Category Archives: History

Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has revealed how much it means to him to be making history at the club with titles won during his time at Stamford Bridge.

The 29-year-old was part of the Blues squad that lifted the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in their history.

Speaking to Chelsea's Fifth Stand app, Mendy opened up on how he feels to have made history at the club.

IMAGO / Shengolpixs

The Senegal international arrived last season and has rapidly become one of the best players in world football, contributing massively to Chelsea's UEFA Champions League success last season.

Alongside lifting the Champions League, Mendy has also won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, as well as lifting the Africa Cup of Nations with his country Senegal after saving a penalty in the final.

Speaking on the trophies won during his time at Chelsea, Mendy said: "I feel so lucky and its hard to describe these amazing feelings.

IMAGO / PA Images

"To have won trophies with Chelsea and the national team, it is a great feeling and means so much to make history like this."

However, the goalkeeper will not allow himself to celebrate just yet as he wants to win even more, as Chelsea have a Carabao Cup final on the horizon against Liverpool at the end of the month.

"I cant celebrate too much though because in 10 days or so we have another final in the Carabao Cup that we want to win!" he continued.

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Edouard Mendy: Making Chelsea History Means 'So Much' But There is No Time to Celebrate - Sports Illustrated

In January, McMinn County, Tenn., made international news for perhaps the first time in its history when the school board voted to remove Maus, the acclaimed graphic novel about the Holocaust, from the 8th-grade curriculum. The board stated that it made the change on account of the books use of profanity and nudity, asking school administrators to find other works that accomplish the same educational goals in a more age-appropriate fashion.

This curricular change, affecting a few hundred of the approximately 5,500 K-12 students in McMinns public schools, was quickly amplified on social media into a case of book banning with shades of Holocaust denial. The author of Maus, Art Spiegelman, said that the decision had a breath of autocracy and fascism. Theres only one kind of people who would vote to ban Maus, whatever they are calling themselves these days, tweeted the popular fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, earning more than 170,000 likes. The controversy sent the book to the top of Amazon s bestseller list.

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Whats Really at Stake in Americas History Wars? - The Wall Street Journal

On the to-do list this week: February is Black History Month, a time meant to commemorate the Black struggle and learn about Black history. In the coming weeks, you can attend an event to celebrate Black culture and history, visit a museum that focuses on Black history, and much more. (And, your time spent honoring Black history doesnt have to end on Feb. 28, either. These museums are open all year round.)

On my personal to-do list: Im planning to take a day trip to the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May.

Need something to do this weekend or next week? We have an events calendar with 20+ things to do in Philly and outside of the city, too. See our full calendar, here.

Weve collected our best Philly tips all in one place here. Stay healthy, stay safe, and get vaccinated.

Jillian Wilson

Here is one highlight from our weekly events calendar:

Philadanco at Esperanza (Dance / in-person / community) Philadanco celebrates its 50th anniversary with a performance of the companys most popular pieces along with new works. Take in the show in-person or pay-what-you-wish and stream virtually from home. Seating is limited and masks are required regardless of vaccination status. ($15, Feb. 4, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 4261 N. 5th St., esperanzaartscenter.us)

Find more of this weeks events, and we even have a kid-friendly events calendar, too.

Philadelphia is a city rich in Black history it was once home to stops on the Underground Railroad, its where the countrys first African Methodist Episcopal church was founded, and has been home to Black leaders throughout history. Many of our citys accolades and accomplishments would not have been possible without the contributions of Black people.

This Black History Month, you can learn about the contributions of Black Philadelphians throughout history while celebrating strides made by Black people today. Heres our full guide to celebrating Black History Month in the region, and a few of my picks below.

