Here is everything you can eat at Yankee Stadium this season

Here is everything you can eat at Yankee Stadium this season

Happy MLB Opening Day, New Yorkers (who watch sports)!

Although the Yankees’ home opening is not until April 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays, we are already thinking of what to order while at the match next week.

A bunch of new vendors have joined the on-site culinary roster of offerings while old favorites are debuting new dishes. Needless to say, everything tastes delicious, especially while drinking an ice-cold beer and rooting for the Yankees.

Below, find a list of this season’s vendors at Yankee Stadium alongside some of the fare they’ll be serving on site: 

Fuku: Sweet-spicy chicken sandwich (NEW ITEM), tenders and jalapeño waffle fries

Christian Petroni: Cheesy garlic bread with meatballs and 8-hour marinara (NEW ITEM)

City Winery: Porchetta sandwich with broccoli rabe, provolone, Calabrian aioli, arugula and brioche bun (NEW ITEM)

Mighty Quinn’s: Chipotle BBQ chicken sandwich with house-made chipotle BBQ sauce, served with an optional assortment of pickled veggies and slaw (NEW ITEM)

Lobel’s: BBQ filet tip loaded tater tots with Lobel’s seasoning, BBQ filet tips, cheddar cheese and crispy onions (NEW ITEM)

Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson: Chicken wings with brown sugar babe sauce and ranch (NEW ITEM)

Mister Softee (NEW VENDOR): Soft-serve ice cream

Blue Bunny (NEW VENDOR): Scoopable ice cream

In addition to the above-mentioned eateries and dishes, Yankee Stadium will debut a bunch of their own new creations. Here they are:

99 Burger made with Wagyu beef, American cheese, caramelized onions, secret sauce, brioche bun and dill pickles

Sweet Spot Bowl featuring carne asada steak, sweet plantains, rice and black beans, pickled onions, cilantro sauce, choice of Melinda’s Hot Sauces. Vegetarian version available.

Goose Island’s “New York Legendary Ale,” currently only available Yankee Stadium

Signature milkshakes like butterfinger shake and the black and white cookie shake

* This article was originally published here

Crafting Welcoming Spaces: Reception Desk Dimension Trends

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In the realm of office design, the reception area serves as the first impression, the handshake of a business to its visitors. It’s where guests form their initial perceptions, and the reception desk plays a pivotal role in shaping these impressions. The dimensions of the reception desk are not merely about functionality; they are a…

The post Crafting Welcoming Spaces: Reception Desk Dimension Trends appeared first on Harlem World Magazine.

* This article was originally published here

The Ellis Island Museum is getting a major 21st century upgrade

The Ellis Island Museum is getting a major 21st century upgrade

Later this year, renovation work will kick off at the Ellis Island Museum, officially catapulting the cultural institution into the 21st century through building upgrades, reimagined installations and improved accessibility scheduled to be completed by 2026.

Ellis Island Museum
Rendering: Courtesy of Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation

The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation made the announcement earlier today, revealing that the $100 million revitalization ill also expand the Records Discovery Center experience that many associate with the destination, allowing “millions more families to trace their immigration story.” To put things in perspective: the current database of 65 million port of New York arrival records will increase to approximately 154 million.

The museum first opened back in 1990, within a 125-year-old building that is clearly necessitating upgrades. 

According to an official press release, museum-goers can expect over 100,000 square feet of reimagined exhibits, including new public spaces for events and education programs.

Focusing on technological advancements, the work will include a new timeline of immigration spread over three floors filled with maps, artifacts, murals and models. The third floor will focus on pre-Ellis years, the second on the Ellis era and the first on the post-Ellis period. New theaters, including one featuring a 120’ x 7’9” media screen, will enhance the experience as a whole.

Those craving more information while taking in the scene will be delighted to know that new self-guided tours in 12 languages, each one offered as part of the ferry ticket, will now include American Sign Language tours, family-friendly ones for children between the ages of 6 and 10 and a descriptive audio tour for visitors who are blind or with low vision.

As mentioned in an official statement by Jesse Brackenbury, Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer, the overhaul is being funded by donations. 

