Eid in Utica
Muslims ready to celebrate the end of Ramadan
Oct 11, 2007 @ 11:05 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA – There's anticipation in the air, and the buzz generated by the oncoming sundown is infectious.
So many times, Afghani refugee Tawara Mirghausiddin steals quick glances at the clock on the wall.
It's not 6:30 p.m. yet.
That's when she will sip water, eat a morsel of the variety of food laid out on the carpet, and break her fast. Then she will return to praying.
For a month, the family of seven has been fasting from the crack of dawn to sundown, abstaining from food, drink and sexual relations. It is the month of Ramadan, a month where Muslims all over the world fast, do charity and pray.
Eid-Ul-Fitr is an important festival for Muslims. According to Imam Najeeullah Malik of the Muslim Community Association, by devoting oneself to fasting, one can come out of Ramadan like a new per son.
"God will forgive us for our past sins," he said. "Prophet Mohammed has taught us, after the fasting, go to God in congregation together … we have accomplished this great feat."
And now with only two days left for Eid-Ul-Fitr, a sort of thanksgiving for having been able to observe the fasts, they seem to not mind so much. There is so much to do, too many dishes to prepare, too much cleaning to do for Saturday.
"I have called my friends," said Nasib Jan Rahim Jan, 17. "We will go to the mall, buy new clothes."
The Afghan family came to Utica in 2004 to join Rahim Jan Bakhtar,their father, who was already here. In the few years that they have been here, they have made friends from various ethnic groups present in Utica. These are the people they will celebrate Eid with.
In fact, he and his sister Bas Bibi Rahim Jan, 16, will not attend school today. The women of the house will put henna on their hands and wear bangles tonight after the sighting of the new moon, which marks the end of Ramadan.
Though they miss the festive look that the whole city wears in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where they lived as refugees before coming to United States, they are happy in their transplanted world.
"Eid there was fun," Bas Bibi said. "You could go outside, do a fire before Eid day … it brings the light to life."
But it had been a tough life. There was no money.
"We have money here," said Nasib Jan, looking at the many items of
food spread out for Iftaar, or the fast-breaking meal.
A diverse celebration
For Imam Najeeullah Malik of the Muslim Community Association, the beauty of the month of Ramadan is to be able to break fast with so many different people from so many different cultures. In fact, a few days ago he shared Iftaar with a Burmese Muslim family.
"The beautiful thing is about celebrating Eid in Utica is that we have so many different ethnic groups," he said. "In Utica, everybody is different."
With new people coming in, including refugees from all over the world, the Muslim population in Utica has grown. A conservative estimate would be 15,000, the Imam said.
For many of these refugees, integration into the society begins at the mosque.
That's where many form lasting connections. Particularly, during Ramadan, these refugees share meals with many others and pray together. The mosque at Kemble Street has been hosting Iftaar dinners for community members on weekends throughout the month. On Saturday, many had gathered for prayers and meal at the venue. Many brought in food to share with others.
"It's always exciting to have new folk ... everyone brings a uniqueness to Utica," Malik said.
So on Eid day, it will be a colorful congregation with Bosnians, Burmese and Somalis, among others, who will be united through one faith, Malik said.
"One leader, one Imam ... and everybody will pray in congregation together.
The Bosnian will stand in line with the Burmese, the Somalis with the Moroccan…everybody together," he said. "All you see is one people."
The association will hold a mass congregational prayer at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Parkway Recreation Center for community members. There will be a gathering at the mosque on Kemble Street after the prayers.
No new clothes, a new life Bengali Muslim refugees from Myanmar, Mar Met, 33, and his wife, Marria Met, 33, had only seen juice in pictures. And the food that they were treated to at the mosque for Iftaar dinner was their first lavish meal ever.
The family of four came to Utica through the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees two weeks ago. They will celebrate their first Eid with friends and family members in a new home, with lot of food and lot of hope. Around 321 refugees from Myanmar came to Utica in August and September this year, among them a few Muslims as well.
"I feel very wonderful when I see the food," Mar Met said.
In Myanmar, there had been times where they had broken their fast with water and nothing else. There had been no food. In Thai camps, food was scarce too.
Iftaar meals had often been rice, chillies and leaves, he said.
"Not too much celebration," Mar Met said. "Military don't allow."
But now, Met goes to the Kemble Street mosque for prayers without fear. He is glad he started a new life during the holy month of Ramadan, he said.
Although Mar Met can't buy new clothes for his family for the occasion, he said it will get better in the coming years with a job. Currently, the family is on Social Security and buys food with food stamps.
They will dress in their best clothes Saturday morning, Met said, blowing away the dust from his old Arab gown that he plans on wearing. Maria Met will wear her blue embroidered burqa.
Before Iftaar time Thursday, Marria Met was busy cooking chicken curry and traditional bamboo shoot soup for fast-breaking dinner. The refrigerator was stacked with various kinds of juice and food.
"All our relatives will come," Met said. "I am very happy."
Immigrants in upstate new york contribute to regional economy/ some
groups may compete with native-born for jobs in the manufacturing
sector
Study: Many area immigrants fitting in
Upstate firms benefit from educated work force
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
csinha@uticaod.com
UTICA - The region's increasingly diverse population of refugees and
immigrants poses both benefits and challenges for the local economy, a
new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows:
* Immigrants with significant education are highly coveted by
companies and health-care centers in fields such as medicine, science
and research, the study found. They're being absorbed relatively
smoothly in the local economy.
* Some immigrants and refugees with little education, however, find
themselves seeking the same jobs as less-well-educated native-born
residents. These include positions such as fabricators, laborers and
materials movers, according to the study.
"Upstate firms are taking advantage of the specialized skills of the
more highly educated immigrants in ways that potentially complement
the skills of native-born workers," researchers conclude. "By
contrast, the less educated immigrants upstate - including relatively
large numbers of refugees - are more likely to be competing for job
opportunities with native-born workers."
The first-of-its-kind study of Upstate New York's newest arrivals
finds that the growing impact of immigrants and refugees upstate is
overlooked because the region's overall population is declining or
stagnant.
The Syracuse-Utica area, lumped together for the purposes of the
study, was the only upstate region where the foreign-born population
expanded while the total population shrank, a direct result of the
efforts of the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees in Utica.
The refugee center settled some 8,000 refugees between 1979 and 2000,
and has settled a few thousand more since then.
Stabilizing effect
In 1990, one in six New York state residents was born abroad; by 2000,
that figure was one in five.
In most areas, the increase in the foreign-born population has offset
the decline in overall population.
But in Utica, it did something different: The increase has provided a
degree of economic stability.
Had it not been for thousands of refugees that were resettled in the
city through the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, several
of the region's manufacturing units might have had a tough time
finding labor to sustain operations, said David Mathis of the Oneida
County Workforce Development Agency.
"The loss of Griffiss Air Base and others hurt the population," Mathis
said. "Our population would have slipped even further. It has helped
to stabilize it. When you grow a population, they buy homes, pay
taxes. There's a win-win."
Utica lost much of its population when industries shut down. Growing
unemployment forced many people to leave the region. However, as the
refugee center has attracted newcomers from Bosnia, the former Soviet
Union, Myanmar (Burma) and Somalia, the new arrivals have filled jobs
and revived neighborhoods.
These groups can impact the regional economy and population pattern in
terms of feeding into the human capital growth as well as overall
population growth, the study says.
Turning Stone Resort & Casino employs around 300 refugees. Mark
Mancini, director of human resources, said many of these workers
entered into low-skilled jobs but many make their way up.
"That number has grown over the years," he said.
More foreign-born doctors
Researchers noted significant differences in the immigration and
refugee pattern upstate compared to the New York City area. There,
Hispanics make up the largest group of new arrivals.
In Upstate New York, including the Utica-Syracuse area, it is Asians
who are coming in greatest numbers. In many cases, these new arrivals
are immigrants who work as doctors or scientists and become an
integral part of both their workplaces and their communities.
The Federal Reserve study makes a distinction between better-educated
arrivals and those with fewer skills. In many cases, those newcomers
with advanced degrees are immigrants coming to America to practice
medicine or conduct scientific research. Such arrivals are here in
proportionately greater numbers than downstate, the study found.
"While the foreign-born population upstate includes a significant
number of adults who lack a high school degree, the percentage who
have a college or post-graduate degree is substantially higher than
the percentage of either native-born residents or immigrants in New
York City who have higher degrees," the Federal Reserve study finds.
Dr. Deepak Buch of India is one such medical professional.
"I came here to practice medicine in safe environment," he said. "It
is affordable living. There is a fair amount of Indian origin people
here."
According to Buch, Indian-origin doctors and physicians are filling in
the gap. There is a shortage of health-care professionals in the area,
he said. Local hospitals and other health-care centers have
increasingly diverse medical staffs as a result.
'Some competition'
Among refugees with little education, there is some amount of
competition with high school dropouts in the region who might want
jobs as laborers or assemblers, Mathis said.
But Utica has a low unemployment rate, implying there are enough jobs
for those who are seeking them, he said.
"It is always going to be there regardless of what you can do," he
said. "There will always be some competition. This is what America is
based on ... it is competition."
Peter Vogelaar, executive director of the refugee center, said the
refugee population is not competing with local candidates for the same
jobs. The resettlement agency has placed refugees in various jobs at
different locations, he said.
"There is a wide array of jobs," he said. "The reality is that
refugees are actually filling in the gap."
Rahim Jan Bakhtar Gol, who is a refugee from Afghanistan, has been
working at ConMed Corp. for five years. He had been a police officer
in Kabul before he came here.
Because he did not have language proficiency, he took up the
entry-level job, he said in an interview Tuesday, his daughter Bas
Bibi Rahim Jan translating for him.
But he wants his daughter and sons to have a better future, he said.
Mathis, who has worked with the refugee population in Utica for a long
time, said the new arrivals are more than willing to work and do not
want to receive public assistance.
"Many people assume they are on welfare," he said. "No, they want to work."
refugees and high smoking rates - part of retaining culture
Region's smoking rate is among highest in state
Nov 18, 2007 @ 12:01 AM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
Utica, N.Y. -
The Mohawk Valley's large numbers of low-income families and refugees
are factors contributing to the region's high smoking rate, experts
say.
According to a newly released study by Excellus Blue Cross Blue
Shield, the Utica-Rome area and points north and east have the
second-highest smoking rate in Upstate New York.
More than 1-in-4 adults are smokers in the region.
The report shows that smoking, which causes cancer, is as entrenched
as ever in the Mohawk Valley, maybe even more so.
Two decades ago, Utica had been a trial city in an extensive
anti-smoking effort whose goal was to make the city free of smokers by
the year 2000.
It didn't happen, and now health experts are fearful of the continuing
toll of cigarette smoking on individuals' health, on the medical
system and on taxpayers.
One smoker who fell prey to peer pressure is Utican Richard
Cunningham, 21. He has attempted to quit many times.
"I wish I could quit," he said, puffing away during a cigarette break
at a check-processing center on Bleecker Street. "It's a stress
reliever."
26.6% smoking rate
About 158,000 people smoke in an 11-county area that includes Utica,
Rome, Oneida, Cooperstown, Amsterdam, Gloversville, Plattsburgh and
much of the Adirondacks, the Excellus study found.
That figure represents 26.6 percent of the area's population.
By contrast, only 18 percent of state residents and only 20 percent of
the nation's residents are smokers, the study concluded.
Put another way, our region's smoking rate is nearly 50 percent higher
than the state average. The only region with a higher prevalence of
smoking is the Southern Tier, where the smoking rate is 27.1 percent,
the Excellus study found.
The study did not provide explanations for regional variations, but
local residents and health experts cited local factors including the
loss of jobs and the arrival of thousands of refugees in the past two
decades.
"The socio-economic climate has changed," said Julie Zaykoski of the
Tri-County Tobacco Cessation Center. "We don't have many jobs
anymore."
Also, many refugees come from cultures where smoking is more common
than in America.
Mirzet Kendic is a Bosnian refugee who came to Utica in 2001. In
Bosnia, almost everyone smokes, he said.
"It is a part of your life," Kendic said. "In Bosnia, they start their
day with coffee and cigarettes."
Antismoking warnings mean little to many Bosnians, he said.
"It is dangerous to drive a car also (or) somebody can hit you … just
like that," Kendic said. "Who cares if smoking is dangerous?"
Marie Helweg-Larsen, associate professor of psychology at Dickinson
College in Carlisle, Pa., has researched smoking among newcomers to
America. Smoking rates vary dramatically across different cultures,
she said.
"You can't design an effective smoking cessation without understanding
the culture," she said.
COMMIT – 2 decades later
The high incidence of smoking comes nearly two decades after an
extensive trial study for promoting anti-smoking efforts in Utica.
In the 1980s, Utica became a COMMIT city (Community Intervention Trial
for Smoking Cessation). The goal then: Make Utica smoke-free by 2000.
Through the program, Uticans were bombarded with antismoking messages
in various forms of local media.
But even the federally funded $42.5 million antismoking campaign
(which also included Binghamton) admitted defeat by the early 1990s in
getting a significant amount of heavy smokers to quit.
What happened?
According to experts, there is a direct correlation between smoking
and socio-economic status. Utica's median income of less than $25,000
in the 2000 U.S. census was far lower than not only the state average
but the median incomes in nearby cities such as Syracuse and Albany.
Close to 2-in-5 Utica children live in poverty.
Education levels also play into the high smoking rates: The region's
rate of college graduates lags that of other metropolitan areas around
the state and nation.
Another factor is peer pressure among the younger generation, experts said.
Refugees and smoking
If anything, Utica is home to more hard-core smokers now than when
COMMIT began. That's because close to 8,000 refugees have arrived in
the past two decades.
Many refugees are from countries where smoking is acceptable,
including those in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.
Refugees sometimes cling to their old ways as they struggle to adjust
in a new land, Helweg-Larsen said.
As these refugees start to regain economic and social status, they see
smoking as not being a socially acceptable practice among Americans.
Many quit as they become more integrated into the society here, she
said.
But for many refugees, the road to acquiring a nicer lifestyle is
fraught with many roadblocks.
Recent arrivals often work minimum-wages jobs. For these individuals,
there could be less motivation to reject a part of their culture for a
lifestyle that's not so appealing, Helweg-Larsen said.
"Perhaps, he would be less motivated in the factory dead-end job to
give up part of the culture," she said.
Zaykoski said many agencies in the area have stepped up their efforts
and are working with refugee populations. One of them is St. Elizabeth
Medical Center. At its Hobart Street facility, the center has a family
residency program that provides free patches and gums to anyone.
In the nine months that it has been operational, it has helped 12
refugees quit smoking, said Kim Kraeger, a registered nurse.
"In their culture, there may not have medical intervention," Kraeger
said. "We talk to them."
Impact of addiction on health significant
Tobacco use increases a risk of cancer and heart disease. Most
everyone knows that.
But smoking is an addiction extremely hard to give up, meaning that a
smoker's actions don't necessarily reflect their awareness of the
health costs, experts said.
"On a gram-per-gram basis, there is no substance that is more
addictive than nicotine," said Dr. Arthur Vercillo, medical director
at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield. "Peer pressure also plays a great
role."
What too many area residents don't think of when they begin smoking is
that quitting can be enormously difficult. That leads to some stark
figures illuminating the impact of cigarette smoking.
For the Utica region, economic impacts related to smoking approached
$562 million in 2006, according to an Excellus study of the state's
smoking rates. This figure includes higher health-care and worker
compensation costs, as well as the impact on productivity brought
about by health limitations and absenteeism.
Oneida County Director of Health Nick DeRosa said he was not aware of
the Excellus study but if smoking rates are that high, the health
department will step up its efforts and improve programs to address
the problem.
"We will develop community health assessment," he said. "They are big
expense items."
Experts: Embarrass a smoker today
Nov 18, 2007 @ 12:08 AM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
Every smoker huddling outside workplace exits this winter to grab a
few puffs is cared about by someone.
It's those people who care that can have the most impact in persuading
smokers to kick the habit, health experts said.
How to do it?
Be direct.
"The more you do to embarrass people, the better," said Dr. Susan
Blatt, who was involved in the Utica COMMIT antismoking program in the
late 1980s and early 1990s.
Various societal factors have been at work to reduce the smoking rate:
*Research demonstrating second-hand smoke can harm others has pushed
smoking outside of the office, shopping centers and bars and
restaurants.
*Higher cigarette prices and taxes have made it significantly more
expensive to support a two-pack-per-day habit.
*And smoking is far less common among better-educated individuals than
it was a half-century ago.
Yet Utica, Rome and the North Country have a smoking rate approaching
27 percent, nearly 50 percent above the state average. That reflects
low incomes and the arrival of thousands of refugees.
It is a tough battle to fight because the tobacco industry targets
young people through its advertisements, which tend to glamorize
smoking.
"Maybe in 30, 35 years, eventually we are going to be smoke-free," Blatt said.
Some laws such as banning smoking indoors have been in place for
sometime now, and the Utica area's hospitals even went a step further
in recent years.
"Hospitals are becoming smoke-free here," said Dr. Arthur Vercillo,
medical director at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield.
"One thing that has been happening in the Downstate region is they
banned smoking indoors long ago," he said.
New York City's percentage of deaths due to smoking dropped by 10
percent after Mayor Michael Bloomberg banned smoking in restaurants,
hospitals and other locations.
The Excellus report on regional smoking data also holds out some hope:
The Utica area has a larger percentage of former smokers than other
regions of the state.
In part, that reflects the large number of people who smoked in the
first place.
"We have a lot of people fighting this battle," Vercillo said. "I
think everybody needs that reminder."
Help for quitting smoking
NYS Quitline: New York State offers consumers a toll free Quitline.
The number is 1-866-697-8487 (1-866-NY-QUITS). This hot line provides
free educational information as well as lists community-based agencies
that can assist individuals in their attempt to quit smoking.
Tri-County QUITS Tobacco Cessation Center: Tri-County QUITS Tobacco
Cessation Center offers three tobacco cessation programs each month in
Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties. The programs aim to help
smokers quit through cessation advice and counseling sessions. To
register for these classes, call 624-4371.
Herkimer County Mohawk Valley Coalition for Tobacco Concerns: YMCA -
Mohawk 83 East Main Street Mohawk, NY, 13407. 866-6570.
Little Falls Family YMCA: 15 Jackson St., Little Falls, NY, 13365. 823-1740.
American Cancer Society: Central NY Region - Utica (Eastern Division)
100 Lomond Ct., Utica, NY, 13502. 724-8125.Toll Free: 800-954-3446
Unit Office.
American Heart Association: Lomond Place Office Park 120 Lomond Ct.,
Utica, NY, 13502. 797-8906.
American Lung Association of New York State: 839-6299.
Study's Findings
*About 23 percent of Upstate New York adults smoke, more than the U.S.
average of 20 percent.
*Among Upstate New York regions, tobacco use is the highest in the
Southern Tier and Utica-Rome-North country regions. It's lowest in
Western New York.
*The Utica-Rome-North Country region has the highest prevalence of
former smokers (31.4 percent).
Source: Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield study of New York state
smoking rates. Study cites research from NYS Department of Health's
Behavioral Risk factor Surveillance System, an annual survey of
residents aged 18 and older.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2007 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.
Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative
Commons license, except where noted.
all saints' day - forgotten or overshadowed?
This is an unedited version of an article on All Saints' Day I wrote.
I am also copying what later appeared in the Observer-Dispatch.
UTICA - Father Lucian Urbaniak of St. Mark's Church had been reading
about All Saints' Day celebrations in Poland, his homeland. And yet
again he was reminded of the contrast.
"It is all costumes and candies here," he said.
In Poland, streets were full of shops selling wreaths, decorations and
candles at this time of the year. On All Saints' Day and All Souls'
Day they would attend Church, go to the cemeteries, kneel down and lay
the wreaths on the gravesites, he recalled.
While it's Halloween parades and parties everywhere, the Christian
celebration of All Saints' or All Souls' Day, the observance in honor
of all those who have died, also started Wednesday.
Father Urbaniak has been here 17 years, urging his parish members to
celebrate the holy day every year.
But every year Halloween takes over much to his chagrin.
In modern times and in America, the eve of All Saints' Day has become
more important than the day itself because of the hoopla associated
with Halloween, the departmental stores corrupting it, Father Urbaniak
said.
"It is commercialization, materialization. The spirituality is lost,"
he said. "It is like eating salad and forgetting about the main
course."
This year was no different.
Outside the St. Mark's Church Wednesday, children, teenagers and even
adults, dressed like kings, princesses and zombies, roamed around,
baskets in hand, laughing and knocking on doors asking for candies.
Inside the Church, scattered through rows, few people, mostly elderly,
sat in attendance as Father Urbaniak called upon them to remember the
saints, and the faithful departed at the vigil of the Feast.
So they sang hymns, read portions of the Bible, held hands and prayed
for those long gone.
Jane Maneen who lives in North Utica was one of those few who attended
the 5:30 p.m. mass Wednesday. This is religious obligation. At no cost
should this be forgotten, she said.
"You should never be too busy for religion," she said.
For many of those present at the church, they came because they had
lost someone close.
David and Carol Griffith were one such couple. Years ago they had lost
their seven-month old daughter Julie. Their eyes filled with tears,
their voices trembling, they said they never forget to come to church.
It is for her, they said.
"She is our personal saint," Carol Griffith.
"We come for her," David Griffith added.
But perhaps there aren't many who have a good enough reason to take
out time from their routine chores and attend the vigil.
And there are candies waiting, and parties to attend and Halloween
movies to watch.
All Saints' Day, which is also known as All Hallows' Day or Hallowmas,
is the day after Halloween. It is a feast day celebrated on Nov. 1 by
Anglicans and Roman Catholics where they remember all the saints and
martyrs throughout Christian history.
The day has never really been on the American radar, said Prof. Gustav
Niebuhr of Syracuse University.
"It is overshadowed by Halloween," he said. "It is very meaningful day
for those who observe it. It does not have the same prominence as
Easter."
Perhaps that's why Father Arthur Hapanowicz never counts the number of
people who come on All Hallow's eve to the Holy Trinity Church.
"I look at those who come," he said. "We encourage them to come."
With all the pumpkins and the ghosts and the witches around, he can
only wish parents remind their children of the importance of this day.
Halloween is not quite the celebration that took place in older times.
It has been corrupted and commercialized.
When he was in high school, which was a long, long time ago, he
remembered going to the morning mass on All Saints' Day.
"Our parents reminded us of the holy days. We called them days of
obligation but it was an opportunity," he said.
As he prepared for the mass on All Saints' Day, he remembered Mother
Theresa, and all the good people he had heard about or met.
"We remember those that we spent our lives with," he said. We remember
those good people and their example. And often their courage of never
giving up. That's hope that life does not end, it merely goes on."
That hope has kept Father Urbaniak urging and asking.
"It is a beautiful, meaningful thing," he said.
He is expecting around 300 people to attend church Thursday. Twenty
children will dress up as saints as the church yet again tries to
maintain a tradition amid hope that the faithful will return to fill
the rows.
Meanwhile, kids and teenagers go shouting "Trick or Treat" outside.
Someone will light a candle for her too
FLORENCE - Through the years, Monica Clark has walked into the
cemetery, knelt down and lit candles with the Danny Boy song in her
mind on All Souls Day.
"Ye'll come and find a place where I am lying And kneel and say an
"Ave" there for me."
That's how it goes, she said.
"You can look it up," she added, just to make sure.
There is that reassurance in the lyrics and in the Catholic Holy Day
that long after she is gone, someone will walk up to her grave and say
a little prayer for her, she said.
"Long after death, you will never be forgotten," Clark said.
Incidentally, it is also Clark's birthday Friday, also All Souls Day.
For her, it is a contrast. A celebration of life and death and life
after death the same day, she said.
