ISSUE 1
MAY 2021
THE POWER POST Monthly news, views & announcements from Empower The Village
In This Issue
The History of Black Americans in the "Whitest" Sport Month in Review: ETV's April Accomplishments Take Action Against Police Brutality
Welcome to the Inaugural Issue! We are so excited to present to you the first installment of our monthly e-newsletter: The Power Post! Released the first
Moving Forward: Upcoming Events & Initiatives Empower The Village empowerthevillage.org
weekend of every month, TPP keeps you up-to-date on all things ETV, from our recent activities to events and initiatives you can look forward to in the coming weeks. Every issue will also feature a thought-provoking headline article, spotlighting compelling Village issues, news or history. This month, we're off to the races, exploring the little-known history of Black Americans in horse racing for your edification as you watch this year's Kentucky Derby. Grab your mint julep and enjoy!
info@empowerthevillage.org @empoweretv @empower_etv
AYO SANDERSON WILSON Founder & CEO
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THE POWER POST | ISSUE 1
Click Here
The History of Black Americans in the "Whitest" Sport
It's Derby Day! Your bets were placed, your
activism. Last year, he helped organize a
cocktails made and your hats were donned,
moment of silence at Belmont Park for those
but did you know that the Village has a horse
lost to COVID-19. Then, he and a dozen fellow
in this race? Black Americans have a little-
jockeys took a knee to protest the killing of
known, but storied history in horse racing.
George Floyd. We know who were rooting for
Today, Black owners and jockeys are carrying
this year! We're super-proud of his strong
the torch.
showing!
In the 1875 inaugural Kentucky Derby, 13 of the 15 jockeys were Black. Black jockey Oliver Lewis won this first running of the derby. Black jockeys would go on to win 15 of the first 28 editions of the race, most recently Jimmy Winkfield in 1902. Additionally, in 1894 Isaac Burns Murphy became the first and only Black jockey to have won the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks, and the Clark Handicap in the same year. (Murphy also won the Derby in
Kendrick Carmouche Photo Credit: Sarah Andrew via Thoroughbred Daily News
1890 and 1891.) On June 25, 1980, the 11 Black jockeys rode a total of 15 Derby winners between 1875 and 1902 and were honored by the NAACP and the Lincoln Foundation. Black jockeys were less prevalent during the 1900s due to segregation and Jim Crow, but a new generation of jockeys is emerging in the 21st century. This year, Kendrick Carmouche, riding
Greg Harbut Photo Credit: Sarah Andrew via Lexington Herald Leader
Bourbonic, will be the first Black jockey in
The action continues off the track! Greg
race since 2013, when Kevin Krigger, from the
Harbut is a Black thoroughbred owner whose
U.S. Virgin Islands, was a Derby contender.
horse ran in last year's 2020 Kentucky Derby.
Carmouche joins Marlon St. Julien (2000) as
His grandfather, Tom, bred and owned a horse
the only U.S.-born Black jockey to compete in
that ran in the 1962 Derby. His great-
the race since 1921. Carmouche has an
grandfather was a caretaker for Man o'War,
opportunity to become the first Black jockey
who is known as one of the greatest race horses
to win the Derby in 119 years.
in history. Though many urged Harbut not to participate given the social and political
Carmouche started riding at a young age,
climate, he felt his participation was its own
mentored by his father, Sylvester, a famous
form of activism. We're inclined to agree!
jockey in his own right. Like other athletes, Carmouche has used his platform to engage in
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Month in Review: April 2021 In April, Empower The Village embraced the season's spirit of renewal and vitality. Throughout the month, we championed physical and economic health and social justice. Read on to learn how we sprang into Spring.
ETV kicked off the month on April 2nd with Operation: Stop the Spread, offering COVID-19 vaccinations to Villagers in Morristown, NJ. In partnership with Zufall Health, Sigma Zeta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and COGIC For All Saints in Morristown, NJ, ETV vaccinated over 100 people! Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) even stopped by to support our efforts! Check out our video recap of the event and click here to read our full press release.
Click Here
Pivoting from physical health to economic health, ETV updated two of our existing Village Black Pages directories (CT and MA) and added three new editions (OH, PA and VA). There are now eight Village Black Pages directories featuring thousands of businesses for you to patronize as you Make Every Friday, Black Friday! Click any of the covers below to browse all of our directories! Visit www.empowerthevillage.org to view directories for NY, NJ, and MD.
