The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Inside Press

Gender Equity Focus of Young New York Delegate

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By Susan Youngwood

Philadelphia, PA — Meet one of the youngest delegates to support Hillary Clinton.

Aleatha Williams, 25, may be young but she’s an old hand at politics. She first campaigned for Clinton as a high school student, in 2008. She canvassed in South Carolina and Ohio.

Aleatha Williams
Aleatha Williams

“When she announced last year, I said, ‘I’m on board,’” Williams said.

Williams cites gender equity as the issue that most motivates her. “She is a strong supporter of equal pay. That’s especially important in 2016. This shouldn’t be an issue in 2016, but it still is.” Williams also lauds Clinton for her efforts in racial, social and economic equity.

To become a delegate, Williams, who lives in the Bronx and works as an administrative assistant for New York Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, collected signatures in her neighborhood. “I campaigned for myself,” she said. Being at the convention, she said, is both “exciting and nerve wracking.”

After this week, she’ll start campaigning for Clinton.

“I’m seeing history in the making and making history,” she said.

“We Now Have a Voice…”

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Interview with the Founder of the Disability Movement for Hillary

By Susan Youngwood

Philadelphia, July 24 — Jennifer McCann has not let her spinal cord injury slow her down. She may wear leg braces and use a cane, but she’s traveled all around the country to campaign for Hillary Clinton.

“This is the most important election in my lifetime,” explained McCann, who lives in Nyack, NY, but has knocked on doors (“sometimes twice”)  in Minnesota, Nevada, Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and Arizona.

Jennifer McCann and Diana Hess
Jennifer McCann and Diana Hess

McCann is passionate about supporting the disabled and those with mental illness. Her mother has a mental illness and Alzheimer’s disease and her brother died from a mental illness. She started the Disability Movement for Hillary.

“She is a strong advocate for the disability community,” said McCann. “Hillary’s plan for Alzheimer’s is fabulous. We now have a voice for these issues. That’s what America is looking for.”

McCann hopes to watch Clinton accept the nomination on Thursday. “This is so extra special,” she said. She and her friend, Diana Hess, who is covering the convention for the disability and mental health community as a representative of jawonio.org, agreed that their emotions, like many in the audience, may be hard to control.

“Instead of balloons and confetti there needs to be tissues.”

Mother of Two Lost to Gun Violence: Hillary “Strong on the Issues”

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“I live with the pain every day.”

By Susan Youngwood

Philadelphia, PA, July 24 — Jackie Rowe Adams lost two sons to gun violence. Her 17-year-old was shot 33 years ago by three men who didn’t like the way he looked at them

Sixteen years later, her 28-year-old was killed in a robbery, by a 13-year-old.“It seems like yesterday,” she said. “I live with the pain every day, every hour.”

Jackie Rowe Adams lost two sons to gun violence.
Jackie Rowe Adams lost two sons to gun violence; she is fighting for Hillary Clinton to make history.

Gun control is one reason she supports Hillary Clinton. “She is a strong strong woman. A strong lady. She’s strong on the issues.”

Rowe-Adams is on the DNC Credentials Committee. From Harlem, she is president of her local chapter of the ASME Union, District Council 37. She founded Harlem Mothers Say Stop Another Violent End, which provides support and grief counseling to survivors of gun violence.

“I’m for Hillary all the way,” she said.  “I was for Hillary from the beginning. Let me tell you. She rose to the occasion in all her positions. She did a great job.”

When Clinton accepts the nomination this week, says Rowe Adams, “I feel I’m a part of history. I’m excited because it’s her time. It’s time for the world to believe in a female. And to open doors for the younger generation.”

Child Hunger Rountable Highlights Hunger in County

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Lowey, USDA Official, and Food Bank for Westchester Hold Child Hunger Roundtable and Food Bank Tour in Hottest and Hungriest Season

66,000 children in Westchester are food insecure; 13,600 in Rockland enrolled in school nutrition programs

Families of kids receiving free and reduced lunch in school face hundreds in additional costs in summer

Congress must save and strengthen child nutrition programs

Elmsford, NY – Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) and United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon yesterday toured Food Bank for Westchester’s distribution center and held a roundtable on helping children at risk of hunger during the summer.

