First, we sit down with Mount Vernon City Comptroller Darren Morton to break down the financial future of Mount Vernon. With the city facing deep fiscal challenges, Comptroller Morton joins us to talk transparency, accountability, and what it will take to stabilize Mount Vernon and protect its residents moving forward. If you care about taxes, services, budgets, and the direction of our city, you do not want to miss this.
Then, in a deeply emotional and critical segment, we welcome Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., fourteen years after White Plains Police killed his father, Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. We ask the real questions: What have we learned? What has actually changed? And why do these stories still repeat themselves in Westchester County and across the nation?
This conversation is about justice, reform, healing, and truth — and the work that still remains. Join Damon K. Jones, AJ Woodson, and Larnez Kinsey tonight as we bring you not just news, but context, accountability, and community-centered analysis you can’t get anywhere else.
LIVE from 6 PM to 8 PM on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X powered by Black Westchester Magazine.
While very few details were available, Black Westchester has received multiple reports of a 5-alarm fire early Sunday morning at 30 Cottage Avenue in Mount Vernon. At approximately 2:39 a.m., the Mount Vernon Fire Department received reports of smoke inside a residential building at 30 Cottage Avenue. Units arrived on scene at 2:44 a.m. and observed heavy smoke showing from the 7th floor at the front of the building.
“We’ve been here since 2:30 this morning,” Mount Vernon Fire Commissioner Kevin Holt said in a video statement posted from the scene. “We have all hands on deck, multiple agencies from around Westchester County are assisting us. This fire started as a kitchen fire, and it got into the cockloft of the building and spread throughout the whole building.”
Witnesses tell BW that every time it looks like the fire is under control, it starts to rekindle again. Multiple agencies were called to assist, including the FDNY. A second alarm was transmitted immediately as crews began fire attack operations. Mutual aid was requested from Pelham and Greenville to support suppression efforts. As conditions intensified, additional alarms were transmitted:
Third Alarm — New Rochelle responded
Fourth Alarm — Yonkers responded
Fifth Alarm — Larchmont and Hartsdale responded
During this time, White Plains and Eastchester provided coverage for Mount Vernon firehouses to maintain citywide emergency readiness.
“This is an old-age style pre-war building, and there are no standpipes. So of course, that makes it a little more difficult,” Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said on the scene.
See the pictures submitted by our readers.
The fire impacted the entire 7th floor, stretching from Cottage Avenue to Park Avenue, and resulted in over 100 residents being displaced. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Five Mount Vernon firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries. MVFD personnel will remain on-site throughout the day conducting suppression, overhaul, and safety operations. Two civilian injuries were reported. Firefighters rescued two women using ground ladders, and both were transported to Jacobi Medical Center for treatment.
The mayor and the Red Cross are on the scene to help the dozens of residents who have been displaced. The Doles Center is currently serving as the primary intake site for displaced residents.
“Donations being accepted at the Doles Center here,” Mount Vernon Councilmember Cathlin Gleason said in a Facebook post. “Winter clothes, coats, toiletries, new undergarments. Please also think about our firefighters and police who have been out all night and our city administration. Red Cross and Office of Emergency Management coordinating efforts. Pray for all the families displaced.”
“Families that have been impacted are being serviced over at the Doles Center here in Mount Vernon so that they can get some warmth, some beverage, fill out the paperwork that is necessary, so that we can begin getting them housing vouchers and food vouchers and assistance,” the mayor said.
He says it is a heartbreaking situation that many residents and their families now face displacement just days before Thanksgiving.
“It’s sad, you know, always at the holiday time, not just in Mount Vernon but elsewhere. Things like this happen, and it’s just very sad. As families are preparing for holidays, tragedies like this happen, and it’s a sad time,” said Mount Vernon Councilmember Derrick Thompson, who lives next door to where the fire broke out.
the American Red Cross, The Doles Center, Allen Memorial Church of God in Christ, Greater Centennial A.M.E. Zion Church and The Church of the Ascension provided immediate support to displaced residents and first responders. Superintendent Dr. Demario A. Strickland, the Mount Vernon City School District, community organizations, and faith-based partners all provided continued assistance.
The fire remains active as of Sunday afternoon.
If you have pictures or videos of this fire or anything else going on in your neighborhood, you want to share, send them to BlackWestchesterMag@gmail.com
Stay tuned to Black Westchester and keep refreshing this page for more on this developing story. We will be updating it as more information becomes available.