Black History Month Programming at the Free Library of Philadelphia (Community / virtual and in-person) You can stop by your local library to create a paper quilt square featuring quotes by Black authors or Black historical figures. If youre celebrating from home, you can tune into virtual book clubs, pick up Black history book bundles, or create delicious recipes from the Black diaspora at a virtual cooking class. (Free, Feb. 1-28, freelibrary.org)

Meet James Forten Performance & Panel (Theater / in-person / history) Watch a first-person performance on the life of James Forten an abolitionist, sailmaker, and free Black Philadelphian at the Museum of the American Revolution. Actor Nathan Alford-Tate plays Forten in this 20-minute theater piece about Fortens formative years. After the performance, Alford-Tate will be joined by Michael Idriss, the Museum of the American Revolutions African American Interpretive Fellow, for a discussion on the significance of Fortens story. ($15, Feb. 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m., 101 S. Third St., amrevmuseum.org)

The African American Childrens Book Fair (Community / in-person / kid-friendly) The African American Childrens Book Fair returns for its 30th year with an in-person book sale at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The event bills itself as one of the largest and oldest one-day childrens book fairs in the country and promises a wide array of childrens books by Black authors and about the Black experience. Additional events include games and giveaways. (Feb. 26, 1-4 p.m., 1101 Arch St., theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org)

READ MORE: Where to celebrate Black History Month in Philly

While it may be Black History Month right now, there are museums and cultural landmarks throughout the region that honor Black history all year round. You can visit former stops on the Underground Railroad to learn about the formerly enslaved people who made their way to freedom, visit the home of the first Black person to sing with New Yorks Metropolitan Opera, hear about Club Harlem (the premium jazz club for Black performers) at a South Jersey museum, and much more.

All of these spots, and many more, are included in our guide to museums and cultural landmarks that showcase Black history. Black history is Philadelphia history and its no surprise that in one of Americas most historic cities, Black history is all around and as much a part of the framework of this city as the crack in the Liberty Bell.

READ MORE: 13 museums and cultural landmarks that showcase Black history in Philadelphia

The Fashion District of Philadelphia is currently hosting Michelangelos Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition, a traveling exhibition that will remain in Philly until March 18. While its certainly not the same as actually visiting Italy to see the Sistine Chapel, the exhibition offers an opportunity to experience something different as travel during the COVID-19 pandemic remains challenging. The immersive exhibitions promises billboard-size reproductions of the artworks that make up the Sistine Chapel, along with an audio guide for an additional cost.

Thanks for reading! Well be back next week with more things to do this month. But in the meantime, heres something to know:

Are you obsessed with Wordle? I certainly am. My colleagues Tom Avril and Francois Barrilleaux shared some ways to boost your odds of guessing the right word when playing the game.

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To do this week: Celebrate Black History Month - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Apps and online services can help you find and support Black-owned businesses in your area.

Each February wehighlight the achievements of Black Americans. And to celebrate Black History Month, many people in the US frequent localBlack-owned restaurantsand other businesses in a show of support for the local community. Following the deaths ofGeorge Floyd,Breonna Taylor,Ahmaud ArberyandRayshard Brooksin a tumultuous 2020 that energized anti-racist education and support for Black Americans, this month is imbued with extra focus onpractical ways to support the Black community-- including where to get your dinner.

Black-owned businesses were among the hardest hit bycoronavirus closures.Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also highlights how Black Americans and people of color have experienced a disproportionate burden of hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19. The CDC notes that discrimination "shapes the social and economic factors that put people at increased risk for COVID-19 infection."

We've compiled a list of options for you to check out when looking for a Black-owned restaurant to support in your area.

Now playing: Watch this: Black Lives Matter: How you can take action today

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The EatOkra app (iPhone, Android), founded by Black developers and programmers, has a list of Black-owned restaurants in many large cities across the country, such as Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta and Seattle. You can order takeout from within the app using GrubHub, DoorDash and other delivery services. The app has high ratings on Google Play (4.3/5) and the App Store (4.7/5).

Eboneats helps you find Black-owned restaurants and private chefs across the US and internationally. You can search by state and type of food to narrow down your search. Some states don't have any businesses listed, but it's particularly good in Georgia.

Entertain your brain with the coolest news from streaming to superheroes, memes to video games.

This public Google Doc compiles articles and spreadsheets listing Black-owned restaurants, wineries and farms across the US by state and metro area.

The DoorDash, Uber Eats and Caviar apps can help you find Black-owned restaurants. Search for "Black owned" to see a list of nearby restaurants you can support.