An important time indeed, a time all faithful must observe but in this
day and age, that's too much to ask, she said.
"Our family…it has been indoctrinated," she said. "There were days you
were part of that, you went to the mass. Now it is just another day."
The edited version as it appeared in the newspaper
Halloween crowds religious tradition
Priests say public misses out on All Saints Day
Oct 31, 2007 @ 11:14 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA – The Rev. Lucian Urbaniak of St. Mark's Church had been reading
about All Saints' Day celebrations in Poland, his homeland.
He found himself contrasting the depth of observance found in Poland
with the American focus not on All Saints Day but on Halloween.
"It is all costumes and candies here," Urbaniak said.
Today is All Saints Day, which in the Catholic Church is a Holy Day of
Obligation on which one must attend church. Yet relatively small
numbers of Catholics will find their way to pews today.
All Saints' Day, which is also known as All Hallows' Day or Hallowmas,
is a feast day celebrated on Nov. 1 by Anglicans and Roman Catholics
who remember all the saints and martyrs throughout Christian history.
In Poland this week, streets are full of shops selling wreaths,
decorations and candles. On All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, Poles
will attend church, go to the cemeteries, kneel down and lay the
wreaths on the gravesites, he recalled.
The Rev. Urbaniak has been here 17 years, and he urges his parish
members to celebrate the holy day every year.
But every year, Halloween takes over, much to his chagrin.
"It's commercialization, materialization. The spirituality is lost,"
he said. "It is like eating salad and forgetting about the main
course."
This year was no different.
Outside the St. Mark's Church Wednesday evening, children, teenagers
and even adults, dressed like kings, princesses and zombies, roamed
around, baskets in hand, laughing and knocking on doors asking for
candies.
Inside the church, scattered through rows, few people, mostly elderly,
sat in attendance at a vigil Mass as the Rev. Urbaniak called upon
them to remember the saints and the faithful departed.
Jane Maneen, who lives in North Utica, was one of the few who attended
the 5:30 p.m. vigil Mass Wednesday. This is a religious obligation and
should not be forgotten, she said.
"You should never be too busy for religion," she said.
For many of those present at the church, they came because they had
lost someone close.
David and Carol Griffith were one such couple. Years ago, they had
lost their 7-month old daughter Julie. Their eyes filled with tears,
their voices trembling, they said they never forget to come to church
for All Saints Day.
"She is our personal saint," Carol Griffith.
"We come for her," David Griffith added.
All Saints Day has never really been on the American radar, said Prof.
Gustav Niebuhr, a professor of religious studies at Syracuse
University.
"It is overshadowed by Halloween," he said. "It is a very meaningful
day for those who observe it. It does not have the same prominence as
Easter."
Perhaps that's why the Rev. Arthur Hapanowicz never counts the number
of people who come on All Hallow's Eve to the Holy Trinity Church.
"I look at those who come," he said.
When he was in high school, which was a long, long time ago, he
remembered going to the morning Mass on All Saints' Day.
"Our parents reminded us of the holy days. We called them days of
obligation but it was an opportunity," he said.
As he prepared for the Mass on All Saints' Day, he remembered Mother
Theresa, and all the good people he had heard about or met.
"We remember those that we spent our lives with," he said. We remember
those good people and their example. And often their courage of never
giving up. That's hope that life does not end."
The Rev. Urbaniak is expecting around 300 people to attend church
today, the actual Holy Day. Twenty children will dress up as saints as
the church tries to maintain a tradition amid hope that the faithful
will return to fill the pews.
"It is a beautiful, meaningful thing," he said of the All Saints Day
celebration.
HOLIDAYS AND HOLY DAYS
HALLOWEEN
* According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Halloween, in ancient
Britain and Ireland, was a Celtic festival observed on Oct. 31
* The day is a celebration of ghosts and goblins marked by
trick-or-treating and dressing up in costumes by adults and children.
What is All Saints' Day?
* It is a day when Catholics and some other Christians remember the
Christian martyrs and saints and the departed.
* It originated around the year 800 to overshadow Halloween because
religious leaders at the time felt the pagan holidays were becoming
too popular.
Holy Days of Obligation
In addition to Sunday, Roman Catholics are expected to go to church on
these days:
* Jan. 1, Day marking Mary as the Mother of God.
* Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, Ascension.
* Aug. 15, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
* Nov. 1, All Saints.
* Dec. 8, Immaculate Conception.
* Dec. 25, Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas).
Source: United States Conference of Catholic BishopsAfter Army Spc.
John Sigsbee's death, families come together in grief
it has been an emotional week covering the tragedy, talking to people,
the family members, the friends and strangers. This is the unedited
version. underneath that I have copied what was published in the
Observer-Dispatch in Utica, NY.
Chinki Sinha
csinha@uticaod.com
An empty chair, Spiderman placemats, and creamed corn were carefully
laid out in memory of a lost son last holiday season, a ritual that's
repeated to keep Marine Sgt. Elisha Parker's memory alive each holiday
season. Twenty months have passed since he lost his life in Iraq. And
it hasn't been an easy road to recovery for mother Donna Parker.
"It was hard over the holidays," she said. "People can never forget."
And her heart goes out to the Sigsbee family that lost their
21-year-old son in the war last week. In her loss, she had turned to
friends and family, slowly pulling through the lull that the tragedy
brought in their lives, and learned to live and hope again by
revisiting the happy times she spent with her son, cooking his
favorite food, she said.
And that's what will help the Sigsbee family the most because it
helped her, Parker said.
"Little things. For John's family, those are important," she said.
"You just want to pull back and withdraw and pull back and it is good
to do that. Just take it at you own pace. It is a personal journey."
Sigsbee and Parker are joined by three other families in the Mohawk
Valley that lost their sons to the nearly five-year-old war in Iraq.
In 2003, Forestport residents Mary and Gregory Huxley, Sr. lost their
son 19-year-old son Pvt. Gregory Huxley, Jr. in the same war.
Everyone may handle their loss in their own way. Huxley does the
things he did with his son like snowboarding. He always carries a
picture of his son.
"There is not turning back on it," he said. "Memories are there everyday."
The pride hurts as much as the loss but Sigbees have a lot to be proud
of, Huxley said.
"All I can say is hug your family, reach out to them. That's all you
have left," he said. "He (Sigsbee) was an awesome guy. His parents
have a lot to be proud of."
On an average, about 10 family members are impacted when a soldier
dies. Often, for those grieving, it is important to share, to talk
about the loss, said Dan Sudnick business manager at TAPS, an
organization that helps families that have lost a member in the
military operations cope with the tragedy by connecting them with
similar groups.
"We counsel our families to remember the good life, the love," he
said. "We share those experiences. They bring in the scrapbook … it is
therapeutic. There are others who have gone through it. We try to take
that survivor and let him talk to a person in the same peer group."
Parkers turned to the organization to help them come out of the grief.
In the beginning, there were too many people, too many visitors, the
media. But then they all went back to their lives. It had started to
hurt then, the loss seemed to be magnified. Connecting with people
that had been through the same experience was a good decision, Parker
said.
"You might just go and listen," she said. "We got involved."
But even then, it is difficult. And when another mother loses a young
son, it brings it all back, evokes the memories, engulfing her in
emotions such as pain, pride and longing. And for families that have
suffered such loss, anytime a soldier's body is brought back, it
evokes what they have been through and it is all refreshed.
"The devastation, the sorrow, the pride … We know exactly what the
family is experiencing. Right now they are in a state of shock," she
said. "We have moved on. We have moved forward. But it (Sigsbee's
death) brings it all back. We just try."
Parker, 21, a Rome native, died in the Al Anbar province of Iraq while
performing combat operations against enemy forces in May, 2006. And
Parker remembers how she just went into a state of shock after the
news reached. Mechanically, she went through the legal paperwork that
needed to be done, talked to the media, to the neighbors, everything.
Looking back on it now, she wondered how could she have accomplished
all that when in her heart, she was hurt, she said.
"Afterwards, you break down. We do what we have to in the middle of a
crisis," Parker said. "You can just be moving through the day and stop
and think 'oh, he is gone'. But there is hope and recovery."
It was the community, friends and family that had been her armor
against the deluge of emotion she had been experiencing. They had
written notes, called, paid visits and it helped, she recalled.
"I guess it is important for you to surround yourself with people,"
she said. "I am sure the Sigsbees have a lot of support. They have us.
They can talk to us."
The Parkers plan to pay their tribute to the fallen soldier during the
calling hours Thursday at the Waterville High School auditorium.
Side bar
WATERVILLE - The Sigsbee family plan to start a scholarship in their
son's memory to be awarded to an engineering student from Waterville
Central School. And they are asking those who may bring in flowers to
pay their respects to Army Spc. John Sigsbee who died in Iraq last
week to consider a donation to John P. Sigsbee Memorial Fund.
After the news reached the small community in Waterville that one of
their own had lost their lives in the Iraq war, the life has slowed
down in the village. On Sunday at Sigsbee's homecoming, residents
stood out in their porches, on the sidewalks, and in their windows, to
thank the soldier and the family for their sacrifice.
And that expression has helped the grieving family in its own way.
Cindy Woods, who is Sigsbee's aunt, said the family was overwhelmed by
the outpouring.
"It restores your faith in people, strangers," she said. "The signs,
the flags … there were a lot of tears but they were of pride and
thanks. You feel everyone has wrapped their arms around you."
Woods flew from Atlanta Thursday to be with her sister's family.
For the family, Sigsbee was always an army guy. He enjoyed hunting,
target shooting and was a collector of anything "military". His
grandfather John Cornelius had served in two branches of the service.
And it is not just the Waterville community that will pay their
tributes to the fallen soldier Friday morning. Many others will join
them. Mark Bentz of the Kloster-Northrop & Bentz Funeral Home expects
about 600 people.
"That's the biggest we could find in the area," he said, referring to
the auditorium at the Waterville Central School. "The outpouring of
the community has really eased their burden."
The edited version of the story.
'People can never forget'
Families of 5 fallen servicemen linked by loss
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
csinha@uticaod.com
An empty chair, Spiderman placemats and creamed corn marked the spot
at the table where Marine Sgt. Elisha Parker of Camden used to sit.
Twenty months after the 21-year-old was killed in Iraq, rituals such
as placing his favorite items at the holiday dinner table help
Parker's family remember their son, his mother Donna Parker said.
"It was hard over the holidays," she said. "People can never forget."
On May 4, 2006, Elisha Parker was the fourth Mohawk Valley serviceman
to be killed in Iraq since the war began. On Wednesday, Spc. John
Sigsbee became the fifth.
Sigsbee's family now has begun a journey the other four families
already have shared.
And it hasn't been an easy road, Donna Parker said.
The Parker family has started to heal, she said, but when another
mother loses a son during the war, it brings it all back.
"The devastation, the sorrow, the pride," she said. "We know exactly
what the family is experiencing. Right now they are in a state of
shock. ... We have moved forward. But (Sigsbee's death) brings it all
back."
Every family handles the loss in their own way.
In 2003, Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr., son of Forestport residents Mary and
Gregory Huxley Sr., died in the Iraq war.
Now, Gregory Huxley Sr. remembers his 19-year-old son by doing
activities they used to enjoy together such as snowboarding and
fishing.
And he always carries his picture.
The pride hurts as much as the loss, he said, but the Huxleys and
Sigbees have a lot to be proud of, Huxley Sr. said.
"There is not turning back on it," he said. "All I can say is hug your
family, reach out to them. That's all you have left."
After a family member is killed, talking about the loss is important,
said Dan Sudnick, business manager at TAPS, an organization that
connects families whose loved ones died in the military operations and
helps them cope.
"We counsel our families to remember the good life, the love," he
said. "We share those experiences. They bring in the scrapbook … it is
therapeutic. There are others who have gone through it."
The group helped the Parkers after their son died, Donna Parker said.
In the beginning, many people were there — visitors, strangers, the media.
But then everyone else went back to their lives, and the loss seemed
to be magnified, she said.
Connecting with people who had been through a similar experience
helped, Parker said.
Friends and family slowly helped pull the Parkers through the tragedy,
she said. She now remembers the happy times with her son and cooks his
favorite food to be reminded of him, she said.
"Little things," she said. "For John's family, those are important.
You just want to pull back and withdraw, and it is good to do that.
Just take it at you own pace. It is a personal journey."
The Parkers plan to pay tribute to Sigsbee during the calling hours
Thursday at the Waterville Central School, she said.
"I guess it is important for you to surround yourself with people,"
she said. "I am sure the Sigsbees have a lot of support. They have us.
They can talk to us."
martin luther king and his dream ... why we are afraid of dreaming
in the church that evening, there were a but a few members, mostly
elderly and almost all of them were African-American except for a lone
white woman. To them, the tribute service in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. held hope and pride and some dignity in the face of
their tough lives.
and Deacon Patterson-Moyer said to me how growing up as an
African-American in America, in Utica is not easy. You confront
segregation and racism at so many levels. And there's so much to be
done still.
And it is important to dream like once Dr. King did. And it is
important to tell youself "I am somebody" so you don't get lost, she
said.
Annie Bell grew up in Alabama. Born in 1940 in the deep south, she
moved up north when she was 18. But it wasn't any better here. Blacks
were still being judged, she recalled.
And so it is now, she said.
At the St. Paul's Baptist Church on Sunday, she spoke about her life
and the times where color came in the way of how people percieved her,
when she, an individual, ceased to exist and only her color with all
its stereotypes remained.
how when she walked into stores, they watched her as if she would
steal something, she said.
in her part of the town, the media and us label it as Cornhill, which
is akin to ghetto town, only bad things happen, only criminals live
and walk the streets.
"It is not that bad," she told me.
Perhaps it will take us a lifetime to learn, to see through the
barriers of color.
We have not lived the dream. We weren't let to. the dream has been
spoken about, but seldom lived.
Sitting at the backk of the church, while they sang and clapped and
dreamed yet again, I felt sad and frustrated and angry. I was sent to
cover the event. But would I be able to fill in all that emotion, all
those failures and yet the resilience of the human spirit that echoed
"I am somebody" and lurched forward in the 15 inches that were
assinged, marked for the event.
Mesmerised, I sat there watching the deacon call upon the members to
start dreaming again, and to start living the dream.
King had dreamt of a world where people would not be judged by the
color of their skin.
But we still define suspects as "Black", though we seldom use "white".
Being white is such a privilege afterall.
But i still have some hope. Annie Bell is hopeful too of a better
world, where she will truly be "somebody" and not just a "poor, black
woman". I have hope in her faith, in her unshaken spirit that was
never crushed because it dares to dream yet again, all over again.
iraq war and us - changing opinions, shifting landscape
Perhaps this has been one of the toughest stories to cover so far. The
war to me is totally unjustified, a mere exercise in military power
and a whimsical, quixotic adventure. Or maybe another imperialist
nation making inroads into what many of its citizens calls a society
that is 200 years behind them. trust me a senator said that. Probably
he needs a history lesson or more so a lesson in probably not being so
arrogant.
when sgt. sigsbee died, I wrote a couple of stories on community
outpouring for the slain soldier.
i had been on the phone with a friend who asked me what these rural
communities think about the war. i said i see yellow ribbons at many
places, bumper stickers on cars behind me, or in front of me when we
all waited for the traffic light to turn green.
we need to do that story, i said. and then the newspaper assignmed me
this story. it was difficult subject to approach given the recent
death and given my own stand.
i spoke to many people. i did not use them all in the story. it took
me two days, lots of frustrations and a lot of holding back my own
emotions when i did my interviews.
i always save an unedited version because i feel most of the times the
most important stuff gets edited out. the unedited version is below.
Chinki Sinha
csinha@uticaod.com
Five years of Iraq war. Five servicemen killed.
As the Mohawk Valley prepares to bury another fallen soldier, many
residents have spoken about their sense of loss. As they mourn Army
Cpl. John Sigsbee, they also question whether the toll of the war is
too much to bear.
"Each person that is lost, it reopens the wound and makes us wonder,"
Rev. John Hogan of St. John the Baptist Church in Rome said. "I think
people are beginning to see this. They are beginning to see the
difference."
Sigsbee died in Iraq last week. Friends, neighbors and strangers
filled the streets Sunday in his hometown of Waterville to pay their
respects to the soldier as his body was brought home. Flags flew at
half mast throughout the village. Those who stood on the side streets
or filled the alleyways carried little flags, waving them as the body
passed them, thanking the soldier for his sacrifice.
The frigid cold did not hold them back nor did the church services. A
few even stepped out in the middle of Sunday services to pay tribute
to Sigsbee. About 600 people are expected to attend Sigsbee's funeral
Friday at 10 a.m. at the Waterville Central School auditorium. The
calling hours are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the same
location.
Iraq war has been a subject of debate in the political arena. But
following the deaths of five servicemen in the area, residents now
feel they have a stake in the issue that has been magnified in their
loss.
The introduction to the horror of losing someone you knew, met on the
side streets, or attended school with, someone who was the nice
neighborhood guy, began in 2003 when Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr. of
Forestport died. That brought the war right to their doorstep.
Hogan of the St. John Baptist Church recalled how his heart sank when
he heard Army National Guard Sgt. Michael A. Uvanni, 27, of Rome was
killed in Iraq in 2004.
He gave the homily then and he had felt a lot of eyes on him that
looked up to him to help them make sense of the war, he said.
"For days you could feel the loss," he said. "Michael Uvanni's death
changed this community. A real life flesh and blood young man was
killed."
The Mohawk Valley that has been proud and patriotic, has also seen
solid opposition to the war from early on, said John Zogby of
Utica-based Zogby International, a polling firm.
In the recent years, Zogby said he has seen a lot of questioning of the war.
"Without doubt, there is questioning," he said.
But it is in urban areas such as Rome, Utica and parts of Herkimer and
Little Falls, that the opposition to the war is greater than in rural
areas where many residents support the war, he said.
"Smaller, rural areas tend to be more conservative," he said. "I
haven't zeroed in on Waterville specifically or Camden but clearly in
rural areas support for the war is greater."
Colgate Professor Andy Rotter agrees that urban areas are more
forthcoming in denouncing the war but in recent years, he said, there
is a shift in how people perceive the Iraq war.
Anecdotally, the commitment to the war has strengthened in rural
communities because they also see a personal stake in it, he said.
"The values of independence, of freedom, it is stronger in rural
communities," Rotter said.
These areas also send disproportionate numbers of men and women into
the army, he said.
In traversing the streets, and the neighborhoods, yellow ribbons and
bumper stickers calling out for brining the troops back home can't be
missed. But anti-war signs are also aplenty. Black, bold letters
scribbled on stop signs in parts of the city cry out loud 'Stop War'.
But people are still afraid of being misunderstood. In a community
that's largely rural, it is a difficult decision to come out in the
open with one's position on the war in Iraq.
After a year of thinking back and forth, the Rev. John Hogan decided
to publicly state his opposition to the war in Iraq a few weeks ago.
But he is still uncomfortable of putting up a sign that says "Bring
Our Troops Home Now" in the front law of the rectory.
"It is still sitting in my office," he said. "I support our troops.
But there are a lot of mixed feelings."
But Doug Cowburn, a Waterville native and a Vietnam War veteran,
proudly displays his Vietnam War sticker on his window.
"I don't believe this war is going nowhere," he said. "We are taking
action. We have to protect America and our way of life."
In fact, Cowburn, 56, who is a pastor at Southgate Ministries, went to
register to serve as a chaplain in the military soon after 9/11 but
wasn't enlisted, he said.
"I would do it all over again," he said. "There is a lot more
patriotism than you see."
New Hartford resident Danyse Fusco supports the war. Though she
doesn't display a bumper sticker on her car, she sends packages to the
men serving in Iraq. That's her way of support, she said.
"Nobody likes war," she said. "I think the support is waning. People
have put it on their backburner. I think it has been too easy for
them. War is a necessity."
But 20-year-old Celina Fuller, a West Winfield resident, feels so many
people are dying in the war, it is not worth it.
"I am not really for it," she said.
In 2003, Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr., 19, of Forestport died, when an
Iraqi rocket-propelled grenade hit his squad's personnel carrier. Then
it was Army Capt. George A. Wood, 33, of Marcy died, when his tank
rolled over an explosive. Then it was Uvanni died in 2004 and Marine
Sgt. Elisha Parker of Camden who was slain in 2006 in Iraq.
Over the years, church leaders have seen people change their stand. It
did not begin immediately, they said.
But as more men died in their neighborhoods, they started to feel if
the war was the right way to go. In years following Uvanni's death,
Hogan said many of his parish members said how they support the troops
as he does, but they think the war must end, he said.
In a statement Congressman Mike Arcuri, D-Utica, said he has heard
people wanting to bring the troops home. He had previously talked
about brining the troops back to the country.
"John Sigsbee and his family represent the best our country has to
offer," Arcuri said in a statement. "It is a tragedy that the war in
Iraq continues to take the lives of our most promising young men and
women."
Methodist Church Minister Robert Wollaber said he has seen the opinion
on war change in his Little Falls and Ilion where he serves.
"Most people I talk to are in favor of pulling out," he said. "It is
time for us to leave. With the recent death, it is taking a toll."
Cindy Sheehan, a gold star mother who lost her son Casey Sheehan in
the Iraq war, publicly spoke against the war.
And many more such mothers, fathers, friends have gone the Sheehan way
since. But for many others that have lost a son, a daughter, a father
or a husband, not supporting the war is like not recognizing the
sacrifice.
In their sadness and in their sacrifice, they defend the war fiercely,
Rotter said.
"They need to cover their own doubt," he said. "I have sympathy for them."
Who and why
Andy Rotter said there are a variety of reasons why men and women from
such communities would enlist in the military, including poverty. It
is also perceived as an easy way towards upward social mobility, he
said.
"The military appeals to many young people who see the military as a
way upwards," he said. "They see it as an opportunity."
It is in these areas that the support for war has always been strong,
even before the kids went off to war, he said.
In many cases, serving in the military has been a long family
tradition with grandfathers and fathers as ex-servicemen, Rotter said.
It is also for reasons to show their masculinity that some men join
the military, he said.
But low-income minority groups may think otherwise. Traditionally, the
African-American voters have voted for democrats. To them, the
trillions that are being spent to fund the war that has no closure,
could be spent on health care or building public infrastructure.
"A sense … the war not doing anything for the minorities," he said.
"Then it becomes difficult for them to support quixtoic adventure."
my sign waits
ROME - After a year of thinking back and forth, the Rev. John Hogan
decided to publicly state his opposition to the war in Iraq. But he is
still uncomfortable of putting up a sign that say "Bring Our Troops
Home Now" in the front law of the rectory.
"It is still sitting in my office," he said. "I support our troops.But
there are a lot of mixed feelings."
Hogan, a minister at St. John the Baptist Church, had given the homily
at Army National Guard Sgt. Michael Uvanni, a Rome native killed in
combat in Samarra, Iraq, in Oct. 2004. When he heard a Rome native was
killed, his hear sank, he recalled.
"For days you could feel the loss," he said. "Michael Uvanni's death
changed this community. It brought it to our doorstep. A real life
flesh and blood young man was killed."
He sees many bumper stickers, yellow ribbons and signs all around him.
He never knew what to make of those, he said.
But over the five years, during which the Mohawk Valley lost five of
its young men, he has seen people questioning the war, expressing
their disillusionment with it, promoted by the loss of one of their
own, he said.
"Each person that is lost, it reopens the wound and makes us wonder," he said.
My war sticker
When Doug Cowburn returned home after serving in the Vietnam War in
1972, there were no jobs, the economy was heading into a recession and
it was a tough time.
Cowburn, 56, ended up taking a job at a maintenance facility, which
did not pay much. A trade school degree later, he was in better
position than many other veterans who had turned to drugs and alcohol
as a way to deal with the situation.