Two homicides occurred on the same day in Mount Vernon
Two murders occurred in Mount Vernon on the same day: a shooting close to the Bronx border and a deadly stabbing at a rooming house.
The Mount Vernon Police Department (MVPD) announced Saturday night that they made an arrest in connection with a fatal stabbing that occurred on Friday, November 21, 2025, at approximately 8:30 a.m. on the 100 block of Stevens Avenue.
Police officials tell Black Westchester they received a phone call reporting a menacing incident at the location. Upon arrival, officers encountered the suspect and located the 68-year-old male victim inside the residence, suffering from a stab wound. The victim was transported to Jacobi Medical Center in stable condition, where he later died from his injuries.
The suspect, Astillo Sylvain, 32, of Mount Vernon, who lived at the same location as the victim, was arrested by Patrol Officers while on scene. Following an investigation by the Detective Division, Sylvain was charged with Manslaughter in the First Degree. Sylvain was arraigned on Friday in City Court and ordered held without bail at the Westchester County jail, renamed Norwood E. Jackson Correctional Center after the first Black Commissioner of Corrections, shortly after he died in 1995. Sylvain is due back in court on Wednesday, November 26th.
The circumstances that led to the stabbing were not immediately known as of Saturday night. This remains an active investigation, and no further details will be released at this time
The city has provided very few details about the Friday night homicide, other than that they are actively investigating the killing that occurred in the area of Eastchester Lane and Mundy Lane, where one individual has been pronounced deceased.
Officers and detectives are currently processing an extensive crime scene spanning Eastchester Lane, South 9th Avenue, and South 11th Avenue. Residents in the surrounding neighborhood should expect a continued police presence as the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with additional information on either incident is encouraged to contact the Mount Vernon Police Department Detective Division at 914-665-2510. All calls will be kept confidential. Anonymous tips can also be sent through MVPD’s “Text-A-Tip” by texting MVPD and your tip to 847411.
If you weren’t inside the Gothic Chamber at Philipse Manor Hall last night, let me tell you the truth:
You didn’t just miss an event.
You missed a moment.
A moment where history, culture, spirit, and community all sat in the same room, not accidentally, but intentionally.
A moment that lived in the walls before we arrived.
A moment where the ancestors didn’t whisper; they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us.
And before a single word was spoken, the building itself introduced the night.
THE ROOM HELD MEMORY AND THE MEMORY SPOKE FIRST
Assemblymember Chantel Jackson, LMSW Chair opened the night with her usual clarity and calm, the kind of presence that tells the room, “You’re safe here. Speak freely.”
She didn’t start the program; she set the vibration.
Then came the truth that changed everything.
Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins revealed that Philipse Manor Hall is the oldest dwelling in Yonkers that held enslaved Africans.
And the room we were standing in, the Gothic Chamber was part of the actual enslaved sleeping quarters.
Let that land.
We gathered in the very space where our ancestors rested their exhausted bodies, whispered their prayers, and held on to the last pieces of their spirit after days they never asked to endure.
The moment this truth entered the air, the entire energy shifted.
Not with grief.
With presence.
It felt like the ancestors leaned in with full attention:
“Speak. We were never allowed to in this room, but you can.”
THE LEADERSHIP, HOW THE ENERGY ENTERED THE ROOM
Leadership didn’t walk in like a checklist.
They arrived like spiritual chords being added one by one.
Assemblymember Chantel Jackson was the first voice, grounding the space with intention.
Then Therese Daly, President & CEO of United Way NYS, stepped further into the moment, steady, listening, carrying the responsibility of stewarding real resources. Her presence was quiet but powerful.
Assemblymember Landan Dias entered next, young, sharp, rooted. He carried that Bronx-to-Westchester familiarity that instantly turns a chamber into a community.
And then she came.
Senate Majority Leader & President Pro Tempore Andrea Stewart-Cousins, with a calm, commanding presence that didn’t disrupt the room; it aligned it.
Her timing didn’t feel late or early; it felt ordained.
The truth she revealed about the room shifted the night from a forum to a reclamation.
Assemblymember J. Gary Pretlow arrived with the quiet steadiness of a veteran voice, not loud, but deeply felt.
And finally, in spiritual timing rather than clock timing, Senator Jamaal T. Bailey stepped in. His entrance didn’t interrupt the flow; it completed it. He brought grounding, connection, and clarity, the final chord the room needed.
