented reminds me that our greatest investment has never been buildings, politics, or programs—it’s our children.
My daughter Miesha, is a proud member of the Jack and Jill Westchester County, NY Chapter, under the leadership of Chapter President Janelle Bradshaw.
Watching them represent the Westchester County Chapter was a source of tremendous pride. It was inspiring to see families from our community join thousands of others from across the country, united by a shared commitment to developing the next generation of Black leaders. As a father and grandfather, seeing my daughter invest in my granddaughter through an organization that emphasizes leadership, service, education, and cultural enrichment is a reminder that legacy is built one generation at a time.
Too often, headlines about Black America focus on our challenges. We read about crime, failing schools, political division, and economic disparities. Those stories deserve attention, but they are not the whole story.
Across this country, thousands of Black parents are quietly making sacrifices every day to expose their children to opportunities that build confidence, leadership, discipline, and a sense of purpose. Jack and Jill of America is one example of that commitment.
As a father, there is something special about watching your child become a leader. As a grandfather, there is an even greater joy in watching that same legacy continue through the next generation.
When I look at my daughter and granddaughter participating in this convention, I don’t just see matching outfits or memorable photos. I see the passing of values. I see the importance of family. I see a community of parents intentionally creating spaces where young Black children are encouraged to dream bigger, serve others, and believe they can make a difference.
Leadership doesn’t begin when someone becomes a CEO, an elected official, or a business owner. It begins in the home. It is reinforced by parents, mentors, teachers, churches, and organizations willing to invest time in young people long before the world notices them.
That is what makes gatherings like this important.
As someone who has spent much of my life advocating for Black communities through law enforcement, publishing, and civic engagement, I have learned that sustainable change doesn’t happen only in city halls or state capitols. It also happens around dinner tables, at youth meetings, during community service projects, and through organizations that help shape the character of our children.
Watching families from across the nation come together reminds us that there is still tremendous strength within our community. There are mothers, fathers, grandparents, mentors, and volunteers working every day to prepare the next generation—not simply for success, but for significance.
This convention is about much more than a week in Baltimore.
It is about legacy.
It is about parents choosing to invest in their children.
It is about grandparents watching seeds they helped plant begin to bear fruit.
And for this father, seeing his daughter, granddaughter, and the Westchester County Chapter proudly represent their community on the national stage is a blessing that words can hardly capture.
As Black families, we often talk about building generational wealth. We should. But generational wealth begins with generational investment—investing in character, education, leadership, faith, and family.
Watching my daughter and granddaughter together reminds me that the greatest inheritance we can leave our children is not simply money. It is values, opportunity, and the confidence to become the leaders God created them to be.
To the members of the Westchester County Chapter, the national leadership of Jack and Jill of America, and the thousands of parents and volunteers who dedicate countless hours to nurturing our youth, thank you for continuing the important work of building leaders, strengthening families, and inspiring generations to come.
Melat Kiros, the Democratic Socialists of America-backed nominee for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, recently told a Tigrayan diaspora audience:
“The responsibility that we have as Americans… is only going to be challenged if we are getting represented by people who understand that on a fundamental level. And that means getting more immigrants into office. That means getting more people who have heritage in the global south into office because that’s where those decisions are made specifically.”
She was not talking about housing, jobs, schools, or safety in Denver’s Black neighborhoods. She was talking about reshaping America’s role in the “global world order” by placing more people from other countries—people not born in America, and not even Black Americans—into elected office. Her call for more immigrants and more people with “heritage in the global south” in leadership treats native-born Black Americans as secondary. That framing is not neutral. It systematically erases the Black American struggle that produced the very rights immigrants exercise the moment they arrive.
Notice the language itself. Kiros frames this as “the responsibility that we have as Americans.” According to her, the duty of Americans is to vote more immigrants into office. That does not even sound right. A nation’s political responsibility is first to its own citizens and the communities that built and sustained it—not to prioritize people born elsewhere as the solution to its problems.
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were not abstract gifts from the international community. They were the hard-won constitutional results of the Civil War and Reconstruction, secured by Black freedmen and women in the South who organized, voted under threat, and paid in blood. The long fight against Jim Crow—court cases, boycotts, marches, and federal legislation—expanded and enforced those rights against determined resistance. Later immigrants, including those from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, stepped into a rights architecture that Black Americans had already forced into existence. They did not have to invent equal protection, due process, or the franchise. Those tools were already there because earlier generations of Black people refused to accept less.
Kiros’s “global south” lens treats that history as background noise. Her solution is demographic: more immigrants and people with heritage from the developing world in office so America can be challenged for its “exploitative and extractive nature” on the global stage. The specific American Black experience—slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the unfinished work of ownership, family stability, and economic circulation—disappears inside a broader international category. The people who built the rights regime are reduced to one more group of “people of color” rather than a people with a distinct history and a distinct set of unfinished business inside the United States.
The same worldview shows up in her call to abolish ICE. When the central political project is challenging America’s “exploitative” global role and elevating people with heritage from the global south, the domestic enforcement agency that controls borders and removals becomes an obvious target. Abolishing ICE is presented as solidarity with migrants rather than as a policy that must be weighed against its effects on wages, neighborhood safety, and the social fabric of the communities already living in places like Denver. Once again, the particular interests and hard-won institutional achievements of Black Americans are not the measure. The global framing is.
