Get The Scoop On How District 28 Residents Are Encouraged To Question NYC Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels

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District 28 Residents Are
Encouraged to Submit Questions to
NYC Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels
By Sunday March 1st 

To submit your questions for the Chancellor, please click this link - https://forms.gle/8jiWuieer3rWHjy26

We encourage you to provide a clear and concise question for the Chancellor. All submissions will be reviewed and 10-15 questions will be chosen.

DEADLINE to submit questions is Sunday, March 1st, 2026 at 10:00pm.

Art 2 Heart: Color Theory

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Art 2 Heart: Color Theory

This art program is designed for teens to explore the basics of color theory while working on their own individual art design. No registration is required.

Get The Scoop On How Ancestor Jesse Jackson changed SE Queens With a Dream That Awakened the World!

Help Us To continue to inform and empower our community please Donate. Get The Scoop Weekly On the Global Black Community and Southeast Queens, NY. Subscribe to Our Mailing List. Receive the Latest Events, News, Jobs, and Top Community Economic Development Stories Like this one Click Here | Reach up to 1.3 million people Promote

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Rev. Jesse Jackson: The Campaign That Taught a Generation to Dream —
From Chicago to Southeast Queens and
the World

✊🏾 By Kamau Austin and the Southeast Queens Scoop Resource Team

The world lost a freedom fighter today, but in truth, Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson never belonged to one place. He moved through history like a drumbeat — from the cotton fields of South Carolina to the streets of Chicago, from the voting lines of the American South to the townships of Africa, from the global stage to the storefront churches and block associations of Southeast Queens.

Rev. Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84, closing a chapter in the modern Civil Rights Movement that stretched from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final days to the rise of a Black presidency.

But for those of us who came of political age in 1984 — this is not just an obituary.

This is a memory.

This is a movement.

This is personal.

The Man Who Carried King’s Mantle Into the Economic Battlefield

Jackson was not only a marcher. He was an architect of economic justice as civil rights.

Through Operation Breadbasket and later PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, he forced corporations to hire Black workers, invest in Black communities, and open boardroom doors that had been sealed since slavery.

He understood something that Southeast Queens has always known:

Political power without economic power is a promise without a budget.

Long before “supplier diversity” became a corporate buzzword…

long before “DEI” became a national debate…

Jackson was negotiating billions in jobs, contracts, and investment for Black America.

He globalized the struggle — negotiating the release of prisoners in the Middle East and the Balkans, standing for democracy in Africa, and turning the Black freedom movement into an international human-rights language.

1984: When Hope Walked the Streets of Southeast Queens

For many of us in Southeast Queens, Jesse Jackson was not a distant figure on television.

He was the campaign.

In 1984, in what was then the 65% Black 6th Congressional District — represented by a white congressman and structurally disconnected from its demographic reality — Jackson’s presidential run did something the traditional political establishment could not:

It unified the un-unifiable.

• The Nation of Islam.
• The Five Percenters.
• The National Black United Front.
• Rev. Herbert Daughtry’s African People’s Christian Organization.
• Allen AME in South Jamaica.

Street organizations. Church people. Nationalists. Integrationists. Young militants. First-time voters.

All moving in the same direction.

Not because they agreed on everything —

but because Jesse Jackson made them believe they were part of the same future.

Get The Scoop On How The Black Health & Wealth Virtual Summit 2.0 Showcases A Dream Team Of Medical and Business Moguls

Help Us To continue to inform and empower our community please Donate. Get The Scoop Weekly On the Global Black Community and Southeast Queens, NY. Subscribe to Our Mailing List. Receive the Latest Events, News, Jobs, and Top Community Economic Development Stories Like this one Click Here | Reach up to 1.3 million people Promote

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The Black Health & Wealth
Virtual Summit 2.0 Showcases a
Dream Team of Medical and
Entrepreneurial Powerhouses

Feb. 25th and Feb. 26th
7 pm - 9 pm ET

Free Reservation For 1st 50 - Attendees using Zoom Link  Tap Here

Or...

RSVP with Eventbrite Below for
Feb. 25th and Feb. 26th
7pm - 9pm ET

The Black Health & Wealth Virtual Summit 2.0 isn’t just another online event — it’s a strategic gathering of culture, capital, and community.  Curator Kamau Austin shares his overview "this year’s summit is already bringing together a Dream Team of medical innovators, wealth builders, business architects, and movement leaders who are flipping the script on what health and economic empowerment looks like in Black America."

"In a period when over 1.1 million Black people have lost their jobs and Black unemployment hit over 7.2 percent, since the last election cycle, the Black Health and Wealth Virtual Summit 2.0 is a timely and relevant event to jump start an economic reset in our community," adds Austin.   This year's line up of presenters for the virtual summit are impressive to say the least and state the obvious. 

On the wealth side, financier and investor Gary Smith will break down how he has helped Black communities move from being shoppers in the mall to owners of the mall — making major corporations cut the rent check to us.  Gary also has extensive experience in helping Blacks and other entrepreneurs buy and sell viable businesses.