Ellis Island Museum
Rendering: Courtesy of Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation

“We are a nation of immigrants, and Ellis Island is the symbol of that history, said Jesse Brackenbury, Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer, an official statement. “Our project will ensure that the National Museum of Immigration will welcome, educate and inspire visitors for decades to come. As with all Foundation projects, it is through the generosity of donors across America—not government funding—that this transformative reimagination of one of the nation’s most beloved and popular museums will succeed.”

The renovation follows the opening of the Statue of Liberty back in 2019, a nearby destination that welcomes four million visitors annually—all of whom will likely be excited to visit a more with-the-times Ellis Island Museum.

* This article was originally published here

Key Features Of Microsoft LMS: Enhancing Training And Development

The #1 source in the world for all things Harlem.

In the realm of training and skill development, companies have come to recognize the role played by a learning management system (LMS). An LMS is a software tool crafted to streamline and enrich the learning experience by offering a platform for creating, overseeing, delivering, and monitoring various training schemes and educational modules. This blog will…

The post Key Features Of Microsoft LMS: Enhancing Training And Development appeared first on Harlem World Magazine.

* This article was originally published here

Part of Grand Central will be transformed into a replica of Frida Kahlo’s Mexico City kitchen

Part of Grand Central will be transformed into a replica of Frida Kahlo’s Mexico City kitchen

Although she wasn’t fully appreciated during her lifetime, Frida Kahlo is now one of the most celebrated women artists in the world, and a new four-day event at Grand Central Terminal aims to celebrate her legacy in an unconventional way.

A part of Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central will be transformed into a replica of Kahlo’s Mexico City kitchen, complete with artwork and previously unpublished photos of the artist’s life, in order to celebrate a new cookbook that details some of her family’s beloved recipes.

RECOMMENDED: The best museum exhibitions in NYC right now

The event will take place April 4 through April 7, from 8am until 6pm.

Los Sabores de Mi Mexico,’ or “The Flavors of My Mexico,” was dreamed up by the Mexican soft drink brand Jarritos in collaboration with Frida Kahlo’s family. Visitors to the exhibit will first encounter a replica of the facade of Kahlo’s house as well as her kitchen, as well as 10 Frida Kahlo paintings interpreted by contemporary Mexican artists. 

There will also be a “Paint your Frida” workshop for children every morning of the exhibit’s duration, where kids will be able to create miniature replicas of the sculptures on display, as well as talks by the descendants of Frida Kahlo, who will speak about the family’s food and some of the recipes in the cookbook. You can learn more about Frida Kahlo’s descendants on Friday, April 5  at 11am at an event called, “Introducing Frida Kahlo’s Heirs” by Mara R. Kahlo and Mara De Anda. You can check out a full schedule of events here

The temporary exhibition space will include a designated workshop area, a stage for conferences, a books and merch store, and a photo opp area. 

a rendering of an exhibition space
Photo: Courtesy of Sabores de Mexico

Frida Kahlo was born in 1907 and died in 1954 at 47. During her life, she boldly explored topics that were then-taboo for most artists and confronted themes like gender, sexuality, depression, and disability. She was married to the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera but during their life, Rivera was better known and more widely celebrated than Kahlo was. Although Kahlo’s life has now been mythologized and she’s become synonymous with Mexico itself, there is still a lot to learn about her private life. “This book connects us with the woman, with the family,” said Chef Monica Patino in a press release. “Frida in Coyoacán was always well connected with the Mexican kitchen that is still alive.”

The event is free and open to the public. You can get all the delicious details here.

* This article was originally published here

Women’s basketball student-athletes show stellar academic results

Women’s basketball student-athletes show stellar academic results

The nation is currently avidly watching the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. While most people are busy checking that their brackets are still intact, seeing how many points Caitlin Clark of Iowa amasses before heading to the WNBA, and eagerly awaiting the Final Fours, The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida is checking to see which team’s academic achievements match their court prowess.

Last week, TIDES published one of its report cards, titled “Keeping Score When It Counts: Academic Progress/Graduation Success Rate Study of the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament Teams.” The study examines the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and Academic Progress Rate (APR) of the 68 teams in each tournament. The most notable find is that the women clearly outscore the men.