Every leader added a layer.
Every arrival raised the frequency.
This wasn’t protocol; it was alignment.
NYS Black Legislative Task Force Listening Tour [Nya Vincent]
WESTCHESTER CAME AS ITS FULL, BEAUTIFUL, COMPLEX SELF
The people didn’t just fill the room.
They embodied it.
A Mount Vernon nurse in scrubs.
A Yonkers elder wrapped in her fur-trimmed weekday coat.
A New Rochelle teacher clutching binders like scripture.
White Plains organizers holding clipboards and a purpose.
Peekskill youth advocates are buzzing with urgency.
Caribbean accents, Jamaican, Haitian, Trini, Dominican, weaving across the chamber.
Black American elders humming those “mmhmm” affirmations.
Brothers in work boots.
Sisters in headwraps, silk presses, locs, twists, and crowns.
This wasn’t an audience.
This was a choir of lived experience.
Every face, every voice, every background added another verse.
If you watch the Trump–Mamdani press conference emotionally, you will see “unity,” “cooperation,” and political hopefulness. But emotion clouds analysis. Power does not operate on sentiment. Power operates on incentives, leverage, and reality. And when viewed through the cold logic ofThe Art of War and the48 Laws of Power, the meeting reveals something far less romantic: a complete shift in hierarchy.
Mamdani spent his campaign calling Trump a “despot,” “a fascist,” and a threat to democracy. That was his rhetorical posture. But the man who flew to Washington, stood in the Oval Office, and thanked Trump for a “productive meeting” was not the same man from the campaign trail. He praised the conversation, spoke of “shared admiration and love” for New York City, and committed to working “in partnership” with Trump on affordability. Rhetoric dissolved the moment reality asserted itself.
Trump changed nothing. He didn’t soften his tone, adjust his message, or walk back a single position. He congratulated Mamdani, praised his campaign, called him “a great mayor,” and insisted there was “no difference in party” when serving New York. That wasn’t sentimental; it was framing. Trump defined the encounter as his generosity toward someone who came to him.
Sun Tzu’s teachings apply here with clarity: the general on higher ground forces the opponent to climb. Trump held the high ground. Mamdani climbed.
The optics alone illustrated the imbalance. Trump sat—relaxed, comfortable, in command. Mamdani stood beside him, the posture of a petitioner. In the Oval Office, the one who sits controls the space; the one who stands defers to it. Even with the sound off, you could tell who controlled the terms of the encounter.
Law 11 from the 48 Laws of Power—Make others depend on you—was practically spoken aloud. Near the end of the event, Trump said plainly: “He does need the help of the federal government to really succeed.” That sentence ends any debate about leverage. Trump was not hiding the hierarchy; he was announcing it.
When a reporter pressed Mamdani about calling Trump a fascist, Mamdani offered a long, careful explanation. Trump cut in, dismissing the insult with, “You can just say okay. It’s easier.” This is what it looks like when the supposed target of an insult no longer feels threatened. That moment alone shows who had the upper hand.
Another revealing detail is how both men talk about Trump’s voters in New York City. Mamdani admits on camera that more New Yorkers voted for Trump in the most recent election and says he heard the same themes from them: war fatigue and the cost of living. Trump quickly reinforces the point, bragging about his increased support. In effect, Mamdani is acknowledging that many of the very people he claims to represent—people whose struggles he champions—made a rational decision to vote for Trump based on the same issues Mamdani has now carried to Trump’s doorstep. That isn’t ideology. That’s economics meeting political reality.
And this reality becomes even clearer when you consider what Mamdani governs. He represents a district in a state facing a massive budget problem, with a governor who cannot raise taxes again without political collapse. New York’s tax base is shrinking, residents are leaving, and high-income earners are increasingly mobile. Governor Hochul is boxed in. That means Mamdani cannot deliver on affordability through Albany. He cannot fund major reform through the state. He cannot rely on “tax the rich” rhetoric to cover his agenda. If that slogan were viable, he wouldn’t need Washington at all. But he does.
His district needs federal resources. His promises require federal cooperation. Trump, like him or not, is the one holding federal leverage. That is not an emotional claim—it is a structural fact. Mamdani had to put aside his rhetoric because his district’s finances forced him to do so. No amount of outrage alters fiscal constraints.