DoorDash says there are hundreds of Black-owned restaurants to choose from within 30 states. When you select one of the businesses, the app should say, "Your order supports this Black-owned business."

DoorDash highlights Black-owned restaurants in its app.

You can go to Yelp.com and enter "Black-owned restaurants," along with your location, and tap the search icon. You'll see a list of restaurants to choose from and some will even say Black-owned or Minority-owned & operated.

Social media is a great place to start when looking for a Black-owned restaurant or business. When you begin your search, selectTagsand then type #blackownedrestaurants[city]. If the area you live in has listed the businesses, you'll see photos with more information, like a menu, a picture of food or a full list of restaurants that are Black-owned.

Do a search on Google that says, "Black-owned businesses in [city name, state]." This should give you a lot of results, from websites with a list of restaurants to pinpoints on Google Maps. Note that you may need to double-check some that are popular chains rather than independently owned restaurants and cafes.

If you search for Black-owned restaurants in Google Maps, search results will show up on the map. Google flags some of these as "Identifies as Black-owned," but even if it doesn't, you're just a few taps away from looking it up to find more information.

If you do the same search inApple Maps, you get local guides from EatOkra, if it has any for nearby cities.

Google Maps can help you find Black-owned restaurants near you.

For more ways to support the Black community, check out theseeight ways to get involved during Black History Month and beyond, watch these movies and TV shows on systemic racism and use Google to find Black-owned businesses.

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Black History Month: Here's how to find and support Black-owned restaurants - CNET

Alabama.

Today, about five million people call it home. So many of them have a story. An Alabama story.

A story about family. A story about place. A story about pain. A story about perseverance. A story about tragedy. A story about triumph.

A story about history.

A story that has never been told. A story too long ignored.

Alabama Vintage will tell those stories.

Produced by our award-winning journalists, Alabama Vintage on Instragam and other AL.com digital platforms will tell those stories with powerful, poignant, and personal little-seen photos and videos of an Alabama often omitted from our history books, languishing in long-forgotten vaults and archives, or gathering dust in family scrapbooks and basements.

An Alabama that includes a diaspora of races, cultures, and religions intentionally shunned by state archivists, and, we confess, by our own egregious, neglectful reporting of our states complicated past.

An Alabama that should be celebrated not camouflaged; showcased not shrouded.

An unsung Alabamalived by unsung, everyday Alabamians.

By mothers who simply wanted to ride the bus with dignity. By parents who didnt want their children to endure what they had to.

By visionaries who saw a future better than their present.

By children who simply wanted to learn, live and play.

By farmers. By architects. By secretaries. By ministers. By artists. By teachers. By politicians. By maids. athletes. By entrepreneurs. By activists. By corporate leaders. By students.

By Alabamians.

Some images and videos will commemorate a significant moment or person; an anniversary of an event that changed usfor the better, even if it caused great pain. A birthday or death of an Alabamian who changed us, too.

Some will showcase historic buildings, structures that defined a city or revealed our creative genius.

All will acknowledge and celebrate, well, us. At work. At play. Socializing. Traveling. Worshiping. Dancing. Marching. Enjoying our natural beauty. Living each day. In Alabama.

Who are we? Who are we fully when those whose contributions were left out are finally given their deserved light?

Where do we come from? What did we bring with us? How did we endure? How do our shared legacies collectively shape and define us? Define Alabama?

We are reaching widely for photos and videos of our untold stories. To museums, municipal and state archives, educational institutions, churches, hospitals, and beyond.

And to you.

Share with us the photos and videos that tell your stories. That celebrate your ancestors. Your parents, grandparents, and other family members who made your way easier. Perhaps easier for others, too.

Pull those boxes from under the bed or out of the basement. Call your elders and ask them to share aging scrapbooks. Shoot a video of them talking about their journey, about their memories. About their lives.

If you have photos and/or video to share, contact us at AlabamaVintage@AL.com.

Every day youll see new photos and videos on Instagram, along with a few words. Youll see a new story.

We are embracing all institutions and people and families to collectively elevate the stories of how Alabama came to be the place we all call home.