He had felt betrayed then. The media had not been reporting their
stories and the support at home had been waning, he said.
"The war that wasn't supported then was the Vietnam War," he said.
"Vietnam War veterans have been mistreated. We have been working odd
jobs. We did not receive jobs. They never even gave a discharge
benefit."
Now a minister at the Southgate Ministries at Waterville, he feels war
is a terrible thing, but it is also necessary to protect America. So,
he supports the troops, he said.
"It takes brave men and women to fight for the country. Some give the
ultimate sacrifice," he said. "I support the war on terrorism. We
can't just send out our men and say we are not going to support them."
Cowburn was in the same 101st Airborne Division 32nd Cavalry Unit that
Army Cpl. John Sigsbee was. It was just a different war, he said.
"War hasn't changed," he said. "The best men come forward and the
worst things happen."
the edited version as it appeared jan. 24, 2008
Region reflects on war's cost
Jan 23, 2008 @ 10:52 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
Five years. Five servicemen killed.
As the Mohawk Valley prepares to bury another fallen soldier Friday,
many residents have spoken about their sense of loss. And as they
mourn Army Cpl. John Sigsbee,some also have questioned whether the
toll of the Iraq war is too high.
"Each person that is lost, it reopens the wound and makes us wonder,"
the Rev. John Hogan of St. John the Baptist Church in Rome said. "I
think people are beginning to see this."
Sigsbee of Waterville died in Iraq last week. Friends, neighbors and
strangers filled the streets Sunday in his hometown to pay their
respects to the soldier as his body was returned home.
Flags flew at half staff throughout the village. Residents carried
small flags, waving them as the hearse passed, thanking the soldier
for his sacrifice.
Mohawk Valley residents are proud and patriotic, said John Zogby of
Utica-based polling firm Zogby International. But opposition to the
war has grown here, he said.
"Without doubt, there is questioning," he said.
As of Wednesday, 3,931 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq during the
war that began March 20, 2003.
The Rev. Robert Wollaber of Morning Star United Methodist churches in
Ilion and Frankfort said he has seen the opinion on the war change in
the community.
"Most people I talk to are in favor of pulling out," he said. "It is
time for us to leave. With the recent death, it is taking a toll."
Fallen servicemen
About 600 people are expected to attend Sigsbee's funeral at 10 a.m.
Friday at Waterville Central School. Calling hours will be from 4 to 8
p.m. today at the school.
The 21-year-old Purple Heart recipient was killed along with two other
soldiers during combat operations Wednesday, Jan. 16, in Balad, Iraq,
according to Army reports.
Sigsbee had suffered numerous burns in 2006 after the tank he was in
was heavily damaged by a roadside bomb, but he chose to return to Iraq
as a member of the 101st Airborne Division 32nd Cavalry Unit.
"John Sigsbee and his family represent the best our country has to
offer," Rep. Mike Arcuri, D-Utica, said in a statement. "It is a
tragedy that the war in Iraq continues to take the lives of our most
promising young men and women."
Arcuri said he often hears from area residents who want to bring the
troops home.
Mohawk Valley residents first experienced the toll of the war in 2003,
when Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr. of Forestport was killed. Army Capt.
George A. Wood, 33, of Marcy died later that year.
Those deaths were followed by Army National Guard Sgt. Michael A.
Uvanni, 27, of Rome in 2004, and Marine Sgt. Elisha Parker, 21, of
Camden, in 2006.
The Rev. Hogan recalled how his heart sank when he heard about Uvanni's death.
When he gave the homily at Uvanni's funeral, a lot of people were
looking at him to help them make sense of the war, he said.
"For days, you could feel the loss," he said. "Michael Uvanni's death
changed this community. A real life flesh and blood young man was
killed."
Hogan recently decided to publicly state his opposition to the war,
but he still is uncomfortable putting up a sign that says "Bring Our
Troops Home Now" on the front lawn of the rectory.
"It is still sitting in my office," he said. "I support our troops.
But there are a lot of mixed feelings."
Community support
The Rev. Douglas Cowburn of Waterville served during the Vietnam War
in the 101st Airborne Division 32nd Cavalry Unit, decades before
Sigsbee would join the same unit.
Today, Cowburn, 56, plans to attend the calling hours to pay respect
to the soldier. The minister at Southgate Ministries in Waterville
said war is a terrible thing, but it is also necessary to protect
America.
"It takes brave men and women to fight for the country. Some give the
ultimate sacrifice," he said. "I support the war on terrorism."
New Hartford resident Danyse Fusco said she also supports the war and
sends packages to members of the military serving in Iraq.
"Nobody likes war," she said. "I think the support is waning. People
have put it on their backburner. I think it has been too easy for
them. War is a necessity."
The Rev. Tenolian R. Bell of St. Paul's Baptist Church in Utica has
been following the war closely ever since it started, he said.
The war is wrong, he said.
"I definitely support the troops but not the war," he said. "Jesus'
stand would be there's no good reason to take a life. It is against
Christianity."
While opposition to the war has grown in urban areas such as Utica,
Rome and their suburbs, support remains strong in rural areas, Zogby
said.
"Smaller, rural areas tend to be more conservative," Zogby said. "I
haven't zeroed in on Waterville specifically or Camden but clearly in
rural areas support for the war is greater."
Rural areas also send disproportionate numbers of men and women into
the army, Colgate University history professor Andy Rotter said.
"The military appeals to many young people who see the military as a
way upwards," he said. "They see it as an opportunity."
In many cases, serving in the military also has been a long family
tradition, Rotter said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
far from a multi-cultural economy/ problems facing minority businesses
and issues of race and discrimination
An unedited version of the article on minority financing in the region
and the role of racism and stereotypes.
UTICA - Business ownership continues to elude minorities in the Mohawk Valley.
At a time when the number of businesses owned by minority groups has
increased nationwide, the region's various racial groups and ethnic
groups have lagged behind.
In 2002, there were only 23 black-owned companies in Oneida County
with paid employees, according to the latest available census data.
These firms employed about 274 people, a tiny fraction of the region's
overall workforce.
The number of Hispanic-owned and Asian-owned businesses was so small
as to not even register in the census data.
Put another way, virtually every Mohawk Valley business employing
people is owned by someone white. And virtually every worker in our
area is employed by a white-owned firm.
Such a gap can be attributed to many reasons, all contributing toward
a cycle that is often hard to break, experts say:
ä Median incomes for people of color are substantially lower in the
Utica-Rome-Herkimer area than for white people. In the 2000 census,
the median income for blacks was only two-thirds the median income for
whites.
ä Loan denial rates are high in the African-American community. With
little start-up capital to initiate and grow a business, and low net
worth, it is often difficult to secure loans for a business for these
individuals.
ä Many minority-owned businesses are also low-growth ventures such as
restaurants, food stores and personal services based on a sole
proprietorship model, Betsy Zeidman, director of the Center for
Emerging Domestic Markets at Milken Institute, a non-partisan think
tank, said.
"It is a vicious cycle of what do you start with," she said.
"African-Americans and Hispanics start with lower capital. You have
more businesses started by whites."
For the region's large number of low-income black families,
asset-building is often difficult.
"On the local level, we don't have a very broad middle class. The
majority of the African American population in this area is at or
below the poverty level," Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, the publisher of
Utica Phoenix, said.
When resources are lacking, it is a challenge to build a good credit
history or to put money down in any venture, she said.
A History of Emerging Foreign Markets, a report by Milken Institute,
says ethnic, female and low-income entrepreneurs have less access to
equity and debt capital than do white, male and more affluent business
owners and loans secured by African-Americans are of a lesser amount
than those accorded to white borrowers. In addition, black-owned
businesses also face discrimination in interest rates with some type
of lenders, the report states.
According to the report, there were unexplained differences in denial
rates between minority and white-owned firms.
It quotes Lloyd Blanchard, Bo Zhao, and John Yinger's study,
"discrimination in small business lending may take the form of
statistical discrimination, driven by lenders' stereotypes about the
ability of black-and-hispanic-owned businesses to succeed under some
circumstances."
While one's assets could be a determining factor when it comes to
securing financing,racial discrimination could be a big part of it
too, Harris-Lockwood said.
"There's underlying bias," she said. "It is a tough, tough situation.
A lot has to do with the notion that they are poor, uneducated and not
business savvy which is not the case."
In fact, of all minority groups, it is most difficult for black people
to access loans, Zeidman said.
"It is easier for Asians," she said. "I can say some research has
demonstrated that there is some discrimination. It is believed to be
out there as a factor and has to do with networks with relationships."
But the gap that was wider is closing in as more financial
institutions realize the new emerging market where minorities play an
important role, she said.
Steve DiMeo of Mohawk Valley EDGE said there is help available for
small and minority-owned businesses such as Minority- and Women-owned
Business Enterprises (MWBE) program that was instituted in 1988in New
York State and renewed for more then 15 years in 2003.
But the region's predominantly white population could be a reason why
there are such few minority-owned businesses, he said.
"Minority community is not that big here to begin with," he said.
In 2006, the number of whites stood at 212,758 as against 215,781 in
2000. In the same time period, the numbers of Blacks increased by 118
from 14,098 in 2000 to 14,216 in 2006 and those of Asians increased
from 2,829 to 3,372, according to census figures.
Stereotypes are restrictive
Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Firms: 2002, a report
publishedby the Census, says that between 1997 and 2002, the number
ofblack-owned businesses in the United States increased by 45 percent
to1.2 million. The combined revenue grew by 25 percent to $88.8
billion.
But in the Mohawk Valley, that trend is not reflected. (we need
numbers here. I can't find those)
Some feel the region has a long way to go in terms of bridging racial
divide and eliminating perceptions that hinder minority communities
and particularly the African-American community from accessing
financial help.
Historically blacks have encountered racism in this community and may
have become discouraged to start a business, Patrick Johnson, who is
YWCA's racial justice director, said.
"The Mohawk Valley just simply has a history and a reputation of
notbeing welcoming for black people," he said. "We have to lookat the
history of the black people in this community and see what they have
been allowed to do."
Utica resident Courtney Muhammad said it is not surprising to know
there are so few black-owned businesses in the area. It is the
stereotypes, he said.
Muhammad, who is African-American, used to own his own retail store
but pulled the shutters down in 1993 for personal reasons. Now, he is
again thinking of starting a venture but without depending on a loan
and with saved-up cash, he said.
"If we did try to get the capital, nobody would give it to us," he
said. "The perception is reality."
Again, another issue that comes in the way of success is the support
within its community, he said.
"We don't support our own," he said. "Some white won't come to your store."
There is low self-esteem and the mindset that in the white-owned
businesses, the products and services are of superior quality is a
discouraging factor, he said.
The region's black people's history
It is the unusual migration pattern of black people to this region
that have a lot to do with so few African-American-owned businesses in
the community, Harris-Lockwood said.
In the days when agriculture had not been machined, a lot
ofAfrican-American laborers from the Deep South moved up here in
hopesof getting work and for a better life. But as the industry relied
moreon machines than labor, these migrant workers were left without
jobs. With little or no education, they had limited job opportunities
and no money to risk, she said.
Coming from a family where most members are college-educated and
having gone to college herself, Harris-Lockwood has encountered
discrimination herself, she said.
"I end up being subject to the same overall discrimination,"
Harris-Lockwood said.
In such a climate, it is no wonder that the numbers are low, she said.
Other minorities
While the region has seen an increase in its Hispanic population over
the years, there were a negligible number of Hispanic-owned companies,
according to the census.
Almost 12 percent of Utica's population is foreign born, and more than
20 percent of the region speaks a language other than English,
according to the 2000 Census figures.
Between 2000 and 2006 Oneida County's Hispanic population increased by
17 percent to 8,876 residents, and constitutes about 4 percent of the
population.
Language could be a barrier for some of the minority groups such as
Hispanics. In many cases, minority groups have limited themselves to
small businesses that are based on a sole-proprietorship model and
often employ family members, according to experts, one reason why the
number of people employed by minority business-owners is low.
Hilaria Soto, who is originally from Dominican Republic, is one such
business owner. She runs her restaurant El Barajo on Bleecker Street
with the help from her family members.
Soto moved to Utica form New Jersey two years ago tempted by the
city's not-so-fast life. She had capital to start the business, which
did not require a huge investment, she said.
"It is a quiet town to raise your children," she said. "So we come."
Most minority-owned businesses are either grocery stores or
restaurants given the challenges of securing a funding for larger
ventures. But even then, the challenges posed by prevailing
stereotypes are many. For Motaher Ismail, an immigrant from Yemen,
9/11 was a testing time, his wife, Debra Ismail said.
Ismail came to Utica in 1998. His first stop was New York City but
after he visited his friend in Whitesboro, he decided to stay on.
After saving up enough money to start his venture form his job at a
grocery store, he opened Ismail Market on Albany Street in 2003.
His wife Debra Ismail and a cousin Mahdi Kassam, who works part time,
help him out, he said.
"The neighborhood did not like him in the beginning. The business was
slow," Debra said. "It is OK now."
Beyond the race tag
Emma McNeil
Ruby Excavating Co. Inc.
Emma McNeil wants to break through the color barrier. An
African-American business owner, she wants the community to notice her
work, judge her on her merit rather than her minority status.
"We want to break that," she said. "The playing field should be
leveled. It is not that the people have no skills"
The Newport resident started her excavating business in December,
2007. It hasn't been an easy road and financing without a good credit
score was a concern. Also, in a community that is not used to seeing a
minority-owned excavating business, it takes a lot of convincing to be
taken seriously, she said.
"Without the financing, your hands are tied," she said. "I faced
difficulty when it came to bonding. Those are the things that hold you
back."
But McNeil and her husband Fred have surged forward despite the
obstacles and hope they will be successful. Currently, their company
employs five people and have one contract, McNeil said.
It took a lot of courage and thought to launch their venture. Her
husband had worked in excavating business before and McNeil herself
had over 30 years of experience in administrative work.
"We had to make ends meet," she said. "Lot of times you go for what you know."
And it is not just the typical business challenges that McNeil has to
face. The bias, the prejudice and the minority tag are added
obstacles.
"We all face obstacles," she said. "They are not used to minority
doing this. It is tough. It was a difficult decision but then I looked
around and I saw other minorities opening their businesses."
"I have a thick skin"
Thomas A. Rezels
Revels T-Gibson Funeral Services
Thomas A. Rezels considers him fortunate to be doing well in his
funeral home business that he started in 1991. He had the benefit of a
college degree, a good job in New York City with good savings and a
guaranteed income for life. He could afford to make an investment
unlike others in his community, he said.
"I was probably more fortunate than other people," he said. "It wasn't
that easy but it was not impossible."
With a clientele that's 99 percent African-American, his business is
an ethnocentric one and as such no competition. But had he ventured
into any other, maybe his race could have come in his way, he said.
"We live in America. Racism is part of the culture here," he said. "My
skin is a little thick. I have always been minority in a crowd."
Rezels feels the African-American community in Utica does not have
many opportunities and crippled by lack of a personal wealth and a
good credit rating, members of the community can't make the best of
any that may exist, he said.
With jobs leaving the area, there aren't many black professionals who
can make an investment in a business and take the risk. In Utica, most
of the black community is poor and not well-educated, something that
can be traced to their parents or grandparents who came as migrant
workers from Deep South and did not have a high level of education. To
get over and beyond limiting factors such as personal wealth and
education, it will take generations, he said.
"It takes generations to get to a point to own a business, to even
think about doing it," he said. "Most African-Americans in Utica are
not prepared to make that investment."
few black-owned businesses in the area points out to the issues of
race, color and America's history of minority groups
The edited version as it was published in the Utica Observer-Dispatch
on Feb. 17, 2008. I am also copying some of the comments that readers
posted.
Whites own almost all area firms
Feb 16, 2008 @ 10:33 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA – Business ownership continues to elude minorities in the Mohawk Valley.
At a time when the number of firms owned by minority groups has
increased nationwide, the region's various racial groups and ethnic
groups have lagged behind.
In 2002, there were only 23 black-owned companies in Oneida County
with paid employees, according to the latest available census data.
These firms employed about 274 people, a tiny fraction of the region's
overall work force. Experts: Traditional methods not working
The number of local Hispanic-owned and Asian-owned businesses were so
small, they did not register in the census data.
Put another way, virtually every Mohawk Valley business employing
people is owned by someone white.
And virtually every worker in our area is employed at a white-owned firm.
Such a gap can be attributed to many reasons, all contributing toward
a cycle that is often hard to break, experts say:
-- Median incomes for people of color are substantially lower in the
Utica-Rome area than for white people. In the 2000 census, the median
income for blacks was only two-thirds the median income for whites.
-- Loan denial rates are high in the black community. With little
start-up capital to initiate and grow a business, and low net worth,
it is often difficult to secure loans for businesses for these
individuals.
--Many minority-owned businesses are based on a sole proprietorship.
These are low-growth ventures such as restaurants, food stores and
providers of personal services, said Betsy Zeidman, director of the
Center for Emerging Domestic Markets at Milken Institute, a Santa
Monica, Calif.-based nonpartisan think tank.
"It is a vicious cycle of what do you start with," she said.
"African-Americans and Hispanics start with lower capital. You have
more businesses started by whites."
For the region's low-income black families, asset-building is often difficult.
"On the local level, we don't have a very broad middle class," said
Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, the publisher of the Utica Phoenix
newspaper and a black woman who has led efforts to even the playing
field for blacks in the construction trades. The 2000 census showed
close to half of local blacks lived below the poverty line.
When resources are lacking, it is a challenge to build a good credit
history or to put money down in any venture, Harris-Lockwood said.
Bias in lending?
In the 1997 Economic Census, the Mohawk Valley had 30 black-owned
companies employing a total of 296 people. That employment total
represented just 0.31 percent of all local workers, census figures
showed.
Five years later, the number of black-owned firms employing people
dropped by seven, to 23 firms, the census shows. And nearly 50 fewer
people were employed by such firms, which had total annual sales of
$16.5 million, according to census figures.
By contrast, the number of black-owned firms jumped nationwide between
1997 and 2002 by about 45 percent.
Some of the obstacles to minority business ownership locally exist
across the country. A report by the Milken Institute says ethnic,
female and low-income entrepreneurs have less access to equity and
debt capital than do white, male and more affluent business owners.
Often, loans secured by blacks are smaller than those accorded to
white borrowers, the study found. In addition, black-owned businesses
also face discrimination in interest rates with some lenders, the
report states.
It quotes another study by Lloyd Blanchard, Bo Zhao and John Yinger
that states, "Discrimination in small business lending may take the
form of statistical discrimination, driven by lenders' stereotypes
about the ability of black- and Hispanic-owned businesses to succeed
under some circumstances."
While one's assets could be a determining factor when it comes to
securing financing, racial discrimination could be a part of it, too,
Harris-Lockwood said.
"There's underlying bias," she said. "It is a tough, tough situation.
A lot has to do with the notion that they are poor, uneducated and not
business savvy, which is not the case." In their own words...
In fact, of all minority groups, it is most difficult for black people
to access loans, Zeidman said.
"It is easier for Asians," she said. "I can say some research has
demonstrated that there is some discrimination. It is believed to be
out there as a factor and has to do with networks with relationships."
Nationwide, the gap is closing somewhat. More financial institutions
are realizing the benefits of reaching out to minorities in an
increasingly diverse country, she said.
Number of minorities
Steven DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, a Rome-based economic
development group for Oneida and Herkimer counties, said there is help
available for small and minority-owned businesses such as the
Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises program instituted in
1988.
But the region's predominantly white population could be a reason why
there are such few minority-owned businesses, he said.
"The minority community is not that big here to begin with," he said.
In 2006, the number of whites stood at 212,758 as against 215,781 in
2000, census estimates show.
In the same time period, the numbers of blacks increased by 118 from
14,098 in 2000 to 14,216, and the number of Asians increased from
2,829 to 3,372, according to census figures.
In Utica, minorities make up at least 20 percent of the population.
Much of the rest of the Mohawk Valley region is far less diverse.
Almost 12 percent of Utica's population is foreign born, and more than
20 percent of the region speaks a language other than English,
according to the 2000 census figures.
Some minority leaders say the region has a long way to go in terms of
bridging the racial divide and eliminating perceptions that hinder
people of color and particularly the black community from accessing
financial help.
'Not being welcoming'
Historically, blacks have encountered racism in this community and
might have become discouraged to start a business, YWCA of the Mohawk
Valley Racial Justice Director Patrick Johnson said.
"The Mohawk Valley just simply has a history and a reputation of not
being welcoming for black people," he said. "We have to look at the
history of the black people in this community and see what they have
been allowed to do."
Johnson did cite some improvement, including a greater willingness by
local leaders to acknowledge racial inequality in recent years.
Utica resident Courtney Muhammad said it is not surprising to know
there are so few black-owned businesses in the area. He cites
continuing stereotyping as a factor.
Muhammad, who is black, used to own his own retail store but closed it
in 1993 for personal reasons. Now, he is again thinking of starting a
venture, but without depending on a loan and with saved-up cash, he
said.
"If we did try to get the capital, nobody would give it to us," he
said. "The perception is reality."
Another issue that gets in the way of success is the level of support
within the community, he said.
"We don't support our own," he said. A number of blacks have low
self-esteem and possess the mindset that in a white-owned business,
the products and services are of superior quality, he said.
Language barrier
While the region has seen an increase in its Hispanic population
recently, there were a negligible number of Hispanic-owned companies
in the last census survey.
Between 2000 and 2006, Oneida County's Hispanic population increased
by 17 percent to 8,876 residents, or about 4 percent of the
population.
Hilaria Soto, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, is a
local Hispanic business owner. She runs her restaurant, El Barajo, on
Bleecker Street with the help from her family members.
Soto moved to Utica from New Jersey two years ago, drawn by the city's
not-so-fast life. She had capital to start the business, which did not
require a huge investment, she said.
"It is a quiet town to raise your children," she said. "So we come."
Business owner: 'You go for what you know'
Emma McNeil
Ruby Excavating Co. Inc.
Emma McNeil wants to break through the color barrier. A new black
business owner, she wants the community to notice her work and judge
her on her merits rather than on her minority status.
"We want to break that," she said. "The playing field should be
leveled. It is not that the people have no skills."
The Newport resident started her excavating business in December. It
hasn't been an easy road, and obtaining financing without a good
credit score was a concern. Also, in a region that is not used to
seeing a minority-owned excavating business, it takes a lot of
convincing to be taken seriously, she said.
"Without the financing, your hands are tied," she said. "I faced
difficulty when it came to bonding. Those are the things that hold you
back."
McNeil and her husband, Fred, said their company employs five people
and have one contract.
Her husband had worked in the excavating business before, and McNeil
herself had more than 30 years of experience in administrative work.
"We had to make ends meet," she said. "Lots of times you go for what you know."
Funeral home operator: 'My skin is a little thick'
Thomas A. Revels
Revels T-Gibson |Funeral Services
Thomas A. Revels considers himself fortunate to be doing well in his
funeral home business that he started in 1991.
He had the benefit of a college degree, a good job in New York City
and plenty of savings. He could afford to make an investment unlike
others in his community, he said.
"I was probably more fortunate than other people," he said. "It wasn't
that easy but it was not impossible."
With a clientele that's 99 percent black, his Revels T-Gibson Funeral
Services business is an ethnocentric one and, as such, has no
competition, he said.
But had he ventured into any other field, maybe his race could have
gotten in his way, Revels said.
"We live in America. Racism is part of the culture here," he said. "My
skin is a little thick. I have always been a minority in a crowd."
Revels said the black community in Utica does not have many
opportunities, and feels crippled by a lack of personal wealth and
good credit rating. With jobs leaving the area, there aren't many
black professionals who can make an investment in a business and take
the risk, he said.
Much of the black community is poor and not well-educated, something
that can be traced to their parents or grandparents who came as
migrant workers from the Deep South and did not have a high level of
education, he said.