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The Black-owned businesses featured in our directories have everything you need across over 30 business categories, and more businesses are added quarterly! To help you get the most out of our directories, we released a fun, instructional video showing how to search Village Black Pages to find skincare products,
Click Here
accountants, restaurants, party buses and more! We achieved a lot in April, but our work is never done. Go to page 5 to see what we're up to next!
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ETV's Call to Action
Taking Action Against Police Brutality:
Step 1: Learn about the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (H.R. 7120) & The BREATHE Act.
Step 2: Confirm the contact info for your US Congressional, State and Local leaders responsible for managing and funding police departments.
George Floyd, October 1973 - May 2020 & Daunte Wright, d. April 2021
You may have heard the talk of diversity, sensitivity training, and body cameras. These are all fine and applicable, but they understate the task... - Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me
The brutal public execution of George Floyd at the hands
Step 3: Advocate for passage of federal and state legislation and implementation of policy changes at the local level to save lives.
of law enforcement may have been the impetus for a global movement, but the scourge of police brutality against communities of color is deeply entrenched and woven into the fabric of American society. Yet, despite historic impediments to Black safety, advancement and empowerment, the Village has survived and thrived. We are wielding our political and economic power with the resolve of a people unwilling to cede the blood-soaked ground our ancestors fought and struggled to gain and are unwilling to settle for anything other than equality. The work of The Village continues and our activism has reached a fever pitch as our voices grow stronger than ever. ETV is proud to be a resource for the information and organizing tools needed to not only mobilize our communities, but also bring pressure to bear on our legislators to effectively combat police brutality and reimagine 21st century policing.
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Moving Forward: May & June 2021 ETV has great initiatives and events planned as we head into the Summer months! We've got some surprises up our sleeve, but here's a hint: get out your brushes and bingo cards!
We are really excited about the many events and
For The Love of Art: A Juneteenth Celebration of
initiatives we have coming this Summer! Two that
Joy & Justice
we are proud to share with you now are the Black Friday Challenge and our annual For The Love of Art fundraiser!
ETV’s For the Love of Art outdoor fundraiser kicks off with an afternoon of exquisite art, live musical performances, literature, paint ‘n sip
First, ETV launched its Make Every Friday, Black
sessions, hors d’oeuvres and open bar on
Friday movement last November, where we and
Saturday, June 19, 2021 (Juneteenth) and
Whoopi Goldberg invited consumers to support
continues on Sunday, June 20, 2021 (Father’s
Black-owned businesses at least one day a week –
Day). This fun, summer solstice weekend event is
Fridays! Then, we developed and published
a lovely way to celebrate both important days and
Village Black Pages directories, the polished, easy-
is only made more enticing by the announcement
to-use tools to help consumers find thousands of
of our exciting new venue: the Montclair Art
Black-owned businesses in eight states – NJ, NY,
Museum campus as new partner: Kente Royal
CT, MA, PA, OH, MD and VA – with more
Gallery! ETV’s Juneteenth celebration benefits the
directories to come! And now….
work of Empower The Village. All donations to our nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization are tax-
Get Ready, Set, Shop!
deductible and accelerate our mission to Restore Prosperity, Peace & Power to the Black
This May, ETV is piloting its Black Friday
community. Tickets are limited and will sell out
Challenge (BFC)! Grab a group of friends, co-
fast! Sponsorships with special benefits are also
workers or club members and get your game on
available.
in this friendly competition to support as many Black-owned businesses as you can! You can compete in a number of fun ways, from playing
Click here to learn more about this art-filled, sun-drenched event and buy tickets now!
POWER BINGO, to shopping at a variety of restaurants and boutiques or engaging professional services, to nominating Black-owned businesses waiting to be discovered! Let ETV’s Village Black Pages directories be your guide, as you best your teammates and win prizes, while we collectively support and empower Black-owned businesses! The real winners are the businesses supported!
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Get Involved! Visit our website, reach out via email or follow us on IG, FB and Twitter. Learn about how you can help ETV support the Black community! Click below!
empowerthevillage.org info@empowerthevillage.org @empoweretv @empower_etv
ETV needs your financial support to achieve its mission to Restore Prosperity, Peace, & Power to the Black community in partnership with The Village.
Donate Now 06
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