Meanwhile, Trump remained consistent on crime, energy, prices, tariffs, and affordability—issues he has emphasized for years. His message did not shift before, during, or after the meeting. Mamdani’s message is the one that has adapted.
This meeting does not reveal a partnership of equals. Trump set the narrative. Trump minimized the past insults. Trump highlighted common goals. Trump emphasized that he would help. Mamdani thanked him, deferred to him, and committed to working with him. The meeting was not a unity; it was a necessity.
Remove emotion, look only at the incentives, and the conclusion becomes unavoidable: Trump did not need Mamdani. Mamdani needed Trump. In power dynamics, that difference determines everything.
WHAT BLACK AMERICA AND BLACK NEW YORKERS MUST UNDERSTAND.
Black America cannot afford to keep interpreting politics through emotion while everyone else is reading the landscape through strategy. The Trump–Mamdani meeting was not a feel-good moment, nor was it a betrayal. It was a real-time demonstration of how power works: whoever controls resources controls the conversation. Mamdani’s rhetoric collapsed because New York City’s reality forced him to face the man who has the leverage. If we keep responding emotionally instead of evaluating incentives, budgets, and outcomes, we will always be the last group to understand the direction of the country. Power respects clarity, not sentiment.
And for Black New Yorkers—40 percent of whom voted for Mamdani—this moment is a wake-up call. The city you live in is unaffordable, the state you live in is financially cornered, and the leaders you support cannot deliver without federal cooperation. Mamdani walked into that room because Albany has nothing left to offer. That’s the truth. And for those who are insisting that Mamdani “won,” you are deeply mistaken. Trump holds the purse strings, and every dollar that comes from Washington will come with terms, conditions, and expectations. Mamdani needs that money to move his agenda—Trump does not need Mamdani to move his. Instead of reacting emotionally, we must analyze what this moment truly reveals: New York’s progressive promises cannot survive without federal resources, and in this meeting, Trump held every ounce of that leverage. If we continue voting out of habit instead of strategy, we will keep misreading power—and the conditions in our communities will continue to deteriorate.
Schneps Media Power Women of Manhattan will honor fearless females who make Manhattan the thriving and vibrant place it is to work, live, and do business. When women support women, amazing things happen on Wednesday, December 3rd. One of the honorees is Juanita O. Lewis. Juanita is a seasoned community and electoral organizing professional with over 20 years of experience advancing social and economic justice. Since joining Community Voices Heard (CVH) in 2009, she has risen to become Executive Director, leading efforts to empower low-income communities through advocacy and grassroots organizing. A native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Juanita holds degrees in History, Political Science, and Advocacy from the University of Minnesota. She also serves as a national trainer for VoteRunLead, inspiring women to pursue public office, and holds leadership roles with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., People’s Action, and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund.
Juanita at CVH’s Follow Black Women event “We Are the Agenda” with Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, Attorney General Letitia James, and their union partners.
On Monday, November 17th, City & State’s Women Power 100 put a spotlight on influential women in the world of New York politics and policy. This year’s edition adds dozens of new names, including the incoming mayors of Syracuse and Albany, the leader of one of the state’s most powerful labor unions, and key advisers to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. This ranked list also features top government appointees, business executives, nonprofit heads, advocates, experts, and many other movers and shakers.
One of these amazing women, Juanita Lewis, has led Community Voices Heard, a social justice organization, since she was elevated to the role of executive director in 2021. Lewis, who first joined the organization in 2009 as its Yonkers organizer, has decried recent federal funding cuts for public housing and testified in Albany this year in favor of higher taxes on the wealthy. She’s also the board chair of People’s Action, a national coalition of social welfare action organizations, and serves on the boards of African Communities Together and the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund.
“This is a reflection of the leadership CVH builds every day through our Follow Black Women campaign. From organizer to Executive Director, Juanita has spent 15+ years building power with low-income Black and Latinx communities across New York. Her journey embodies what we believe: when we invest in Black women’s leadership, communities thrive. We also know that our communities are under attack now more than ever. We’re building the resources to defend our communities and fight back when threats emerge. We invite you to stand with Juanita and the movement she leads – make a contribution to our Rapid Response Fund today,” wrote in their statement celebrating Juanita Lewis.
Black Westchester celebrates and congratulates our sister, Juanita Lewis, a true Black Westchester Legend!
Mount Vernon Comptroller Dr. Darren M. Morton hosted a Community Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, November 20th, in the City Council Chambers. An opportunity for residents to receive updates on the City’s general fiscal operations, the status of annual audits, and the multi-year financial planning initiative.
“Thank you to Comptroller Morton for hosting an informative town hall last evening. We also want to extend our appreciation to all the constituents who came out to share their suggestions and make their voices heard,” Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard shared on Facebook, Friday.
If you missed the town hall, you can view it in its entirety below.
You can view the Comptroller Town Hall Report, November 20, 2025, below
Mount Vernon is learning a hard lesson that Thomas Sowell warned about for decades: the first rule of economics is scarcity, and the first rule of politics is to ignore it. The city’s newly released payroll numbers make that lesson painfully clear. In a small, working-class community with one of the lowest median household incomes in Westchester, the city is paying out more than $81 million to 804 employees, with dozens of them earning between $200,000 and $320,000 a year. The mayor is among the highest-paid mayors in the county, earning more than leaders of larger, wealthier cities with healthier tax bases. While residents juggle rent hikes, tax increases, failing services, and deteriorating infrastructure, City Hall has insulated itself from the economic reality that everyone else is forced to live in.
Let’s be absolutely clear: this is not an attack on the city workers — the police officers, firefighters, sanitation workers, clerks, inspectors, administrative staff, and everyone else who show up every day, work overtime, and keep the city functioning under challenging conditions. They are doing their jobs. They are not the architects of the fiscal mess. The real responsibility lies with those in charge of policy, budgeting, and budgetary oversight, and ultimately with the voters who put them in office to manage the city’s finances responsibly. This is not about the people who serve the city — it is about the people who are supposed to serve the taxpayers.
This is not an accident. It is a direct result of political decisions that put government comfort above taxpayer survival. Salaries remain inflated, departments remain bloated, overtime goes unchecked, and jobs multiply even as the population declines. The people who pay the bills live in one version of Mount Vernon; the people who benefit from the bills live in another. And the budget reveals exactly why.
If anyone still doubts the severity of the crisis, the Comptroller’s own letter to residents removes all ambiguity. In plain terms, he admits that the city must issue a Tax Anticipation Note to meet payroll and pay vendors — not for capital improvements or emergencies, but for basic survival. The letter outlines more than $11 million in unpaid obligations spanning 2018 to 2021, including nearly $4 million in old school taxes, $1.6 million in unpaid health benefits, $1.7 million owed to the IRS, and over $3 million in fronted capital for projects awaiting reimbursement. These are not one-time shocks. These are unpaid bills carried from administration to administration, ignored until they can no longer be hidden.
More troubling than the debt itself is what the Comptroller admits next: the city has no fund balance whatsoever. No reserves. No savings. No financial cushion of any kind. For a municipality, this is the equivalent of a household living paycheck to paycheck while maxing out multiple credit cards to keep the lights on. A city with declining revenue, numerous years of unpaid obligations, and zero reserves is not simply experiencing “cash flow challenges.” It is confronting the predictable consequences of chronic fiscal mismanagement. Borrowing money to get through the year is not responsible budgeting — it is emergency triage disguised as standard procedure.
Despite this, defenders of the status quo insist that the payroll is necessary, the salaries are justified, and the debt is routine. They avoid discussing the fact that you cannot sustain a government where over 100 employees make more than $150,000 in a city where most residents make far less. They avoid admitting that a shrinking tax base cannot indefinitely fund a growing government. They avoid one truth above all others: the city does not have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem.
And the greatest tragedy in all of this is opportunity cost. Mount Vernon has every ingredient needed for a true renaissance: historic housing, density, walkability, transit access, and proximity to New York City. It has one of the most resilient populations in the state. For years, I have said the city has the potential to be the Wakanda of Westchester. But instead of guarding its vibranium — its assets, its revenue, its land, its financial stability — leadership has repeatedly sold it off, not for the betterment of residents but for the political comfort of a small circle of insiders.
The delayed 2026 budget is just the latest evidence that the city is running out of places to hide the numbers. Costs continue rising while revenues fall. Old debts resurface. Departments perform poorly. And the most significant expense in the entire system — payroll — remains untouched. Leaders refuse to confront the structure they built because doing so would expose the political incentives that allowed it to grow in the first place.