All of us.

Some of the stories will make you smile. Some will touch your heart. Some may even anger you. Some may simply hurt.

Together, they will reveal all of who we are, Alabama. And we will leave no one out.

Not this time.

Roy S. Johnson is a 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary and winner of 2021 Edward R. Morrow prize for podcasts: Unjustifiable, co-hosted with John Archibald. His column appears in The Birmingham News and AL.com, as well as the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Press-Register. Reach him at rjohnson@al.com, follow him at twitter.com/roysj, or on Instagram @roysj.

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Alabama vintage: History and stories too long untold and overlooked finally brought to light - AL.com

Union County, NJ February 3, 2022 The Union County Board of County Commissioners invites resident to attend a free lecture by Professor Keith E. Walcott of Union County College titled, African American Survival: from Jim Crow to Civil Rights and Beyond. The lecture will be held on Zoom on Thursday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m.

The program is free of charge, but advance registration is required. To register online visit ucnj.org/black-history-month.

African Americans have withstood daunting obstacles to make their mark upon on our nation, and Professor Walcott offers new insights into this compelling story of survival and achievement. We encourage everyone to join with us in this exploration of Black history, and the power of the human spirit to prevail over adversity, said Commissioner Board Chair Rebecca Williams, who will serve as host for the event.

My generation has seen many changes in Union County, and beyond, and there are many more to come. We are very proud to provide our residents with a series of enriching, thought provoking experiences during Black History Month, and we hope this lecture helps to inform and guide the continuing work of ensuring equal justice and dignity for all, said Commissioner James E. Baker, Jr.

Professor Walcott will begin his presentation after the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, as the cruelties of segregationist Jim Crow laws took hold in the south and elsewhere. The discussion will continue through 20th century manifestations of racism including discrimination through Great Depression programs and the notorious Tuskegee Study, as well as the explosion of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

A longtime resident of Plainfield, Professor Walcott was born in the West Indian Island of Barbados and came to the United States 40 years ago. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Rutgers University, and holds ministerial credentials with the assemblies of God. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Union County College specializing in African American History.

This lecture is funded in part by a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a Division of Cultural Affairs in the Department of State.

For more information and updates on Union Countys Black History Month series, including links for the virtual events, visit ucnj.org/black-history-month. In addition, if you would like to learn more about Black History Month programs, please contact Judith Guest of the Union County Office of Community Engagement and Diversity at Judith.Guest@ucnj.org or 908-527-4388.

For information about the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs visit ucnj.org/cultural, email culturalinfo@ucnj.org, or call 908-527-2550.

For information and updates on all Union County services during the COVID-19 outbreak, including free vaccination, free testing, emergency food distribution and other support services, visit ucnj.org/covid19. General information about COVID-19 is available through the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media.

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Explore Themes of African American Survival during Black History Month County of Union, New Jersey - UCNJ.org

February is Black History Month, and in Florence, the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity has planned a full months worth of music and others events to mark both Black History Month and Florences history as a center of anti-slavery activity.

And omicron or no, the shows are going ahead, says Kyle Homstead, co-director of the Bombyx Center, located at the historic Florence Congregational Church, an institution founded in the mid-19th century by residents committed to ending slavery and creating genuine racial and sexual equality in the U.S.

Were really excited to have the arts shine a light on this history and reflect on it, Homstead said during a recent phone interview. Were hoping to draw parallels with what happened here almost 200 years ago and the way the arts today can be a tool for activism.

He and his partner, Cassandra Holden, who run Laudable Productions in Easthampton, have been using the historic Florence building since last fall for live music, art exhibitsand various community events, while the Congregational Church and two other longtime tenants there, the Reform Jewish community Beit Ahavah and the Cloverdale Preschool, continue to call the building home.

The Bombyx Centers February music programming begins Saturday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. with the Campbell Brothers, a gospel band built around pedal steel guitar an instrument that became known as sacred steel beginning in the 1930s when it was used by African American Pentecostal churches as an alternative to the organ.