“The dog days of summer shouldn’t also be the hungry days of summer,” said Lowey, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Yet tens of thousands of children in the Lower Hudson Valley are hungry in the months they don’t attend school where they receive vital meals. We can’t expect children to grow, thrive, and succeed if they are hungry. That’s why I’m working with Food Bank for Westchester and USDA Under Secretary Concannon to pass legislation to save and expand summer feeding programs and other nutrition initiatives for millions of American children and families.”

Under Secretary Concannon said, “The USDA has long recognized summer as a vulnerable time for kids and has been focused on closing the food security gap that occurs during the months when school is out of session. Since 2009, more than 1.2 billion meals have been served through the Summer Meal Programs, fueling kids and teens throughout the summer and helping to ensure they are healthy and ready to learn when the school year begins. Alongside Congresswoman Lowey, New York State, the Food Bank for Westchester, and other partners, we will continue our commitment to the New Yorkers most in need.”

President and CEO of the Food Bank for Westchester Ellen Lynch added, “One in five people in Westchester County are food insecure, and 33 percent of those people are children. We thank Congresswoman Nita Lowey and USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon for their visit today and are grateful for their efforts on behalf of children and families. With their help, we are optimistic that we will be able to expand our summer feeding programs and make sure that more children receive the nutritious food they need and deserve.’’

Millions of American children are food insecure, including 66,000 in Westchester County, according to the Food Bank for Westchester. Many go without the nutritional support they receive at school during the summer months, including up to 25,000 Westchester students in grades five and under who receive free or reduced lunches in school. In Rockland County, according to People to People for Rockland, food insecurity affects 9.5 percent of the population, including 13,641 children enrolled in school nutrition programs. The Food Bank of Westchester officials said that, based on Feeding America estimates, families need an additional $318 for meals in the summer for each child who loses the benefit of free or reduced school lunch programs while school is out.

Following a tour of the Food Bank for Westchester’s impressive distribution center, Lowey and Concannon heard from hunger relief advocates, youth agency and nutrition program representatives, and school officials about the dire circumstances facing many local families and proposals to close the meal gap.

Joe Allen, Chairman of the Board for People to People for Rockland, which served nearly 47,000 individuals last year, said, “Since the recession began in 2008, the number of Rocklanders needing the services of the People to People pantry increases virtually every single month. In the throes of summer, the situation gets more severe. Too many parents now dread the financial strain that comes with feeding their families in the summer, traditionally the season of rest and relaxation.”

Elmsford Union Free School District Superintendent Joseph Ricca said, “Too many of our children are living in a constant state of uncertainty and anxiety about finding their next nutritious meal. During the summer months or holiday school recesses, these concerns are exacerbated. We must continue to work hard to support our neediest children and their families by providing them with opportunities to secure the food that they need during these challenging times. We are grateful to Congresswoman Lowey, Under Secretary Concannon and the Food Bank for Westchester for continuing to bring these dire circumstances affecting our children to the forefront.”

Congress is overdue to pass a Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill. Many related programs expired last summer, were temporarily extended, and will expire on September 30th. The bill Republicans passed in the House Education and Workforce Committee in May to reauthorize the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 would put more children at risk of hunger year-round.

The partisan bill’s shortcomings include:
· A higher threshold for the Community Eligibility Provision, which helps schools with high poverty rates provide free breakfast and lunch to all students;
· Block grants and decreased funding for states in place of vital and successful initiatives like the Summer Food Service Program and school lunch and breakfast programs; and
· No permanent authorization and less funding than is currently provided for the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) for Children pilot project.

As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lowey has strongly supported the Summer EBT program since 2010 and President Obama’s proposal to expand it nationwide, including for New York families. It provides debit-like cards for food purchases during the summer to families with children in free and reduced lunch school feeding programs. Concannon said Summer EBT has helped reduce the most severe food insecurity by one-third during the summer months and enabled children at risk of hunger to eat more nutritious meals in the eight states where it operates.

“Thankfully we have great organizations like People to People for Rockland and the Food Bank for Westchester to fill the hunger gap,” said Lowey. “Our communities are strongest when our economy helps Americans secure good jobs that fully support their families and when the government safety net is sufficient to help when they need it. When Congress returns to Washington in September, ending hunger for millions of young Americans must be a top priority. Our children are counting on us to put food on the table, and we cannot let them down.”