Financier, Business & Commercial Real Estate
Investor and business broker Gary Smith 

Tech titan and multimillionaire Chuck Starks, author of Get Rich While Black!, will share how he scaled an Inc. 500 company and turned distressed properties in our communities into high-value community assets.

Self-Made Millionaire Chuck Starks

The health and innovation lane is just as powerful. Medical researcher Renee Williams is using AI to help Black women achieve better health outcomes, proving that technology can be both culturally competent, enhancing health, and life-saving.

Medical Researcher and
AI and App Innovator Renee Williams 

Afi S. Okon, MPA, founder of the American Obesity Foundation, continues to push solutions and policy conversations around one of the most urgent health crises impacting our community.  Ms. Okon is a Solutions provider with focus on wellness and community empowerment.

Afi is the Creator of Let’s Make Healthy Our New Happy, a nationwide campaign designed to reframe health as joyful, doable and family-centered journey that meet families where they are – at home, school, places of worship and in their neighborhoods. With over a decade of expertise in nonprofit leadership and deep-rooted passion for community well-being, Ms. Okon has dedicated her career to addressing health disparities through education, advocacy and empowerment.

Pierre Clark is a Harvard-trained entrepreneur and will deliver high-level strategies on creative business development and smart investments.  He is the Founder-Editor of The Entrepreneur’s Corner™, Homefree, NuFutures Development Ventures LLC, and NuMillennium Opportunity Capital Ltd.

Pierre is also a well respected writer and publisher on entrepreneurial and business operations.

From Kitchen Tables to
State Contracts:
Dr. Jamila Simon’s Blueprint for
Community-Driven Wealth

Dr. Jamila Simon, PhD, is a visionary entrepreneur, researcher, and systems strategist who operates four purpose-driven enterprises across housing education, business consulting, food innovation, and community development. As the SHEO of Radical Mama Housing, Conscious Connections Consulting, Health is Wealth Housing, and Groton Ghost Kitchen, she is building models that turn relationships into revenue and community knowledge into scalable economic power.

A Cornell University PhD in Global Development, Dr. Simon specializes in community-driven translation research — transforming kitchen-table conversations into funded programs, state contracts, and measurable impact. Her work amplifies youth voice, strengthens Black agricultural networks, and expands access to urban agriculture through her leadership as Principal Investigator for the national 4-H CYFAR LEGACY initiative.

At the Black Health & Wealth Virtual Summit 2.0, Dr. Simon will reveal how entrepreneurs and community leaders can enter new business markets using relational capital, strategic partnerships, and government contracting — creating sustainable pathways to generational wealth and community ownership.

AI Film Superstar Eric Hamilton: Directing the Future

"The Architect of AI Hollywood Joins the

Black Health & Wealth Virtual Summit 2.0 to

Break Down the Next Era of Tech, Media & Ownership"

Eric Hamilton is an award-winning AI filmmaker, technology leader, and President & Executive Producer of EHAMX Studios, a next-generation AI film company pioneering cinematic storytelling through generative artificial intelligence. With over 30 years of experience across Google, Yahoo!, Cisco, and Dow Jones, he blends executive leadership with creative innovation to redefine how stories are made and distributed.

His feature film EHAM Classified won Best Sci-Fi Film at the New York International Film Festival, and his AI-generated music work has been featured on CBS News. Through his signature “Machine-Perspective Cinema” style, Hamilton explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, culture, and human instinct—shaping the future of film in the AI era.

Checkout Eric Hamilton's Electrifying
Movie Trailer Below

Get the Scoop On Black Women Refusing to Become a Statistic (Part 1) By Renee Williams

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“I Refuse to Become a Statistic (Part 1): Why Black Women Need More Than Apologies — We Need Power”

By Renee Williams

Nia Robinson is a 31-year-old coordinator in Atlanta who is done feeling powerless in the doctor’s office.

“I’m not just ‘another patient’ in a gown; I am a woman who refuses to become a statistic because a doctor wouldn’t listen.”

Her words hit even harder when we look at what’s happening in hospitals today.

Recently, more than 500 women filed a lawsuit against Chesapeake Regional Medical Center in Virginia. They say a former doctor there performed unnecessary surgeries, including hysterectomies and other major procedures, that they didn’t truly need.

One attorney called this case:

“Perhaps the single largest case involving civil rights violations of humans in our lifetime.”

Think about that.

Hundreds of women. Their bodies were cut open. Life-changing surgeries they may not have needed. All inside a system that was supposed to protect them.

This isn’t just about one bad doctor. It’s about power.

• Who has it?

• Who doesn’t?

• And what happens when we walk into exam rooms with no tools, no proof, and no backup?

The Problem: When We’re Not Heard, We Become “Cases”

Black women have carried stories of dismissal, disrespect, and danger in healthcare for generations. Now those stories are showing up in courtrooms and headlines.

The truth:

• Black women are about three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.

• Our pain is more likely to be ignored, minimized, or misdiagnosed.