That music has long since moved into the secular world, and the Campbell Brothers are considered one of the best in the business; among the places theyve played is New Yorks Lincoln Center. Led by pedal steel guitarist Chuck Campbell, the group includes his brother Phil Campbell on electric guitar, his son Carlton on drums, bassist Daric Bennett, and vocalists Denise Brown, Tiffany Godetteand Joyce Cinnamon Brown.

On Feb. 6 at 7 p.m., the Bombyx Center presents two acts, Big Lazy and Mamie Minch, both of whom are connected to the international-themed Barbs music club in Brooklyn, N.Y. Laudable Productions has previously presented a number of shows in the Valley featuring groups from that scene, including Big Lazy and Mamie Minch.

The former is an instrumental trio of guitar, bassand drums that, according to program notes, plays crime jazz & highway twang, while Mamie Minch is an acoustic blues crooner, singer-songwriter, and dogged feminist. According to the Bombyx Center, all four musicians, who are friends, are also slightly punk, very DIY, and fiercely independent, playing music that has one foot in the present and the other in the past.

In partnership with the David Ruggles Center, the Bombyx Center has scheduled two events on Feb. 12 specifically addressing Black history and affairs. Under the Pines begins at 2 p.m. with a guided walk along Florences African American history trail, which includes landmarks such Sojourner Truths house and other abolitionist landmarks.

Thats followed by hot cocoa back at Bombyx and a film screening by jazz pianist and composer Mark G. Meadows, whose short documentary, But Dont Believe Them, examines the Black Lives Matter movement and the push for full equality for Blacks. Meadows, joined by vocalist and songwriter Rochelle Rice (Sweet Honey in the Rock)and local experts will then host a talk with audience members on these issues.

And at 8 p.m., Meadows and Rice perform together in a program that includes jazz, R&Band gospel tunes, with both original compositions and new interpretations of music by Dizzy Gillespie, Stevie Wonderand Steely Dan.

Visit bombyx.live for more information about these shows and additional related programming in February.

Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield has continued to offer a regular schedule of music the past several weeks, though some artists have postponed their shows for later this year. The weekend of Feb. 11-12 offers a particularly interesting mix of folk and bluegrass, blues and jazz, and punk and metal.

Acoustic music gets the nod Feb. 11, beginning at 7 p.m., with performances by The Green Sisters and singer-songwriter Eric Lee. The Green Sisters, who grew up on a family farm in Hubbardston in Worcester County, have been playing gigs in the Valley for years, and their mix of bluegrass, blues, countryand tight harmonies, on their original songs as well as innovative covers, has won them a loyal following.

The Pennsylvania-born Lee, now living in the Valley, is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter whos gigged with numerous other musicians, including singer-songwriter Eric Andersen and the bluegrass band Man About a Horse. Hes won particular praise for his songwriting, with one critic calling him a musicians musician and a songwriters songwriter.

And on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. at Hawks & Reed, Northampton guitarist Joe Belmont and his trio will be joined by vocalist Wanda Johnston for a set ofblues, jazz and more, while at 9:30 p.m. the bands Hollow Teeth, Bag Lady, Tides, and Unagi will present what Hawks & Reed calls a killer cocktail of punk, metaland hip hop.

Hawks & Reed is also presenting two bands on Feb. 4 (today) beginning at 8 p.m.: No Lens (funky reggae and folk rock) and Whalom Park (funk addicts). On Feb. 5 at 8 p.m., its Soul Magnets, the Valley-based funk and soul band, described as a horn-heavy 9-piece ensemble.

Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre and his band will play the entirety of Jethro Tulls seminal 1971 album Aqualung on Feb. 4 (tonight) at Northamptons Academy of Music at 8 p.m.

Tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., the Department of Music and Dance at the University of Masschusetts Amherst presents a collaboration between the universitys Percussion Ensemble and Dance Program called Elements: Movement and Sound, a multimedia journey into the depths of the natural elements of our world, according to program notes.

The concerts take place at Fredrick C. Tillis Performance Hall at the universitys Fine Arts Center.

