FABFEST IS HERE!!!

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Just received this from Political and Community Action Diva, Una Clarke, former New York City Council Member, and mother of Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. June is going to be one of the busiest months ever! This is actually the 3rd full calendar Event Alert I've posted in two days. You will surely never be bored or idle in New York City, regardless of which boro you happen to be in. And I strongly recommend you definitely avail yourself of FABfest. It's been way over due, with such a grand confluence of cultures in Brooklyn, you will find some of the best of everything. And that's not hype, that's fact.
So, brothers and sisters: MARK YOUR CALENDARS!


FABFEST IS HERE!!!
Free Outdoor Festival—Sundays, 12noon—6pm, June 6 through 27, on Fulton Street between Lafayette Avenue and South Oxford Street,in Fort Greene, Brooklyn

FABfest, a month-long three-block street festival, jumpstarts Brooklyn summertime fun, featuring fashion shows, reggae and gospel concerts,chef demonstrations, activities for kids, dance parties, author readings,community mural painting, and a tribute to Michael Jackson Headlining artists include Victor LaValle, Urban Word Poets, DJ Reborn,Jahdan Blakkamore, Geka Jones, and Matt Shadetek of Dutty Artz

Presented by the FAB Alliance, the newly formed Fulton Street Business
Improvement District in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene Brooklyn, N.Y./May 21, 2010— FABfest is a weekly street festival on Sundays in June (June 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2010) from 12noon—6pm.

Every Sunday in June, Fulton Street heats up with a blazing line-up of outdoor performances, readings, cooking and environmental demonstrations,family activities, games, and sports.

Closing Fulton Street to all car & bus traffic, FABfest transforms three blocks of Fulton Street into a pedestrian-friendly public space where locals can stop, shop, party, and play while enjoying neighborhood eats, arts, activities, fashion, and culture.

Each FABfest kicks off with a salsa dance party at 12noon and the fun continues
until 6pm, rain or shine! With FABfest, neighborhood businesses, property owners, organizations, and residents take over the street with free activities that
highlight the variety and vibrancy of local entrepreneurs and artists. FABfest
partners include many Fort Greene and Clinton Hill businesses and organizations, ranging from local churches to BAM to StoryCorps, and CakeMan Raven.

“Fulton Street in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill is as Brooklyn’s premiere destination for good eats, arts, and recreation. FAB Alliance is proud to provide a new and creative opportunity for driving foot traffic to Fulton Street, while celebrating the abundance of neighborhood-based talent,” said Wellington Sharpe, President of
the FAB Alliance.

For updates on the list of activities and schedules (still in development), visit
faballiance.org

LIST OF EVENTS - BY DAY (Subject to change):
FABfest Sunday, June 6, 12noon–6pm:
• Salsa Dance Party & Dance Lessons
• Children's Clothing Swap
• Fashion Show featuring designers along Fulton Street, including Courtney
Washington, Moshood, Michael Shane Bridal, Jacob's Garden, Tribal Truths, Raif
Atelier, Super Nova, Swagga 360, B2 Gear and Senagelese Fashion Center
• StoryCorps Listening Sessions at Greenlight Bookstore
• Crafts, activities and giveaways for kids all day
• 3-on-3 Soccer Games for Kids hosted by Ft. Greene Soccer
• Streetside Mad Libs game for all ages
• Environmental demos and activities presented by Habana Outpost
• Pet CPR and First Aid classes presented by Brooklyn Cares Veterinary Clinic
• Fitness evaluations and information from Crunch
• Walking tour of historic Fort Greene with Adrienne Onofri, author of WALKING
BROOKLYN (a different tour to be given on each day of FABfest)