This is not an argument against immigration or against any individual’s right to run for office. It is a refusal to pretend that all histories are interchangeable. Many of the countries grouped under “global south” still lack the enforceable protections for speech, assembly, property, and political participation that Black Americans forced into American law. People leave those places, in part, because the rights environment is weaker. When political leaders treat “heritage in the global south” as the primary credential for challenging America, they skip past the reality that the strongest rights framework on the continent was built by Black Americans under far harsher conditions than most of those origin countries have ever imposed on their own citizens.
We see versions of this pattern repeatedly in progressive and DSA-aligned discourse. The particular Black American struggle is folded into “BIPOC,” “global majority,” or “global south” solidarity. International grievances take priority over domestic outcomes. Representation by recent arrivals or diaspora identity is presented as progress, while the metrics that actually determine whether Black communities advance—business ownership, family structure, neighborhood safety, education that produces skills instead of debt—receive less attention. The result is a politics that can sound radical while remaining silent on the concrete conditions inside Black America.
Black communities do not need their history subordinated to a global narrative that treats the United States primarily as an extractive force and treats Black Americans as interchangeable with recent immigrants from the developing world. The rights that make political participation possible were not free. They were extracted through sacrifice by people whose descendants still live with the consequences of that history. Any serious politics that claims to speak for justice should begin by recognizing that fact rather than erasing it.
Kiros is free to pursue her internationalist vision. Black America is free to insist that its particular struggle, its particular achievements, and its particular unfinished work will not be dissolved into someone else’s global category. The two are not the same project. Pretending they are is not solidarity. It is erasure.
The arrest of an off-duty Mount Vernon police officer for Driving While Intoxicated is, by itself, not proof that the entire Mount Vernon Police Department lacks integrity. Every police agency in America has officers who make serious mistakes and are held accountable for them. In this case, the officer has been suspended without pay, and the criminal prosecution will proceed through the courts where the facts will be determined. Due process must be respected.
But this incident does not exist in a vacuum.
For many residents of Mount Vernon, it is simply the latest chapter in a long series of events that has steadily eroded public confidence in the department. Confidence is not lost overnight. It disappears when controversy becomes routine, when accountability appears inconsistent, and when the public begins to wonder whether leadership is steering the ship or simply reacting to the next crisis.
The United States Department of Justice reached one of the most serious conclusions that can be made about a municipal police department when it found reasonable cause to believe the Mount Vernon Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing, including excessive force, unlawful arrests, and illegal strip and body cavity searches. Those findings were not the product of rumor or political rhetoric. They followed a multi-year federal civil rights investigation.
Even after the DOJ findings, additional reporting has documented officers with repeated misconduct histories and decertifications, leaving many residents asking whether meaningful reform has truly taken hold or whether the city is simply moving from one controversy to another.
Now comes another damaging headline.
An officer entrusted with enforcing New York’s drunk-driving laws has himself been arrested on an alleged DWI charge. Again, every person deserves the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Yet public perception matters. Police officers are held to a higher standard because they exercise extraordinary authority over the lives and liberties of others. When that standard appears to be slipping, public trust slips with it.
The question facing Mount Vernon is no longer whether there have been isolated incidents. The question is whether City Hall has established the kind of leadership, culture, supervision, and accountability necessary to restore confidence in one of the city’s most important institutions.
As someone who has spent years advocating for accountability in local government, I believe residents are exhausted. They are tired of reading about investigations. They are tired of hearing explanations after the fact. They are tired of watching one controversy replace another before meaningful answers are provided.
At some point, leadership must stop managing headlines and begin changing culture.
A police department does not lose credibility because of one officer. It loses credibility when the public begins believing misconduct is part of a larger pattern rather than an isolated exception. Whether that perception is entirely fair is almost beside the point. Public confidence is the foundation upon which effective policing rests. Without it, every arrest is questioned, every investigation is scrutinized, and every officer—especially the overwhelming majority who serve honorably—carries the burden created by the failures of a few.
The Mayor and the City’s leadership must recognize that restoring trust requires more than issuing press releases. It requires transparent discipline, independent oversight, modern training, strong supervision, measurable reform, and a willingness to acknowledge when the public has legitimate concerns. Trust cannot be demanded. It must be earned repeatedly through consistent actions.
The residents of Mount Vernon deserve a police department that commands respect because of its professionalism rather than continually defending itself against another damaging headline. They deserve leadership that confronts problems directly instead of waiting for another federal investigation, another lawsuit, another arrest, or another public controversy.
As I have said before, and I repeat today:
“It appears that the wheels have fallen off the go-kart. There is no clear direction within the Mount Vernon Police Department, and the community has lost faith that meaningful accountability is being restored. The overwhelming majority of officers come to work every day to serve honorably, but leadership must understand that public trust is earned through consistent action, not public relations. Enough is enough. The people of Mount Vernon deserve a police department that inspires confidence instead of continually testing it.” — Samuel L. Rivers
This is not a call to condemn every police officer. It is a call to demand better leadership. It is a call to rebuild public confidence before that confidence is lost entirely. And it is a reminder that integrity is not measured by how an organization responds when everything is going well. Integrity is measured by how leaders respond when everything appears to be going wrong.