Also at Fredrick C. Tillis Performance Hall, Nobuntu, a female a cappella quintet from Zimbabwe, will perform Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Della Mae, the Grammy-nominated, all-woman string band, comes to the Shea Theater in Turners Falls on Feb. 11 at 8 p.m.

Gateway City Arts in Holyoke is scheduled to bring the blues on Feb. 15 in the person of Southern blues-rock guitarist and songwriter Tinsley Ellis, and on Feb. 16 with Englands The James Hunter Six. Both shows are at 8 p.m.

Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.

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The Beat Goes On: Bombyx Center celebrates Black History Month with music; plus other live shows - GazetteNET

February marks Black History Month, a time to recognize the significant achievements and culture of Black Americansfrom bell hooks to Beyonceand also to honor an accurate history about them, a history that we know is rife with discrimination and abuse think: slavery, Jim Crow, and the structural racism were still infected with today. Sadly, more and more, this history is being challenged and even erased in our culture and, right now, in our schools, through tactics like curriculum restrictions and book bans. Truths we once considered hard but self-evident are now being erased before our eyes.

Over 30 state legislatures across the country have introduced bills to limit the discussion of racial history in a wave prompted by the emergence of critical race theory as a subject of political fear-mongering. But thats just the beginning:, over 300 books by predominantly Black authors discussing race, gender, and sexuality, were also banned in the last year alone. Yes, you heard me right. Were banning books again.

When your history is banned, how do you learn about your ancestors? How do we learn from whats happened in the past and how it affects our present? When your culture is banned, how do you see yourself? How do you belong? How do you celebrate the stories, music, food, and family that made you?

At the ACLU, we believe that the first amendment is so fundamental because it should stop this kind of erasure in its tracks. Thats why were meeting this surge of censorship with new litigation and fierce advocacy.

Joining us today to share more is Emerson Sykes, a senior staff attorney with the ACLUs Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project and longtime listeners will remember Emerson as one of At Libertys former hosts.

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The Movement to Erase Black History and Culture - ACLU

ON THIS DAY IN 1939, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, County Judge William ODwyer emphatically denied charges that Brooklyn has the greatest amount of crime of all the boroughs in an address before the Society of Old Brooklynites last night in Surrogates Court, Hall of Records. Declaring Brooklyn is not a criminal borough, Judge ODwyer observed the crime found most prevalent in the borough is that Brooklynites have not the combined public spirit it should have in demanding certain necessities from City Hall with which to bring about reforms. In a breakdown of 1938 crime statistics for Brooklyn, he declared, a large percentage of crimes in the borough is committed by underprivileged youths barely out of their teens. Of the 1,438 persons convicted of crimes last year in the borough, 52 percent of these were boys under 25, he said. According to these figures, people are led to believe that most of the criminals committed heinous crimes, the likes of which are unknown in other boroughs, he declared. The truth is that included in these figures are 374 convictions for petty larceny, 201 for unlawful entry and 138 for assault in the third degree.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, In what will be the biggest mass promotion in city police history, 91 members of the Police Department will receive promotions in ceremonies at the police gymnasium on Wednesday. Six more members, bringing the list to 97, may also receive promotions at the same ceremony. George P. Mitchell will be named chief of detectives. Two other top level promotions are expected to come from the ranks. These promotions will fill the vacancies created by the scheduled retirements of 3rd Deputy Police Commissioner Lyons and Deputy Commissioner OLeary. Both Lyons and OLeary are expected to retire Thursday. Emmanuel Klein will be promoted to the rank of acting captain, becoming the first Negro to reach that level in the department.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1948, the Eagle reported, Essential municipal services will be jeopardized and city employees may have to forego wage increases unless an additional $167,845,000 is raised during the next fiscal year through local revenues and state aid, Mayor [William] ODwyer warned today. Again blaming the citys financial plight on outmoded constitutional and statutory provisions, the mayor, in his annual City Council message, demanded a drastic change in the fiscal relationship between the city and state governments. The new revenues, the mayor said, would permit the city to hand out $45,000,000 in wage hikes to meet zooming living costs, $27,222,000 for salaries for additional personnel in hospitals, police, sanitation, education and other city departments, and $13,968,000 for mandatory pay boosts. The required $167,845,000 should come from city and state sources, the mayor told the councilmen. Through an increased fare, new and increased taxes, including upped real estate levies and budget modifications, the city could raise $83,345,000. The state, ODwyer added, should supply the remaining $84,500,000.