Using data from the NCAA, women’s teams showed an overall GSR of 95.9% and men’s teams had an overall GSR of 84%. In 2024, 67 of the 68 women’s teams graduated at least 80% of their basketball student-athletes.

Among the 42 women’s teams that had a 100% graduation rate was Columbia University women’s basketball, which made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament this year. While the team lost to Vanderbilt University in the First Four round, people will forever remember their excitement showing at ESPN’s Tournament announcement.

TIDES likes to create a Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four based on GSR and APR but couldn’t get past the Sweet 16 for the women because so many schools scored well. Creighton, Kent State, NC State, Rice, South Dakota State, UConn, Louisville, and Michigan deserve a shout-out for being perfect.

Admiration and appreciation are due for the “national champion” for the men: the University of Alabama, which had a 1,000 APR and 100% GSR. Brittany F. Price, assistant athletics director, academic programs, at Alabama said there is total buy-in to the importance of earning a degree, even in the ever-changing landscape of college sports. The holistic approach includes individual academic plans and thorough learning support, according to Price.

“There is a culture at Alabama that promotes success both in the classroom and in competition,” said Price. “It is the expectation that students do well in the classroom. We do not separate the athlete from the student. They go hand-in-hand. Student-athletes are here to compete at the highest level in both.”

The post Women’s basketball student-athletes show stellar academic results appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Women In Politics: Fighting for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Women In Politics: Fighting for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Women In Politics: Fighting for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Women In Politics: Fighting for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Women In Politics: Fighting for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Women In Politics: Fighting for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Political sexism and racism keeps the glass ceiling unbroken

Although recent presidential elections have seen more diverse women on both sides of the political aisle jockeying for party nominations, the fact remains that in more than 240 years, the U.S. has never elected a female president. The prevailing sexist joke is that if you were married to the president as First Lady, like Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, then you’ve already “been in control of the White House.”

Vice President Kamala Harris is the first, and only, woman, Black American, or South Asian American to be elected to her position, as was the case when she served as district attorney of San Francisco and U.S. Senator for California. When she was elected alongside President Joe Biden in 2020, women of all backgrounds got one step closer to running the White House rather than just residing in it.

America’s history of overt political sexism and racism is still holding women back from the presidency, so the question is simple: If a candidate like Harris were a white male and not a Black woman, would they be president? The polls say: Most likely.
“Women have always faced systemic barriers of sexism and misogyny that hinder our opportunities, and women of color face the additional obstacle of racism,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, the first Black person to hold her position. She currently leads a historic women-majority City Council from 2022. She’s seen firsthand the disparate treatment women leaders receive, the challenges women face, and how their decisions and leadership are portrayed, she said.

“Time and time again, our city and country have witnessed the way women seeking higher office have been portrayed, questioned, and dismissed compared to their male counterparts,” said Adams. “We continue to see and experience these obstacles today, and it is not coincidental that there has never been a woman elected to serve as mayor of New York City or president of the United States.”

Trying to break the hardest glass ceiling

Contrary to popular belief, women have a long history of running for president in the U.S. The first woman to run for president was a stockbroker and publisher named Victoria Woodhull, who ran on the Equal Rights Party ticket in 1872. Belva Lockwood, the first woman admitted to practice law, also ran for president on the same ticket in 1888. Journalist Charlotta Spears Bass was the first Black woman nominee for vice president, in 1952 on the Progressive Party ticket.

“It was so out of the box. There were so few role models of women who even considered it,” said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). “It’s important to remember that this was the period where if a woman went in and tried to vote, she would get arrested.”

In Miami in 1972, Brooklyn native and Congressmember Shirley Chisholm changed the game when she ran for president in the Democratic primaries and garnered 151.25 delegate votes before Senator George McGovern clinched the nomination.

Longtime Harlemite and former national president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, who is the current president of the organization’s New York State chapter, recalled the night Chisholm announced her nomination.

At the time, Dukes was a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and a delegate. She went to dinner that night with the Helen M. Marshall, the first Black borough president of Queens (now deceased); former Council member Mary Pinkett, the first Black New York City Council member; and former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton. On the way back, they passed by a distraught Chisholm in the green room behind the stage at the convention. When they inquired about what had happened, Chisholm told them that U.S. Rep Ron Dellums of California, the first Black person elected to Congress in north California, was supposed to nominate her for a presidential bid. He was directly told by higher-ups that if he did, he risked career suicide, said Dukes, so he backed down.

