Nadler, Maloney Introduce Legislation for Commemorative Stamp Honoring Metropolitan Museum of Art
U.S Reps Jerrold Nadler (D-Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Wall Street, Battery Park, Brooklyn) and Carolyn B. Maloney (East Side, Queens, Brooklyn) last week introduced H. Res. 311, a resolution in support of the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee issuing a commemorative stamp to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.
Twenty-one Members of the House joined Representatives Nadler and Maloney as cosponsors of the resolution in recognition of the Met’s many cultural contributions.
“For nearly 150 years, the Met has stood at the center of culture, art, and art education, not only in New York but across our country,” said Nadler. “This institution has worked endlessly to collect, preserve, and present art and culture from around the world and to ensure that every New Yorker, every American, every student, and every visitor can experience its treasures. I am proud to represent this incredible museum, and I am proud to reintroduce this bill encouraging the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee to issue a stamp honoring its 150th anniversary.”
“Our city’s vibrant art culture and its outstanding artists are exemplified and inspired by the Met,” said Maloney. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art is not only a New York treasure, but a national hallmark that has inspired creativity for the last 150 years. A commemorative stamp is wonderful way to honor these contributions and celebrate the future of this iconic institution.”
De Blasio Administration Announces New Business Courses In Multiple Languages
The Mayor Bill de Blasio Administration today will announce that registration is now open for new business courses in multiple languages, available to over 5,000 entrepreneurs.
The courses will offer new culturally-competent curricula tailored to the needs of immigrant communities. The first new courses will be available in Spanish, Mandarin, and Russian. Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services, will be on hand for the announcement.
The event is slated for 12 noon at the Chinatown Manpower Project, 70 Mulberry St # 3, in Chinatown.
Chin Support’s Parole For Judith Clarke
City Council Member Margaret Chin (D-Battery Park City, Civic Center, Chinatown, Financial District, Little Italy, the Lower East Side, NoHo, SoHo, South Street Seaport, South Village, TriBeCa, Washington Square) this weekend tweeted her support of Judith Clarke being granted parole for being the getaway driver in the 1981 Brink’s robbery that left a guard and two Nyack police officers dead.
Clark, who had a history of radical activism, was one of three defendants who refused representation by counsel and disrupted the courtroom to the point that the judge ordered them removed. The three were sentenced to three consecutive 25-to-life terms.
After being implicated in an escape plan in 1985, Clark spent two years in solitary confinement, but then began a years-long transformation: She apologized and expressed remorse, publicly and repeatedly, earned a bachelor’s and then a master’s degree in psychology and was certified as a chaplain. She led support programs for inmates with AIDS, for incarcerated moms and their kids on the outside, and helped set up an inmate board to bring college courses to the prison.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2016 commuted Clark’s sentence to 35 years to life, making her eligible for parole. But the Parole Board turned her down in 2017, calling her release “incompatible with the welfare of society.” Recently, though, a judge ordered a new hearing, ruling the board had focused largely on the severity of her crime and had failed to give much weight to her rehabilitation.
“We’re standing on a moment that could define the trajectory of our criminal justice system. Does it rest only on punishment, or on true rehabilitation?” Chin Tweeted. “Judith has shown growth as a community leader in her own right. It’s time for us to show compassion.”
