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Woodward kids fix holiday lights
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Vol. 89 No. 48
NoVEMBER 21 - 27, 2024
your home’s value.
Lorraine Pharaoh Brandon
LIC. R. E. SALESPERSON M 516.524.6288 lorraine.brandon@elliman.com
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Kareem Brown
LIC. R. E. SALESPERSON M 718.902.7138 kareem.brown@elliman.com
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Support group serves special needs families Smith said, adding that the group aims to provide parents and children with special needs W h e n Jo s e p h A n t h o ny - a safe space and access to Smith failed to win a seat on resources. The support group grew out the Freeport school board two of Anthony-Smith’s years ago, he could campaign for the have walked away school board, from his goal of wh e re h e h e a rd helping f amilies firsthand from famwith special needs ilies struggling to children. navigate the comInstead, he plexities of special turned his passion education. into action, found“I saw a need, ing the Parent to and I promised … Parent Special that I would do Needs Support something regardGroup of Freeport less of whether I Schools. won or lost,” he Fo r A n t h o n y said. Smith, a longtime At that point, Freeport resident, Anthony-Smith and and his husband, Cuevas rolled up Jose Cuevas, who their sleeves and moved to the vil- JosE CuEVAs got to work, launchlage four years ago, co-founder, ing the support this was personal Parent to Parent group to connect — an initiative that Special Needs families in Freesprang from their Support Group port to vital servicexperiences in naves, hosting regular igating the school system for their own children, meetings and building a network of parents. who have special needs. The group now includes 60 “I started it last school year, and we’re just kind of getting members through a private our things together to kick off Facebook page and other digifor this school year,” AnthonyContinued on page 10
By MoHAMMAD RAFIQ
mrafiq@liherald.com
W
Courtesy Cheryl Wills
Cheryl Wills received the folded flag honoring her great-great-great-grandfather Sandy Wills during the reburial ceremony with full military honors.
Journalist unearths and honors Civil War ancestor By MoHAMMAD RAFIQ mrafiq@liherald.com
Cheryl Wills, of Freeport, a journalist at NY1 — the first African American woman to host a prime-time nightly newscast on the cable network — has spent her career telling compelling stories. Wills anchors the Emmynominated broadcast “Live at Ten” weeknights, and hosts the weekly public affairs program “In Focus.” She joined the network in 1992, and has become one of its bestknown journalists. But it was her personal journey into her family’s past that became her most transformative and profound narrative. Through years of meticulous genealogical research,
Wills uncovered the lost legacy of her greatgreat-great-grandfather, Sandy Wills, a Civil War veteran who self-emancipated from slavery, fought for the freedom of others of his race, and was buried in an unmarked grave for 135 years. Cheryl Wills’s relentless efforts to find and honor him culminated in Sandy’s reburial in August with full military honors — a tribute long overdue. Reflecting on the experience, she said, “I am intimately familiar with what it’s like when you don’t see things through. That’s my philosophy — my personal philosophy. You must see things through to the end, no matter how many years have gone by, no Continued on page 6
e wanted to create a support network that not only addresses these issues but empowers families to navigate them more effectively.