FABfest Sunday, June 13, 12noon–6pm:
• Salsa Dance Party & Dance Lessons
• Live Gospel Concert featuring the Lafayette Inspirational Ensemble
• Toasters Delight: a Reggae Party featuring DJs Geko Jones and Matt Shadetek
of Dutty Artz, Jahdan Blakkamore, Cool Places Soundsystem, Gael Dubourg DJ Gravy, and special guests. Toasters Delight celebrates the June 15th BAMcinemaFEST screening of the Brooklyn indie film Wah Do Dem. Visit BAM.org for screening info.
• A "Taste of Fulton" with Cooking Demos and Food Tastings featuring chefs from Fulton Street restaurants and shops such as Desserts by Michael Allen, One Greene Sushi, Soule, Smoke Joint, Deniz, Buka, Dajeh, Kush; plus demos on butchering and mozzarella-making by Greene Grape Provisions and coffee by Outpost Lounge; also Louisa Shafia, author of LUCID FOODS will be preparing vegetarian dishes from her book with organic produce from MetFoods Supermarket
• Moonshine reading at Greenlight Bookstore with Max Watman, author of CHASING THE WHITE DOG, followed by a tasting at Greene Grape Wine Store
• Red Velvet Cupcake Decorating Contest for Children hosted by Cake Man
Raven
• Write your own six-word memoir of our community with Rachel Fershleiser,co-editor of the SIX-WORD MEMOIRS, hosted by Greenlight Bookstore
• Crafts, activities and giveaways for kids all day
• Streetside Mad Libs game for all ages
• Environmental demos and activities presented by Habana Outpost
• 3-on-3 Soccer Games for Kids hosted by Ft. Greene Soccer
• Walking tour of historic Fort Greene with Adrienne Onofri, author of WALKING
BROOKLYN (2nd of 3 different tours)

FABfest Sunday, June 20, 12noon–6pm:
• Salsa Dance Party & Dance Lessons
• Performances on the mainstage presented by Greenlight Bookstore, all with a focus on local artists and organizations including
- Performance poetry by URBAN WORD
- Stand-up comedy from the STEAM BOAT series
- Readings by authors such as VICTOR LaVALLE, TOURE & NELSON GEORGE and more
• Environmental demos and activities presented by Habana Outpost
• Walking tour of historic Fort Greene with Adrienne Onofri, author of WALKING
BROOKLYN (3rd of 3 different tours during FABfest)
• SONYA Collaborative Action Mural with Ellie Balk - participatory painting
allowing residents to make their mark on a collective community image
• Crafts, activities and giveaways for kids all day
• Streetside Mad Libs game for all ages
• 3-on-3 Soccer Games for Kids hosted by Ft. Greene Soccer
FABfest Sunday, June 27, 12noon–6pm:
• Salsa Dance Party & Dance Lessons
• BK Misses MJ: On the anniversary of his passing, Brooklyn remembers the life
and legacy of the King of Pop Michael Jackson with an all-day music tribute and
community dance party featuring DJ Reborn
• Readings and prizes from Brooklyn literary magazines A Public Space,
Armchair/Shotgun, BOMB, and Electric Literature hosted by Greenlight
Bookstore
• Literary trivia contest
• Dogs on Parade presented by Fort Greene PUPS and Brooklyn Cares
Veterinary Clinic, plus Pet CPR and First Aid classes and Ask the Trainer
sessions for pet owners
• Crafts, activities and giveaways for kids all day
• Streetside Mad Libs game for all ages
• 3-on-3 Soccer Games for Kids hosted by Ft. Greene Soccer
• SONYA Collaborative Action Mural with Ellie Balk - participatory painting
allowing residents to make their mark on a collective community image
• Environmental demos and activities presented by Habana Outpost
(Schedules subject to change. To get updates, visit faballiance.org)

About The FAB Alliance
The Fulton Area Business (FAB) Alliance is a newly formed Business Improvement District working on behalf of property owners, merchants, residents and stakeholders along Fulton Street in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill—from Rockwell Place to Classon Avenue (plus adjacent blocks of Lafayette, Greene and Putnam Avenues). Goals are to retain current businesses and improve the atmosphere to make this area of Fulton Street a clean, safe and retail diverse environment that is a destination for people work, shop, dine and play. For more information, visit: faballiance.org

FABfest is produced and presented by FAB Alliance.
Directions
SUBWAYS: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St.; A, C to Lafayette Ave.; G to Fulton; M, N, Q,
R, W to DeKalb Ave. LIRR to Atlantic Ave. (NOTE: Check mta.info for weekend
construction changes). Buses: B25, B26, B52, B38.
Please call 718-928-3322 or visit us at faballiance.org for more information

Stay blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson

CARL AND FAYE RODNEY of Carib News Honored and Caribbean American Legal Defense and Education Fund (CALDEF) Established

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

If you live in New York, regardless of whether you’re in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, you see this dynamic couple always in the mix and in the midst of movers and shakers and dignitaries from all over the world.

If you live in New York, you may have (or should have) read their publication, Carib News, which has been around for 25 years.

If not, let me introduce you to Carl and Faye Rodney, not only one of the most dynamic power couples, but one of the best looking as well.