Getting ahead with limiting factors such as personal wealth and
education will take decades, Revels said.
"It takes generations to get to a point to own a business, to even
think about doing it," he said. "Most African-Americans in Utica are
not prepared to make that investment."
UTICA – When it comes to hiring minorities, employers in the Mohawk
Valley might not be reaching out in the right way, some experts say.
Often, employers may be relying on traditional methods of recruitment
such as newspaper or online advertisements, but the diverse population
might not be using such tools in their job search, business owner
Susan Woods said.
Woods, who is black, said the result is work forces that are primarily
white. Take one trip to a department store at the mall and the racial
divide is quite evident when you look at who's working there, Woods
said.
"Corporations haven't done enough in terms of reaching out to the
minority," Woods said. "So many things can be done — just making sure
employment opportunities are communicated."
The region's minority population has increased over the years to about
13 percent of the overall population, but most local minorities are
concentrated in Utica.
The state Labor Department could not provide a breakdown of the local
work force by race, but business leaders and other concerned parties
see room for improvement in terms of hiring people of color.
Representation of minorities in the work force in the region needs to
improve, said attorney A.J. Bosman, who has worked on several racial
discrimination cases.
In many cases, sending out a white male to recruit is not the best
idea if companies want to diversify their work force, Bosman said.
Minorities might not come forward if they don't see one of their own
as part of the recruiting team, she said.
"Part of it is how you recruit," Bosman said. "Identification is important."
She added: "Set forth an example. Unless there is willingness to
self-examine and to self-educate, we are not going to have work
environments we are proud of."
In government departments, police forces and school boards, minority
representa tion is either not evident or is limited to a few members,
she said.
"There is an unwillingness to reach for that goal," Bosman said.
A key to incorporating true diversity is to create a work environment
that does not ostracize a person of color, but accepts diversity. In
many cases, minorities have had rocky experiences and therefore are
reluctant to respond to advertisements for job openings, Woods said.
"They have not been accepted," she said.
— Chinki Sinha, O-D
Some comments from the readers
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:15 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jessie, I didn't see the article as trying to whip up racism against
whites at all. In fact, I read it as a fairly balanced effort to
report not only the data from the Census Bureau, but it also revealed
some logical reasons why so few businesses in the region are minority
owned.
Granted, the headline writer could have taken a less inflammatory
approach, but even his (or her) sub-heading balances that. When I read
the report, however, I appreciated the reporter's coverage because it
wasn't at all what the headline implied it would be.
_________________
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:12 pm Post subject: Paper sheds heat
not light.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The headline says, "Whites own almost all area firms". Why is the
Utica OD trying to whip up racism toward whites? The title sounds
inflammatory in a way that is trying to stir up racial jealously and
animosity. The Utica OD likes to shed heat not light.
Since the OD wants to explore the subject why not tell the ethnic
background of the whites. It is all different nationalities or is it a
certain type of nationality that owns all of the businesses. Is it for
example, Polish whites, Italian whites, Bosnian whites, and so on and
so on that own all of the business?
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:45 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wonder how that data compares to other regions in this country or
even this country as a whole. My guess is it would be pretty similar.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Anyone with half a mind
could tell you it'svery difficult to thrive in this area if you own
your own business no matter the color of your skin.
Add a darker complexion to the mix and it's next to impossible.
Given the diverse makeup of this region I would expect this trend to
change in the not too distant future. It may not be african americans
leading the charge but minorities will no doubt be the primary
employers at some point.
Let's not also forget that the minute you step outside Utica or Rome,
the demographics of Oneida county start to look like snow white in a
snow storm.
Eid in Utica
Muslims ready to celebrate the end of Ramadan
Oct 11, 2007 @ 11:05 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA – There's anticipation in the air, and the buzz generated by the
oncoming sundown is infectious.
So many times, Afghani refugee Tawara Mirghausiddin steals quick
glances at the clock on the wall.
It's not 6:30 p.m. yet.
That's when she will sip water, eat a morsel of the variety of food
laid out on the carpet, and break her fast. Then she will return to
praying.
For a month, the family of seven has been fasting from the crack of
dawn to sundown, abstaining from food, drink and sexual relations. It
is the month of Ramadan, a month where Muslims all over the world
fast, do charity and pray.
Eid-Ul-Fitr is an important festival for Muslims. According to Imam
Najeeullah Malik of the Muslim Community Association, by devoting
oneself to fasting, one can come out of Ramadan like a new per
son.
"God will forgive us for our past sins," he said. "Prophet Mohammed
has taught us, after the fasting, go to God in congregation together …
we have accomplished this great feat."
And now with only two days left for Eid-Ul-Fitr, a sort of
thanksgiving for having been able to observe the fasts, they seem to
not mind so much. There is so much to do, too many dishes to prepare,
too much cleaning to do for Saturday.
"I have called my friends," said Nasib Jan Rahim Jan, 17. "We will go
to the mall, buy new clothes."
The Afghan family came to Utica in 2004 to join Rahim Jan Bakhtar,
their father, who was already here. In the few years that they have
been here, they have made friends from various ethnic groups present
in Utica. These are the people they will celebrate Eid with.
In fact, he and his sister Bas Bibi Rahim Jan, 16, will not attend
school today. The women of the house will put henna on their hands and
wear bangles tonight after the sighting of the new moon, which marks
the end of Ramadan.
Though they miss the festive look that the whole city wears in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, where they lived as refugees before coming
to United States, they are happy in their transplanted world.
"Eid there was fun," Bas Bibi said. "You could go outside, do a fire
before Eid day … it brings the light to life."
But it had been a tough life. There was no money.
"We have money here," said Nasib Jan, looking at the many items of
food spread out for Iftaar, or the fast-breaking meal.
A diverse celebration
For Imam Najeeullah Malik of the Muslim Community Association, the
beauty of the month of Ramadan is to be able to break fast with so
many different people from so many different cultures. In fact, a few
days ago he shared Iftaar with a Burmese Muslim family.
"The beautiful thing is about celebrating Eid in Utica is that we have
so many different ethnic groups," he said. "In Utica, everybody is
different."
With new people coming in, including refugees from all over the world,
the Muslim population in Utica has grown. A conservative estimate
would be 15,000, the Imam said.
For many of these refugees, integration into the society begins at the mosque.
That's where many form lasting connections. Particularly, during
Ramadan, these refugees share meals with many others and pray
together. The mosque at
Kemble Street has been hosting Iftaar dinners for community members on
weekends throughout the month. On Saturday, many had gathered for
prayers and meal at the venue. Many brought in food to share with
others.
"It's always exciting to have new folk ... everyone brings a
uniqueness to Utica," Malik said.
So on Eid day, it will be a colorful congregation with Bosnians,
Burmese and Somalis, among others, who will be united through one
faith, Malik said.
"One leader, one Imam ... and everybody will pray in congregation together.
The Bosnian will stand in line with the Burmese, the Somalis with the
Moroccan…everybody together," he said. "All you see is one people."
The association will hold a mass congregational prayer at 8 a.m.
Saturday at the Parkway Recreation Center for community members. There
will be a gathering at the mosque on Kemble Street after the prayers.
No new clothes, a new life
Bengali Muslim refugees from Myanmar, Mar Met, 33, and his wife,
Marria Met, 33, had only seen juice in pictures. And the food that
they were treated to at the mosque for Iftaar dinner was their first
lavish meal ever.
The family of four came to Utica through the Mohawk Valley Resource
Center for Refugees two weeks ago. They will celebrate their first Eid
with friends and family members in a new home, with lot of food and
lot of hope. Around 321 refugees from Myanmar came to Utica in August
and September this year, among them a few Muslims as well.
"I feel very wonderful when I see the food," Mar Met said.
In Myanmar, there had been times where they had broken their fast with
water and nothing else. There had been no food. In Thai camps, food
was scarce too.
Iftaar meals had often been rice, chillies and leaves, he said.
"Not too much celebration," Mar Met said. "Military don't allow."
But now, Met goes to the Kemble Street mosque for prayers without
fear. He is glad he started a new life during the holy month of
Ramadan, he said.
Although Mar Met can't buy new clothes for his family for the
occasion, he said it will get better in the coming years with a job.
Currently, the family is on Social Security and buys food with food
stamps.
They will dress in their best clothes Saturday morning, Met said,
blowing away the dust from his old Arab gown that he plans on wearing.
Marria Met will wear her blue embroidered burqa.
Before Iftaar time Thursday, Marria Met was busy cooking chicken curry
and traditional bamboo shoot soup for fast-breaking dinner. The
refrigerator was stacked with various kinds of juice and food.
"All our relatives will come," Met said. "I am very happy."
immigrants in upstate new york contribute to regional economy/ some
groups may compete with native-born for jobs in the manufacturing
sector
Study: Many area immigrants fitting in
Upstate firms benefit from educated work force
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
csinha@uticaod.com
UTICA - The region's increasingly diverse population of refugees and
immigrants poses both benefits and challenges for the local economy, a
new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows:
* Immigrants with significant education are highly coveted by
companies and health-care centers in fields such as medicine, science
and research, the study found. They're being absorbed relatively
smoothly in the local economy.
* Some immigrants and refugees with little education, however, find
themselves seeking the same jobs as less-well-educated native-born
residents. These include positions such as fabricators, laborers and
materials movers, according to the study.
"Upstate firms are taking advantage of the specialized skills of the
more highly educated immigrants in ways that potentially complement
the skills of native-born workers," researchers conclude. "By
contrast, the less educated immigrants upstate - including relatively
large numbers of refugees - are more likely to be competing for job
opportunities with native-born workers."
The first-of-its-kind study of Upstate New York's newest arrivals
finds that the growing impact of immigrants and refugees upstate is
overlooked because the region's overall population is declining or
stagnant.
The Syracuse-Utica area, lumped together for the purposes of the
study, was the only upstate region where the foreign-born population
expanded while the total population shrank, a direct result of the
efforts of the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees in Utica.
The refugee center settled some 8,000 refugees between 1979 and 2000,
and has settled a few thousand more since then.
Stabilizing effect
In 1990, one in six New York state residents was born abroad; by 2000,
that figure was one in five.
In most areas, the increase in the foreign-born population has offset
the decline in overall population.
But in Utica, it did something different: The increase has provided a
degree of economic stability.
Had it not been for thousands of refugees that were resettled in the
city through the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, several
of the region's manufacturing units might have had a tough time
finding labor to sustain operations, said David Mathis of the Oneida
County Workforce Development Agency.
"The loss of Griffiss Air Base and others hurt the population," Mathis
said. "Our population would have slipped even further. It has helped
to stabilize it. When you grow a population, they buy homes, pay
taxes. There's a win-win."
Utica lost much of its population when industries shut down. Growing
unemployment forced many people to leave the region. However, as the
refugee center has attracted newcomers from Bosnia, the former Soviet
Union, Myanmar (Burma) and Somalia, the new arrivals have filled jobs
and revived neighborhoods.
These groups can impact the regional economy and population pattern in
terms of feeding into the human capital growth as well as overall
population growth, the study says.
Turning Stone Resort & Casino employs around 300 refugees. Mark
Mancini, director of human resources, said many of these workers
entered into low-skilled jobs but many make their way up.
"That number has grown over the years," he said.
More foreign-born doctors
Researchers noted significant differences in the immigration and
refugee pattern upstate compared to the New York City area. There,
Hispanics make up the largest group of new arrivals.
In Upstate New York, including the Utica-Syracuse area, it is Asians
who are coming in greatest numbers. In many cases, these new arrivals
are immigrants who work as doctors or scientists and become an
integral part of both their workplaces and their communities.
The Federal Reserve study makes a distinction between better-educated
arrivals and those with fewer skills. In many cases, those newcomers
with advanced degrees are immigrants coming to America to practice
medicine or conduct scientific research. Such arrivals are here in
proportionately greater numbers than downstate, the study found.
"While the foreign-born population upstate includes a significant
number of adults who lack a high school degree, the percentage who
have a college or post-graduate degree is substantially higher than
the percentage of either native-born residents or immigrants in New
York City who have higher degrees," the Federal Reserve study finds.
Dr. Deepak Buch of India is one such medical professional.
"I came here to practice medicine in safe environment," he said. "It
is affordable living. There is a fair amount of Indian origin people
here."
According to Buch, Indian-origin doctors and physicians are filling in
the gap. There is a shortage of health-care professionals in the area,
he said. Local hospitals and other health-care centers have
increasingly diverse medical staffs as a result.
'Some competition'
Among refugees with little education, there is some amount of
competition with high school dropouts in the region who might want
jobs as laborers or assemblers, Mathis said.
But Utica has a low unemployment rate, implying there are enough jobs
for those who are seeking them, he said.
"It is always going to be there regardless of what you can do," he
said. "There will always be some competition. This is what America is
based on ... it is competition."
Peter Vogelaar, executive director of the refugee center, said the
refugee population is not competing with local candidates for the same
jobs. The resettlement agency has placed refugees in various jobs at
different locations, he said.
"There is a wide array of jobs," he said. "The reality is that
refugees are actually filling in the gap."
Rahim Jan Bakhtar Gol, who is a refugee from Afghanistan, has been
working at ConMed Corp. for five years. He had been a police officer
in Kabul before he came here.
Because he did not have language proficiency, he took up the
entry-level job, he said in an interview Tuesday, his daughter Bas
Bibi Rahim Jan translating for him.
But he wants his daughter and sons to have a better future, he said.
Mathis, who has worked with the refugee population in Utica for a long
time, said the new arrivals are more than willing to work and do not
want to receive public assistance.
"Many people assume they are on welfare," he said. "No, they want to work."
refugees and high smoking rates - part of retaining culture
Region's smoking rate is among highest in state
Nov 18, 2007 @ 12:01 AM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
Utica, N.Y. -
The Mohawk Valley's large numbers of low-income families and refugees
are factors contributing to the region's high smoking rate, experts
say.
According to a newly released study by Excellus Blue Cross Blue
Shield, the Utica-Rome area and points north and east have the
second-highest smoking rate in Upstate New York.
More than 1-in-4 adults are smokers in the region.
The report shows that smoking, which causes cancer, is as entrenched
as ever in the Mohawk Valley, maybe even more so.
Two decades ago, Utica had been a trial city in an extensive
anti-smoking effort whose goal was to make the city free of smokers by
the year 2000.
It didn't happen, and now health experts are fearful of the continuing
toll of cigarette smoking on individuals' health, on the medical
system and on taxpayers.
One smoker who fell prey to peer pressure is Utican Richard
Cunningham, 21. He has attempted to quit many times.
"I wish I could quit," he said, puffing away during a cigarette break
at a check-processing center on Bleecker Street. "It's a stress
reliever."
26.6% smoking rate
About 158,000 people smoke in an 11-county area that includes Utica,
Rome, Oneida, Cooperstown, Amsterdam, Gloversville, Plattsburgh and
much of the Adirondacks, the Excellus study found.
That figure represents 26.6 percent of the area's population.
By contrast, only 18 percent of state residents and only 20 percent of
the nation's residents are smokers, the study concluded.
Put another way, our region's smoking rate is nearly 50 percent higher
than the state average. The only region with a higher prevalence of
smoking is the Southern Tier, where the smoking rate is 27.1 percent,
the Excellus study found.
The study did not provide explanations for regional variations, but
local residents and health experts cited local factors including the
loss of jobs and the arrival of thousands of refugees in the past two
decades.
"The socio-economic climate has changed," said Julie Zaykoski of the
Tri-County Tobacco Cessation Center. "We don't have many jobs
anymore."
Also, many refugees come from cultures where smoking is more common
than in America.
Mirzet Kendic is a Bosnian refugee who came to Utica in 2001. In
Bosnia, almost everyone smokes, he said.
"It is a part of your life," Kendic said. "In Bosnia, they start their
day with coffee and cigarettes."
Antismoking warnings mean little to many Bosnians, he said.
"It is dangerous to drive a car also (or) somebody can hit you … just
like that," Kendic said. "Who cares if smoking is dangerous?"
Marie Helweg-Larsen, associate professor of psychology at Dickinson
College in Carlisle, Pa., has researched smoking among newcomers to
America. Smoking rates vary dramatically across different cultures,
she said.
"You can't design an effective smoking cessation without understanding
the culture," she said.
COMMIT – 2 decades later
The high incidence of smoking comes nearly two decades after an
extensive trial study for promoting anti-smoking efforts in Utica.
In the 1980s, Utica became a COMMIT city (Community Intervention Trial
for Smoking Cessation). The goal then: Make Utica smoke-free by 2000.
Through the program, Uticans were bombarded with antismoking messages
in various forms of local media.
But even the federally funded $42.5 million antismoking campaign
(which also included Binghamton) admitted defeat by the early 1990s in
getting a significant amount of heavy smokers to quit.
What happened?
According to experts, there is a direct correlation between smoking
and socio-economic status. Utica's median income of less than $25,000
in the 2000 U.S. census was far lower than not only the state average
but the median incomes in nearby cities such as Syracuse and Albany.
Close to 2-in-5 Utica children live in poverty.
Education levels also play into the high smoking rates: The region's
rate of college graduates lags that of other metropolitan areas around
the state and nation.
Another factor is peer pressure among the younger generation, experts said.
Refugees and smoking
If anything, Utica is home to more hard-core smokers now than when
COMMIT began. That's because close to 8,000 refugees have arrived in
the past two decades.
Many refugees are from countries where smoking is acceptable,
including those in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.
Refugees sometimes cling to their old ways as they struggle to adjust
in a new land, Helweg-Larsen said.
As these refugees start to regain economic and social status, they see
smoking as not being a socially acceptable practice among Americans.
Many quit as they become more integrated into the society here, she
said.
But for many refugees, the road to acquiring a nicer lifestyle is
fraught with many roadblocks.
Recent arrivals often work minimum-wages jobs. For these individuals,
there could be less motivation to reject a part of their culture for a
lifestyle that's not so appealing, Helweg-Larsen said.
"Perhaps, he would be less motivated in the factory dead-end job to
give up part of the culture," she said.
Zaykoski said many agencies in the area have stepped up their efforts
and are working with refugee populations. One of them is St. Elizabeth
Medical Center. At its Hobart Street facility, the center has a family
residency program that provides free patches and gums to anyone.
In the nine months that it has been operational, it has helped 12
refugees quit smoking, said Kim Kraeger, a registered nurse.
"In their culture, there may not have medical intervention," Kraeger
said. "We talk to them."
Impact of addiction on health significant
Tobacco use increases a risk of cancer and heart disease. Most
everyone knows that.
But smoking is an addiction extremely hard to give up, meaning that a
smoker's actions don't necessarily reflect their awareness of the
health costs, experts said.
"On a gram-per-gram basis, there is no substance that is more
addictive than nicotine," said Dr. Arthur Vercillo, medical director
at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield. "Peer pressure also plays a great
role."
What too many area residents don't think of when they begin smoking is
that quitting can be enormously difficult. That leads to some stark
figures illuminating the impact of cigarette smoking.
For the Utica region, economic impacts related to smoking approached
$562 million in 2006, according to an Excellus study of the state's
smoking rates. This figure includes higher health-care and worker
compensation costs, as well as the impact on productivity brought
about by health limitations and absenteeism.
Oneida County Director of Health Nick DeRosa said he was not aware of
the Excellus study but if smoking rates are that high, the health
department will step up its efforts and improve programs to address
the problem.
"We will develop community health assessment," he said. "They are big
expense items."
Experts: Embarrass a smoker today
Nov 18, 2007 @ 12:08 AM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
Every smoker huddling outside workplace exits this winter to grab a
few puffs is cared about by someone.
It's those people who care that can have the most impact in persuading
smokers to kick the habit, health experts said.
How to do it?
Be direct.
"The more you do to embarrass people, the better," said Dr. Susan
Blatt, who was involved in the Utica COMMIT antismoking program in the
late 1980s and early 1990s.
Various societal factors have been at work to reduce the smoking rate:
*Research demonstrating second-hand smoke can harm others has pushed
smoking outside of the office, shopping centers and bars and
restaurants.
*Higher cigarette prices and taxes have made it significantly more
expensive to support a two-pack-per-day habit.
*And smoking is far less common among better-educated individuals than
it was a half-century ago.
Yet Utica, Rome and the North Country have a smoking rate approaching
27 percent, nearly 50 percent above the state average. That reflects
low incomes and the arrival of thousands of refugees.
It is a tough battle to fight because the tobacco industry targets
young people through its advertisements, which tend to glamorize
smoking.
"Maybe in 30, 35 years, eventually we are going to be smoke-free," Blatt said.
Some laws such as banning smoking indoors have been in place for
sometime now, and the Utica area's hospitals even went a step further
in recent years.
"Hospitals are becoming smoke-free here," said Dr. Arthur Vercillo,
medical director at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield.
"One thing that has been happening in the Downstate region is they
banned smoking indoors long ago," he said.
New York City's percentage of deaths due to smoking dropped by 10
percent after Mayor Michael Bloomberg banned smoking in restaurants,
hospitals and other locations.
The Excellus report on regional smoking data also holds out some hope:
The Utica area has a larger percentage of former smokers than other
regions of the state.
In part, that reflects the large number of people who smoked in the
first place.
"We have a lot of people fighting this battle," Vercillo said. "I
think everybody needs that reminder."
Help for quitting smoking
NYS Quitline: New York State offers consumers a toll free Quitline.
The number is 1-866-697-8487 (1-866-NY-QUITS). This hot line provides
free educational information as well as lists community-based agencies
that can assist individuals in their attempt to quit smoking.
Tri-County QUITS Tobacco Cessation Center: Tri-County QUITS Tobacco
Cessation Center offers three tobacco cessation programs each month in
Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties. The programs aim to help
smokers quit through cessation advice and counseling sessions. To
register for these classes, call 624-4371.
Herkimer County Mohawk Valley Coalition for Tobacco Concerns: YMCA -
Mohawk 83 East Main Street Mohawk, NY, 13407. 866-6570.
Little Falls Family YMCA: 15 Jackson St., Little Falls, NY, 13365. 823-1740.
American Cancer Society: Central NY Region - Utica (Eastern Division)
100 Lomond Ct., Utica, NY, 13502. 724-8125.Toll Free: 800-954-3446
Unit Office.
American Heart Association: Lomond Place Office Park 120 Lomond Ct.,
Utica, NY, 13502. 797-8906.
American Lung Association of New York State: 839-6299.
Study's Findings
*About 23 percent of Upstate New York adults smoke, more than the U.S.
average of 20 percent.
*Among Upstate New York regions, tobacco use is the highest in the
Southern Tier and Utica-Rome-North country regions. It's lowest in
Western New York.
*The Utica-Rome-North Country region has the highest prevalence of
former smokers (31.4 percent).
Source: Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield study of New York state
smoking rates. Study cites research from NYS Department of Health's
Behavioral Risk factor Surveillance System, an annual survey of
residents aged 18 and older.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2007 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.
Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative
Commons license, except where noted.
all saints' day - forgotten or overshadowed?
This is an unedited version of an article on All Saints' Day I wrote.
I am also copying what later appeared in the Observer-Dispatch.
UTICA - Father Lucian Urbaniak of St. Mark's Church had been reading
about All Saints' Day celebrations in Poland, his homeland. And yet
again he was reminded of the contrast.
"It is all costumes and candies here," he said.
In Poland, streets were full of shops selling wreaths, decorations and
candles at this time of the year. On All Saints' Day and All Souls'
Day they would attend Church, go to the cemeteries, kneel down and lay
the wreaths on the gravesites, he recalled.
While it's Halloween parades and parties everywhere, the Christian
celebration of All Saints' or All Souls' Day, the observance in honor
of all those who have died, also started Wednesday.
Father Urbaniak has been here 17 years, urging his parish members to
celebrate the holy day every year.