“Mr. Sutton said, ‘What?! Well, would you like for me to do that?’” said Dukes, chuckling at the memory. “So he looked at me and Mary and Helen, and he said, ‘I’m going to nominate her, would you all second?’And you know me, I’ve always been brave. So we said yes.”

Chisholm was on the ballot in 12 primaries, and although she didn’t win, she used her platform as a candidate to talk about women’s rights, civil rights, education issues, and the Vietnam War. Her activism, outspoken voice, legacy, and ambitions continue to inspire countless others.

“My mentor, Shirley Chisholm, broke glass ceilings so Black women like myself, Vice President Harris, and countless others can be leaders in our democracy. The impact of Shirley Chisholm’s legacy is still felt today,” said U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee of California in a statement. “With GOP extremists out to take away our freedoms and turn back the clock, we are pressing forward, and fighting for our voices to be heard and respected on all fronts. From grassroots activists to Supreme Court justices, women are forging the path for the next generation to strengthen our democracy and protect our freedoms.”

Over the next several decades, women in both the Democratic and Republican parties tried for the presidency and vice presidency.

In 2003, former U.S. Senator and Ambassador to New Zealand Carol Moseley Braun announced her intentions to bid for the 2004 election, but she withdrew her name the following year. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the first woman on a national Republican line for vice president, alongside Senator John McCain, in 2008. Former First Lady and then-Sen. Hillary Clinton came pretty close to holding the oval office. She was the first woman to win a major party’s Democratic presidential primary, at the same time as Palin, in 2008. By 2016, she was a formidable political figure. Clinton then threw her hat in the presidential ring again, becoming the Democratic nominee for president and earning the popular vote in the general election by almost 3 million votes. Clinton had only 227 votes in the electoral college, though. She ended up conceding to Donald J. Trump, who had clinched the electoral college with 304 votes. In 2019, in preparation for the 2020 presidential election, six women formally announced their candidacy for president: U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, Sen. Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, Sen. Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts, author Marianne Williamson, and Harris. This was the first time in history that more than two women competed in the same major party’s presidential primary process. Walsh considers the fact that other countries have elected women to be heads of state more than once is an indication that the U.S. as a nation is “behind.”

Challenges for Women remain

One of the biggest challenges women candidates face in general is raising enough money. A report by CAWP highlighted how underrepresented women’s voices are in American politics because they are underrepresented as donors, even though they are often “formidable fundraisers.”

“In American politics, money, unfortunately, is an important factor; one that has been a challenge for women candidates—one they do overcome, but it’s harder for them to raise money,” said Walsh. “They come from less-money networks, they make less money than men, and so running for office [is hard]. They are able to raise the money—we know that they do it, but it’s a lot more work to get it done.”
According to the report, “Men give a disproportionate amount of all money contributed, with women giving one-third or less of all money contributed to gubernatorial, statewide executive, and state legislative races from 2019 to 2022.” In places that were considered abortion battlegrounds, men’s campaign contributions far exceeded women’s contributions to state races.

There are also partisan differences among women donors. Women are more likely to give to Democrats and are “poorly represented” as donors to Republican state candidates. The total amount contributed by men to Democratic state candidates also exceeds the total amount contributed by women, according to the CAWP report.

Despite these financial challenges, a record number of Black women have been running for and winning political offices—although no Black woman has ever served as governor.

“Over the past decade, Black women have seen representational gains across all levels of office, including in the federal executive, and achieved milestones as candidates and officeholders within states and nationwide,” said Glynda C. Carr, president & CEO of Higher Heights for America. “However, while we have made gains, the underrepresentation of Black women in American politics persists. The 2022 election illuminated these realities. Record numbers of Black women ran for congressional and statewide elective executive offices and, as a result of the election, a record number of Black women now serve in Congress, in the statewide elective executive office, and [in] state legislatures.”

Statistically, the Black woman voting bloc is also a loyal and consistent voting base that has been a deciding factor in elections for years.