Mount Vernon deserves better. The honest men and women of the Police Department deserve better. Most importantly, the residents who place their safety in the hands of the department every single day deserve bette
Mount Vernon NAACP Celebrates the Heroes Among Us at Community Luncheon
The Mount Vernon NAACP Branch #2161 hosted its Community Heroes Award Luncheon on Saturday, July 25, bringing together residents, civic leaders, elected officials, family members, and supporters for a special afternoon dedicated to recognizing the people whose service continues to strengthen the City of Mount Vernon.
The luncheon honored extraordinary individuals whose leadership, commitment, and contributions have made a meaningful difference throughout the community. Some have worked publicly, while others have served quietly behind the scenes, often without seeking recognition or praise. The event gave the Mount Vernon NAACP an opportunity to shine a light on those unsung heroes and sheroes whose dedication continues to strengthen and uplift the community.
The celebration reflected one of the central principles of the NAACP: that lasting change is created by ordinary people who are willing to do extraordinary work on behalf of others.
As the late author and poet Maya Angelou once said:
“I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.”
That spirit was present throughout the luncheon as the branch recognized individuals who have invested their time, energy, experience and compassion into improving the lives of others.
Mount Vernon NAACP Vice President AJ Woodson served as master of ceremonies and helped guide the audience through a program filled with recognition, reflection and celebration. Branch President Kathie Brewington and executive committee members Latoya Anderson and Dena Williams joined Woodson in honoring those whose work represents the very best of Mount Vernon.
“There is no greater gift than a life lived in service to others. Service is more than an act of kindness—it is a commitment to making a difference, lifting others when they are down, and leaving our community stronger than we found it. Our Community Heroes Luncheon is a celebration of those remarkable individuals who have answered the call to serve. They have given of their time, talents, compassion, and leadership without seeking recognition or reward. They stood up, stepped forward, and made sacrifices so that others could have hope, opportunity, and a better future,” President Brewington shared.
Mariam Saidykhan opened the program by performing both the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Later in the program, she returned to the stage with a stirring rendition of Mariah Carey’s inspirational 1993 hit, “Hero,” a fitting selection for the Community Heroes Luncheon.
Many Mount Vernon residents may remember Saidykhan from her outstanding performance in the Mount Vernon City School District Performing and Visual Arts Magnet School’s 2018 production of The Lion King Jr. at Mount Vernon High School. Just a few months later, she returned to the stage in the student production of The Color Purple, delivering another memorable performance as Young Celie.
The Lean Brothers own DJ Rahsheen entertained the crowd on the ones and twos.
Greetings were given by Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard;
“As Mayor, I am proud to support the mission of the Mount Vernon NAACP and grateful for the organization’s continued dedication to advancing equality, empowering our residents, and building a stronger, more inclusive community. Together, we will continue working toward a future where justice, opportunity, and hope are accessible to all. Congratulations to this year’s honorees and thank you to the Mount Vernon NAACP for your continued leadership, partnership, and service to our community.”
The luncheon also included a special presentation from Congressman George Latimer. On June 26, 2025, Latimer recognized the presidents and vice presidents of the NAACP branches within his congressional district from the floor of the United States House of Representatives. Their names and service were officially entered into the Congressional Record. During Saturday’s luncheon, Latimer presented Brewington and Woodson with formal copies of the recognition, enclosed in commemorative folders bearing the seal of the House of Representatives. He reminded them that their names would forever remain part of the Congressional Record—a permanent acknowledgment of their leadership and service through the Mount Vernon NAACP. The presentation added another historic element to an afternoon already centered on community service. It also served as a reminder that the work being done at the local level can have an impact far beyond the boundaries of one neighborhood or city.
For generations, the NAACP has stood at the forefront of the struggle for civil rights, voting rights, educational equity, economic opportunity and equal justice. Local branches such as Mount Vernon Branch #2161 continue that tradition by addressing the immediate needs of their communities while remaining connected to the organization’s larger national mission. That work often includes advocating for residents, engaging elected officials, organizing educational programs, encouraging civic participation, and confronting injustice wherever it appears.
But the Community Heroes Award Luncheon was also about celebration. It was a moment to pause and say thank you to the individuals who answer the call when their community needs them. It honored those who mentor young people, support families, advocate for justice, preserve local history, provide essential services and create opportunities for others.
Too often, the people doing the most important work receive the least attention. They do not always appear in headlines, stand behind podiums or receive public applause. They simply continue serving because they understand that a stronger community requires people who are willing to show up. The Mount Vernon NAACP’s luncheon ensured that, for at least one afternoon, those heroes were seen, celebrated and appreciated.
This year’s Community Heroes honorees include:
Mr. Abishai Ben-Rubin, a master African percussionist, cultural educator, healer, activist, and respected community leader, Mr. Al-Farid Salahuddin, a retired 41-year veteran of the Mount Vernon Fire Department, Coach Craig Ramsey, a lifelong mentor, coach, and community advocate, Ms. Donna Houston, a driving force in community service, Dr. Natasha Hunter-McGregor, a distinguished educational leader with 37 years of dedicated service to scholars and families throughout New York City and Westchester County, Mount Vernon Fire Commissioner Kevin Holt recognized for his lifelong commitment to protecting, serving, and advancing the well-being of the City of Mount Vernon and its residents, Ms. Judith Watson, CEO of the Westchester Community Health Center, formerly known as the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center, The Rev. Dr. Martello Payne Jr., a distinguished community leader, dedicated pastor, and decorated U.S. Army veteran with a profound legacy of service spanning over six decades, Mr. Ralph Burts, a distinguished educator with more than 43 years of dedicated service in the Mount Vernon City School District, and Jermire Pyatt received special recognition for his commitment to serving and uplifting the next generation through volunteerism, civic engagement, and youth leadership.
