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Tennyson Donyea Coleman

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Black in Jersey wins multiple NJ News Commons Excellence in Local News awards, including ‘Partner of the Year’

Tennyson Donyea, Black In Jersey’s founder and creative visionary, was named “Partner of The Year” for “exceptional contributions to the NJ News Commons.”

February 14, 2023

Message from our founder

Welcome to Black In Jersey: a space where we highlight a diversity of Black voices. I created this space after working for several mainstream media outlets. It's time for us to own our narrative — plain and simple.

blackinjersey
#Breaking New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. P #Breaking New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin just announced that the Paterson Police Department is being taken over by his office, effective immediately. Isa Abbassi, Chief of Strategic Initiatives for the NYPD will become Officer-in-Charge in May. In the meantime, Major Fred Fife of the NJ State Police will lead the department. The news comes weeks after Paterson advocate Najee Seabrooks was killed by police during an apparent welfare check, and as advocacy groups call on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Paterson PD. Platkin said the move is in response to “a crisis of confidence in law enforcement in Paterson.” The AG said he soon plans to implement the ARRIVE Together mental health-law enforcement co-responder program in Passaic County, revise the statewide Use of Force Policy, and form a working group to study and produce policy recommendations concerning interactions between law enforcement and community-based violence intervention groups. Groups like the New Jersey Violence Intervention and Prevention Coalition say more should be done like “investing in a non-carceral crisis responses team made-up of fully funded and trained community members.” Do you think this will lead to meaningful change? Sound off in the comments. • • • • • • #Paterson #AttorneyGeneral #NYPD #NJSP #publicsafety #lawenforcement #mentalhealth #violenceprevention #communitypartnerships #ARRIVEtogether #UseofForce
🏆 Thank you to the Center For Cooperative Media 🏆 Thank you to the Center For Cooperative Media (@centerforcooperativemedia) for honoring us with a pair of awards for “excellence in local news reporting” and “Partner of the Year.” We appreciate the recognition and your support for grassroots media.
📰🎶 International jazz legend Buster Williams 📰🎶 International jazz legend Buster Williams graced the Gordon Theater stage at Rutgers University-Camden Saturday, March 18. The Camden native, a prodigious bassist, waltzed through several selections, including “ Where Giants Dwell” and “The Wind of an Immortal Soul.” Williams played alongside drummer Lenny White, saxophonist Bruce Williams, and pianist Brandon McCune, with whom Buster Williams delivered a stirring duo performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely.” The tribute show highlighted the local jazz scene and marked the inaugural performance for the @ideaartcenter’s inaugural Youth Music Collective. Full story at the link in our bio! 📝 @tennysondonyea
The neglect and abuse of Black bodies in America h The neglect and abuse of Black bodies in America has extended to the birthing experience, with Black people in New Jersey being seven times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than white people. However, the use of midwives, who provide personalized care and specialize in assisting in childbirth, could help mitigate maternal mortality inequities in the Garden State. Midwifery was once relatively common in the U.S., practiced in the home by Black and Indigenous people and immigrants. But in the 1900s, doctors, mostly white men, weaponized midwifery, linking the practice to witchcraft, contraception, and abortion. They also deemed the practice “unhygienic.” This discouraged people from seeking midwifery services, contributing to the decline of the profession. The profession is now making a comeback, and experts believe expanding access to midwifery can help address the maternal health care crisis. According to Julie Blumenfeld, director for the midwifery program at Rutgers University in Newark, outcomes in countries where midwives are the majority of the workforce caring for pregnant people are far superior to the outcomes in the United States. However, there are currently only about 400 practicing midwives in New Jersey, and state law requires they work in tandem with a prescribing physician, which creates more barriers to entering the occupation. The New Jersey Health Quality Institute has called on the state to provide more career pathways and expand Medicaid to include more midwifery services. We talked to @melinatedmoms about efforts to grow midwifery in New Jersey. Full link in our bio🤰🏽👶🏾💖 📝: @tennysondonyea (via/WHYY) • • • • • • • • • • #midwifery #maternalhealth #pregnancy #childbirth #doulas #womenshealth #momlife #birth #newjersey #healthcare #supportmidwives #betteroutcomes #mentalhealth #wellbeing #babies #mothers #womenshistorymonth #internationalwomensday
📰 Community members and advocates are demanding 📰 Community members and advocates are demanding a non-police response to mental health crises after the release of bodycam footage of the killing of Najee Seabrooks in Paterson. Seabrooks, a violence intervention advocate, was experiencing a mental health emergency and called the police himself. Police drew their guns and pointed them at Seabrooks while attempting to negotiate with him. “Individuals and families of individuals who call 911 for help in their most vulnerable hour should receive support, not violence,” said Black Lives Matter Paterson (@blm_paterson) in a statement. While Seabrooks did have a knife, advocates argue that a trained medical professional response could have deescalated the situation and kept him alive. The incident has prompted protests and calls for reform across New Jersey, with groups like the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and the ACLU-NJ calling for a comprehensive investigation into the Paterson Police Department. Peep the link in our bio for the full story. 📝: @tennysondonyea (via/WHYY) 📸: courtesy of Paterson Healing Collective • • • • • • • • #BlackLivesMatter #mentalhealthawareness #NajeeSeabrooks #crisisintervention #militarization #useofforce #policereform
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