But every year Halloween takes over much to his chagrin.
In modern times and in America, the eve of All Saints' Day has become
more important than the day itself because of the hoopla associated
with Halloween, the departmental stores corrupting it, Father Urbaniak
said.
"It is commercialization, materialization. The spirituality is lost,"
he said. "It is like eating salad and forgetting about the main
course."
This year was no different.
Outside the St. Mark's Church Wednesday, children, teenagers and even
adults, dressed like kings, princesses and zombies, roamed around,
baskets in hand, laughing and knocking on doors asking for candies.
Inside the Church, scattered through rows, few people, mostly elderly,
sat in attendance as Father Urbaniak called upon them to remember the
saints, and the faithful departed at the vigil of the Feast.
So they sang hymns, read portions of the Bible, held hands and prayed
for those long gone.
Jane Maneen who lives in North Utica was one of those few who attended
the 5:30 p.m. mass Wednesday. This is religious obligation. At no cost
should this be forgotten, she said.
"You should never be too busy for religion," she said.
For many of those present at the church, they came because they had
lost someone close.
David and Carol Griffith were one such couple. Years ago they had lost
their seven-month old daughter Julie. Their eyes filled with tears,
their voices trembling, they said they never forget to come to church.
It is for her, they said.
"She is our personal saint," Carol Griffith.
"We come for her," David Griffith added.
But perhaps there aren't many who have a good enough reason to take
out time from their routine chores and attend the vigil.
And there are candies waiting, and parties to attend and Halloween
movies to watch.
All Saints' Day, which is also known as All Hallows' Day or Hallowmas,
is the day after Halloween. It is a feast day celebrated on Nov. 1 by
Anglicans and Roman Catholics where they remember all the saints and
martyrs throughout Christian history.
The day has never really been on the American radar, said Prof. Gustav
Niebuhr of Syracuse University.
"It is overshadowed by Halloween," he said. "It is very meaningful day
for those who observe it. It does not have the same prominence as
Easter."
Perhaps that's why Father Arthur Hapanowicz never counts the number of
people who come on All Hallow's eve to the Holy Trinity Church.
"I look at those who come," he said. "We encourage them to come."
With all the pumpkins and the ghosts and the witches around, he can
only wish parents remind their children of the importance of this day.
Halloween is not quite the celebration that took place in older times.
It has been corrupted and commercialized.
When he was in high school, which was a long, long time ago, he
remembered going to the morning mass on All Saints' Day.
"Our parents reminded us of the holy days. We called them days of
obligation but it was an opportunity," he said.
As he prepared for the mass on All Saints' Day, he remembered Mother
Theresa, and all the good people he had heard about or met.
"We remember those that we spent our lives with," he said. We remember
those good people and their example. And often their courage of never
giving up. That's hope that life does not end, it merely goes on."
That hope has kept Father Urbaniak urging and asking.
"It is a beautiful, meaningful thing," he said.
He is expecting around 300 people to attend church Thursday. Twenty
children will dress up as saints as the church yet again tries to
maintain a tradition amid hope that the faithful will return to fill
the rows.
Meanwhile, kids and teenagers go shouting "Trick or Treat" outside.
Someone will light a candle for her too
FLORENCE - Through the years, Monica Clark has walked into the
cemetery, knelt down and lit candles with the Danny Boy song in her
mind on All Souls Day.
"Ye'll come and find a place where I am lying And kneel and say an
"Ave" there for me."
That's how it goes, she said.
"You can look it up," she added, just to make sure.
There is that reassurance in the lyrics and in the Catholic Holy Day
that long after she is gone, someone will walk up to her grave and say
a little prayer for her, she said.
"Long after death, you will never be forgotten," Clark said.
Incidentally, it is also Clark's birthday Friday, also All Souls Day.
For her, it is a contrast. A celebration of life and death and life
after death the same day, she said.
An important time indeed, a time all faithful must observe but in this
day and age, that's too much to ask, she said.
"Our family…it has been indoctrinated," she said. "There were days you
were part of that, you went to the mass. Now it is just another day."
The edited version as it appeared in the newspaper
Halloween crowds religious tradition
Priests say public misses out on All Saints Day
Oct 31, 2007 @ 11:14 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA – The Rev. Lucian Urbaniak of St. Mark's Church had been reading
about All Saints' Day celebrations in Poland, his homeland.
He found himself contrasting the depth of observance found in Poland
with the American focus not on All Saints Day but on Halloween.
"It is all costumes and candies here," Urbaniak said.
Today is All Saints Day, which in the Catholic Church is a Holy Day of
Obligation on which one must attend church. Yet relatively small
numbers of Catholics will find their way to pews today.
All Saints' Day, which is also known as All Hallows' Day or Hallowmas,
is a feast day celebrated on Nov. 1 by Anglicans and Roman Catholics
who remember all the saints and martyrs throughout Christian history.
In Poland this week, streets are full of shops selling wreaths,
decorations and candles. On All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, Poles
will attend church, go to the cemeteries, kneel down and lay the
wreaths on the gravesites, he recalled.
The Rev. Urbaniak has been here 17 years, and he urges his parish
members to celebrate the holy day every year.
But every year, Halloween takes over, much to his chagrin.
"It's commercialization, materialization. The spirituality is lost,"
he said. "It is like eating salad and forgetting about the main
course."
This year was no different.
Outside the St. Mark's Church Wednesday evening, children, teenagers
and even adults, dressed like kings, princesses and zombies, roamed
around, baskets in hand, laughing and knocking on doors asking for
candies.
Inside the church, scattered through rows, few people, mostly elderly,
sat in attendance at a vigil Mass as the Rev. Urbaniak called upon
them to remember the saints and the faithful departed.
Jane Maneen, who lives in North Utica, was one of the few who attended
the 5:30 p.m. vigil Mass Wednesday. This is a religious obligation and
should not be forgotten, she said.
"You should never be too busy for religion," she said.
For many of those present at the church, they came because they had
lost someone close.
David and Carol Griffith were one such couple. Years ago, they had
lost their 7-month old daughter Julie. Their eyes filled with tears,
their voices trembling, they said they never forget to come to church
for All Saints Day.
"She is our personal saint," Carol Griffith.
"We come for her," David Griffith added.
All Saints Day has never really been on the American radar, said Prof.
Gustav Niebuhr, a professor of religious studies at Syracuse
University.
"It is overshadowed by Halloween," he said. "It is a very meaningful
day for those who observe it. It does not have the same prominence as
Easter."
Perhaps that's why the Rev. Arthur Hapanowicz never counts the number
of people who come on All Hallow's Eve to the Holy Trinity Church.
"I look at those who come," he said.
When he was in high school, which was a long, long time ago, he
remembered going to the morning Mass on All Saints' Day.
"Our parents reminded us of the holy days. We called them days of
obligation but it was an opportunity," he said.
As he prepared for the Mass on All Saints' Day, he remembered Mother
Theresa, and all the good people he had heard about or met.
"We remember those that we spent our lives with," he said. We remember
those good people and their example. And often their courage of never
giving up. That's hope that life does not end."
The Rev. Urbaniak is expecting around 300 people to attend church
today, the actual Holy Day. Twenty children will dress up as saints as
the church tries to maintain a tradition amid hope that the faithful
will return to fill the pews.
"It is a beautiful, meaningful thing," he said of the All Saints Day
celebration.
HOLIDAYS AND HOLY DAYS
HALLOWEEN
* According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Halloween, in ancient
Britain and Ireland, was a Celtic festival observed on Oct. 31
* The day is a celebration of ghosts and goblins marked by
trick-or-treating and dressing up in costumes by adults and children.
What is All Saints' Day?
* It is a day when Catholics and some other Christians remember the
Christian martyrs and saints and the departed.
* It originated around the year 800 to overshadow Halloween because
religious leaders at the time felt the pagan holidays were becoming
too popular.
Holy Days of Obligation
In addition to Sunday, Roman Catholics are expected to go to church on
these days:
* Jan. 1, Day marking Mary as the Mother of God.
* Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, Ascension.
* Aug. 15, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
* Nov. 1, All Saints.
* Dec. 8, Immaculate Conception.
* Dec. 25, Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas).
Source: United States Conference of Catholic BishopsAfter Army Spc.
John Sigsbee's death, families come together in grief
it has been an emotional week covering the tragedy, talking to people,
the family members, the friends and strangers. This is the unedited
version. underneath that I have copied what was published in the
Observer-Dispatch in Utica, NY.
Chinki Sinha
csinha@uticaod.com
An empty chair, Spiderman placemats, and creamed corn were carefully
laid out in memory of a lost son last holiday season, a ritual that's
repeated to keep Marine Sgt. Elisha Parker's memory alive each holiday
season. Twenty months have passed since he lost his life in Iraq. And
it hasn't been an easy road to recovery for mother Donna Parker.
"It was hard over the holidays," she said. "People can never forget."
And her heart goes out to the Sigsbee family that lost their
21-year-old son in the war last week. In her loss, she had turned to
friends and family, slowly pulling through the lull that the tragedy
brought in their lives, and learned to live and hope again by
revisiting the happy times she spent with her son, cooking his
favorite food, she said.
And that's what will help the Sigsbee family the most because it
helped her, Parker said.
"Little things. For John's family, those are important," she said.
"You just want to pull back and withdraw and pull back and it is good
to do that. Just take it at you own pace. It is a personal journey."
Sigsbee and Parker are joined by three other families in the Mohawk
Valley that lost their sons to the nearly five-year-old war in Iraq.
In 2003, Forestport residents Mary and Gregory Huxley, Sr. lost their
son 19-year-old son Pvt. Gregory Huxley, Jr. in the same war.
Everyone may handle their loss in their own way. Huxley does the
things he did with his son like snowboarding. He always carries a
picture of his son.
"There is not turning back on it," he said. "Memories are there everyday."
The pride hurts as much as the loss but Sigbees have a lot to be proud
of, Huxley said.
"All I can say is hug your family, reach out to them. That's all you
have left," he said. "He (Sigsbee) was an awesome guy. His parents
have a lot to be proud of."
On an average, about 10 family members are impacted when a soldier
dies. Often, for those grieving, it is important to share, to talk
about the loss, said Dan Sudnick business manager at TAPS, an
organization that helps families that have lost a member in the
military operations cope with the tragedy by connecting them with
similar groups.
"We counsel our families to remember the good life, the love," he
said. "We share those experiences. They bring in the scrapbook … it is
therapeutic. There are others who have gone through it. We try to take
that survivor and let him talk to a person in the same peer group."
Parkers turned to the organization to help them come out of the grief.
In the beginning, there were too many people, too many visitors, the
media. But then they all went back to their lives. It had started to
hurt then, the loss seemed to be magnified. Connecting with people
that had been through the same experience was a good decision, Parker
said.
"You might just go and listen," she said. "We got involved."
But even then, it is difficult. And when another mother loses a young
son, it brings it all back, evokes the memories, engulfing her in
emotions such as pain, pride and longing. And for families that have
suffered such loss, anytime a soldier's body is brought back, it
evokes what they have been through and it is all refreshed.
"The devastation, the sorrow, the pride … We know exactly what the
family is experiencing. Right now they are in a state of shock," she
said. "We have moved on. We have moved forward. But it (Sigsbee's
death) brings it all back. We just try."
Parker, 21, a Rome native, died in the Al Anbar province of Iraq while
performing combat operations against enemy forces in May, 2006. And
Parker remembers how she just went into a state of shock after the
news reached. Mechanically, she went through the legal paperwork that
needed to be done, talked to the media, to the neighbors, everything.
Looking back on it now, she wondered how could she have accomplished
all that when in her heart, she was hurt, she said.
"Afterwards, you break down. We do what we have to in the middle of a
crisis," Parker said. "You can just be moving through the day and stop
and think 'oh, he is gone'. But there is hope and recovery."
It was the community, friends and family that had been her armor
against the deluge of emotion she had been experiencing. They had
written notes, called, paid visits and it helped, she recalled.
"I guess it is important for you to surround yourself with people,"
she said. "I am sure the Sigsbees have a lot of support. They have us.
They can talk to us."
The Parkers plan to pay their tribute to the fallen soldier during the
calling hours Thursday at the Waterville High School auditorium.
Side bar
WATERVILLE - The Sigsbee family plan to start a scholarship in their
son's memory to be awarded to an engineering student from Waterville
Central School. And they are asking those who may bring in flowers to
pay their respects to Army Spc. John Sigsbee who died in Iraq last
week to consider a donation to John P. Sigsbee Memorial Fund.
After the news reached the small community in Waterville that one of
their own had lost their lives in the Iraq war, the life has slowed
down in the village. On Sunday at Sigsbee's homecoming, residents
stood out in their porches, on the sidewalks, and in their windows, to
thank the soldier and the family for their sacrifice.
And that expression has helped the grieving family in its own way.
Cindy Woods, who is Sigsbee's aunt, said the family was overwhelmed by
the outpouring.
"It restores your faith in people, strangers," she said. "The signs,
the flags … there were a lot of tears but they were of pride and
thanks. You feel everyone has wrapped their arms around you."
Woods flew from Atlanta Thursday to be with her sister's family.
For the family, Sigsbee was always an army guy. He enjoyed hunting,
target shooting and was a collector of anything "military". His
grandfather John Cornelius had served in two branches of the service.
And it is not just the Waterville community that will pay their
tributes to the fallen soldier Friday morning. Many others will join
them. Mark Bentz of the Kloster-Northrop & Bentz Funeral Home expects
about 600 people.
"That's the biggest we could find in the area," he said, referring to
the auditorium at the Waterville Central School. "The outpouring of
the community has really eased their burden."
The edited version of the story.
'People can never forget'
Families of 5 fallen servicemen linked by loss
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
csinha@uticaod.com
An empty chair, Spiderman placemats and creamed corn marked the spot
at the table where Marine Sgt. Elisha Parker of Camden used to sit.
Twenty months after the 21-year-old was killed in Iraq, rituals such
as placing his favorite items at the holiday dinner table help
Parker's family remember their son, his mother Donna Parker said.
"It was hard over the holidays," she said. "People can never forget."
On May 4, 2006, Elisha Parker was the fourth Mohawk Valley serviceman
to be killed in Iraq since the war began. On Wednesday, Spc. John
Sigsbee became the fifth.
Sigsbee's family now has begun a journey the other four families
already have shared.
And it hasn't been an easy road, Donna Parker said.
The Parker family has started to heal, she said, but when another
mother loses a son during the war, it brings it all back.
"The devastation, the sorrow, the pride," she said. "We know exactly
what the family is experiencing. Right now they are in a state of
shock. ... We have moved forward. But (Sigsbee's death) brings it all
back."
Every family handles the loss in their own way.
In 2003, Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr., son of Forestport residents Mary and
Gregory Huxley Sr., died in the Iraq war.
Now, Gregory Huxley Sr. remembers his 19-year-old son by doing
activities they used to enjoy together such as snowboarding and
fishing.
And he always carries his picture.
The pride hurts as much as the loss, he said, but the Huxleys and
Sigbees have a lot to be proud of, Huxley Sr. said.
"There is not turning back on it," he said. "All I can say is hug your
family, reach out to them. That's all you have left."
After a family member is killed, talking about the loss is important,
said Dan Sudnick, business manager at TAPS, an organization that
connects families whose loved ones died in the military operations and
helps them cope.
"We counsel our families to remember the good life, the love," he
said. "We share those experiences. They bring in the scrapbook … it is
therapeutic. There are others who have gone through it."
The group helped the Parkers after their son died, Donna Parker said.
In the beginning, many people were there — visitors, strangers, the media.
But then everyone else went back to their lives, and the loss seemed
to be magnified, she said.
Connecting with people who had been through a similar experience
helped, Parker said.
Friends and family slowly helped pull the Parkers through the tragedy,
she said. She now remembers the happy times with her son and cooks his
favorite food to be reminded of him, she said.
"Little things," she said. "For John's family, those are important.
You just want to pull back and withdraw, and it is good to do that.
Just take it at you own pace. It is a personal journey."
The Parkers plan to pay tribute to Sigsbee during the calling hours
Thursday at the Waterville Central School, she said.
"I guess it is important for you to surround yourself with people,"
she said. "I am sure the Sigsbees have a lot of support. They have us.
They can talk to us."
martin luther king and his dream ... why we are afraid of dreaming
in the church that evening, there were a but a few members, mostly
elderly and almost all of them were African-American except for a lone
white woman. To them, the tribute service in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. held hope and pride and some dignity in the face of
their tough lives.
and Deacon Patterson-Moyer said to me how growing up as an
African-American in America, in Utica is not easy. You confront
segregation and racism at so many levels. And there's so much to be
done still.
And it is important to dream like once Dr. King did. And it is
important to tell youself "I am somebody" so you don't get lost, she
said.
Annie Bell grew up in Alabama. Born in 1940 in the deep south, she
moved up north when she was 18. But it wasn't any better here. Blacks
were still being judged, she recalled.
And so it is now, she said.
At the St. Paul's Baptist Church on Sunday, she spoke about her life
and the times where color came in the way of how people percieved her,
when she, an individual, ceased to exist and only her color with all
its stereotypes remained.
how when she walked into stores, they watched her as if she would
steal something, she said.
in her part of the town, the media and us label it as Cornhill, which
is akin to ghetto town, only bad things happen, only criminals live
and walk the streets.
"It is not that bad," she told me.
Perhaps it will take us a lifetime to learn, to see through the
barriers of color.
We have not lived the dream. We weren't let to. the dream has been
spoken about, but seldom lived.
Sitting at the backk of the church, while they sang and clapped and
dreamed yet again, I felt sad and frustrated and angry. I was sent to
cover the event. But would I be able to fill in all that emotion, all
those failures and yet the resilience of the human spirit that echoed
"I am somebody" and lurched forward in the 15 inches that were
assinged, marked for the event.
Mesmerised, I sat there watching the deacon call upon the members to
start dreaming again, and to start living the dream.
King had dreamt of a world where people would not be judged by the
color of their skin.
But we still define suspects as "Black", though we seldom use "white".
Being white is such a privilege afterall.
But i still have some hope. Annie Bell is hopeful too of a better
world, where she will truly be "somebody" and not just a "poor, black
woman". I have hope in her faith, in her unshaken spirit that was
never crushed because it dares to dream yet again, all over again.
iraq war and us - changing opinions, shifting landscape
Perhaps this has been one of the toughest stories to cover so far. The
war to me is totally unjustified, a mere exercise in military power
and a whimsical, quixotic adventure. Or maybe another imperialist
nation making inroads into what many of its citizens calls a society
that is 200 years behind them. trust me a senator said that. Probably
he needs a history lesson or more so a lesson in probably not being so
arrogant.
when sgt. sigsbee died, I wrote a couple of stories on community
outpouring for the slain soldier.
i had been on the phone with a friend who asked me what these rural
communities think about the war. i said i see yellow ribbons at many
places, bumper stickers on cars behind me, or in front of me when we
all waited for the traffic light to turn green.
we need to do that story, i said. and then the newspaper assignmed me
this story. it was difficult subject to approach given the recent
death and given my own stand.
i spoke to many people. i did not use them all in the story. it took
me two days, lots of frustrations and a lot of holding back my own
emotions when i did my interviews.
i always save an unedited version because i feel most of the times the
most important stuff gets edited out. the unedited version is below.
Chinki Sinha
csinha@uticaod.com
Five years of Iraq war. Five servicemen killed.
As the Mohawk Valley prepares to bury another fallen soldier, many
residents have spoken about their sense of loss. As they mourn Army
Cpl. John Sigsbee, they also question whether the toll of the war is
too much to bear.
"Each person that is lost, it reopens the wound and makes us wonder,"
Rev. John Hogan of St. John the Baptist Church in Rome said. "I think
people are beginning to see this. They are beginning to see the
difference."
Sigsbee died in Iraq last week. Friends, neighbors and strangers
filled the streets Sunday in his hometown of Waterville to pay their
respects to the soldier as his body was brought home. Flags flew at
half mast throughout the village. Those who stood on the side streets
or filled the alleyways carried little flags, waving them as the body
passed them, thanking the soldier for his sacrifice.
The frigid cold did not hold them back nor did the church services. A
few even stepped out in the middle of Sunday services to pay tribute
to Sigsbee. About 600 people are expected to attend Sigsbee's funeral
Friday at 10 a.m. at the Waterville Central School auditorium. The
calling hours are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the same
location.
Iraq war has been a subject of debate in the political arena. But
following the deaths of five servicemen in the area, residents now
feel they have a stake in the issue that has been magnified in their
loss.
The introduction to the horror of losing someone you knew, met on the
side streets, or attended school with, someone who was the nice
neighborhood guy, began in 2003 when Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr. of
Forestport died. That brought the war right to their doorstep.
Hogan of the St. John Baptist Church recalled how his heart sank when
he heard Army National Guard Sgt. Michael A. Uvanni, 27, of Rome was
killed in Iraq in 2004.
He gave the homily then and he had felt a lot of eyes on him that
looked up to him to help them make sense of the war, he said.
"For days you could feel the loss," he said. "Michael Uvanni's death
changed this community. A real life flesh and blood young man was
killed."
The Mohawk Valley that has been proud and patriotic, has also seen
solid opposition to the war from early on, said John Zogby of
Utica-based Zogby International, a polling firm.
In the recent years, Zogby said he has seen a lot of questioning of the war.
"Without doubt, there is questioning," he said.
But it is in urban areas such as Rome, Utica and parts of Herkimer and
Little Falls, that the opposition to the war is greater than in rural
areas where many residents support the war, he said.
"Smaller, rural areas tend to be more conservative," he said. "I
haven't zeroed in on Waterville specifically or Camden but clearly in
rural areas support for the war is greater."
Colgate Professor Andy Rotter agrees that urban areas are more
forthcoming in denouncing the war but in recent years, he said, there
is a shift in how people perceive the Iraq war.
Anecdotally, the commitment to the war has strengthened in rural
communities because they also see a personal stake in it, he said.
"The values of independence, of freedom, it is stronger in rural
communities," Rotter said.
These areas also send disproportionate numbers of men and women into
the army, he said.
In traversing the streets, and the neighborhoods, yellow ribbons and
bumper stickers calling out for brining the troops back home can't be
missed. But anti-war signs are also aplenty. Black, bold letters
scribbled on stop signs in parts of the city cry out loud 'Stop War'.
But people are still afraid of being misunderstood. In a community
that's largely rural, it is a difficult decision to come out in the
open with one's position on the war in Iraq.
After a year of thinking back and forth, the Rev. John Hogan decided
to publicly state his opposition to the war in Iraq a few weeks ago.
But he is still uncomfortable of putting up a sign that says "Bring
Our Troops Home Now" in the front law of the rectory.
"It is still sitting in my office," he said. "I support our troops.
But there are a lot of mixed feelings."
But Doug Cowburn, a Waterville native and a Vietnam War veteran,
proudly displays his Vietnam War sticker on his window.
"I don't believe this war is going nowhere," he said. "We are taking
action. We have to protect America and our way of life."
In fact, Cowburn, 56, who is a pastor at Southgate Ministries, went to
register to serve as a chaplain in the military soon after 9/11 but
wasn't enlisted, he said.
"I would do it all over again," he said. "There is a lot more
patriotism than you see."
New Hartford resident Danyse Fusco supports the war. Though she
doesn't display a bumper sticker on her car, she sends packages to the
men serving in Iraq. That's her way of support, she said.
"Nobody likes war," she said. "I think the support is waning. People
have put it on their backburner. I think it has been too easy for
them. War is a necessity."
But 20-year-old Celina Fuller, a West Winfield resident, feels so many
people are dying in the war, it is not worth it.
"I am not really for it," she said.