They have been devoted to the principle of keeping the Caribbean community, and by extrapolation, the Black community in general, informed and involved in issues that concern them. And I have been reading the Carib News for as long as it has been published (in fact I try to read all the Black publications. It’s the only way you get the truth. Main stream media is too busy trying to distort and conceal).

Jamaican born and bred, the Rodneys should be a template for successful marriage partnerships, and how you can take a passion for each other and expand it to a passion for your people and a passion for truth.

The ceremony, which was held at the Institute for Pan-American Affairs, founded and headed by Dr. Marco Mason, another stellar figure in the Black community.

On hand to provide honors and kudos to the Rodneys were Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, City Councilwoman Letitia James, both of whom presented them with Proclamations. Poet Laureate Carlos A. Russell composed a poem in their honor. Motivational speaker Bro. Dennis Rahim Watson as usual gave a fabulous audience participatory performance. Medgar Evers President, Dr. William Pollard, Tony A. Best, Dean of Caribbean American Journalists, also spoke glowingly of the Rodney’s contribution to the community. There was also a surprise presentation of charicatures in their honor.

The Mistress of Ceremony, Dr. Marcia Bayne-Smith kept the program flowing, as accolade after well deserved accolade was heaped upon the couple. The tribute, in part, read: “Karl B. Rodney and Faye A. Rodney founded the New York CARIB NEWS twenty-five years ago to fill a recognized void in communication of the growing Caribbean-American community. CARIB NEWS was designed to provide consistent, timely, accurate, and reliable information of the Caribbean region, and the Caribbean American community. Because of the pioneering efforts of Karl and Faye Rodney, CARIB NEWS is now recognized institution of the community playing a significant role in projecting the importance and potential of the community. As founder and sponsor of the Annual Multi-National Business Conference in the Caribbean, CARIB NEWS for the past 11 years has hosted the most successful business conferences, bringing together African American Entrepreneurs, elected officials and Civic Leaders to explore opportunities of business, health, education and information in the Caribbean and between our American friends.

They have been supporters of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), and founded the annual breakfast held the morning of the day-long event. Their honors and awards are legion, including the prestigious national honors from the Government of Jamaica. Faye received the Prime Minister’s Medal of Recognition and Karl received the Order of Distinction - Commander Class.

The wonderful thing about the Carib News is that it continues to be the go to paper in the Caribbean community. The wonderful thing about the Black Press is that there are at several local publications that also give you the inside information you need; the alternative to the vilification and distortions so often found in the mainstream media.

In fact, if you read the Carib News, Black Star News, Daily Challenge, Our Times Press, New York Beacon, Amsterdam News, Harlem Times, The African Sun Times, among others.

In fact, as a man of great wisdom (Rev. Ike) once said: “You know the truth when you read it. Many news papers spend more time giving you negative information, and scare tactics, than information. You cannot allow the negative press to manipulate you; you have to know how to manipulate the mainstream media, get the information you need, and discard the rest.” With Black publications (and online-news service) you get a more balanced, informative, and comprehensive view of what’s happening in your community and how it affects you.

Kudos to Karl and Faye Rodney, and the Carib News for keeping it real positive and powerful for us all.

Which brings us to the launching of the Caribbean American Legal Defense and Education Fund (CALDEF): was founded based on the premise that as of 2010 Black people will fall to the level of the third largest minority in the US, after Hispanics and Asians. Given the rise in derisive and divisive commentary in the mainstream media, Dr. Marco Mason sees an escalation in attacks launched against people of Caribbean heritage (as well as against all Black people).

The need for CALDEF is apparent to advocate, litigate, educate, prodect and defend the Caribbean American community.

The organization was conceived by Dr. Mason and Faye Rodney in 2009 to address the growing demand for advocating on behalf of, as well as supporting, protecting and defending the rights of Caribbean Americans. It aims to improve the status and conditions of immigrants and thus strengthen the economic, civic, social and cultural fiber of the Caribbean American Community.

There will be a concomitant “Welcome” program to help immigrants, and facilitate the legalization of immigrant status for qualified individuals.

The also have established a Peer Mentorship program for students on both the undergraduate and graduate level.

The underlying purpose, of course, is as an anti-defamation arm that readily responds to the aspersions being cast against the Caribbean community by insensitive, racist, and xenophobics. As with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, we must support them and make sure that they have all the assistance they need in becoming a force and a resource to be reckoned with.

The best way to celebrate Black History month is to make history of your own (yes, I said that, and you can quote me). Dr. Marco Mason exemplifies that wisdom, and has consistently been part of what makes us all great, and all proud.

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson