Southeast Queens Scoop Blog - Streetwise Digital News: 2017-05-21

Saturday, May 27, 2017

The 28th Annual Laurelton Memorial Day Parade

The Laurelton Lions Club, the Federated Blocks of Laurelton, and the Concerned Citizens of Laurelton and others are pleased to present the...

28th Annual Laurelton Memorial Day Parade

The Laurelton Lions Club, the Colonel Edward O. Gourdin VFW Post 5298, the American Legion Benjamin Moore Post 1946, the Garden Club of Laurelton, the Federated Blocks of Laurelton, and the Concerned Citizens of Laurelton are pleased to present the 28th Annual Laurelton Memorial Day Parade. For more information, contact Mr. Fritz Casimir at (718) 496-5013 or Mr. Leroy Barnes at (516) 528-5426.

Parade begins at Francis Lewis & Merrick Boulevards and ends at the Veterans Memorial Triangle at 225th Street & North Conduit Avenue.

Date: May 29
Time: 9:00 am

Posted by community events coordinator, Nzinga Lonstein Austin, is a prolific blogger who writes on the entertainment industry and issues for people with developmental and physical challenges.

She is presently in high school looking to have a career in video, film, and media. You can see more of her entertainment writing on Lonstein Movies.

The publication targets the over 350,000 residents in the Southeast Queen and Jamaica Queens area. It promotes to over 40,000 potential viewers in social media, mobile devices and search engines like Google and Bing! To learn more about how to promote your business or organization on the Scoop or online Click Here

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7 Controversial Ways To Stop Gentrification in Southeast Queens

St. Albans Long Island Rail Road Station

By Kamau Austin

I notice many Jamaica/Southeast Queens, residents are beginning to become very anxious about the increased development going on in the area. Our area is the 3rd and last epicenter of Black culture left in NYC after Harlem and Central Brooklyn have been increasingly gentrified.

I remember the days in Downtown Brooklyn when Black residents started businesses and renovated brownstones similar to brothers and sisters uptown in Harlem. They made these areas trendy only to be now considered outsiders in communities they helped build up.

You walk around Fort Greene, these days and people look at you like you must be lost in the neighborhood when in actuality I helped promote businesses in the area and make them trendy along with business people like Spike Lee, Carol's Daughter Founder Lisa Price, Bill Lester formerly of Kinapps, Moshood and countless other entrepreneurs, home owners, and industrious residents in Brooklyn and Harlem.

I moved to Brooklyn for 15 years, but was born and raised in Queens. I was tired of all the 1 1/2 hour commutes to Manhattan to work so I moved to brownstones in Bed Stuy Brooklyn and Fort Greene where it literally only takes 20 minutes to get to Manhattan to work. And this is the main impetus for gentrification in NYC too - close proximity to Manhattan.

One of the reasons I moved back to live in Queens now is with Internet and mobile technology you can work from anywhere. If you have freelance skills or can arrange to be a virtual worker commuting to Manhattan isn't an issue during the week.

Kamau Austin, Publisher
The Southeast Queens Scoop

However, I do see development going on in the Jamaica Ave area especially around Parsons and Supthin Blvds. I also see quite a bit of development going on in St. Albans, around the LLRR station. These may become major targets of gentrification because it only takes 30 minutes to get to Manhattan from Jamaica Avenue, and only 15 minutes to get to Midtown Manhattan on the LLRR from St. Albans.

So as a person who saw how the Harlem and Bed Stuy communities upscaled themselves only to be eventually priced out of their neighborhoods, these are some of my controversial suggestions to stop (or at least control) gentrification. I'm not an urban planner but these are some of my thoughts on the issue.

> 1. Buy and Renovate Area Property - Southeast Queens property is a good investment if managed properly. Renovate it and if you are retiring sell it to family members or community members. Keep the property in your family or sell to community/neighbors.

> 2. Create Microfinance and Credit Unions - you can't leave it up to national commercial banks to fuel economic community development. We as residents have to invest in creating funds to finance neighborhood businesses, real estate, and other assets.

Other ethnic groups have created multi-billion dollar nonprofit microfinance organizations that lend tens of millions of dollars to start businesses just in the NYC area. The Latino microfinance organization Accion started like this and so did Grameen Bank. Google these organizations if you never heard of them. They started small and now loan billions in business loans as nonprofits. The Southeast Queens Federal Credit Union effort is getting very close to being launched. You can support that effort or join one of the other credit unions in the area. There is a Qside Federal Credit Union and a couple of Actors Credit Unions in the area if you are in the performing arts. You can just google credit unions in Southeast Queens.

> 3. Start Businesses or Support Them in the Area. This will build ownership of the business sectors in the community and help keep them from being completely taken over by outside interests or national chains. On Saturday, July 29th, 2017 we at the Southeast Queens Scoop will be sponsoring a Southeast Queens Small Business Expo.

The theme of the Expo will be "Shop For $uccess! The purpose of the Expo is to raise awareness and support for neighborhood businesses in our residential areas (not just Jamaica Center). For more information or to become a vendor click here.

A vibrant business section in the residential areas of Southeast Queens will also tend to increase property values of the real estate and offer community owned services and increase wealth in the neighborhood. It will also create local jobs for residents.

> 4. Negotiate with National Chains - When national chains move into the area negotiate with them to include area entrepreneurs in their business programs. For instance Whole Foods, is moving into Harlem but local residents negotiated that Whole Foods has to carry some natural products from Black and entrepreneurs of color around the area. Don't allow the national chains to just pull money out the area without giving back to our business development.

> 5. Attend Avoid Foreclosure and Tax Lien Classes - Local politicians like State Senator James Sanders, Leroy Comrie, and Donovan Richards, have events to help Southeast Queens residents handle foreclosure and tax lien issues. In fact, Senator Sanders, we've been notified, has a lawyer on staff to help stop foreclosures - free of charge to area residents. We've covered these events before in the Southeast Queens Scoop perhaps sign up for the newsletter to receive updates on these issues. These sessions may help you to maintain your property if you are in financial hardships.

> 6. Support efforts for Affordable Housing in the Area - we as residents have to support community organizations like Allen AME and Habitat for Humanity's efforts to build affordable housing in the area so more of us can stay here. Allen AME has managed to build senior citizen and 1st time buyers housing for decades in our area.

Other churches are following suit like Calvary Baptist Church, on Guy Brewer Blvd, with a housing complex incorporating helping senior citizens raising their grandchildren. You can read about this progressive housing idea by clicking here.You can read about Habitat for Humanity's efforts by clicking here . We have to continue to support efforts so working and middle income families can continue to live in Southeast Queens.

> 7. Allow some AirBnB in the area - This is the most controversial proposal I've written. But with everything being so expensive in Southeast Queens, with high taxes, water bills, transportation, and food the only way some home owners will be able to stay in the area is by renting out some of their property to tourists visiting NYC.

I'm not saying get crazy with it but allow home owners to rent out one or two AirBnB units to the tourist trade. New York City gets 30 million tourists a year. That's 500,000 tourists a day in NYC. The hotels and motels can't handle all that business and jack up the prices.

In moderation let some Southeast Queens home owners make good money doing AirBnB so that way they can afford to stay in the area. I'll get hate mail from some community groups and Real Estate brokers over this one. But we want to retain middle income homeowners in the area and they may have to diversify their income to be able to afford to stay due to cost of living increases in the area.

But enough of what I think. Please share your ideas on gentrification in the comment section below...

Kamau Austin, is the publisher of the Southeast Queens Scoop.

About the Southeast Queens Scoop - is the premier website and only publication offering daily news and updates on the events, culture, issues, and is dedicated to the business and economic development in this largely black historic community. To get our free weekly newsletter Click Here

The publication targets the over 350,000 residents in the Southeast Queen and Jamaica Queens area. It promotes to over 40,000 potential viewers in social media, mobile devices and search engines like Google and Bing! To learn more about how to promote your business or organization on the Scoop or online Click Here

No Spam Only the Scoop on Southeast Queens

Friday, May 26, 2017

Knit and Crochet Club

Bring your supplies and make new friends at this crafts group for adults!

Knit and Crochet Club at the Queens Village Library

Date: June 19
Time:1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Cost: Free

Organizer: Queens Library – Queens Village
Phone: (718) 776-6800
Website: Click Here

No Spam Only the Scoop on Southeast Queens

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Cowrie Shell Jewelry: A Crafts Workshop for Adults

Pamela Isaac leads this hands-on workshop on how to create a beautiful bracelet and earrings from cowrie shells. Materials will be provided. Preregistration is required.

Cowrie Shell Jewelry: A Crafts Workshop for
Adults at the St. Albans Branch Library

Cowrie Shell Jewelry: A Crafts Workshop for Adults
June 8 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Date: June 8, 2017
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Cost: Free

Organizer: Queens Library – Saint Albans Branch
Phone: (718) 528-8196
Website: http://www.queenslibrary.org/st.albans

No Spam Only the Scoop on Southeast Queens

26-Year Old Black Woman Entrepreneur Launches Low Cost Organic Grocery Store

26-year old Olympia Auset, a native of Los Angeles and a graduate of Howard University, grew tired of having to travel 2 hours by bus every time she wanted to buy healthy vegan food. She live in Inglewood, and it quickly became clear that if she wanted better health around her, she would have to do something. So, she created and launched her very own organic grocery store.

Creating something different

There are many organic and vegan grocery stores, but very, very few of them are affordable to low income families and individuals. So Olympia created SÜPRMARKT - a low-cost, organic grocery that pops up weekly to provide 100% organic produce in areas with limited access to food.

Her mission is to make great health and healing within reach of communities that need it the most, and her grocery store's motto is aptly named "Save Big. Eat Great."

She comments, "I think the greatest takeaway about this project is it shows there are things every person can do to tackle societal issues that face their community. It isn't always about waiting on corporations or governments to get things done."

How she is able to do it

SÜPRMARKT blends new produce with slightly impaired produce to balance out the food waste question in Los Angeles. This means that Olympia has partnered with major organic suppliers in the Los Angeles area to distribute un-sellable food to communities that can make use of it.

The subscription service offers low-cost weekly packages of produce, and EBT is accepted for all food sales. These factors make SÜPRMARKT a viable solution in tackling the questions of food insecurity and food waste, while also building a healthier world.

Providing hundreds of cases of good food

Since starting in June 2016, Olympia's grocery store has sold hundreds of cases of organic fruit, veggies, and seeds affordably to low income communities. She has also received grants from The Pollination Project and Co-opportunity, and leveraged the support of food figures such as Robert Egger of LA Kitchen and organizations like The Underground Museum.

For more details about SÜPRMARKT, visit www.suprmarkt.la (Source BlackNews.com)

No Spam Only the Scoop on Southeast Queens

Enjoy May Jazz Motivations At Jackson Room

It was a real blast seeing the last performance of the Ed Jackson Quartet, a talented cadre of jazz artists in St. Albans, again in front of their home crowd at the Jackson Room! There is something truly uniquely moving and motivating about the electric chemistry between the quartet and their supportive patrons at Jackson Room performances.

"Without true supporters like you, with your invaluable support, Jackson Room wouldn't be the growing success it is becoming" is often said by quartet leader and club owner Ed Jackson. Jackson Room, is certainly the consistent go to place for jazz in Queens. Jackson Room continues to be successful their goals to "bring world class jazz back to our community."

Their next performance this, Saturday, May 27 2017, aims to be even more uplifting and reflective of the warming trend in the seasons. "April showers give way to May flowers" goes the old adage. So why don't we bring in this change in our seasons together with invigorating musical motivations?

So come on out and show your face in the #1 jazz space in Queens and "Enjoy May Jazz Motivations!" Make Your Reservation here.

Don't miss it. Let's bring in the change in seasons on a high note! Ed Jackson again has put together a world class ensemble of jazz artists to entertain you Saturday, May 27th, 2017.

This special May performance with the Ed Jackson Quartet will feature:

James Weidman - Piano
Paul Beaudry - Bass
George Schuller - Drums
Ed Jackson - Sax

Remember, Jackson Room performances in the Spring usually sellout fast so why don't your make your Reservation now. Attend...

"Enjoy May Jazz Motivations" with the Ed Jackson Quartet

Saturday, May 27th, 2017

2 Shows: 8:00 & 10:00

Cover: $20.00 (includes 8:00 show & 10:00 show)

Free Healthy Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments

Make a Reservation or
Make a telephone reservation (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm)

by calling: (718) 525-2387

Check Out This Jackson Room Jazz Teaser Below...

No Spam Only the Scoop on Southeast Queens

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

From Food Stamps to $500,000 Online Marketing Guru Teaches His Secrets

When it comes to statistics about Black entrepreneurship, the numbers are often bittersweet. While entrepreneurship among African-Americans is rising faster than among all Americans, the revenue generated by Black businesses has shrunk over the years. A new business and marketing event aimed at building more viable Black businesses aims to change that ambiguous reality for Black businesses.

(left to right) Lamar Tyler, Amber Wright, Donnie Bryant, and Jamal Miller

On June 9-10, 2017, Tyler New Media will host Traffic, Sales & Profit Live (TSP Live) aimed at bridging the gap between passion and profit. Hosted at the Le Méridien luxury hotel in Atlanta, TSP Live provides entrepreneurs the training and tools they need to succeed in the booming e-commerce industry.

“This is the premier event for entrepreneurs who are looking to grow the amount of traffic to their online businesses and learn how to convert those leads into sales,” said Lamar Tyler, TSP Live creator and owner of Tyler New Media. “Whether you’re trying to transition into your own venture full time or already have an established business, you will leave TSP Live with a blueprint for attracting more customers and increasing the bottom line.”

Unlike many conferences, TSP Live goes beyond the typical presentations and gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to implement what they learn on-site, alongside top-notch online business experts. Attendees also get to connect with other like-minded small business owners through one-on-one networking and interactive sessions.

The boot camp style event features an impressive line-up of speakers who have direct experience in growing profitable digital businesses. For example, presenter Jamal Miller hit rock bottom one year after writing his first book. While the tough times resulted in him relying on food stamps to provide for his family, they also inspired him to create a profitable online business. In the first quarter of 2017 alone, Miller’s business earned $500,000 in revenue. He will share insights into how to develop a brand that makes money and changes the world.

The purpose of TSP Live is rooted in Tyler’s entrepreneurial journey. Alongside his wife, Ronnie, he transformed their small personal blog, “Black And Married with Kids” into an international brand. Ebony Magazine named the Tylers to its Power 100 list of the most influential African-Americans, which included President Barack Obama, Beyoncé and Jay-Z and Tyler Perry among its ranks. Additionally, they’ve been featured as finalists for the Black Enterprise Family Business of the Year Award and Infusionsoft’s Small Business ICON competition.

“I wish we had access to the right experts and resources as we grew our business. As an entrepreneur, you make mistakes and learn a lot from failure. I want to share those lessons learned and make it easier for those business owners who come along after us,” added Tyler. In addition to admission to the sessions, TSP Live participants will also receive valuable resource guides to help them build Facebook advertising campaigns, a social media strategy, a stronger brand presence and e-mail lists.

Visit www.TSPLiveTickets.com to view the full agenda and purchase tickets.

No Spam Only the Scoop on Southeast Queens

Cambria Heights Quilters

Please join others on Wednesday mornings for beginner quilting. You’ll learn basic and intermediate techniques to create beautiful individual and group projects. All are welcome, supplies will be available for use during the sessions.

Date: May 24
Time:10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Cost: Free
Event Categories: Arts Education/Instruction, Crafts/Hobbies

Organizer: Queens Library – Cambria Heights Branch
Phone: (718) 528-3535
Website: http://www.queenslibrary.org/cambria-heights

No Spam Only the Scoop on Southeast Queens

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Lessons from the Southeast Queens Streets - Play Your Natural Position in Life

By Kamau Austin - Sometimes you can have ALL the heart, commitment, and talent in the world but are playing the wrong position in life. And this is especially the case in new fields of endeavor.

When you play the wrong position you'll never reach your FULL Potential. But all isn't lost...

...Especially if we learn from our mistakes. When we get into a new endeavor it is important to know the rules of the Game. Now we may think we know the rules of the game by using our simple observation.

However since we are in a new endeavor we may really not know all the rules to the game. One of the best ways to know the rules of the game is to reach out to get a successful consultant, coach, or trainer in a field of endeavor to help us (these are sometimes called mentors).