In 2003, Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr., 19, of Forestport died, when an
Iraqi rocket-propelled grenade hit his squad's personnel carrier. Then
it was Army Capt. George A. Wood, 33, of Marcy died, when his tank
rolled over an explosive. Then it was Uvanni died in 2004 and Marine
Sgt. Elisha Parker of Camden who was slain in 2006 in Iraq.
Over the years, church leaders have seen people change their stand. It
did not begin immediately, they said.
But as more men died in their neighborhoods, they started to feel if
the war was the right way to go. In years following Uvanni's death,
Hogan said many of his parish members said how they support the troops
as he does, but they think the war must end, he said.
In a statement Congressman Mike Arcuri, D-Utica, said he has heard
people wanting to bring the troops home. He had previously talked
about brining the troops back to the country.
"John Sigsbee and his family represent the best our country has to
offer," Arcuri said in a statement. "It is a tragedy that the war in
Iraq continues to take the lives of our most promising young men and
women."
Methodist Church Minister Robert Wollaber said he has seen the opinion
on war change in his Little Falls and Ilion where he serves.
"Most people I talk to are in favor of pulling out," he said. "It is
time for us to leave. With the recent death, it is taking a toll."
Cindy Sheehan, a gold star mother who lost her son Casey Sheehan in
the Iraq war, publicly spoke against the war.
And many more such mothers, fathers, friends have gone the Sheehan way
since. But for many others that have lost a son, a daughter, a father
or a husband, not supporting the war is like not recognizing the
sacrifice.
In their sadness and in their sacrifice, they defend the war fiercely,
Rotter said.
"They need to cover their own doubt," he said. "I have sympathy for them."
Who and why
Andy Rotter said there are a variety of reasons why men and women from
such communities would enlist in the military, including poverty. It
is also perceived as an easy way towards upward social mobility, he
said.
"The military appeals to many young people who see the military as a
way upwards," he said. "They see it as an opportunity."
It is in these areas that the support for war has always been strong,
even before the kids went off to war, he said.
In many cases, serving in the military has been a long family
tradition with grandfathers and fathers as ex-servicemen, Rotter said.
It is also for reasons to show their masculinity that some men join
the military, he said.
But low-income minority groups may think otherwise. Traditionally, the
African-American voters have voted for democrats. To them, the
trillions that are being spent to fund the war that has no closure,
could be spent on health care or building public infrastructure.
"A sense … the war not doing anything for the minorities," he said.
"Then it becomes difficult for them to support quixtoic adventure."
my sign waits
ROME - After a year of thinking back and forth, the Rev. John Hogan
decided to publicly state his opposition to the war in Iraq. But he is
still uncomfortable of putting up a sign that say "Bring Our Troops
Home Now" in the front law of the rectory.
"It is still sitting in my office," he said. "I support our troops.But
there are a lot of mixed feelings."
Hogan, a minister at St. John the Baptist Church, had given the homily
at Army National Guard Sgt. Michael Uvanni, a Rome native killed in
combat in Samarra, Iraq, in Oct. 2004. When he heard a Rome native was
killed, his hear sank, he recalled.
"For days you could feel the loss," he said. "Michael Uvanni's death
changed this community. It brought it to our doorstep. A real life
flesh and blood young man was killed."
He sees many bumper stickers, yellow ribbons and signs all around him.
He never knew what to make of those, he said.
But over the five years, during which the Mohawk Valley lost five of
its young men, he has seen people questioning the war, expressing
their disillusionment with it, promoted by the loss of one of their
own, he said.
"Each person that is lost, it reopens the wound and makes us wonder," he said.
My war sticker
When Doug Cowburn returned home after serving in the Vietnam War in
1972, there were no jobs, the economy was heading into a recession and
it was a tough time.
Cowburn, 56, ended up taking a job at a maintenance facility, which
did not pay much. A trade school degree later, he was in better
position than many other veterans who had turned to drugs and alcohol
as a way to deal with the situation.
He had felt betrayed then. The media had not been reporting their
stories and the support at home had been waning, he said.
"The war that wasn't supported then was the Vietnam War," he said.
"Vietnam War veterans have been mistreated. We have been working odd
jobs. We did not receive jobs. They never even gave a discharge
benefit."
Now a minister at the Southgate Ministries at Waterville, he feels war
is a terrible thing, but it is also necessary to protect America. So,
he supports the troops, he said.
"It takes brave men and women to fight for the country. Some give the
ultimate sacrifice," he said. "I support the war on terrorism. We
can't just send out our men and say we are not going to support them."
Cowburn was in the same 101st Airborne Division 32nd Cavalry Unit that
Army Cpl. John Sigsbee was. It was just a different war, he said.
"War hasn't changed," he said. "The best men come forward and the
worst things happen."
the edited version as it appeared jan. 24, 2008
Region reflects on war's cost
Jan 23, 2008 @ 10:52 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
Five years. Five servicemen killed.
As the Mohawk Valley prepares to bury another fallen soldier Friday,
many residents have spoken about their sense of loss. And as they
mourn Army Cpl. John Sigsbee,some also have questioned whether the
toll of the Iraq war is too high.
"Each person that is lost, it reopens the wound and makes us wonder,"
the Rev. John Hogan of St. John the Baptist Church in Rome said. "I
think people are beginning to see this."
Sigsbee of Waterville died in Iraq last week. Friends, neighbors and
strangers filled the streets Sunday in his hometown to pay their
respects to the soldier as his body was returned home.
Flags flew at half staff throughout the village. Residents carried
small flags, waving them as the hearse passed, thanking the soldier
for his sacrifice.
Mohawk Valley residents are proud and patriotic, said John Zogby of
Utica-based polling firm Zogby International. But opposition to the
war has grown here, he said.
"Without doubt, there is questioning," he said.
As of Wednesday, 3,931 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq during the
war that began March 20, 2003.
The Rev. Robert Wollaber of Morning Star United Methodist churches in
Ilion and Frankfort said he has seen the opinion on the war change in
the community.
"Most people I talk to are in favor of pulling out," he said. "It is
time for us to leave. With the recent death, it is taking a toll."
Fallen servicemen
About 600 people are expected to attend Sigsbee's funeral at 10 a.m.
Friday at Waterville Central School. Calling hours will be from 4 to 8
p.m. today at the school.
The 21-year-old Purple Heart recipient was killed along with two other
soldiers during combat operations Wednesday, Jan. 16, in Balad, Iraq,
according to Army reports.
Sigsbee had suffered numerous burns in 2006 after the tank he was in
was heavily damaged by a roadside bomb, but he chose to return to Iraq
as a member of the 101st Airborne Division 32nd Cavalry Unit.
"John Sigsbee and his family represent the best our country has to
offer," Rep. Mike Arcuri, D-Utica, said in a statement. "It is a
tragedy that the war in Iraq continues to take the lives of our most
promising young men and women."
Arcuri said he often hears from area residents who want to bring the
troops home.
Mohawk Valley residents first experienced the toll of the war in 2003,
when Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr. of Forestport was killed. Army Capt.
George A. Wood, 33, of Marcy died later that year.
Those deaths were followed by Army National Guard Sgt. Michael A.
Uvanni, 27, of Rome in 2004, and Marine Sgt. Elisha Parker, 21, of
Camden, in 2006.
The Rev. Hogan recalled how his heart sank when he heard about Uvanni's death.
When he gave the homily at Uvanni's funeral, a lot of people were
looking at him to help them make sense of the war, he said.
"For days, you could feel the loss," he said. "Michael Uvanni's death
changed this community. A real life flesh and blood young man was
killed."
Hogan recently decided to publicly state his opposition to the war,
but he still is uncomfortable putting up a sign that says "Bring Our
Troops Home Now" on the front lawn of the rectory.
"It is still sitting in my office," he said. "I support our troops.
But there are a lot of mixed feelings."
Community support
The Rev. Douglas Cowburn of Waterville served during the Vietnam War
in the 101st Airborne Division 32nd Cavalry Unit, decades before
Sigsbee would join the same unit.
Today, Cowburn, 56, plans to attend the calling hours to pay respect
to the soldier. The minister at Southgate Ministries in Waterville
said war is a terrible thing, but it is also necessary to protect
America.
"It takes brave men and women to fight for the country. Some give the
ultimate sacrifice," he said. "I support the war on terrorism."
New Hartford resident Danyse Fusco said she also supports the war and
sends packages to members of the military serving in Iraq.
"Nobody likes war," she said. "I think the support is waning. People
have put it on their backburner. I think it has been too easy for
them. War is a necessity."
The Rev. Tenolian R. Bell of St. Paul's Baptist Church in Utica has
been following the war closely ever since it started, he said.
The war is wrong, he said.
"I definitely support the troops but not the war," he said. "Jesus'
stand would be there's no good reason to take a life. It is against
Christianity."
While opposition to the war has grown in urban areas such as Utica,
Rome and their suburbs, support remains strong in rural areas, Zogby
said.
"Smaller, rural areas tend to be more conservative," Zogby said. "I
haven't zeroed in on Waterville specifically or Camden but clearly in
rural areas support for the war is greater."
Rural areas also send disproportionate numbers of men and women into
the army, Colgate University history professor Andy Rotter said.
"The military appeals to many young people who see the military as a
way upwards," he said. "They see it as an opportunity."
In many cases, serving in the military also has been a long family
tradition, Rotter said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
far from a multi-cultural economy/ problems facing minority businesses
and issues of race and discrimination
An unedited version of the article on minority financing in the region
and the role of racism and stereotypes.
UTICA - Business ownership continues to elude minorities in the Mohawk Valley.
At a time when the number of businesses owned by minority groups has
increased nationwide, the region's various racial groups and ethnic
groups have lagged behind.
In 2002, there were only 23 black-owned companies in Oneida County
with paid employees, according to the latest available census data.
These firms employed about 274 people, a tiny fraction of the region's
overall workforce.
The number of Hispanic-owned and Asian-owned businesses was so small
as to not even register in the census data.
Put another way, virtually every Mohawk Valley business employing
people is owned by someone white. And virtually every worker in our
area is employed by a white-owned firm.
Such a gap can be attributed to many reasons, all contributing toward
a cycle that is often hard to break, experts say:
ä Median incomes for people of color are substantially lower in the
Utica-Rome-Herkimer area than for white people. In the 2000 census,
the median income for blacks was only two-thirds the median income for
whites.
ä Loan denial rates are high in the African-American community. With
little start-up capital to initiate and grow a business, and low net
worth, it is often difficult to secure loans for a business for these
individuals.
ä Many minority-owned businesses are also low-growth ventures such as
restaurants, food stores and personal services based on a sole
proprietorship model, Betsy Zeidman, director of the Center for
Emerging Domestic Markets at Milken Institute, a non-partisan think
tank, said.
"It is a vicious cycle of what do you start with," she said.
"African-Americans and Hispanics start with lower capital. You have
more businesses started by whites."
For the region's large number of low-income black families,
asset-building is often difficult.
"On the local level, we don't have a very broad middle class. The
majority of the African American population in this area is at or
below the poverty level," Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, the publisher of
Utica Phoenix, said.
When resources are lacking, it is a challenge to build a good credit
history or to put money down in any venture, she said.
A History of Emerging Foreign Markets, a report by Milken Institute,
says ethnic, female and low-income entrepreneurs have less access to
equity and debt capital than do white, male and more affluent business
owners and loans secured by African-Americans are of a lesser amount
than those accorded to white borrowers. In addition, black-owned
businesses also face discrimination in interest rates with some type
of lenders, the report states.
According to the report, there were unexplained differences in denial
rates between minority and white-owned firms.
It quotes Lloyd Blanchard, Bo Zhao, and John Yinger's study,
"discrimination in small business lending may take the form of
statistical discrimination, driven by lenders' stereotypes about the
ability of black-and-hispanic-owned businesses to succeed under some
circumstances."
While one's assets could be a determining factor when it comes to
securing financing,racial discrimination could be a big part of it
too, Harris-Lockwood said.
"There's underlying bias," she said. "It is a tough, tough situation.
A lot has to do with the notion that they are poor, uneducated and not
business savvy which is not the case."
In fact, of all minority groups, it is most difficult for black people
to access loans, Zeidman said.
"It is easier for Asians," she said. "I can say some research has
demonstrated that there is some discrimination. It is believed to be
out there as a factor and has to do with networks with relationships."
But the gap that was wider is closing in as more financial
institutions realize the new emerging market where minorities play an
important role, she said.
Steve DiMeo of Mohawk Valley EDGE said there is help available for
small and minority-owned businesses such as Minority- and Women-owned
Business Enterprises (MWBE) program that was instituted in 1988in New
York State and renewed for more then 15 years in 2003.
But the region's predominantly white population could be a reason why
there are such few minority-owned businesses, he said.
"Minority community is not that big here to begin with," he said.
In 2006, the number of whites stood at 212,758 as against 215,781 in
2000. In the same time period, the numbers of Blacks increased by 118
from 14,098 in 2000 to 14,216 in 2006 and those of Asians increased
from 2,829 to 3,372, according to census figures.
Stereotypes are restrictive
Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Firms: 2002, a report
publishedby the Census, says that between 1997 and 2002, the number
ofblack-owned businesses in the United States increased by 45 percent
to1.2 million. The combined revenue grew by 25 percent to $88.8
billion.
But in the Mohawk Valley, that trend is not reflected. (we need
numbers here. I can't find those)
Some feel the region has a long way to go in terms of bridging racial
divide and eliminating perceptions that hinder minority communities
and particularly the African-American community from accessing
financial help.
Historically blacks have encountered racism in this community and may
have become discouraged to start a business, Patrick Johnson, who is
YWCA's racial justice director, said.
"The Mohawk Valley just simply has a history and a reputation of
notbeing welcoming for black people," he said. "We have to lookat the
history of the black people in this community and see what they have
been allowed to do."
Utica resident Courtney Muhammad said it is not surprising to know
there are so few black-owned businesses in the area. It is the
stereotypes, he said.
Muhammad, who is African-American, used to own his own retail store
but pulled the shutters down in 1993 for personal reasons. Now, he is
again thinking of starting a venture but without depending on a loan
and with saved-up cash, he said.
"If we did try to get the capital, nobody would give it to us," he
said. "The perception is reality."
Again, another issue that comes in the way of success is the support
within its community, he said.
"We don't support our own," he said. "Some white won't come to your store."
There is low self-esteem and the mindset that in the white-owned
businesses, the products and services are of superior quality is a
discouraging factor, he said.
The region's black people's history
It is the unusual migration pattern of black people to this region
that have a lot to do with so few African-American-owned businesses in
the community, Harris-Lockwood said.
In the days when agriculture had not been machined, a lot
ofAfrican-American laborers from the Deep South moved up here in
hopesof getting work and for a better life. But as the industry relied
moreon machines than labor, these migrant workers were left without
jobs. With little or no education, they had limited job opportunities
and no money to risk, she said.
Coming from a family where most members are college-educated and
having gone to college herself, Harris-Lockwood has encountered
discrimination herself, she said.
"I end up being subject to the same overall discrimination,"
Harris-Lockwood said.
In such a climate, it is no wonder that the numbers are low, she said.
Other minorities
While the region has seen an increase in its Hispanic population over
the years, there were a negligible number of Hispanic-owned companies,
according to the census.
Almost 12 percent of Utica's population is foreign born, and more than
20 percent of the region speaks a language other than English,
according to the 2000 Census figures.
Between 2000 and 2006 Oneida County's Hispanic population increased by
17 percent to 8,876 residents, and constitutes about 4 percent of the
population.
Language could be a barrier for some of the minority groups such as
Hispanics. In many cases, minority groups have limited themselves to
small businesses that are based on a sole-proprietorship model and
often employ family members, according to experts, one reason why the
number of people employed by minority business-owners is low.
Hilaria Soto, who is originally from Dominican Republic, is one such
business owner. She runs her restaurant El Barajo on Bleecker Street
with the help from her family members.
Soto moved to Utica form New Jersey two years ago tempted by the
city's not-so-fast life. She had capital to start the business, which
did not require a huge investment, she said.
"It is a quiet town to raise your children," she said. "So we come."
Most minority-owned businesses are either grocery stores or
restaurants given the challenges of securing a funding for larger
ventures. But even then, the challenges posed by prevailing
stereotypes are many. For Motaher Ismail, an immigrant from Yemen,
9/11 was a testing time, his wife, Debra Ismail said.
Ismail came to Utica in 1998. His first stop was New York City but
after he visited his friend in Whitesboro, he decided to stay on.
After saving up enough money to start his venture form his job at a
grocery store, he opened Ismail Market on Albany Street in 2003.
His wife Debra Ismail and a cousin Mahdi Kassam, who works part time,
help him out, he said.
"The neighborhood did not like him in the beginning. The business was
slow," Debra said. "It is OK now."
Beyond the race tag
Emma McNeil
Ruby Excavating Co. Inc.
Emma McNeil wants to break through the color barrier. An
African-American business owner, she wants the community to notice her
work, judge her on her merit rather than her minority status.
"We want to break that," she said. "The playing field should be
leveled. It is not that the people have no skills"
The Newport resident started her excavating business in December,
2007. It hasn't been an easy road and financing without a good credit
score was a concern. Also, in a community that is not used to seeing a
minority-owned excavating business, it takes a lot of convincing to be
taken seriously, she said.
"Without the financing, your hands are tied," she said. "I faced
difficulty when it came to bonding. Those are the things that hold you
back."
But McNeil and her husband Fred have surged forward despite the
obstacles and hope they will be successful. Currently, their company
employs five people and have one contract, McNeil said.
It took a lot of courage and thought to launch their venture. Her
husband had worked in excavating business before and McNeil herself
had over 30 years of experience in administrative work.
"We had to make ends meet," she said. "Lot of times you go for what you know."
And it is not just the typical business challenges that McNeil has to
face. The bias, the prejudice and the minority tag are added
obstacles.
"We all face obstacles," she said. "They are not used to minority
doing this. It is tough. It was a difficult decision but then I looked
around and I saw other minorities opening their businesses."
"I have a thick skin"
Thomas A. Rezels
Revels T-Gibson Funeral Services
Thomas A. Rezels considers him fortunate to be doing well in his
funeral home business that he started in 1991. He had the benefit of a
college degree, a good job in New York City with good savings and a
guaranteed income for life. He could afford to make an investment
unlike others in his community, he said.
"I was probably more fortunate than other people," he said. "It wasn't
that easy but it was not impossible."
With a clientele that's 99 percent African-American, his business is
an ethnocentric one and as such no competition. But had he ventured
into any other, maybe his race could have come in his way, he said.
"We live in America. Racism is part of the culture here," he said. "My
skin is a little thick. I have always been minority in a crowd."
Rezels feels the African-American community in Utica does not have
many opportunities and crippled by lack of a personal wealth and a
good credit rating, members of the community can't make the best of
any that may exist, he said.
With jobs leaving the area, there aren't many black professionals who
can make an investment in a business and take the risk. In Utica, most
of the black community is poor and not well-educated, something that
can be traced to their parents or grandparents who came as migrant
workers from Deep South and did not have a high level of education. To
get over and beyond limiting factors such as personal wealth and
education, it will take generations, he said.
"It takes generations to get to a point to own a business, to even
think about doing it," he said. "Most African-Americans in Utica are
not prepared to make that investment."
few black-owned businesses in the area points out to the issues of
race, color and America's history of minority groups
The edited version as it was published in the Utica Observer-Dispatch
on Feb. 17, 2008. I am also copying some of the comments that readers
posted.
Whites own almost all area firms
Feb 16, 2008 @ 10:33 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA – Business ownership continues to elude minorities in the Mohawk Valley.
At a time when the number of firms owned by minority groups has
increased nationwide, the region's various racial groups and ethnic
groups have lagged behind.
In 2002, there were only 23 black-owned companies in Oneida County
with paid employees, according to the latest available census data.
These firms employed about 274 people, a tiny fraction of the region's
overall work force. Experts: Traditional methods not working
The number of local Hispanic-owned and Asian-owned businesses were so
small, they did not register in the census data.
Put another way, virtually every Mohawk Valley business employing
people is owned by someone white.
And virtually every worker in our area is employed at a white-owned firm.
Such a gap can be attributed to many reasons, all contributing toward
a cycle that is often hard to break, experts say:
-- Median incomes for people of color are substantially lower in the
Utica-Rome area than for white people. In the 2000 census, the median
income for blacks was only two-thirds the median income for whites.
-- Loan denial rates are high in the black community. With little
start-up capital to initiate and grow a business, and low net worth,
it is often difficult to secure loans for businesses for these
individuals.
--Many minority-owned businesses are based on a sole proprietorship.
These are low-growth ventures such as restaurants, food stores and
providers of personal services, said Betsy Zeidman, director of the
Center for Emerging Domestic Markets at Milken Institute, a Santa
Monica, Calif.-based nonpartisan think tank.
"It is a vicious cycle of what do you start with," she said.
"African-Americans and Hispanics start with lower capital. You have
more businesses started by whites."
For the region's low-income black families, asset-building is often difficult.
"On the local level, we don't have a very broad middle class," said
Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, the publisher of the Utica Phoenix
newspaper and a black woman who has led efforts to even the playing
field for blacks in the construction trades. The 2000 census showed
close to half of local blacks lived below the poverty line.
When resources are lacking, it is a challenge to build a good credit
history or to put money down in any venture, Harris-Lockwood said.
Bias in lending?
In the 1997 Economic Census, the Mohawk Valley had 30 black-owned
companies employing a total of 296 people. That employment total
represented just 0.31 percent of all local workers, census figures
showed.
Five years later, the number of black-owned firms employing people
dropped by seven, to 23 firms, the census shows. And nearly 50 fewer
people were employed by such firms, which had total annual sales of
$16.5 million, according to census figures.
By contrast, the number of black-owned firms jumped nationwide between
1997 and 2002 by about 45 percent.
Some of the obstacles to minority business ownership locally exist
across the country. A report by the Milken Institute says ethnic,
female and low-income entrepreneurs have less access to equity and
debt capital than do white, male and more affluent business owners.
Often, loans secured by blacks are smaller than those accorded to
white borrowers, the study found. In addition, black-owned businesses
also face discrimination in interest rates with some lenders, the
report states.
It quotes another study by Lloyd Blanchard, Bo Zhao and John Yinger
that states, "Discrimination in small business lending may take the
form of statistical discrimination, driven by lenders' stereotypes
about the ability of black- and Hispanic-owned businesses to succeed
under some circumstances."
While one's assets could be a determining factor when it comes to
securing financing, racial discrimination could be a part of it, too,
Harris-Lockwood said.
"There's underlying bias," she said. "It is a tough, tough situation.
A lot has to do with the notion that they are poor, uneducated and not
business savvy, which is not the case." In their own words...
In fact, of all minority groups, it is most difficult for black people
to access loans, Zeidman said.
"It is easier for Asians," she said. "I can say some research has
demonstrated that there is some discrimination. It is believed to be
out there as a factor and has to do with networks with relationships."
Nationwide, the gap is closing somewhat. More financial institutions
are realizing the benefits of reaching out to minorities in an
increasingly diverse country, she said.
Number of minorities
Steven DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, a Rome-based economic
development group for Oneida and Herkimer counties, said there is help
available for small and minority-owned businesses such as the
Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises program instituted in
1988.
But the region's predominantly white population could be a reason why
there are such few minority-owned businesses, he said.
"The minority community is not that big here to begin with," he said.
In 2006, the number of whites stood at 212,758 as against 215,781 in
2000, census estimates show.
In the same time period, the numbers of blacks increased by 118 from
14,098 in 2000 to 14,216, and the number of Asians increased from
2,829 to 3,372, according to census figures.
In Utica, minorities make up at least 20 percent of the population.
Much of the rest of the Mohawk Valley region is far less diverse.
Almost 12 percent of Utica's population is foreign born, and more than
20 percent of the region speaks a language other than English,
according to the 2000 census figures.