Congressman Latimer acknowledged The Mount Vernon NAACP Community Heroes Luncheon and all the honorees in the Congressional Record. From this point on, anytime someone googles their name and the Congressional Record, they will see it.
More than an awards ceremony, the gathering was a celebration of Mount Vernon itself—its resilience, its leadership and its long tradition of people working together to make the city better.
The honorees represented the kind of service that cannot always be measured by titles or positions. Their impact is found in the people they have helped, the lives they have touched, and the example they continue to set for others.
The Mount Vernon NAACP Community Heroes Award Luncheon reminded everyone in attendance that heroes do not only exist in history books or on movie screens.
They live among us.
They worship in our churches, work in our schools, serve in our organizations, advocate in our neighborhoods and devote themselves to making Mount Vernon a better place for all people.
On Saturday, the Mount Vernon NAACP gave them their flowers while they were here to receive them.
MV NAACP Executive Committee (from l to r): Dr Faith Walters, Dena Williams, Cynthia Crenshaw, Andrea DeRizzio, Latoya Anderson (Secretary), VP AJ Woodson, Pres. Kathie Brewington, Pauline Scott (Treasurer), Curtis Brewington
The Mount Vernon NAACP (Branch #2161) holds its general monthly meetings on the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM. The meetings take place at Macedonia Baptist Church, located at 141 South 9th Avenue in Mount Vernon. For more information, updates, or to confirm meeting details before attending, you can check the Mount Vernon, NY NAACP Website or view the NAACP – Mount Vernon, NY Branch Facebook Page.
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — The Mount Vernon Police Department is investigating a hit-and-run collision involving a child that occurred this afternoon at the intersection of 7th Avenue and West Third Street.
At approximately 2:29 p.m., a 9-year-old girl was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene immediately after the collision.
Officers quickly responded to the area and, through the course of the investigation, located the suspect vehicle in a parking lot opposite 229 South 6th Avenue. The driver was taken into custody without incident and placed under arrest on suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) pending further investigation and the filing of formal charges.
The child was transported to Jacobi Medical Center for treatment.
The suspect was transported to Mount Vernon Hospital for medical treatment prior to processing.
The investigation remains active. Detectives are continuing to gather evidence, review available surveillance footage, and interview witnesses to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Mount Vernon Police Department Detective Division at (914) 665-2510 or anonymously text us at TIP411 (847411). Start the message with MVPD, then the message.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
The battle for New York’s 17th Congressional District is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched races in the country, with a new independent poll showing incumbent Republican Congressman Mike Lawler holding a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Cait Conley.
The survey, conducted by the independent polling firm co/efficient, found Lawler leading Conley 50% to 45%, with just 5% of likely voters still undecided.
The results come just weeks after a Democratic-backed poll showed Conley leading by six points, highlighting just how fluid the race remains. Together, the competing surveys reinforce why political observers continue to rate NY-17 as one of the nation’s premier congressional battlegrounds.
How NY-17 Became One of America’s Most Competitive Districts
The political landscape of New York’s 17th Congressional District changed dramatically following New York’s congressional redistricting after the 2020 Census.
Before the district lines were redrawn, NY-17 was represented by Mondaire Jones, who made history in 2020 as New York’s first openly gay Black member of Congress. At the time, the district leaned comfortably Democratic, and Jones won his seat by nearly 15 percentage points.
Following the 2020 Census, New York Democrats approved new congressional maps that Republicans argued were designed to maximize Democratic seats in Congress. The maps quickly became the subject of a legal challenge, and in 2022 the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the original congressional map violated the state’s constitutional redistricting process. A court-appointed special master was then tasked with drawing new district boundaries.
Those new lines fundamentally changed NY-17.
The revised district brought together portions of Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties, creating a far more politically balanced electorate. The new map also prompted Mondaire Jones to run in a different congressional district, leaving the seat open and setting the stage for one of the nation’s biggest political upsets.
In 2022, Republican Mike Lawler defeated then-Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney, becoming one of the few Republicans to flip a Democratic-held House seat in New York. Since then, NY-17 has consistently ranked among the most competitive congressional districts in America, with both national parties investing millions of dollars to either defend or reclaim the seat.
Why NY-17 Matters
New York’s 17th Congressional District has become one of the country’s premier swing districts. With Republicans holding only a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats view flipping NY-17 as essential to regaining control of Congress. At the same time, Republicans see holding the seat as critical to maintaining their majority.
The district has consistently demonstrated a willingness to split its ticket. While Democratic presidential candidates have remained competitive throughout the region, Lawler has twice built a coalition broad enough to win congressional elections in a district where neither party can afford to take voters for granted.
Could Black Voters Become the Deciding Factor?
One of the most overlooked storylines heading into November is whether Congressman Mike Lawler can continue making inroads with Black voters throughout the Hudson Valley.