They know the rules of the game much more than we do. Obviously, you want to reach out to people with a lot more expertise than you have to coach, train, or consult with you.

Sometimes just learning to play the proper position can mean ALL the difference in our success in a new endeavor. It is important to understand our weaknesses and play to our strengths in life or in any endeavor.

To give you an example I was very driven to want to be a professional basketball player when I was going up. I would workout running in the morning, doing strength building exercises, and play 3 to 5 hours of basketball a day.

My favorite basketball icons were people like Connie Hawkins, Dr. J, Larry Kenon, David Thompson, and forwards like that in the NBA (I know I'm dating myself). I tried to pattern my game like these NBA greats. This would have been fine I guess except these were guys who were at least 6'6" and up and I was only 5'10". If I were 6'7" or taller maybe this would have been feasible - but I was not!

In hindsight I put a lot of my efforts into jumping high, boxing out, and backing people under the basket to shoot like a much taller and larger player. As you can image I wasn't very successful. But what did I know as a 14 year old who had just become enthralled with the game of basketball? I really needed a savvy insider of the game of basketball to school me.

Plus I started playing basketball in 8th grade. Most of the really good players were playing basketball in 3rd grade so a coach would have been essential to help me fast track my development and perhaps catch up to people who started earlier.

Moreover, I noticed guys my height who put more focus on dribbling the basketball, shooting from the outside, and driving to the basket and passing the ball off went much further in the sport. I also notice where I was playing street ball the guys my height who got into college basketball were on organized teams playing and being coached.

Mack Jackson - Pic Wikipedia

Obviously if I had a coach he would have pointed out to me my focus needs to be on playing guard (a position for the shortest but quickest guys on the court) and not forward for guys much taller and stronger. But I also would have had to be coachable to accept the direction of a coach and be willing to change my game.

For instance Mark Jackson, of NBA ball handling, assist, coaching and TV commentating fame played in the same park as me. He was a bit younger and used to bug me to play with the older guys.

I wouldn't do it all the time because he was so little then I was concerned because I thought he might get hurt. I was a good friend of Mark's Older brother Kevin, who used to play on my basketball teams back in the day in Jamaica/Southeast Queens.

But he we went to the right schools, got good coaches, and his family were supportive of his goals. He went on to play big time college basketball (helping one of the greatest St. Johns teams of all times). And eventually he made the pros and became one of the all time assist leaders.

He grew size wise and always played the right position in the sport and other aspects of his life. Me and his mom worked in the same bank for a while and we often talked about Mark's accomplishments.

To be honest being in a team sport that was unpredictable probably wasn't my strongest suit. However, at least having a coach or a mentor would have changed my direction - I'm sure and I would have enjoyed a better result of my efforts. When you're starting a new endeavor make sure you reach out for help from people who have expertise in this new field.

In short, Learn the rules of the game and also play a position that well suits you. BTW I help people who are want to make more money with an online business that's my strong suit and natural position. If you need coaching in this regard contact me by visiting my site Search Engine Plan

By Kamau Austin, Publisher of the Southeast Queens Scoop

About the Southeast Queens Scoop - is the premier website and only publication offering daily news and updates on the events, culture, issues, and is dedicated to the business and economic development in this largely black historic community. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get the latest updates on events, news, job and career postings, and resources Click Here

The publication targets the over 350,000 residents in the Southeast Queen and Jamaica Queens area. It promotes to over 40,000 potential viewers in social media, mobile devices and search engines like Google and Bing! To learn more about how to promote your business or organization on the Scoop or online Click Here

No Spam Only the Scoop on Southeast Queens

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Saturday, May 27, 2017

The 28th Annual Laurelton Memorial Day Parade

7 Controversial Ways To Stop Gentrification in Southeast Queens

Friday, May 26, 2017

Knit and Crochet Club

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Cowrie Shell Jewelry: A Crafts Workshop for Adults

26-Year Old Black Woman Entrepreneur Launches Low Cost Organic Grocery Store

Enjoy May Jazz Motivations At Jackson Room

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

From Food Stamps to $500,000 Online Marketing Guru Teaches His Secrets

Cambria Heights Quilters

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Lessons from the Southeast Queens Streets - Play Your Natural Position in Life