More than two-thirds of Black women turned out to vote in the 2020 presidential election, which was the third-highest rate of any race-gender group, said CAWP. They overwhelmingly voted for Biden, and about 90% or more of Black women voters cast their ballots for the Democratic ticket.

Walsh considers Black women the backbone of the Democratic party.

“We know that Black women can serve in these roles. When Black women are at decision-making tables, better decisions are made,” said Carr. “More work needs to be done to understand and address the hurdles these Black women candidates confront en route to political office.”

Carr added that biases, racism, and sexism in American politics create systemic barriers that make it harder for women candidates to succeed, and can lead to a lack of support and resources for Black women candidates, making it more difficult for them to run competitive campaigns. In 2022’s mixed-gender non-incumbent gubernatorial primaries, white women fared better in terms of how much money their campaigns were able to raise compared to women from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Women from historically underrepresented groups were less likely to enter competitive races than white women, the CAWP report found.

“Black women in American politics have come far, but not further enough to build the type of presidential profile, war chest, and more to be competitive in a national election,” said political strategist and veteran campaign manager Donna Brazile. “For now, the goal is to get more Black women elected to Congress [House and Senate] and statewide. The bigger the pipeline, the larger the crop of viable candidates who one day may build the type of profile and candidacy to compete for the Presidency of the United States. Barack Obama did it.”

Another major challenge women in politics face is perception.

Pew Research Center analysis indicates that women candidates in the U.S. are punished more than men for showing emotions and having young children at home, as well as their perceived levels of physical attractiveness, assertiveness, and experience.

“The words that I am most allergic to and that I hate that we use as metrics are words like ‘likable’ or ‘authentic’ or ‘electable’ because what you’re talking about if you say someone is not one of those things is fundamentally that they are not what I am used to,” said EMILYs List Senior Vice President of Communications and Content Christina Reynolds.

Reynolds noted that for years, women who ran for office tried to “fit in a male shaped box” by wearing pantsuits, cutting their hair short, and being more inflexible on political issues. They often strove to appear more subjectively “likable” and “experienced” in order to be thought of as credible to voters.
“The reality is in this country we have never elected a woman president. We’ve had one—and only one—woman win her party’s nomination. We’ve had one—and only one—woman serve as vice president,” said Reynolds. “And so when we think of those positions, we think of a guy in a suit because that’s what we’re used to. So the truth is, what I like to remind people of is that most men who have run for president have lost, and yet we don’t consider them unelectable.”

Reynolds loved that the 2020 elections had so many different kinds of women with different ideologies running. She hopes that the more women are seen running for president, the more voters will confront their own internal biases from the media and polling.

Women candidates are also seen as too “risky” to vote for, meaning that in really competitive races people assume that women will lose and therefore voters would rather save their vote for a candidate they think might win—which is usually a man, said Walsh.

“2020 was a particularly strong example where Democrats felt desperate, like we cannot elect Donald Trump again, and so they wanted the safest possible candidate. And there was this fear that if you went outside of the most, in many ways the traditional, old school Democrat, that it would be too risky,” said Walsh. “And I think women and candidates of color were risky. And she [VP Harris] was both.”

Vice President Kamala Harris visits Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn in August 2022. Credit: Ariama C. Long photo

What does the VP say?

In an televised interview with “60 Minutes” last November, Harris did address the unique and added pressure her position as the first Black woman vice president has. She also acknowledged the rumblings that donors would not “naturally” fall in line to support her should she inadvertently become president if Biden dies, per the Constitution’s rules of succession by default.

“I hear from a lot of different people a lot of different things, but I am focused on the job. I truly am. Our democracy is on the line. I, frankly, in my head, do not have time for parlor games,” she continued, sidestepping the question. The AmNews reached out to Harris’ office for further comment. Her press office declined.

“Women, particularly Black women, confront bias at nearly every turn our lives take,” said U.S. Rep Yvette D. Clarke in a statement. “And so, when a strong Black woman makes the bold, brave choice to seek higher office, these sorts of accusations come as no surprise to her—nor should be of any concern to her. We do not burden ourselves with the opinions of the intolerant, for even the flawless record of an undeniably competent woman would not deter the most prejudiced individuals. Out of thin air, they conjure detractions and complaints and aim to smear our stories for no reasons beyond that we are born with.”

Vice President Kamala Harris exits Air Force 2 at New Jersey airport in 2021. Credit: Ariama C. Long photo

In terms of the future beyond the 2024 presidential elections, there’s a sense that a woman head of state is closer than ever in the U.S. Dukes hypothesized that a woman as president of the U.S. is not inconceivable. “There will be a breakthrough,” said Dukes. “A woman will win the presidency, sooner or later.”

“To any woman facing the same discriminatory slanders that have persisted since long before Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s historic run for the presidency, I urge her to follow the lead of our distinguished Vice President Kamala Harris—and that is to ignore them,” continued Clarke. “Day by day, success by success, these outdated ideas are fading into the past. All we can do is stay resilient and brilliant and expedite their end.”

Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

The post Women In Politics: Fighting for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

NYC’s viral Swedish candy store just quietly opened a new spot in Brooklyn

NYC’s viral Swedish candy store just quietly opened a new spot in Brooklyn

Perhaps you’ve seen the lines snaking around the block. Or the viral TikToks. Or the pastel pink bags with BonBon in blue cursive writing. Swedish candy is having a moment in New York City right now, and BonBon – A Swedish Candy Co is at the center of it. 

The store, which we at Time Out have loved for a long time, has recently gained mega popularity on the Internet and at its three stores in New York City. It just quietly opened a fourth store—this one in the Columbia Street Waterfront District near Red Hook in Brooklyn.

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BonBon’s new store (66 Degraw Street) is actually inside its warehouse. Inside the industrial space, they’ve added BonBon’s signature shelving packed with candy. You’ll find plenty of gummy candies, chocolates, and licorice, which you can scoop into a pink bag for your very own pick-and-mix. All the candies are imported from Sweden and some (like the Swedish fish) are even made exclusively for BonBon. 

The new store joins BonBon’s other locations in the Lower East Side, Williamsburg, and Upper East Side. While each store is dedicated to serving up delightful and decadent candies, the design of each offers its own flair. For this location, expect a major candy library and the home to the local chain’s treasure vault of candy. 

Though the rest of BonBon’s stores are open late (10am-midnight daily), the location near Red Hook offers limited hours on weekends only. The HQ retail hours are on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11am-5pm—which makes sense considering it’s also an active warehouse during the week. 

In addition to candy, this shop will also serve BonBon’s Swedish-style hot dogs on Sundays during store hours.

A portrait of the shop's owners Selim Adira, Bobby Persson and Leo Schaltz
Photograph: Courtesy of BonBon | The shop’s owners Selim Adira, Bobby Persson and Leo Schaltz

With a passion for sweet treats, friends and fellow Swedes Selim Adira, Bobby Persson and Leo Schaltz founded the company in 2018. In Sweden, candy is a pretty big deal, especially on the weekends as children there traditionally only eat candy on Saturdays. There’s even a word for it: Lördagsgodis, which translates to Saturday sweets, as the BBC explains

Candy is a way of life.

“For the owners, candy is a way of life,” a spokesperson for the shop said. “The owners are Swedish, and Swedes consume the most candy out of any country in the entire world.”

After six years in NYC, BonBon has become a darling of social media this year. As of mid-January, they added a disclaimer on the website noting that shipping orders have been delayed by up to three weeks. The company went from handling 50 online orders at a time more than 1,000, practically overnight, per a TODAY article. They even had to airlift candy from Sweden because they ran out.

A pink roll-up door at BonBon.
Photograph: Courtesy of BonBon

While shipping and delivery options (think Grubhub, Uber Eats, etc.) are an option for New Yorkers, we recommend actually going into the shop itself for the full experience. In the new location especially, you’ll enter through a roll-up pink door into a land that feels like Willy Wonka himself will pop out at any moment. And even if he doesn’t, BonBon’s candy concierges in their colorful aprons and formal uniforms are ready to help with candy recommendations and tips to make your BonBon experience magical.