Historically, Black voters have overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates. However, recent election cycles have shown Republicans making modest gains among some Black voters nationally, particularly among homeowners, entrepreneurs, veterans, churchgoers, and working-class families, who are focused on issues such as affordability, public safety, education, and economic opportunity.
During his previous campaigns, Lawler made a visible effort to engage communities that many Republican candidates have often overlooked. He attended community events, met with Black clergy, spoke with Black business owners, participated in local forums, and sought endorsements from respected community leaders throughout Westchester and Rockland Counties. While Democrats continued to receive the overwhelming share of the Black vote, Lawler’s outreach helped him earn support from some Black voters who were willing to cross party lines.
That dynamic could prove significant again in 2026.
In a race where polls show only a five-point margin, even a modest shift in Black voter turnout—or in support among independent and swing Black voters—could influence the outcome. Both campaigns understand that they cannot afford to ignore Black communities in Mount Vernon, Peekskill, Spring Valley, White Plains, Yonkers, and other parts of the district.
For Democrats, maintaining their traditional level of support among Black voters will be critical. For Republicans, expanding upon the relationships Lawler has built over the past four years could provide the margin needed to secure another victory.
The Issues Likely to Decide the Race
Although national politics will dominate much of the campaign, local concerns remain at the forefront for many Hudson Valley residents. Among the issues expected to shape voters’ decisions are:
Inflation and the rising cost of living
Property taxes and housing affordability
Public safety
Immigration and border security
Healthcare costs
Energy and utility bills
Economic development and job creation
Both candidates are expected to spend the final months of the campaign competing for independent and moderate voters who have historically decided elections in the district.
The Bottom Line
The latest poll suggests Congressman Mike Lawler currently holds a slight advantage, but the race remains far from settled. With competing polls showing different leaders, significant national attention, and millions of dollars expected to flow into the district, NY-17 remains one of America’s premier political battlegrounds.
The race also illustrates how dramatically a congressional district can change. What was once a safely Democratic seat represented by Mondaire Jones has evolved into one of the nation’s most competitive swing districts, where independents, suburban voters, and potentially even modest shifts among Black voters could determine control of one of the most closely watched House seats in the country.
As November approaches, every vote—and every community—will matter.
Carrying On the Tradition of African American News: Twelve Years and Counting
Celebrating Black Westchester’s twelfth anniversary gives me an opportunity to reflect on how we got here and to reintroduce ourselves to those discovering us for the first time—as well as those who may not have been riding with us for the entire journey. And to everyone who has supported us since day one, I paraphrase the words of the great African American poet Shawn Corey Carter: “Allow us to reintroduce ourselves…”
Over the past several years, many of you may have noticed that Black Westchester has devoted significant attention to the local political landscape. That work is important, but it represents only one part of who we are and what we have always done.
We take our responsibility as members of the Black press seriously because we understand the tradition we inherited. We stand on the shoulders of the pioneering African American newspapers that came before us—publications that informed their communities, challenged injustice, documented Black life and reported stories the mainstream press too often ignored, distorted or refused to tell.
That legacy stretches back to Freedom’s Journal, founded in 1827 by Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm as the nation’s first African American-owned and operated newspaper. It continued through institutions such as the Chicago Defender, the Detroit Tribune and the Pittsburgh Courier; through New York’s historic Amsterdam News; and locally through publications such as the Westchester Observer and the Westchester County Press.
These newspapers did much more than report the news of the day. They served as advocates, historians, watchdogs and trusted voices for Black communities. They celebrated our achievements, exposed injustice, challenged those in power, and preserved stories that might otherwise have been erased.
Black Westchester understands the importance of carrying that mission forward. Whether we are covering politics, education, criminal justice, business, health, sports, entertainment, faith, or community affairs, our purpose remains the same: to document what is happening around us and provide the news through a perspective rooted in the experiences, concerns, and aspirations of the Black community.
We understand the Black press is a critical—but often ignored—aspect of African-American history and culture. Along with churches, political and service organizations, cultural institutions, and schools and universities, the Black press has been central to community formation, protest and advocacy, education and literacy, and economic self-sufficiency. Since the earliest known black-owned and published newspaper, like the Freedom’s Journal, the black press has provided a public sphere for an aggrieved community barred from mainstream channels of discourse. These publications disseminated African-Americans’ ideas, accomplishments, and cultural products within their communities and to the rest of the world.
African American journalism has always served a dual purpose: reporting the news and helping transform the conditions affecting Black communities. The Black press has never functioned solely as a distributor of information. It has also been an advocate, organizer, watchdog and agent of social change.
For nearly two centuries, Black newspapers have been a vital source of African American political power—informing readers, shaping public opinion, challenging injustice and holding elected officials and institutions accountable. Even at their most commercially successful, these publications have remained defenders of our shared values, interests and collective well-being.
That tradition reminds us that journalism does not have to abandon objectivity to recognize injustice or remain silent in the name of neutrality. The Black press has always understood that accurately documenting inequality, amplifying overlooked voices and demanding accountability are essential parts of telling the complete story.
