2 A NEWLY redrawn electoral map for the state of New York has drawn the ire of Democrats. The map was drawn by a special master appointed by the court after a judge ruled that the electoral map drawn by the State Assembly was unconstitutional and ordered that a court-appointedmaster redo the map. Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette Clarke blasted the map, which she said did not represent a true reflection of her congressional district. She said that maintaining the core of the existing district is an important factor in NewYork law with respect to redistricting. “One community of interest that has been fractured is the Tilden Public Housing Development in Brownsville. This development provides affordable housing for some of the most vulnerable in the congressional district. What principle of fairness, neutrality, or logic could possibly justify the splitting of the Tilden Public Housing Development across two congressional districts? Maintaining the cores of our existing districts is an important factor in New York law with respect to redistricting. I currently represent one of the most diverse constituencies in the nation that is also home to multiple communities of interest. However, this map cracks the core and the foundation of New York’s Ninth District,” she said. Continuing, the congresswoman added that it is well known that BedStuy was once divided in the mid1960s, which led to a lawsuit to ensure their voting rights were not denied or abridged so that the community had equal opportunity to participate in the political process. REGRESSIVE ACTION “The cracking of this district is a regressive action that dismisses precedent for this community. This proposal harkens back to an era in our nation where laws were designed to limit minority representation in our democracy. The practice of ‘cracking’ or diluting the voting power of historically oppressed communities was shameful when carried out by avowed racists in positions of power in previous decades, and extremely disappointing when enabled by an out-of-state, unelected consultant today,” she said. Clarke said that whatever the intention, the draft proposal substantially weakens the political power of the minority communities in these areas. The draft New York Congressional maps, she said further, if left unchanged, does not protect and preserve communities of interest. “I am highly concerned that this map will in effect disenfranchise the power of the constituency of the Ninth Congressional District and I strongly recommend that Special Master Johnathan R. Cervas revisit the draft map and keep these historic communities intact,” the Congresswoman said. In a recent article, Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause NY, stated: “The current drawing of the congressional map divides communities of interest and neighbourhoods, particularly in New York City and Brooklyn, and ignores the core of existing congressional districts, and is not just unconscionable and erroneous, it’s unconstitutional. “As proposed, this map cracks the historic neighbourhoods of Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Clinton Hill, seemingly at random,” she said. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries said that the map, as drawn by the special master, takes a sledgehammer to black districts and would “make Jim Crow blush”. Jeffries, chair of the House Democratic Caucus who represents a Queens district in Congress, said that the map disenfranchised black voters. “The effect is to significantly degrade the black population in four districts and dilute the ability of black communities to elect the candidates of their choice,” he said. New York Democrats frustrated with state’s new electoral map Hakeem Jaffries Yvette Clarke 1938: KNIGHT Grand Cross of the British Empire and Governor of Jamaica Edward Brandis Denhamdies in his private room at the Kingston General Hospital. His passing brings sorrow to the hearts of well thinking Jamaicans than any other occurrence during the last two decades. 1949: Ms Iris Collins takes her seat on the government bench of the House of Representatives after her colleagues in the Labour Party and the Rev R. E. Phillips had voted her in to office as the provisional member of the Executive Council. 1954: Daniel John Lett of Worthy Park, Ewarton, St Catherine, is admitted by Mr Justice MacGregor in chambers to practise at the Bar in Jamaica. 1962: The flag of the Royal Hampshire Regiment is slowly lowered and in its place rises theWest India Regiment flag, winding its way slowly to the top of the flagpost, signifying the departure of the British from Jamaica after 250 years. “One good thing about music When it hits you feel no pain.” From: ‘Trench Town Rock’ By: Bob Marley This Day In Our Past: June 2 GENEVA,CMC: THE DIRECTOR of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, says that the deficit in the health workforce in the Americas, including the Caribbean, reaches 600,000 professionals – and this is something that affects access to care, especially for those in rural and underserved areas of the region. During the deliberations of the 2022-2030 Action Plan “Working for Health” at the 75th World Health Assembly recently, Etienne acknowledged“the enormous sacrifice and contribution of health workers in the Americas” during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The unwavering resilience of our health workers is a testimony to their commitment to serve, save lives and ensure health for all,” she said. The PAHO director noted that, during the peaks of the pandemic, “task shifting and task sharing saved lives,” and that “patient care delivery was facilitated by digital transformation.” In that regard, she said that PAHO, through its Virtual Campus for Public Health, trained more than 900,000 health workers in the control and management of COVID-19, health services continuity and vaccine deployment during the pandemic. However, she said, “we can no longer ignore long-standing deficiencies in health systems,”which impact the capacity of the health workforce to provide quality, uninterrupted care. Among the deficiencies, she cited the migration of health workers to urban centers or wealthier countries – exacerbating the gap – lack of planning between the education and labor sectors, and insufficient emphasis on interprofessional and ongoing education. Among the effects of COVID-19, a World Health Organization (WHO) study estimated that around 115,000 health workers died between January 2020 and May 2021 worldwide. “Investing in health systems and a fit-for-purpose health workforce constitutes a priority for the Americas,” said Dr. Etienne, adding that PAHO looks forward to working with member states, partners and WHO in developing “a transformative agenda in human resources for health in the Americas.” PAHO director says Americas has 600,000 health professional shortfall 1962: A company of the Royal Hampshire Regiment leaving the parade grounds at Up Park Camp on June 2, after they had participated in the Queen’s Birthday Parade and lowered their flag in farewell to active service in Jamaica. FILE THE MONTHLY GLEANER | JUNE 2 - 30, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS
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