* This article was originally published here

URBAN AGENDA – A Familiar American Practice: Suppressing The Black and Brown Vote

David R. Jones (137830)

Tuesday, April 2nd, is New York’s presidential primary election. Regardless of what anyone may think of the options, or lack thereof, put before voters next week, any opportunity to cast a vote in a free and fair election is a precious commodity – one that countless Americans have fought and died to protect throughout our history. However, this privilege and fundamental constitutional right is routinely denied to incarcerated voters.

The right to full civic participation for all New Yorkers is a core value for my organization, Community Service Society of New York (CSS). CSS began the drive to register and empower voters in the 1980s when the late Richie Perez, a community activist and former member of the Young Lords, started our Voter Participation Project (VPP) in the Bushwick-Cypress Hill sections of Brooklyn. Perez would later become CSS’s political director and take the program citywide. In the decades since, our efforts have registered hundreds of thousands of voters in low-income communities, reversed discriminatory voter purges, and helped people with conviction histories get back their rights to vote and serve on a jury.

The struggle continues as we fight back against the systematic disenfranchisement of incarcerated people. In New York, anyone who is incarcerated for a misdemeanor conviction or because of pretrial detention is eligible to vote. On Rikers Island, there are currently 6,237 individuals detained and nearly every single one of them is eligible to register to vote. Many recent races have been decided by fewer votes than the number of eligible voters in jails. Nonetheless, these incarcerated voters will be deprived of their fundamental right next week simply due to underfunded programs and ineffective policies. 

There are no voting sites in city jails and, therefore, incarcerated New Yorkers struggle to participate in elections. The current voting process relies on Department of Correction (DOC) staff to ferry registration forms and absentee ballots between the jails and the local Board of Election (BOE) offices. Incarcerated voters have no choice but to put their faith in the goodwill of the DOC staff, as this process is not governed by any official policy or procedure. As a result, requests for absentee ballots often go unfulfilled. When absentee ballots are actually delivered to the BOE, they are frequently rejected, and voters are not provided an explanation or opportunity to cure.

CSS proudly supports the work being done by the Vote in NYC Jails coalition, which goes into Rikers, speaks with hundreds of potential voters, provides vital education, and helps to complete paperwork for voter registration and absentee ballot requests. Last month, the Coalition penned a sign-on letter demanding that the DOC and BOE invest and commit to making sure all people in New York city jails have their ballots cast and counted. The coalition correctly identified common sense policy changes that would go a long way towards restoring the right to vote in jail. But the coalition is doing work that is the responsibility of government.

The BOE must provide detailed reasons why voting ballots from Rikers are rejected, and make meaningful efforts to reduce the number of rejected ballots in future elections. We also call on the DOC to devote more resources to facilitate people registering to vote and requesting, receiving, and returning absentee ballots. This includes working with the BOE to provide incarcerated voters with the opportunity to cure rejected ballots. The BOE and the DOC must also work together to offer a voter education program and provide non-partisan resources on voting.

Finally and most significantly, the BOE should provide voters at Rikers with the opportunity to vote in-person, as they do for other similarly situated groups that are physically unable to vote at their neighborhood polling place. Current election law provides special accommodations for nursing homes, residential health care facilities, and facilities operated or licensed, or under the jurisdiction of the Veterans Administration. In short, the BOE will go to seniors, veterans, and medically vulnerable voters where they are to ensure that they can vote in-person but will not do the same for people incarcerated at Rikers. This needs to change. BOE must appoint election inspectors to preside over portable voting machines on-site at Rikers Island so that registered voters can cast their ballot directly, as they already do in nursing homes and at VA hospitals.

Let us speak clearly about who these policies impact. Nearly 90 percent of individuals currently detained in New York City jails are non-white. The votes of Black and brown New Yorkers are being suppressed by current DOC and BOE policies and procedures. These policies must be viewed as what they truly are – part of an effort that dates back to the founding of this country that seeks to exclude Black people from full participation in American life. If we truly care about fair and free elections and full participation in the democratic process, we must ensure the right to vote for incarcerated citizens.  

David R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), the leading voice on behalf of low-income New Yorkers for more than 175 years. The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer. The Urban Agenda is available on CSS’s website: www.cssny.org.

The post URBAN AGENDA – A Familiar American Practice: Suppressing The Black and Brown Vote appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here