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The New Girl on the Bus

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Intrepid Reporter for the Inside Press Jazzed to Cover the 2016  DNC

By Susan Youngwood

I came to political consciousness during Watergate. Glued to the television during the hearings, I devoured newspaper coverage. I remember two things about the summer of 1972–watching the Olympics and the Democratic National Convention.SYoungwood

I’ve been watching conventions ever since (I did miss a few because of traveling–I still regret being overseas when Barack Obama introduced himself to the country in 2004.)

I love the roll call, when each state announces trivia about itself when nominating its candidate. I still remember the days when there would be one lone vote for the state’s favorite son–usually its governor or senator. I marvel at the loss of decorum, when distinguished-looking middle-aged folks don crazy red, white and blue garments and dance in the aisles. The funny hats, the turn-of-phrase buttons. I get a thrill watching our peaceful change of power.

Funny enough, though, in the 25+ years I was a journalist, I wasn’t a political journalist. I didn’t cover statehouses and political campaigns, focusing instead on business and education. So I never went to a convention, never became a girl on the bus.

This weekend, that will change, as I head south to Philadelphia to cover my first political convention. It’s a homecoming of sorts, because I lived in Philadelphia for three years in the early 1980s. I’m looking forward to being a tourist in my former hometown, as much as I am excited about attending my first political convention in person.

My internal vision of political conventions is what you see on television. And television covers what happens in the arena–the delegates seated behind their state sign, television reporters roaming around with microphones, a garishly decorated stage where a blue-suited politician gives a somber or rousing speech.

So my first lesson about political conventions is that what you see on television is really not what these conventions are about.

To prepare, I chatted with a journalism school buddy who covered four conventions for national media.

“The delegates are really there to party,” he said. My job is to find the parties.

You know, I had never really thought about what the delegates do before and after the three to four hours they sit in the convention hall. I had also never realized the other people who come to conventions, drawn to the flame like fireflies. There are the uber wealthy donors. The lobbyists. The special interest groups. The media. The politicians and their staffs.

And what I’ve learned is that there are hordes of events happening over a six-day period to keep those hordes busy.

There are big parties–Emily’s List and Planned Parenthood throw two of them (pretty sure they didn’t show up during the GOP event). I’m told all the large media outlets, like CNN and BuzzFeed, throw parties.

Each state delegation is assigned a hotel, and holds events there. I’m supposed to hang out in the lobby of hotel housing the New York delegation and follow the delegates to their social events.

There are concerts and food festivals and movie showings.

There are panel discussions about the economy and infrastructure and energy policy.

There are fundraising events, dinners and lunches where only a check lets you in the door.

Here’s a sampling of what I can chose from:

The Creative Coalition Benefit Gala costs $7,500 for two tickets — celebrities from entertainment, policy and business will get to listen to Fergie. A Yacht Party is raising money for autism and is relatively cheap at $100 a ticket. The American Muslim Democratic caucus is charging $125 to attend its luncheon. The DNC welcome lunch thrown by the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp + Drug Policy Action costs $250. The LGBT GOTV fundraiser event is called Equality in the Sky.

The less well-off can head to the Passyunk Passeggiata Street Festival for street food, outdoor bars, al fresco dining, vendors, and live music.

“Story Slam: Inside the Political Machine” features stories about the inside world of politics.

There are events are sponsored by the marijuana lobby, the LGBT community, veterans, the Muslim community.

Sponsors include the Truman National Security Project, The 21st Century Democrats, Emerge America, RealClear Politics, Save the Children, Atlantic Magazine, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the Center for American Women and Politics, the American Sustainable Business Council, Nuns on the Bus and the Milkin Institute.

There are caucuses for women, Latinos, youth, African-Americans, Jews, rural America, the disabled, veterans.

Panel discussions on every possible topic–“How Tech and Data are changing politics;” “10 secrets to winning campaigns;” “The future of immigration and how we define American;” “The future of reproductive health: Congress, the courts and your body;” “Business case for a sustainable economic policy;” “What CEO transitions can and cannot teach the next generation.”

And post-gavel parties thrown by People for the American Way, Climate Hawks Vote and Friends of the Earth and the Grammys–featuring performers like Grace Potter, Dawes, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz, Snoop Dogg.

It’s a wonder all those delegates show up on the convention floor.

I thought I was going to Philadelphia to watch the first woman to get nominated to be president of the United States. That will happen. But most of the action of a political convention takes place out of the television limelight.