Some minority leaders say the region has a long way to go in terms of
bridging the racial divide and eliminating perceptions that hinder
people of color and particularly the black community from accessing
financial help.
'Not being welcoming'
Historically, blacks have encountered racism in this community and
might have become discouraged to start a business, YWCA of the Mohawk
Valley Racial Justice Director Patrick Johnson said.
"The Mohawk Valley just simply has a history and a reputation of not
being welcoming for black people," he said. "We have to look at the
history of the black people in this community and see what they have
been allowed to do."
Johnson did cite some improvement, including a greater willingness by
local leaders to acknowledge racial inequality in recent years.
Utica resident Courtney Muhammad said it is not surprising to know
there are so few black-owned businesses in the area. He cites
continuing stereotyping as a factor.
Muhammad, who is black, used to own his own retail store but closed it
in 1993 for personal reasons. Now, he is again thinking of starting a
venture, but without depending on a loan and with saved-up cash, he
said.
"If we did try to get the capital, nobody would give it to us," he
said. "The perception is reality."
Another issue that gets in the way of success is the level of support
within the community, he said.
"We don't support our own," he said. A number of blacks have low
self-esteem and possess the mindset that in a white-owned business,
the products and services are of superior quality, he said.
Language barrier
While the region has seen an increase in its Hispanic population
recently, there were a negligible number of Hispanic-owned companies
in the last census survey.
Between 2000 and 2006, Oneida County's Hispanic population increased
by 17 percent to 8,876 residents, or about 4 percent of the
population.
Hilaria Soto, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, is a
local Hispanic business owner. She runs her restaurant, El Barajo, on
Bleecker Street with the help from her family members.
Soto moved to Utica from New Jersey two years ago, drawn by the city's
not-so-fast life. She had capital to start the business, which did not
require a huge investment, she said.
"It is a quiet town to raise your children," she said. "So we come."
Business owner: 'You go for what you know'
Emma McNeil
Ruby Excavating Co. Inc.
Emma McNeil wants to break through the color barrier. A new black
business owner, she wants the community to notice her work and judge
her on her merits rather than on her minority status.
"We want to break that," she said. "The playing field should be
leveled. It is not that the people have no skills."
The Newport resident started her excavating business in December. It
hasn't been an easy road, and obtaining financing without a good
credit score was a concern. Also, in a region that is not used to
seeing a minority-owned excavating business, it takes a lot of
convincing to be taken seriously, she said.
"Without the financing, your hands are tied," she said. "I faced
difficulty when it came to bonding. Those are the things that hold you
back."
McNeil and her husband, Fred, said their company employs five people
and have one contract.
Her husband had worked in the excavating business before, and McNeil
herself had more than 30 years of experience in administrative work.
"We had to make ends meet," she said. "Lots of times you go for what you know."
Funeral home operator: 'My skin is a little thick'
Thomas A. Revels
Revels T-Gibson |Funeral Services
Thomas A. Revels considers himself fortunate to be doing well in his
funeral home business that he started in 1991.
He had the benefit of a college degree, a good job in New York City
and plenty of savings. He could afford to make an investment unlike
others in his community, he said.
"I was probably more fortunate than other people," he said. "It wasn't
that easy but it was not impossible."
With a clientele that's 99 percent black, his Revels T-Gibson Funeral
Services business is an ethnocentric one and, as such, has no
competition, he said.
But had he ventured into any other field, maybe his race could have
gotten in his way, Revels said.
"We live in America. Racism is part of the culture here," he said. "My
skin is a little thick. I have always been a minority in a crowd."
Revels said the black community in Utica does not have many
opportunities, and feels crippled by a lack of personal wealth and
good credit rating. With jobs leaving the area, there aren't many
black professionals who can make an investment in a business and take
the risk, he said.
Much of the black community is poor and not well-educated, something
that can be traced to their parents or grandparents who came as
migrant workers from the Deep South and did not have a high level of
education, he said.
Getting ahead with limiting factors such as personal wealth and
education will take decades, Revels said.
"It takes generations to get to a point to own a business, to even
think about doing it," he said. "Most African-Americans in Utica are
not prepared to make that investment."
UTICA – When it comes to hiring minorities, employers in the Mohawk
Valley might not be reaching out in the right way, some experts say.
Often, employers may be relying on traditional methods of recruitment
such as newspaper or online advertisements, but the diverse population
might not be using such tools in their job search, business owner
Susan Woods said.
Woods, who is black, said the result is work forces that are primarily
white. Take one trip to a department store at the mall and the racial
divide is quite evident when you look at who's working there, Woods
said.
"Corporations haven't done enough in terms of reaching out to the
minority," Woods said. "So many things can be done — just making sure
employment opportunities are communicated."
The region's minority population has increased over the years to about
13 percent of the overall population, but most local minorities are
concentrated in Utica.
The state Labor Department could not provide a breakdown of the local
work force by race, but business leaders and other concerned parties
see room for improvement in terms of hiring people of color.
Representation of minorities in the work force in the region needs to
improve, said attorney A.J. Bosman, who has worked on several racial
discrimination cases.
In many cases, sending out a white male to recruit is not the best
idea if companies want to diversify their work force, Bosman said.
Minorities might not come forward if they don't see one of their own
as part of the recruiting team, she said.
"Part of it is how you recruit," Bosman said. "Identification is important."
She added: "Set forth an example. Unless there is willingness to
self-examine and to self-educate, we are not going to have work
environments we are proud of."
In government departments, police forces and school boards, minority
representa tion is either not evident or is limited to a few members,
she said.
"There is an unwillingness to reach for that goal," Bosman said.
A key to incorporating true diversity is to create a work environment
that does not ostracize a person of color, but accepts diversity. In
many cases, minorities have had rocky experiences and therefore are
reluctant to respond to advertisements for job openings, Woods said.
"They have not been accepted," she said.
— Chinki Sinha, O-D
Some comments from the readers
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:15 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jessie, I didn't see the article as trying to whip up racism against
whites at all. In fact, I read it as a fairly balanced effort to
report not only the data from the Census Bureau, but it also revealed
some logical reasons why so few businesses in the region are minority
owned.
Granted, the headline writer could have taken a less inflammatory
approach, but even his (or her) sub-heading balances that. When I read
the report, however, I appreciated the reporter's coverage because it
wasn't at all what the headline implied it would be.
_________________
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:12 pm Post subject: Paper sheds heat
not light.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The headline says, "Whites own almost all area firms". Why is the
Utica OD trying to whip up racism toward whites? The title sounds
inflammatory in a way that is trying to stir up racial jealously and
animosity. The Utica OD likes to shed heat not light.
Since the OD wants to explore the subject why not tell the ethnic
background of the whites. It is all different nationalities or is it a
certain type of nationality that owns all of the businesses. Is it for
example, Polish whites, Italian whites, Bosnian whites, and so on and
so on that own all of the business?
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:45 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wonder how that data compares to other regions in this country or
even this country as a whole. My guess is it would be pretty similar.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Anyone with half a mind
could tell you it'svery difficult to thrive in this area if you own
your own business no matter the color of your skin.
Add a darker complexion to the mix and it's next to impossible.
Given the diverse makeup of this region I would expect this trend to
change in the not too distant future. It may not be african americans
leading the charge but minorities will no doubt be the primary
employers at some point.
Let's not also forget that the minute you step outside Utica or Rome,
the demographics of Oneida county start to look like snow white in a
snow storm.
Eid in Utica
Muslims ready to celebrate the end of Ramadan
Oct 11, 2007 @ 11:05 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA – There's anticipation in the air, and the buzz generated by the
oncoming sundown is infectious.
So many times, Afghani refugee Tawara Mirghausiddin steals quick
glances at the clock on the wall.
It's not 6:30 p.m. yet.
That's when she will sip water, eat a morsel of the variety of food
laid out on the carpet, and break her fast. Then she will return to
praying.
For a month, the family of seven has been fasting from the crack of
dawn to sundown, abstaining from food, drink and sexual relations. It
is the month of Ramadan, a month where Muslims all over the world
fast, do charity and pray.
Eid-Ul-Fitr is an important festival for Muslims. According to Imam
Najeeullah Malik of the Muslim Community Association, by devoting
oneself to fasting, one can come out of Ramadan like a new per
son.
"God will forgive us for our past sins," he said. "Prophet Mohammed
has taught us, after the fasting, go to God in congregation together …
we have accomplished this great feat."
And now with only two days left for Eid-Ul-Fitr, a sort of
thanksgiving for having been able to observe the fasts, they seem to
not mind so much. There is so much to do, too many dishes to prepare,
too much cleaning to do for Saturday.
"I have called my friends," said Nasib Jan Rahim Jan, 17. "We will go
to the mall, buy new clothes."
The Afghan family came to Utica in 2004 to join Rahim Jan Bakhtar,
their father, who was already here. In the few years that they have
been here, they have made friends from various ethnic groups present
in Utica. These are the people they will celebrate Eid with.
In fact, he and his sister Bas Bibi Rahim Jan, 16, will not attend
school today. The women of the house will put henna on their hands and
wear bangles tonight after the sighting of the new moon, which marks
the end of Ramadan.
Though they miss the festive look that the whole city wears in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, where they lived as refugees before coming
to United States, they are happy in their transplanted world.
"Eid there was fun," Bas Bibi said. "You could go outside, do a fire
before Eid day … it brings the light to life."
But it had been a tough life. There was no money.
"We have money here," said Nasib Jan, looking at the many items of
food spread out for Iftaar, or the fast-breaking meal.
A diverse celebration
For Imam Najeeullah Malik of the Muslim Community Association, the
beauty of the month of Ramadan is to be able to break fast with so
many different people from so many different cultures. In fact, a few
days ago he shared Iftaar with a Burmese Muslim family.
"The beautiful thing is about celebrating Eid in Utica is that we have
so many different ethnic groups," he said. "In Utica, everybody is
different."
With new people coming in, including refugees from all over the world,
the Muslim population in Utica has grown. A conservative estimate
would be 15,000, the Imam said.
For many of these refugees, integration into the society begins at the mosque.
That's where many form lasting connections. Particularly, during
Ramadan, these refugees share meals with many others and pray
together. The mosque at
Kemble Street has been hosting Iftaar dinners for community members on
weekends throughout the month. On Saturday, many had gathered for
prayers and meal at the venue. Many brought in food to share with
others.
"It's always exciting to have new folk ... everyone brings a
uniqueness to Utica," Malik said.
So on Eid day, it will be a colorful congregation with Bosnians,
Burmese and Somalis, among others, who will be united through one
faith, Malik said.
"One leader, one Imam ... and everybody will pray in congregation together.
The Bosnian will stand in line with the Burmese, the Somalis with the
Moroccan…everybody together," he said. "All you see is one people."
The association will hold a mass congregational prayer at 8 a.m.
Saturday at the Parkway Recreation Center for community members. There
will be a gathering at the mosque on Kemble Street after the prayers.
No new clothes, a new life
Bengali Muslim refugees from Myanmar, Mar Met, 33, and his wife,
Marria Met, 33, had only seen juice in pictures. And the food that
they were treated to at the mosque for Iftaar dinner was their first
lavish meal ever.
The family of four came to Utica through the Mohawk Valley Resource
Center for Refugees two weeks ago. They will celebrate their first Eid
with friends and family members in a new home, with lot of food and
lot of hope. Around 321 refugees from Myanmar came to Utica in August
and September this year, among them a few Muslims as well.
"I feel very wonderful when I see the food," Mar Met said.
In Myanmar, there had been times where they had broken their fast with
water and nothing else. There had been no food. In Thai camps, food
was scarce too.
Iftaar meals had often been rice, chillies and leaves, he said.
"Not too much celebration," Mar Met said. "Military don't allow."
But now, Met goes to the Kemble Street mosque for prayers without
fear. He is glad he started a new life during the holy month of
Ramadan, he said.
Although Mar Met can't buy new clothes for his family for the
occasion, he said it will get better in the coming years with a job.
Currently, the family is on Social Security and buys food with food
stamps.
They will dress in their best clothes Saturday morning, Met said,
blowing away the dust from his old Arab gown that he plans on wearing.
Marria Met will wear her blue embroidered burqa.
Before Iftaar time Thursday, Marria Met was busy cooking chicken curry
and traditional bamboo shoot soup for fast-breaking dinner. The
refrigerator was stacked with various kinds of juice and food.
"All our relatives will come," Met said. "I am very happy."
immigrants in upstate new york contribute to regional economy/ some
groups may compete with native-born for jobs in the manufacturing
sector
Study: Many area immigrants fitting in
Upstate firms benefit from educated work force
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
csinha@uticaod.com
UTICA - The region's increasingly diverse population of refugees and
immigrants poses both benefits and challenges for the local economy, a
new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows:
* Immigrants with significant education are highly coveted by
companies and health-care centers in fields such as medicine, science
and research, the study found. They're being absorbed relatively
smoothly in the local economy.
* Some immigrants and refugees with little education, however, find
themselves seeking the same jobs as less-well-educated native-born
residents. These include positions such as fabricators, laborers and
materials movers, according to the study.
"Upstate firms are taking advantage of the specialized skills of the
more highly educated immigrants in ways that potentially complement
the skills of native-born workers," researchers conclude. "By
contrast, the less educated immigrants upstate - including relatively
large numbers of refugees - are more likely to be competing for job
opportunities with native-born workers."
The first-of-its-kind study of Upstate New York's newest arrivals
finds that the growing impact of immigrants and refugees upstate is
overlooked because the region's overall population is declining or
stagnant.
The Syracuse-Utica area, lumped together for the purposes of the
study, was the only upstate region where the foreign-born population
expanded while the total population shrank, a direct result of the
efforts of the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees in Utica.
The refugee center settled some 8,000 refugees between 1979 and 2000,
and has settled a few thousand more since then.
Stabilizing effect
In 1990, one in six New York state residents was born abroad; by 2000,
that figure was one in five.
In most areas, the increase in the foreign-born population has offset
the decline in overall population.
But in Utica, it did something different: The increase has provided a
degree of economic stability.
Had it not been for thousands of refugees that were resettled in the
city through the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, several
of the region's manufacturing units might have had a tough time
finding labor to sustain operations, said David Mathis of the Oneida
County Workforce Development Agency.
"The loss of Griffiss Air Base and others hurt the population," Mathis
said. "Our population would have slipped even further. It has helped
to stabilize it. When you grow a population, they buy homes, pay
taxes. There's a win-win."
Utica lost much of its population when industries shut down. Growing
unemployment forced many people to leave the region. However, as the
refugee center has attracted newcomers from Bosnia, the former Soviet
Union, Myanmar (Burma) and Somalia, the new arrivals have filled jobs
and revived neighborhoods.
These groups can impact the regional economy and population pattern in
terms of feeding into the human capital growth as well as overall
population growth, the study says.
Turning Stone Resort & Casino employs around 300 refugees. Mark
Mancini, director of human resources, said many of these workers
entered into low-skilled jobs but many make their way up.
"That number has grown over the years," he said.
More foreign-born doctors
Researchers noted significant differences in the immigration and
refugee pattern upstate compared to the New York City area. There,
Hispanics make up the largest group of new arrivals.
In Upstate New York, including the Utica-Syracuse area, it is Asians
who are coming in greatest numbers. In many cases, these new arrivals
are immigrants who work as doctors or scientists and become an
integral part of both their workplaces and their communities.
The Federal Reserve study makes a distinction between better-educated
arrivals and those with fewer skills. In many cases, those newcomers
with advanced degrees are immigrants coming to America to practice
medicine or conduct scientific research. Such arrivals are here in
proportionately greater numbers than downstate, the study found.
"While the foreign-born population upstate includes a significant
number of adults who lack a high school degree, the percentage who
have a college or post-graduate degree is substantially higher than
the percentage of either native-born residents or immigrants in New
York City who have higher degrees," the Federal Reserve study finds.
Dr. Deepak Buch of India is one such medical professional.
"I came here to practice medicine in safe environment," he said. "It
is affordable living. There is a fair amount of Indian origin people
here."
According to Buch, Indian-origin doctors and physicians are filling in
the gap. There is a shortage of health-care professionals in the area,
he said. Local hospitals and other health-care centers have
increasingly diverse medical staffs as a result.
'Some competition'
Among refugees with little education, there is some amount of
competition with high school dropouts in the region who might want
jobs as laborers or assemblers, Mathis said.
But Utica has a low unemployment rate, implying there are enough jobs
for those who are seeking them, he said.
"It is always going to be there regardless of what you can do," he
said. "There will always be some competition. This is what America is
based on ... it is competition."
Peter Vogelaar, executive director of the refugee center, said the
refugee population is not competing with local candidates for the same
jobs. The resettlement agency has placed refugees in various jobs at
different locations, he said.
"There is a wide array of jobs," he said. "The reality is that
refugees are actually filling in the gap."
Rahim Jan Bakhtar Gol, who is a refugee from Afghanistan, has been
working at ConMed Corp. for five years. He had been a police officer
in Kabul before he came here.
Because he did not have language proficiency, he took up the
entry-level job, he said in an interview Tuesday, his daughter Bas
Bibi Rahim Jan translating for him.
But he wants his daughter and sons to have a better future, he said.
Mathis, who has worked with the refugee population in Utica for a long
time, said the new arrivals are more than willing to work and do not
want to receive public assistance.
"Many people assume they are on welfare," he said. "No, they want to work."
refugees and high smoking rates - part of retaining culture
Region's smoking rate is among highest in state
Nov 18, 2007 @ 12:01 AM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
Utica, N.Y. -
The Mohawk Valley's large numbers of low-income families and refugees
are factors contributing to the region's high smoking rate, experts
say.
According to a newly released study by Excellus Blue Cross Blue
Shield, the Utica-Rome area and points north and east have the
second-highest smoking rate in Upstate New York.
More than 1-in-4 adults are smokers in the region.
The report shows that smoking, which causes cancer, is as entrenched
as ever in the Mohawk Valley, maybe even more so.
Two decades ago, Utica had been a trial city in an extensive
anti-smoking effort whose goal was to make the city free of smokers by
the year 2000.
It didn't happen, and now health experts are fearful of the continuing
toll of cigarette smoking on individuals' health, on the medical
system and on taxpayers.
One smoker who fell prey to peer pressure is Utican Richard
Cunningham, 21. He has attempted to quit many times.
"I wish I could quit," he said, puffing away during a cigarette break
at a check-processing center on Bleecker Street. "It's a stress
reliever."
26.6% smoking rate
About 158,000 people smoke in an 11-county area that includes Utica,
Rome, Oneida, Cooperstown, Amsterdam, Gloversville, Plattsburgh and
much of the Adirondacks, the Excellus study found.
That figure represents 26.6 percent of the area's population.
By contrast, only 18 percent of state residents and only 20 percent of
the nation's residents are smokers, the study concluded.
Put another way, our region's smoking rate is nearly 50 percent higher
than the state average. The only region with a higher prevalence of
smoking is the Southern Tier, where the smoking rate is 27.1 percent,
the Excellus study found.
The study did not provide explanations for regional variations, but
local residents and health experts cited local factors including the
loss of jobs and the arrival of thousands of refugees in the past two
decades.
"The socio-economic climate has changed," said Julie Zaykoski of the
Tri-County Tobacco Cessation Center. "We don't have many jobs
anymore."
Also, many refugees come from cultures where smoking is more common
than in America.
Mirzet Kendic is a Bosnian refugee who came to Utica in 2001. In
Bosnia, almost everyone smokes, he said.
"It is a part of your life," Kendic said. "In Bosnia, they start their
day with coffee and cigarettes."
Antismoking warnings mean little to many Bosnians, he said.
"It is dangerous to drive a car also (or) somebody can hit you … just
like that," Kendic said. "Who cares if smoking is dangerous?"
Marie Helweg-Larsen, associate professor of psychology at Dickinson
College in Carlisle, Pa., has researched smoking among newcomers to
America. Smoking rates vary dramatically across different cultures,
she said.
"You can't design an effective smoking cessation without understanding
the culture," she said.
COMMIT – 2 decades later
The high incidence of smoking comes nearly two decades after an
extensive trial study for promoting anti-smoking efforts in Utica.
In the 1980s, Utica became a COMMIT city (Community Intervention Trial
for Smoking Cessation). The goal then: Make Utica smoke-free by 2000.
Through the program, Uticans were bombarded with antismoking messages
in various forms of local media.
But even the federally funded $42.5 million antismoking campaign
(which also included Binghamton) admitted defeat by the early 1990s in
getting a significant amount of heavy smokers to quit.
What happened?
According to experts, there is a direct correlation between smoking
and socio-economic status. Utica's median income of less than $25,000
in the 2000 U.S. census was far lower than not only the state average
but the median incomes in nearby cities such as Syracuse and Albany.
Close to 2-in-5 Utica children live in poverty.
Education levels also play into the high smoking rates: The region's
rate of college graduates lags that of other metropolitan areas around
the state and nation.
Another factor is peer pressure among the younger generation, experts said.
Refugees and smoking
If anything, Utica is home to more hard-core smokers now than when
COMMIT began. That's because close to 8,000 refugees have arrived in
the past two decades.
Many refugees are from countries where smoking is acceptable,
including those in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.
Refugees sometimes cling to their old ways as they struggle to adjust
in a new land, Helweg-Larsen said.
As these refugees start to regain economic and social status, they see
smoking as not being a socially acceptable practice among Americans.
Many quit as they become more integrated into the society here, she
said.
But for many refugees, the road to acquiring a nicer lifestyle is
fraught with many roadblocks.
Recent arrivals often work minimum-wages jobs. For these individuals,
there could be less motivation to reject a part of their culture for a
lifestyle that's not so appealing, Helweg-Larsen said.
"Perhaps, he would be less motivated in the factory dead-end job to
give up part of the culture," she said.
Zaykoski said many agencies in the area have stepped up their efforts
and are working with refugee populations. One of them is St. Elizabeth
Medical Center. At its Hobart Street facility, the center has a family
residency program that provides free patches and gums to anyone.
In the nine months that it has been operational, it has helped 12
refugees quit smoking, said Kim Kraeger, a registered nurse.
"In their culture, there may not have medical intervention," Kraeger
said. "We talk to them."
Impact of addiction on health significant
Tobacco use increases a risk of cancer and heart disease. Most
everyone knows that.
But smoking is an addiction extremely hard to give up, meaning that a
smoker's actions don't necessarily reflect their awareness of the
health costs, experts said.
"On a gram-per-gram basis, there is no substance that is more
addictive than nicotine," said Dr. Arthur Vercillo, medical director
at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield. "Peer pressure also plays a great
role."
What too many area residents don't think of when they begin smoking is
that quitting can be enormously difficult. That leads to some stark
figures illuminating the impact of cigarette smoking.
For the Utica region, economic impacts related to smoking approached
$562 million in 2006, according to an Excellus study of the state's
smoking rates. This figure includes higher health-care and worker
compensation costs, as well as the impact on productivity brought
about by health limitations and absenteeism.
Oneida County Director of Health Nick DeRosa said he was not aware of
the Excellus study but if smoking rates are that high, the health
department will step up its efforts and improve programs to address
the problem.
"We will develop community health assessment," he said. "They are big
expense items."
Experts: Embarrass a smoker today
Nov 18, 2007 @ 12:08 AM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
Every smoker huddling outside workplace exits this winter to grab a
few puffs is cared about by someone.
It's those people who care that can have the most impact in persuading
smokers to kick the habit, health experts said.
How to do it?
Be direct.
"The more you do to embarrass people, the better," said Dr. Susan
Blatt, who was involved in the Utica COMMIT antismoking program in the
late 1980s and early 1990s.
Various societal factors have been at work to reduce the smoking rate:
*Research demonstrating second-hand smoke can harm others has pushed
smoking outside of the office, shopping centers and bars and
restaurants.