Mount Vernon is not doomed. The city can still reverse course. But it will require something that has been missing for far too long: leadership that respects basic economics, understands the limits of the tax base, and places residents above political convenience. Sowell warns us to judge systems by outcomes, not intentions. The outcomes in Mount Vernon speak for themselves: rising taxes, shrinking services, emergency borrowing, unpaid bills, and a government that treats fiscal discipline as optional. Until that changes, taxpayers will continue paying more while receiving less — and Mount Vernon will remain a city with enormous potential held hostage by leadership that refuses to learn.
Resolution by AKA members, Speaker Adams, and Majority Leader Farías, honors organization’s long-lasting impact in communities
The New York City Council has designated January 15 annually as “Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Day” in the City of New York.” The City Council passed a resolution on November 12, 2025, marking the recognition and urging “City agencies, community organizations, schools, cultural institutions, and New Yorkers to observe this day with appropriate programs, volunteer service, and educational activities that highlight and advance the values exemplified by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.”
Westchester’s own Dr. Alexandria Connally was proudly in attendance for this incredible occasion. Radiating excitement and joy, she exclaimed, “This is an auspicious occasion — a truly momentous milestone for our sisterhood. It is a wonderful day to be an AKA.”
“As a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, initiated at Spelman College, I am delighted to co-sponsor a resolution designating January 15th annually as Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in New York City,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Being a member of the first Sorority for college-educated Black women has been pivotal in shaping my path – particularly in becoming the first Black Speaker of the New York City Council, leading a historic first women-majority Council body. The tenets of Alpha Kappa Alpha have empowered my life’s journey by breaking barriers and blazing trails, just as it has for generations of women before me. I am profoundly honored to buttress the perpetual recognition of my historic Sisterhood.”
“It is an honor to stand with Speaker Adrienne Adams—my Sister in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated—in co-sponsoring this resolution recognizing January 15th as Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in the City of New York,” said Majority Leader Amanda Farías. “For more than a century, Alpha Kappa Alpha has advanced educational access, civil rights, and community service through programs that change lives. Our members have established schools, registered voters, expanded access to healthcare, and mentored generations of women to lead with excellence. Here in New York City, Sisters organize annual service projects that support local shelters, award scholarships to high school students, and empower young women through mentorship and college readiness initiatives. Recognizing Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in the City of New York affirms the measurable and lasting impact of BIPOC women’s leadership. As a proud member of this sisterhood, I am proud to see that legacy reflected in the heart of New York.”
Spearheaded by the Epsilon Pi Omega Chapter in Queens, NY, the resolution notes that AKA members across the five boroughs have contributed countless voluntary hours, strengthening families, mentoring youth, and uplifting communities.
“Alpha Kappa Alpha Day in New York City will present opportunities for service, civic engagement, and celebrations highlighting the positive impact our members make across this city,” Debra Farrow, President of Epsilon Pi Omega Chapter, shared with Black Westchester.
January 15, 2026, will mark the 118th founding of Alpha Kappa Alpha at Howard University in Washington, DC, and the resolution cites the sorority’s “enduring service, scholarship, and positive impact on families and communities.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the first intercollegiate Greek-letter organization established by Black college-educated women. Its founders were among the fewer than 1,000 Black students enrolled in higher education institutions in 1908 and the 25 women who received bachelor’s degrees from Howard University between 1908 and 1911. AKA was founded on a mission of five basic tenets that have remained unchanged since the sorority’s inception: to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards; to promote unity and friendship among college women; to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women to improve their social stature; to maintain a progressive interest in college life; and to be of “Service to All Mankind.”
In 1930, AKA became a founding member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, also known as the Divine Nine, which is the coordinating body of historically Black fraternities and sororities.
With its signature official colors of salmon pink and apple green, AKA currently has a membership of more than 390,000 women in more than 1,105 graduate and undergraduate chapters located in 14 nations and territories, including the United States, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Japan, Liberia, Nigeria, South Korea, United Kingdom, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some notable AKA members include Dr. Maya Angelou, Coretta Scott-King, Rosa Parks, Toni Morrison, Ella Fitzgerald, Ava DuVernay, Mae Jemison, Phylicia Rashad, Cynthia Erivo, former United States Vice President Kamala Harris, and many more women who have made significant contributions in the fields of education, science, entertainment, civil rights, and government.