The 1944 annual meeting of the National Negro Press Association adopted a “Credo for the Negro Press.” The Credo begins:
I Shall Be a Crusader…
I Shall Be an Advocate…
I Shall Be a Herald…
I Shall Be a Mirror and a Record…
Matthew F. Delmont wrote in his book titled “Black Quotidian: Everyday History In African-American Newspapers,” published by the Stanford University Press in 2019;
This special mission figures prominently in coverage of racial violence in the Black press. When Black newspapers reported on lynchings, police brutality, and other everyday acts of racial violence, they did not simply give an account of what transpired. Black reporters and editors urged local and federal authorities to defend the rights of Black people and to bring perpetrators to justice; they investigated criminal acts that law enforcement agencies either ignored or refused to probe; and they expressed outrage, on behalf of the Black community, that these acts of racial terror continued to take place in America. The Black press also recorded the names of victims, entering them into the historical record and leaving a paper trail of cases, some of which scholars, reporters, and lawyers are still trying to solve. African-American newspapers recorded murders that have become well known—such as the lynching of Emmett Till and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, killing four young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley—as well as lesser-known crimes that are no less disturbing, including the bombings of the homes of the Short family in Fontana, California, and the Moore family in Mims, Florida. It would have been possible to fill Black Quotidian with only examples of the daily racial terror Black people have fought against. I elected not to do this because I wanted to illustrate how joy and the threat of violence have always been part of the quotidian lives of Black people in America.
Black Westchester as a member of the National Association of Black Journalist, the New York Association of Black Journalist and the National Newspaper Publisher Association (NNPA) – inducted as an unofficial member by the organization’s President and CEO Dr. Benjamin Chavis when he appeared on Episode 297 of our weekly talk radio show People Before Politics Radio, Sunday, April 25, 2021 – we take this credo of African-American newspapers who came before us seriously as we carry on the tradition. Like Delmont, we also elect not just to give examples of the deadly consequences of being Black in America, but to illustrate and document how the threat of violence has always been part of the quotidian lives of Black people in the United States of America.
The NNPA’s Credo Of The Black Press reads;
The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back. Since World War II, it has also served as the industry’s news service, a position that it has held without peer or competitor since the Associated Negro Press dissolved by 1970.
The Black press has played a crucial role in the Fourth Estate since its inception in the early 19th century. In the early days, the Black press reported mainly on issues affecting the newly-formed African- American community and identity. African-American news organizations highlighted the challenges and triumphs of the Black community, while providing a more nuanced portrait of the lives of Black Americans when mainstream media would report predominantly negative or otherwise bigoted stories of Black Americans.
Covering events and celebrating African-American excellence like the Westchester County Press, but also realizing the need to be more radical at times like the Mount Vernon-based Westchester Observer. Ben Anderson’s motto was “Dedicated to Justice for All.” Ben Anderson wasn’t afraid to be an activist as well as accurately covering the movement of his time. Black Westchester tries to carry on the tradition of both Westchester Black Newspapers as we strive to inspire a new generation of truth-speakers.
Since our inception in 2014, Black Westchester has covered the movements, marches, and protests of the people while remaining at the forefront of the fight for freedom, justice, and equality.
Our reporting has also helped expose misconduct and abuse of power, contributing in some cases to officers being suspended, terminated or convicted. We have consistently held elected officials, community leaders and public institutions accountable—especially those who look like us and claim to represent us.
At times, our coverage has helped candidates gain the public’s trust and win office. In other cases, our reporting has contributed to voters deciding that certain officials no longer deserved to remain there.
That is the responsibility we accepted when we entered this work: not to protect personalities, political parties or institutions, but to serve the people, pursue the truth and demand accountability—no matter who is involved.
We have also made it a priority to shine a light on the unsung heroes and sheroes in our communities—the people who have been doing the work for years, often without recognition, headlines or public praise. By telling their stories, we hope not only to give them the acknowledgment they deserve, but also to encourage and inspire a new generation of truth-tellers, organizers, advocates and activists.
This journey has been a labor of love. At times, it has come without the support of some of the very people we have worked to educate, inform, and uplift. Still, we remain committed because we understand the role Black Westchester plays in our community and throughout the surrounding region.
We welcome those who have supported us from the beginning and those who are only now discovering our work. Together, we share the Credo of Black Westchester as we continue carrying forward the proud tradition of the African American newspapers that came before us.
At the request of my sister Nicole, I watched a video of Trevor Noah at the 2022 White House Correspondents’ Dinner; she knew it would inspire me. He ended with a challenge to the press.
“As we sit here tonight, people, I really hope you remember what the real purpose of this evening is really about… The reason we’re here is to honor and celebrate the Fourth Estate and what you stand for. An additional check and balance that holds power to account and gives voice to those who otherwise wouldn’t have one. I’m not just talking about the CNNs, Fox, or any other major organizations; I’m talking about everyone, including the local media who are not in this room. Every single one of you, whether you like it or not, is a bastion of democracy. If you ever begin to doubt your responsibilities, if you ever begin to doubt how meaningful it is, look no further than what’s happening in Ukraine. Look what’s happening there. Journalists are risking and even losing their lives to show the world what’s really happening.