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, LONDON (U.P.) A top British atomic scientist who was trusted with some of Americas biggest A-bomb secrets was charged today with giving unidentified agents information useful to an enemy. Unofficial sources indicated the information went to Russia. The scientist, German-born Dr. Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs, 38, was arrested by Scotland Yard agents yesterday on a tip from American FBI agents investigating Russian espionage. He was accused specifically of giving information relating to atomic research to an unknown person in the United States in February 1945, and to an unknown person at an unspecified place on a day in 1947. Arraigned in Bow St. Police Court, Fuchs was ordered held until Friday for a hearing to determine whether he should be tried. Only last July he was appointed senior principal scientific officer to the British Ministry of Supply. He has been working at the great Harwell atomic research center, the biggest atomic center in Europe. Its huge cyclotron was recently put through its first tests.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, who was born in 1940; Brighton Beach Memoirs star Blythe Danner, who was born in 1943; Pro Football Hall of Famer Bob Griese, who was born in 1945; Flamingo Road star Morgan Fairchild, who was born in 1950; former major league outfielder Fred Lynn, who was born in 1952; The Birdcage star Nathan Lane, who was born in 1956; ER star Maura Tierney, who was born in 1965; World Golf Hall of Famer Retief Goosen, who was born in 1969; Willow star Warwick Davis, who was born in 1970; The Great Gatsby star Isla Fisher, who was born in 1976; Despacito singer Daddy Yankee, who was born in 1977; former N.Y. Mets first baseman Lucas Duda, who was born in 1986; and Beautiful Girls singer Sean Kingston, who was born in 1990.

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MAKING AMENDS: The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on this day in 1870, granting that the right of citizens to vote shall not be denied on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.

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SOUNDS OF SILENCE: On this day in 1959, rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. The Big Bopper Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Mason City, Iowa. The tragedy was immortalized as the day the music died in Don McLeans 1971 song American Pie.

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Special thanks to Chases Calendar of Events and Brooklyn Public Library.

Quotable:

Its perfectly OK to want to quit as long as you dont.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, who was born on this day in 1940

February 2 |Brooklyn Eagle Staff

February 1 |Brooklyn Eagle History

January 31 |Brooklyn Eagle History

January 28 |Brooklyn Eagle History

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February 3: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Los Angeles had oil wells pumping in its neighborhoods when Hollywood was in its infancy, and thousands of active wells still dot the city.

These wells can emit toxic chemicals such as benzene and other irritants into the air, often just feet from homes, schools and parks. But now, after nearly a decade of community organizing and studies demonstrating the adverse health impacts on people living nearby, Los Angeles long history with urban drilling is nearing an end.

In a unanimous vote on Jan. 26, 2022, the Los Angeles City Council took the first step toward phasing out all oil and gas extraction in the city by declaring oil extraction a nonconforming land use. That came on the heels of a unanimous vote by Los Angeles County supervisors to phase out oil extraction in unincorporated county areas.

As environmental health researchers, we study the impacts of oil drilling on surrounding communities. Our research shows that people living near these urban oil operations suffer higher rates of asthma than average, as well as wheezing, eye irritation and sore throats. In some cases, the impact on residents lungs is worse than living beside a highway or being exposed to secondhand smoke every day.

Over a century ago, the first industry to boom in Los Angeles was oil.

Oil was abundant and flowed close to the surface. In early 20th-century California, sparse laws governed mineral extraction, and rights to oil accrued to those who could pull it out of the ground first. This ushered in a period of rampant drilling, with wells and associated machinery crisscrossing the landscape. By the mid-1920s, Los Angeles was one of the largest oil-exporting regions in the world.

Oil rigs were so pervasive across the region that the Los Angeles Times described them in 1930 as trees in a forest. Working-class communities were initially supportive of the industry because it promised jobs but later pushed back as their neighborhoods witnessed explosions and oil spills, along with longer-term damage to land, water and human health.