NYS Senator Cordell Cleare read with great interest the Black Westchester articles recently published by Damon K. Jones concerning the Legionnaires situation in Westchester: The Hidden Health Risks for Black Families Living in Westchester’s Aging Buildings, and How to Prevent the Spread. Sen. Cleare serves the 30th NYS Senate District, which is primarily based in Harlem, but also includes portions of East Harlem, the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, Hamilton Heights, and Washington Heights. There was a significant outbreak in her Senate District over the Summer as well, so she wanted to share her experience and response to the outbreak, including the drafting of a new Statewide bill that would help all communities, and wrote the following op/ed for Black Westchester.
NYS Senator Cordell Cleare (picture courtesy of Sen. Cleare)
As the State Senator representing Central Harlem, the epicenter of this summer’s Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, which sickened 114 people and tragically caused seven to lose their lives, I’d like to thank Damon Jones for his recent piece, Legionnaires’ Outbreak Exposes Hidden Health Risks for Black Families Living in Westchester’s Aging Buildings (10/30/25). Mr. Jones speaks to the underlying and systemic issues of neglected infrastructure and unequal housing conditions, which make black and Latino communities disproportionately impacted by this waterborne illness.
What we experienced this summer in Harlem, in Westchester, and in Parkchester in the Bronx is a stark reminder of the serious and persistent health disparities in black and brown communities, and how aging and neglected infrastructure contribute greatly to the health and safety of our homes and workplaces
The fact is that individuals with compromised immune systems, respiratory illness like asthma, those who smoke, and the elderly are more susceptible to Legionnaires’ disease. Legionnaires’ is a severe form of pneumonia that can cause serious illness in those who contract it and has a fatality rate of 10%. Rates of asthma, comorbidities like heart disease and diabetes, and tobacco use are notably higher among individuals of color, placing them at greater risk.
Legionella, the waterborne bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, thrives in stagnant water and poorly maintained building and water distribution systems, leading to human exposure. Individuals can contract Legionnaires’ when water containing Legionella is inhaled or aspirated (goes down the wrong pipe). Legionella is commonly found in nature- in source water and soil. As water travels from lakes and reservoirs to treatment plants, the bacteria can escape and enter our vast, complex public water distribution systems, where the environment is favorable for Legionella to survive and thrive. When there are upset conditions like water main breaks, construction, heavy rainfall, and flooding, our plumbing systems and water-using equipment can be seeded with the bacteria from the distribution system. Once legionella infects our plumbing systems and equipment, we can be exposed to it in our homes, facilities, and buildings through showers, sinks, fountains, misters, hot tubs, pools, garden hoses, humidifiers, and cooling towers, among other points.
Given these realities, it is critical for both our public water distribution systems and our building and premise plumbing systems to be properly monitored and maintained to mitigate these risks. And while New York put some regulations in place a decade ago, they have proven insufficient to combat the spread of Legionnaires’. Outbreaks and cases have continued unabated, as many of us experienced this summer. New York State consistently ranks among the highest in Legionnaires’ cases each year in the United States.
We must take a proactive approach to protect public health and reduce the incidence of Legionnaires’ disease through comprehensive regulation, increased transparency, and public education, as Mr. Jones rightly calls for. That is why I introduced Senate bill 8499, along with my colleague, Assembly Housing Committee Chair Linda Rosenthal, to enhance public health and water quality measures to prevent Legionnaires’ disease, holistically from source to tap.
The bill would require water management plans to monitor, manage, and ensure adequate treatment of our water quality throughout public distribution systems and building water systems. The bill also requires stronger investigations of all cases and a dedicated public education campaign to raise awareness, especially among those who are most susceptible, so they are aware of the signs and symptoms and when to seek immediate treatment.
The legislation is modeled after a law successfully passed in New Jersey last year and regulations in place in Illinois, and is consistent with several best practice recommendations of national organizations and experts.
This call for urgent and comprehensive action was echoed in a recent national article in Circle of Blue, America’s Deadliest Waterborne Disease is Not Letting Up (11/11/25). Water treatment expert, Chad Seidel, said, “Legionella is the most substantial public health concern we are addressing, and [we] need to better address, related to drinking water… Nothing else comes close. Legionella is real and present… It is killing people…Everybody that uses water along the way- from the source all the way to the tap, the water utility to the customer- has to play their role in mitigating risks.”
New Yorkers deserve to know the water they drink and use every day is safe and will not make them and their loved ones sick, or worse, lead to death. We must act now to prevent future tragedies from this preventable illness from happening again.
Senator Cordell Cleare (D- 30th Senate District in Harlem) Chair, Senate Aging Committee