You realize how amazing it is? America, you have the right to seek the truth and to speak the truth, even if that makes people in power uncomfortable. Even if it makes your viewers and your readers uncomfortable, you understand how amazing that is? I stood here tonight and made fun of the President of the United States, and I’m going to be fine… Do you understand what a blessing that is? Maybe it’s happened for so long, it might slip your mind. It is a blessing. If fact, ask yourself this question. If Russian journalists who are losing their livelihoods and freedom for daring to report on what their own government is doing, if they had the freedom to write any words, to show any stories, to ask questions? If they basically had what you have, would they be using it the same way you do? Ask yourself that question every day, because you have one of the most important roles in the world.”
My sister, as she so often is, was exactly right. Her words inspired me, and that is why I ended the book—and will end here—by saying this:
Thank you for allowing us to be your purveyors of news and information, the storytellers of our stories, agents of social change, a source of Black American political power, and defenders of our shared values and collective interests.
We understand the responsibility that comes with that role, and we remain committed to working as hard as possible to uphold it. We cannot promise that we will always do the work exactly the way everyone believes we should. We will make mistakes. We will face criticism. We will sometimes take positions that make people uncomfortable. But we can promise that we will always give our best effort, remain true to our mission, and never stop fighting to tell the stories that matter.
We understand the assignment.
No—we overstand the assignment.
And as long as Black Westchester has a voice, we will continue unapologetically delivering The News With The Black Point Of View!
Since 2014, Black Westchester has proudly delivered The News With The Black Point of View to our community free of charge. For nearly 12 years, we have remained committed to providing independent, community-focused journalism through our website, newspaper, and radio show without placing our content behind a paywall.
Unlike many media outlets that require subscriptions to access important news and information, Black Westchester remains free and accessible to everyone. We are unbought, unbossed, and truly independent. However, we could not have accomplished all we have over the years without the support of advertisers, donors, and community partners like you.
As we begin work on our upcoming 12th Anniversary Issue, we are reaching out to invite you to support Black Westchester by:
Advertising your business, organization, event, or service
Purchasing a congratulatory ad recognizing our anniversary
Making a donation to help sustain independent Black media in Westchester County and beyond
Your support helps us continue to provide quality journalism, amplify underrepresented voices, and keep our content free for the community.
The deadline to advertise in our 12th Anniversary Issue is Friday, July 31, 2026, but we encourage you not to wait until the last minute. We also offer discounted advertising packages for businesses and organizations interested in 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month advertising opportunities. Email BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com for ad rates or to donate in celebration of our 12th anniversary.
The Mount Vernon NAACP Branch #2161 will host its Community Heroes Award Luncheon on Saturday, July 25, a special event dedicated to honoring extraordinary individuals whose leadership, service, and commitment have made significant contributions to the Mount Vernon community.
“There is no greater gift than a life lived in service to others. Service is more than an act of kindness—it is a commitment to making a difference, lifting others when they are down, and leaving our community stronger than we found it. Our Community Heroes Luncheon is a celebration of those remarkable individuals who have answered the call to serve. They have given of their time, talents, compassion, and leadership without seeking recognition or reward. They stood up, stepped forward, and made sacrifices so that others could have hope, opportunity, and a better future,” Kathie Brewington, President of the Mount Vernon NAACP Branch, shared.
In recognition of the occasion, Congressman George Latimer acknowledged the Community Heroes Award Luncheon on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, bringing national attention to the honorees and the important work of the Mount Vernon NAACP.
“As Mayor, I am proud to support the mission of the Mount Vernon NAACP and grateful for the organization’s continued dedication to advancing equality, empowering our residents, and building a stronger, more inclusive community. Together, we will continue working toward a future where justice, opportunity, and hope are accessible to all,” said Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard. “Congratulations to this year’s honorees and thank you to the Mount Vernon NAACP for your continued leadership, partnership, and service to our community.”
This year’s Community Heroes honorees include:
Mr. Abishai Ben-Rubin, a master African percussionist, cultural educator, healer, activist, and respected community leader.
Mr. Al-Farid Salahuddin, a retired 41-year veteran of the Mount Vernon Fire Department.
Coach Craig Ramsey, a lifelong mentor, coach, and community advocate.
Ms. Donna Houston, a driving force in community service.
Dr. Natasha Hunter-McGregor, a distinguished educational leader with 37 years of dedicated service to scholars and families throughout New York City and Westchester County.
Mount Vernon Fire Commissioner Kevin Holt recognized for his lifelong commitment to protecting, serving, and advancing the well-being of the City of Mount Vernon and its residents.
Ms. Judith Watson, CEO of the Westchester Community Health Center, formerly known as the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center;
The Rev. Dr. Martello Payne Jr., a distinguished community leader, dedicated pastor, and decorated U.S. Army veteran with a profound legacy of service spanning over six decades.
Mr. Ralph Burts, a distinguished educator with more than 43 years of dedicated service in the Mount Vernon City School District.
Jermire Pyatt will also receive special recognition for his commitment to serving and uplifting the next generation through volunteerism, civic engagement, and youth leadership.
“I extend congratulations to the 2026 honorees, and thank them for their commitment, involvement, and dedication to the Mount Vernon community. Their immeasurable contributions and involvement exemplify the importance of good citizenry and highlight Westchester County as a great place in which to live and work,” County Executive Kenneth Jenkins shared.
Mariam Saidykhan will perform Mariah Carey’s inspiring 1993 hit single, “Hero,” during the Community Heroes Luncheon. Many in Mount Vernon may remember her outstanding performance in the Mount Vernon City School District Performing and Visual Arts Magnet School’s 2018 production of The Lion King Jr. at Mount Vernon High School. Just a few months later, she returned to the stage in the student production of The Color Purple, delivering another memorable performance as Young Celie.