Tensions over land use, extraction rights and subsequent drops in oil prices due to overproduction eventually resulted in curbs on drilling and a long-standing practice of oil companies voluntary self-regulation, such as noise-reduction technologies. The industry began touting these voluntary approaches to deflect governmental regulation.

Increasingly, oil companies disguised their activities with approaches such as operating inside buildings, building tall walls and designing islands off Long Beach and other sites to blend in with the landscape. Oil drilling was hidden in plain sight.

Today there are over 20,000 active, idle or abandoned wells spread across a county of 10 million people. About one-third of residents live less than a mile from an active well site, some right next door.

Since the 2000s, the advance of extractive technologies to access harder-to-reach deposits has led to a resurgence of oil extraction activities. As extraction in some neighborhoods has ramped up, people living in South Los Angeles and other neighborhoods in oil fields have noticed frequent odors, nosebleeds and headaches.

The city of Los Angeles has no buffers or setbacks between oil extraction and homes, and approximately 75% of active oil or gas wells are located within 500 meters (1,640 feet) of sensitive land uses, such as homes, schools, child care facilities, parks or senior residential facilities.

Despite over a century of oil drilling in Los Angeles, until recently there was limited research into the health impacts. Working with community health workers and community-based organizations helped us gauge the impact oil wells are having on residents, particularly on its historically Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

The first step was a door-to-door survey of 813 neighbors from 203 households near wells in Las Cienegas oil field, just south and west of downtown. We found that asthma was significantly more common among people living near South Los Angeles oil wells than among residents of Los Angeles County as a whole. Nearly half the people we spoke with, 45%, didnt know oil wells were operating nearby, and 63% didnt know how to contact local regulatory authorities to report odors or environmental hazards.

Next, we measured lung function of 747 long-term residents, ages 10 to 85, living near two drilling sites. Poor lung capacity, measured as the amount of air a person can exhale after taking a deep breath, and lung strength, how strongly the person can exhale, and are both predictors of health problems including respiratory disease, death from cardiovascular problems and early death in general.

We found that the closer someone lived to an active or recently idle well site, the poorer that persons lung function, even after adjusting for such other risk factors as smoking, asthma and living near a freeway. This research demonstrates a significant relationship between living near oil wells and worsened lung health.

People living up to 1,000 meters (0.6 miles) downwind of a well site showed lower lung function on average than those living farther away and upwind. The effect on their lungs capacity and strength was similar to impacts of living near a freeway or, for women, being exposed to secondhand smoke.

Using a community monitoring network in South Los Angeles, we were able to distinguish oil-related pollution in neighborhoods near wells. We found short-term spikes of air pollutants and methane, a potent greenhouse gas, at monitors less than 500 meters, about one-third of a mile, from oil sites.

When oil production at a site stopped, we observed significant reductions in such toxins as benzene, toluene and n-hexane in the air in adjacent neighborhoods. These chemicals are known irritants, carcinogens and reproductive toxins. They are also associated with dizziness, headaches, fatigue, tremors and respiratory system irritation, including difficulty breathing and, at higher levels, impaired lung function.

Many of the dozens of active oil wells in South Los Angeles are in historically Black and Hispanic communities that have been marginalized for decades. These neighborhoods are already considered among the most highly polluted, with the most vulnerable residents in the state.

In its landmark vote in January, the City Council moved to draft an ordinance that would ban all new oil wells, and it ordered a study to determine how to phase out and decommission existing wells over the next five years.

The state, meanwhile, has proposed a 3,200-foot setback rule for new wells, but this has not yet gone into effect and does little to address health concerns for residents who live near existing wells. Gov. Gavin Newsom has also proposed to phase out oil extraction, but the proposal would allow oil wells to continue operating until 2045.

Our research shows why a variety of policies, including buffers, phaseouts and emissions controls in existing wells will need to be considered to protect public health and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy sources.

This updates an article originally published June 2, 2021.

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Los Angeles' long, troubled history with urban oil drilling is nearing an end after years of health concerns - The Conversation AU