• Our concerns about periods, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause are often brushed aside with “you’re fine” or “it’s in your head.”

The Chesapeake Regional case is one extreme example, but many of us know smaller — and still life-threatening — versions.

And this doesn’t just happen to women without money, status, or fame.

ICYMI: The International Women’s Conference Returns to Hofstra University A Celebration of Women’s Leadership, Culture, and Legacy

Help Us To continue to inform and empower our community please Donate. Get The Scoop Weekly On the Global Black Community and Southeast Queens, NY. Subscribe to Our Mailing List. Receive the Latest Events, News, Jobs, and Top Community Economic Development Stories Like this one Click Here | Reach up to 1.3 million people Promote

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ICYMI The International Women’s Conference Returns to Hofstra University

ICYMI: New York, New York - In case you missed it, the International Women’s Conference is returning to Hofstra University on Saturday, March 7, 2026, for a powerful day of inspiration, connection, and celebration designed to uplift women from all walks of life. The flagship event runs from 10 AM – 4 PM EST, with an exciting Recognition Awards Reception following from 4 PM – 5 PM honoring extraordinary women leaders. 

Click link here for information on how to register, become a community sponsor, and corporate sponsor, or tabling opportunities: https://tinyurl.com/InternationwomensDayCon2026

A Platform with Purpose and Impact

Since its inception in 2017, the International Women’s Conference has become a premier annual event that amplifies women’s voices, champions leadership, and fosters cross-cultural exchange. Hosted at Hofstra University, the conference has consistently provided a space where women connect, learn, and grow together—building networks that turn opportunity into action. 

This event brings together women from diverse industries, cultural backgrounds, professions, and communities who are committed to driving progress and elevating women’s leadership across sectors. 

Official 2026 Theme: Her Voice. Her Culture. Her Power. Her Legacy.

The 2026 theme Her Voice. Her Culture. Her Power. Her Legacy honors the full spectrum of women’s identities and contributions. It celebrates women as storytellers, changemakers, culture keepers, economic drivers, and legacy builders. Through this theme, the conference emphasizes:

• Her Voice — uplifting women to speak with clarity and confidence

• Her Culture — recognizing the rich cultural influences shaping women’s leadership

• Her Power — strengthening influence in business, policy, academia, and community

• Her Legacy — honoring impactful work that paves the way for future generations 

Get Scoop On Local Legends - the African American Small Business Foundation Scales Impact as "Homegrown Heroes" Event Approaches

Help Us To continue to inform and empower our community please Donate. Get The Scoop Weekly On the Global Black Community and Southeast Queens, NY. Subscribe to Our Mailing List. Receive the Latest Events, News, Jobs, and Top Community Economic Development Stories Like this one Click Here | Reach up to 1.3 million people Promote

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African American Small Business Foundation Scales Impact as "Homegrown Heroes" Event Approaches

GARDEN CITY, NY — February 3, 2026 — The African American Small Business Foundation, Inc. (AASBF) is entering 2026 with historic momentum, transitioning from a regional powerhouse to a nationally recognized leader in economic equity. Fresh off a wave of national media coverage from Essence, Black Enterprise, and Afrotech, the Foundation is now issuing a call to action for donors and stakeholders to support its inaugural "Homegrown Heroes of Long Island" celebration on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at Adelphi University. 

A Growing National Voice for Equity

The Foundation’s work in closing systemic gaps has recently captured the attention of the country’s most influential Black media platforms. Recognition from Essence, Black Enterprise, and Afrotech underscores AASBF’s success in moving the needle on capital access, technical literacy, and inclusive procurement, and displaying homegrown heroes to inspire this generation and generations into the future.

“Being featured on national stages like Afrotech and Essence affirms that our model—local, intentional, and community-driven—is the blueprint for the future,” said Phil Andrews, Founding President of the African American Small Business Foundation, Inc. “We aren't just discussing the wealth gap; we are actively closing it by building a sustainable economic engine right here on Long Island.”

Founding President Phil Andrews Speaking to AASBF Members

About the Curator: Mrs. Darkeh’s lifelong service has been recognized with numerous honors, which are documented in the American Biographical Institute, Second Edition. A trailblazer in both the corporate and public sectors, Mrs. Darkeh was also the first African American woman to work in the Accounting Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and later served as comptroller for Reed Roberts, Inc.

Her pioneering spirit continued in 1966 when she became the founding Director of Management Information at the Charles Drew Neighborhood Health Center, where she designed and implemented one of the nation’s earliest computerized patient identification and billing systems—an achievement well ahead of its time.

In 2003, Mrs. Darkeh curated and directed Promises Made, Promises Kept, a landmark photographic exhibition honoring distinguished African American women of Long Island. Premiering at Nassau Community College, the exhibit toured colleges and libraries throughout Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens counties.

As the creator and curator of this new exhibition, Mrs. Darkeh embodies the spirit of Homegrown Hero of Long Island a woman whose legacy was not imported, but cultivated; whose impact was not distant, but deeply rooted; and whose life’s work continues to shape the cultural landscape of the community she calls home.