“On Saturday, July 25th, we will celebrate those who have answered the call to serve—not for recognition, but because they understand that strong communities are built by people willing to stand up, speak out, and work together for the greater good. Their contributions remind us that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when they are guided by purpose, compassion, and a commitment to justice,” MV NAACP Vice President AJ Woodson added.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was established in 1909 and is America’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. It was formed in New York City by Black and White activists, partially in response to the ongoing violence against Black Americans around the country. In the NAACP’s early decades, its anti lynching campaign was central to its agenda. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the association led the black civil rights struggle in fighting injustices such as the denial of voting rights, racial violence, discrimination in employment, and segregated public facilities. During the civil rights era in the 1950s and 1960s, the group won major legal victories, and today the NAACP has more than 2,200 branches and some half a million members worldwide. Dedicated to the goal of an integrated society, the national leadership has always been interracial, although the membership has remained predominantly African American.
The Mount Vernon NAACP (Branch #2161) holds its general monthly meetings on the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM. The meetings take place at Macedonia Baptist Church, located at 141 South 9th Avenue in Mount Vernon. For more information, updates, or to confirm meeting details before attending, you can check the Mount Vernon, NY NAACP Website or view the NAACP – Mount Vernon, NY Branch Facebook Page.
In 1963, Malcolm X gave Black America a warning that still cuts today. He said the white conservative was like a wolf — snarling, obvious, easy to see coming. But the white liberal, he said, was a fox: showing the same teeth, but smiling while he did it. The danger wasn’t the wolf’s open hostility. It was the fox’s hidden hostility, dressed up as friendship, that led people to believe help had finally arrived.
Sixty years later, Black voters across this country are asking the right question: after generations of Democratic majorities in city halls, state houses, and Congress, where is the tangible payoff? Where are the fully funded schools in Black neighborhoods, the closed wealth gap, the reparative investment promised election after election? The frustration is earned and national — this is not a New York story; it is an American one. The Democratic Party has, for decades, treated Black voters as a guaranteed bloc rather than a constituency it had to keep delivering for — and that is the central “smiling fox” lesson Malcolm X warned against.
The mistake would be assuming that a new label — democratic socialist — automatically means a different animal, and that mistake isn’t confined to one city. Zohran Mamdani’s rise to the New York City mayoralty is the most visible example right now, but he is a symbol of a wider national moment: democratic socialism presenting itself, from New York to Chicago to statehouses around the country, as a break from the old machine — something promising to fight for working people rather than manage decline on their behalf. For Black voters everywhere who are skeptical of the Democratic establishment, that message can sound like exactly the alternative Malcolm X never got to see.
But the argument worth making, for Black America broadly and not just for one city’s electorate, is this: a change in branding is not the same as a change in species. Democratic socialism, as practiced through DSA-aligned politics wherever it takes root, is still organized largely around coalition politics where Black working-class concerns compete with — and often lose out to — other priorities within the coalition. That matters because the real question is not whether the coalition sounds progressive, but whose agenda gets funded first when budgets get tight — the same question Malcolm X insisted people ask of liberals who claimed to be allies.
The test Malcolm X offered wasn’t “is this person nicer than the last one.” It was: does the smile come with delivered results, or does it just come with a smile? Applied here, the fair question isn’t whether Mamdani or any democratic-socialist leader is more likable or more sincere-sounding than the establishment they ran against — by most accounts, many of them are. The question, for Black communities from New York to any other city or state where this politics takes hold, is whether these coalitions produce a specific, trackable Black agenda. If that doesn’t materialize, then what’s changed is the smile, not the jaws.
This is where former Congressman Jamaal Bowman’s role in the movement deserves a close look. Bowman, a Bronx democratic socialist and early Mamdani backer, has been one of the loudest voices insisting this movement speaks for and represents Black people’s concerns. That claim should be tested against the same standard Malcolm X applied to anyone claiming to be an ally of Black people: not what’s said, but what’s built. On the specific question of Black wealth, the socialist agenda as it currently stands has no real answer.
Economics 101 says there are only three real pathways to building and keeping generational wealth: equity ownership, real estate, and entrepreneurship. Look at where democratic socialism, as a movement, actually stands on each one. Stock and equity ownership is treated as a symbol of the very capital class the movement organizes against. Real estate is approached almost entirely through the lens of tenants versus landlords — rent freezes and rent control, not a serious push to get more Black families into ownership positions where property appreciation can compound across generations. And small business formation, historically one of the clearest routes Black families have used to build wealth, gets treated with the same suspicion as any other capitalist enterprise. A movement can be sincerely pro-worker and still have nothing to say about ownership — and ownership, not wages, is what generational wealth is actually made of.
That’s the warning worth writing plainly, for Black America as a whole: don’t trade a fox for a fox just because the new one smiles differently, wears a different party pin, or has Black surrogates vouching for it. Hold the receipts wherever this movement asks for your vote. Ask for the wealth-building agenda in writing — not the wage agenda, the ownership agenda. Judge by results, the same way Malcolm X always insisted Black voters should — no matter which city, which election, or which spokesperson it shows up with.