*Higher cigarette prices and taxes have made it significantly more
expensive to support a two-pack-per-day habit.
*And smoking is far less common among better-educated individuals than
it was a half-century ago.
Yet Utica, Rome and the North Country have a smoking rate approaching
27 percent, nearly 50 percent above the state average. That reflects
low incomes and the arrival of thousands of refugees.
It is a tough battle to fight because the tobacco industry targets
young people through its advertisements, which tend to glamorize
smoking.
"Maybe in 30, 35 years, eventually we are going to be smoke-free," Blatt said.
Some laws such as banning smoking indoors have been in place for
sometime now, and the Utica area's hospitals even went a step further
in recent years.
"Hospitals are becoming smoke-free here," said Dr. Arthur Vercillo,
medical director at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield.
"One thing that has been happening in the Downstate region is they
banned smoking indoors long ago," he said.
New York City's percentage of deaths due to smoking dropped by 10
percent after Mayor Michael Bloomberg banned smoking in restaurants,
hospitals and other locations.
The Excellus report on regional smoking data also holds out some hope:
The Utica area has a larger percentage of former smokers than other
regions of the state.
In part, that reflects the large number of people who smoked in the
first place.
"We have a lot of people fighting this battle," Vercillo said. "I
think everybody needs that reminder."
Help for quitting smoking
NYS Quitline: New York State offers consumers a toll free Quitline.
The number is 1-866-697-8487 (1-866-NY-QUITS). This hot line provides
free educational information as well as lists community-based agencies
that can assist individuals in their attempt to quit smoking.
Tri-County QUITS Tobacco Cessation Center: Tri-County QUITS Tobacco
Cessation Center offers three tobacco cessation programs each month in
Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties. The programs aim to help
smokers quit through cessation advice and counseling sessions. To
register for these classes, call 624-4371.
Herkimer County Mohawk Valley Coalition for Tobacco Concerns: YMCA -
Mohawk 83 East Main Street Mohawk, NY, 13407. 866-6570.
Little Falls Family YMCA: 15 Jackson St., Little Falls, NY, 13365. 823-1740.
American Cancer Society: Central NY Region - Utica (Eastern Division)
100 Lomond Ct., Utica, NY, 13502. 724-8125.Toll Free: 800-954-3446
Unit Office.
American Heart Association: Lomond Place Office Park 120 Lomond Ct.,
Utica, NY, 13502. 797-8906.
American Lung Association of New York State: 839-6299.
Study's Findings
*About 23 percent of Upstate New York adults smoke, more than the U.S.
average of 20 percent.
*Among Upstate New York regions, tobacco use is the highest in the
Southern Tier and Utica-Rome-North country regions. It's lowest in
Western New York.
*The Utica-Rome-North Country region has the highest prevalence of
former smokers (31.4 percent).
Source: Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield study of New York state
smoking rates. Study cites research from NYS Department of Health's
Behavioral Risk factor Surveillance System, an annual survey of
residents aged 18 and older.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2007 GateHouse Media, Inc. Some Rights Reserved.
Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative
Commons license, except where noted.
all saints' day - forgotten or overshadowed?
This is an unedited version of an article on All Saints' Day I wrote.
I am also copying what later appeared in the Observer-Dispatch.
UTICA - Father Lucian Urbaniak of St. Mark's Church had been reading
about All Saints' Day celebrations in Poland, his homeland. And yet
again he was reminded of the contrast.
"It is all costumes and candies here," he said.
In Poland, streets were full of shops selling wreaths, decorations and
candles at this time of the year. On All Saints' Day and All Souls'
Day they would attend Church, go to the cemeteries, kneel down and lay
the wreaths on the gravesites, he recalled.
While it's Halloween parades and parties everywhere, the Christian
celebration of All Saints' or All Souls' Day, the observance in honor
of all those who have died, also started Wednesday.
Father Urbaniak has been here 17 years, urging his parish members to
celebrate the holy day every year.
But every year Halloween takes over much to his chagrin.
In modern times and in America, the eve of All Saints' Day has become
more important than the day itself because of the hoopla associated
with Halloween, the departmental stores corrupting it, Father Urbaniak
said.
"It is commercialization, materialization. The spirituality is lost,"
he said. "It is like eating salad and forgetting about the main
course."
This year was no different.
Outside the St. Mark's Church Wednesday, children, teenagers and even
adults, dressed like kings, princesses and zombies, roamed around,
baskets in hand, laughing and knocking on doors asking for candies.
Inside the Church, scattered through rows, few people, mostly elderly,
sat in attendance as Father Urbaniak called upon them to remember the
saints, and the faithful departed at the vigil of the Feast.
So they sang hymns, read portions of the Bible, held hands and prayed
for those long gone.
Jane Maneen who lives in North Utica was one of those few who attended
the 5:30 p.m. mass Wednesday. This is religious obligation. At no cost
should this be forgotten, she said.
"You should never be too busy for religion," she said.
For many of those present at the church, they came because they had
lost someone close.
David and Carol Griffith were one such couple. Years ago they had lost
their seven-month old daughter Julie. Their eyes filled with tears,
their voices trembling, they said they never forget to come to church.
It is for her, they said.
"She is our personal saint," Carol Griffith.
"We come for her," David Griffith added.
But perhaps there aren't many who have a good enough reason to take
out time from their routine chores and attend the vigil.
And there are candies waiting, and parties to attend and Halloween
movies to watch.
All Saints' Day, which is also known as All Hallows' Day or Hallowmas,
is the day after Halloween. It is a feast day celebrated on Nov. 1 by
Anglicans and Roman Catholics where they remember all the saints and
martyrs throughout Christian history.
The day has never really been on the American radar, said Prof. Gustav
Niebuhr of Syracuse University.
"It is overshadowed by Halloween," he said. "It is very meaningful day
for those who observe it. It does not have the same prominence as
Easter."
Perhaps that's why Father Arthur Hapanowicz never counts the number of
people who come on All Hallow's eve to the Holy Trinity Church.
"I look at those who come," he said. "We encourage them to come."
With all the pumpkins and the ghosts and the witches around, he can
only wish parents remind their children of the importance of this day.
Halloween is not quite the celebration that took place in older times.
It has been corrupted and commercialized.
When he was in high school, which was a long, long time ago, he
remembered going to the morning mass on All Saints' Day.
"Our parents reminded us of the holy days. We called them days of
obligation but it was an opportunity," he said.
As he prepared for the mass on All Saints' Day, he remembered Mother
Theresa, and all the good people he had heard about or met.
"We remember those that we spent our lives with," he said. We remember
those good people and their example. And often their courage of never
giving up. That's hope that life does not end, it merely goes on."
That hope has kept Father Urbaniak urging and asking.
"It is a beautiful, meaningful thing," he said.
He is expecting around 300 people to attend church Thursday. Twenty
children will dress up as saints as the church yet again tries to
maintain a tradition amid hope that the faithful will return to fill
the rows.
Meanwhile, kids and teenagers go shouting "Trick or Treat" outside.
Someone will light a candle for her too
FLORENCE - Through the years, Monica Clark has walked into the
cemetery, knelt down and lit candles with the Danny Boy song in her
mind on All Souls Day.
"Ye'll come and find a place where I am lying And kneel and say an
"Ave" there for me."
That's how it goes, she said.
"You can look it up," she added, just to make sure.
There is that reassurance in the lyrics and in the Catholic Holy Day
that long after she is gone, someone will walk up to her grave and say
a little prayer for her, she said.
"Long after death, you will never be forgotten," Clark said.
Incidentally, it is also Clark's birthday Friday, also All Souls Day.
For her, it is a contrast. A celebration of life and death and life
after death the same day, she said.
An important time indeed, a time all faithful must observe but in this
day and age, that's too much to ask, she said.
"Our family…it has been indoctrinated," she said. "There were days you
were part of that, you went to the mass. Now it is just another day."
The edited version as it appeared in the newspaper
Halloween crowds religious tradition
Priests say public misses out on All Saints Day
Oct 31, 2007 @ 11:14 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA – The Rev. Lucian Urbaniak of St. Mark's Church had been reading
about All Saints' Day celebrations in Poland, his homeland.
He found himself contrasting the depth of observance found in Poland
with the American focus not on All Saints Day but on Halloween.
"It is all costumes and candies here," Urbaniak said.
Today is All Saints Day, which in the Catholic Church is a Holy Day of
Obligation on which one must attend church. Yet relatively small
numbers of Catholics will find their way to pews today.
All Saints' Day, which is also known as All Hallows' Day or Hallowmas,
is a feast day celebrated on Nov. 1 by Anglicans and Roman Catholics
who remember all the saints and martyrs throughout Christian history.
In Poland this week, streets are full of shops selling wreaths,
decorations and candles. On All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, Poles
will attend church, go to the cemeteries, kneel down and lay the
wreaths on the gravesites, he recalled.
The Rev. Urbaniak has been here 17 years, and he urges his parish
members to celebrate the holy day every year.
But every year, Halloween takes over, much to his chagrin.
"It's commercialization, materialization. The spirituality is lost,"
he said. "It is like eating salad and forgetting about the main
course."
This year was no different.
Outside the St. Mark's Church Wednesday evening, children, teenagers
and even adults, dressed like kings, princesses and zombies, roamed
around, baskets in hand, laughing and knocking on doors asking for
candies.
Inside the church, scattered through rows, few people, mostly elderly,
sat in attendance at a vigil Mass as the Rev. Urbaniak called upon
them to remember the saints and the faithful departed.
Jane Maneen, who lives in North Utica, was one of the few who attended
the 5:30 p.m. vigil Mass Wednesday. This is a religious obligation and
should not be forgotten, she said.
"You should never be too busy for religion," she said.
For many of those present at the church, they came because they had
lost someone close.
David and Carol Griffith were one such couple. Years ago, they had
lost their 7-month old daughter Julie. Their eyes filled with tears,
their voices trembling, they said they never forget to come to church
for All Saints Day.
"She is our personal saint," Carol Griffith.
"We come for her," David Griffith added.
All Saints Day has never really been on the American radar, said Prof.
Gustav Niebuhr, a professor of religious studies at Syracuse
University.
"It is overshadowed by Halloween," he said. "It is a very meaningful
day for those who observe it. It does not have the same prominence as
Easter."
Perhaps that's why the Rev. Arthur Hapanowicz never counts the number
of people who come on All Hallow's Eve to the Holy Trinity Church.
"I look at those who come," he said.
When he was in high school, which was a long, long time ago, he
remembered going to the morning Mass on All Saints' Day.
"Our parents reminded us of the holy days. We called them days of
obligation but it was an opportunity," he said.
As he prepared for the Mass on All Saints' Day, he remembered Mother
Theresa, and all the good people he had heard about or met.
"We remember those that we spent our lives with," he said. We remember
those good people and their example. And often their courage of never
giving up. That's hope that life does not end."
The Rev. Urbaniak is expecting around 300 people to attend church
today, the actual Holy Day. Twenty children will dress up as saints as
the church tries to maintain a tradition amid hope that the faithful
will return to fill the pews.
"It is a beautiful, meaningful thing," he said of the All Saints Day
celebration.
HOLIDAYS AND HOLY DAYS
HALLOWEEN
* According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Halloween, in ancient
Britain and Ireland, was a Celtic festival observed on Oct. 31
* The day is a celebration of ghosts and goblins marked by
trick-or-treating and dressing up in costumes by adults and children.
What is All Saints' Day?
* It is a day when Catholics and some other Christians remember the
Christian martyrs and saints and the departed.
* It originated around the year 800 to overshadow Halloween because
religious leaders at the time felt the pagan holidays were becoming
too popular.
Holy Days of Obligation
In addition to Sunday, Roman Catholics are expected to go to church on
these days:
* Jan. 1, Day marking Mary as the Mother of God.
* Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, Ascension.
* Aug. 15, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
* Nov. 1, All Saints.
* Dec. 8, Immaculate Conception.
* Dec. 25, Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas).
Source: United States Conference of Catholic BishopsAfter Army Spc.
John Sigsbee's death, families come together in grief
it has been an emotional week covering the tragedy, talking to people,
the family members, the friends and strangers. This is the unedited
version. underneath that I have copied what was published in the
Observer-Dispatch in Utica, NY.
Chinki Sinha
csinha@uticaod.com
An empty chair, Spiderman placemats, and creamed corn were carefully
laid out in memory of a lost son last holiday season, a ritual that's
repeated to keep Marine Sgt. Elisha Parker's memory alive each holiday
season. Twenty months have passed since he lost his life in Iraq. And
it hasn't been an easy road to recovery for mother Donna Parker.
"It was hard over the holidays," she said. "People can never forget."
And her heart goes out to the Sigsbee family that lost their
21-year-old son in the war last week. In her loss, she had turned to
friends and family, slowly pulling through the lull that the tragedy
brought in their lives, and learned to live and hope again by
revisiting the happy times she spent with her son, cooking his
favorite food, she said.
And that's what will help the Sigsbee family the most because it
helped her, Parker said.
"Little things. For John's family, those are important," she said.
"You just want to pull back and withdraw and pull back and it is good
to do that. Just take it at you own pace. It is a personal journey."
Sigsbee and Parker are joined by three other families in the Mohawk
Valley that lost their sons to the nearly five-year-old war in Iraq.
In 2003, Forestport residents Mary and Gregory Huxley, Sr. lost their
son 19-year-old son Pvt. Gregory Huxley, Jr. in the same war.
Everyone may handle their loss in their own way. Huxley does the
things he did with his son like snowboarding. He always carries a
picture of his son.
"There is not turning back on it," he said. "Memories are there everyday."
The pride hurts as much as the loss but Sigbees have a lot to be proud
of, Huxley said.
"All I can say is hug your family, reach out to them. That's all you
have left," he said. "He (Sigsbee) was an awesome guy. His parents
have a lot to be proud of."
On an average, about 10 family members are impacted when a soldier
dies. Often, for those grieving, it is important to share, to talk
about the loss, said Dan Sudnick business manager at TAPS, an
organization that helps families that have lost a member in the
military operations cope with the tragedy by connecting them with
similar groups.
"We counsel our families to remember the good life, the love," he
said. "We share those experiences. They bring in the scrapbook … it is
therapeutic. There are others who have gone through it. We try to take
that survivor and let him talk to a person in the same peer group."
Parkers turned to the organization to help them come out of the grief.
In the beginning, there were too many people, too many visitors, the
media. But then they all went back to their lives. It had started to
hurt then, the loss seemed to be magnified. Connecting with people
that had been through the same experience was a good decision, Parker
said.
"You might just go and listen," she said. "We got involved."
But even then, it is difficult. And when another mother loses a young
son, it brings it all back, evokes the memories, engulfing her in
emotions such as pain, pride and longing. And for families that have
suffered such loss, anytime a soldier's body is brought back, it
evokes what they have been through and it is all refreshed.
"The devastation, the sorrow, the pride … We know exactly what the
family is experiencing. Right now they are in a state of shock," she
said. "We have moved on. We have moved forward. But it (Sigsbee's
death) brings it all back. We just try."
Parker, 21, a Rome native, died in the Al Anbar province of Iraq while
performing combat operations against enemy forces in May, 2006. And
Parker remembers how she just went into a state of shock after the
news reached. Mechanically, she went through the legal paperwork that
needed to be done, talked to the media, to the neighbors, everything.
Looking back on it now, she wondered how could she have accomplished
all that when in her heart, she was hurt, she said.
"Afterwards, you break down. We do what we have to in the middle of a
crisis," Parker said. "You can just be moving through the day and stop
and think 'oh, he is gone'. But there is hope and recovery."
It was the community, friends and family that had been her armor
against the deluge of emotion she had been experiencing. They had
written notes, called, paid visits and it helped, she recalled.
"I guess it is important for you to surround yourself with people,"
she said. "I am sure the Sigsbees have a lot of support. They have us.
They can talk to us."
The Parkers plan to pay their tribute to the fallen soldier during the
calling hours Thursday at the Waterville High School auditorium.
Side bar
WATERVILLE - The Sigsbee family plan to start a scholarship in their
son's memory to be awarded to an engineering student from Waterville
Central School. And they are asking those who may bring in flowers to
pay their respects to Army Spc. John Sigsbee who died in Iraq last
week to consider a donation to John P. Sigsbee Memorial Fund.
After the news reached the small community in Waterville that one of
their own had lost their lives in the Iraq war, the life has slowed
down in the village. On Sunday at Sigsbee's homecoming, residents
stood out in their porches, on the sidewalks, and in their windows, to
thank the soldier and the family for their sacrifice.
And that expression has helped the grieving family in its own way.
Cindy Woods, who is Sigsbee's aunt, said the family was overwhelmed by
the outpouring.
"It restores your faith in people, strangers," she said. "The signs,
the flags … there were a lot of tears but they were of pride and
thanks. You feel everyone has wrapped their arms around you."
Woods flew from Atlanta Thursday to be with her sister's family.
For the family, Sigsbee was always an army guy. He enjoyed hunting,
target shooting and was a collector of anything "military". His
grandfather John Cornelius had served in two branches of the service.
And it is not just the Waterville community that will pay their
tributes to the fallen soldier Friday morning. Many others will join
them. Mark Bentz of the Kloster-Northrop & Bentz Funeral Home expects
about 600 people.
"That's the biggest we could find in the area," he said, referring to
the auditorium at the Waterville Central School. "The outpouring of
the community has really eased their burden."
The edited version of the story.
'People can never forget'
Families of 5 fallen servicemen linked by loss
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
csinha@uticaod.com
An empty chair, Spiderman placemats and creamed corn marked the spot
at the table where Marine Sgt. Elisha Parker of Camden used to sit.
Twenty months after the 21-year-old was killed in Iraq, rituals such
as placing his favorite items at the holiday dinner table help
Parker's family remember their son, his mother Donna Parker said.
"It was hard over the holidays," she said. "People can never forget."
On May 4, 2006, Elisha Parker was the fourth Mohawk Valley serviceman
to be killed in Iraq since the war began. On Wednesday, Spc. John
Sigsbee became the fifth.
Sigsbee's family now has begun a journey the other four families
already have shared.
And it hasn't been an easy road, Donna Parker said.
The Parker family has started to heal, she said, but when another
mother loses a son during the war, it brings it all back.
"The devastation, the sorrow, the pride," she said. "We know exactly
what the family is experiencing. Right now they are in a state of
shock. ... We have moved forward. But (Sigsbee's death) brings it all
back."
Every family handles the loss in their own way.
In 2003, Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr., son of Forestport residents Mary and
Gregory Huxley Sr., died in the Iraq war.
Now, Gregory Huxley Sr. remembers his 19-year-old son by doing
activities they used to enjoy together such as snowboarding and
fishing.
And he always carries his picture.
The pride hurts as much as the loss, he said, but the Huxleys and
Sigbees have a lot to be proud of, Huxley Sr. said.
"There is not turning back on it," he said. "All I can say is hug your
family, reach out to them. That's all you have left."
After a family member is killed, talking about the loss is important,
said Dan Sudnick, business manager at TAPS, an organization that
connects families whose loved ones died in the military operations and
helps them cope.
"We counsel our families to remember the good life, the love," he
said. "We share those experiences. They bring in the scrapbook … it is
therapeutic. There are others who have gone through it."
The group helped the Parkers after their son died, Donna Parker said.
In the beginning, many people were there — visitors, strangers, the media.
But then everyone else went back to their lives, and the loss seemed
to be magnified, she said.
Connecting with people who had been through a similar experience
helped, Parker said.
Friends and family slowly helped pull the Parkers through the tragedy,
she said. She now remembers the happy times with her son and cooks his
favorite food to be reminded of him, she said.
"Little things," she said. "For John's family, those are important.
You just want to pull back and withdraw, and it is good to do that.
Just take it at you own pace. It is a personal journey."
The Parkers plan to pay tribute to Sigsbee during the calling hours
Thursday at the Waterville Central School, she said.
"I guess it is important for you to surround yourself with people,"
she said. "I am sure the Sigsbees have a lot of support. They have us.
They can talk to us."
martin luther king and his dream ... why we are afraid of dreaming
in the church that evening, there were a but a few members, mostly
elderly and almost all of them were African-American except for a lone
white woman. To them, the tribute service in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. held hope and pride and some dignity in the face of
their tough lives.
and Deacon Patterson-Moyer said to me how growing up as an
African-American in America, in Utica is not easy. You confront
segregation and racism at so many levels. And there's so much to be
done still.
And it is important to dream like once Dr. King did. And it is
important to tell youself "I am somebody" so you don't get lost, she
said.
Annie Bell grew up in Alabama. Born in 1940 in the deep south, she
moved up north when she was 18. But it wasn't any better here. Blacks
were still being judged, she recalled.
And so it is now, she said.
At the St. Paul's Baptist Church on Sunday, she spoke about her life
and the times where color came in the way of how people percieved her,
when she, an individual, ceased to exist and only her color with all
its stereotypes remained.
how when she walked into stores, they watched her as if she would
steal something, she said.
in her part of the town, the media and us label it as Cornhill, which
is akin to ghetto town, only bad things happen, only criminals live
and walk the streets.
"It is not that bad," she told me.
Perhaps it will take us a lifetime to learn, to see through the
barriers of color.
We have not lived the dream. We weren't let to. the dream has been
spoken about, but seldom lived.
Sitting at the backk of the church, while they sang and clapped and
dreamed yet again, I felt sad and frustrated and angry. I was sent to
cover the event. But would I be able to fill in all that emotion, all
those failures and yet the resilience of the human spirit that echoed
"I am somebody" and lurched forward in the 15 inches that were
assinged, marked for the event.
Mesmerised, I sat there watching the deacon call upon the members to
start dreaming again, and to start living the dream.
King had dreamt of a world where people would not be judged by the
color of their skin.
But we still define suspects as "Black", though we seldom use "white".
Being white is such a privilege afterall.
But i still have some hope. Annie Bell is hopeful too of a better
world, where she will truly be "somebody" and not just a "poor, black
woman". I have hope in her faith, in her unshaken spirit that was
never crushed because it dares to dream yet again, all over again.
iraq war and us - changing opinions, shifting landscape
Perhaps this has been one of the toughest stories to cover so far. The
war to me is totally unjustified, a mere exercise in military power
and a whimsical, quixotic adventure. Or maybe another imperialist
nation making inroads into what many of its citizens calls a society
that is 200 years behind them. trust me a senator said that. Probably
he needs a history lesson or more so a lesson in probably not being so
arrogant.
when sgt. sigsbee died, I wrote a couple of stories on community
outpouring for the slain soldier.
i had been on the phone with a friend who asked me what these rural
communities think about the war. i said i see yellow ribbons at many
places, bumper stickers on cars behind me, or in front of me when we
all waited for the traffic light to turn green.
we need to do that story, i said. and then the newspaper assignmed me
this story. it was difficult subject to approach given the recent
death and given my own stand.
i spoke to many people. i did not use them all in the story. it took
me two days, lots of frustrations and a lot of holding back my own
emotions when i did my interviews.
i always save an unedited version because i feel most of the times the
most important stuff gets edited out. the unedited version is below.
Chinki Sinha
csinha@uticaod.com
Five years of Iraq war. Five servicemen killed.
As the Mohawk Valley prepares to bury another fallen soldier, many
residents have spoken about their sense of loss. As they mourn Army
Cpl. John Sigsbee, they also question whether the toll of the war is
too much to bear.
"Each person that is lost, it reopens the wound and makes us wonder,"
Rev. John Hogan of St. John the Baptist Church in Rome said. "I think
people are beginning to see this. They are beginning to see the
difference."
Sigsbee died in Iraq last week. Friends, neighbors and strangers
filled the streets Sunday in his hometown of Waterville to pay their
respects to the soldier as his body was brought home. Flags flew at
half mast throughout the village. Those who stood on the side streets
or filled the alleyways carried little flags, waving them as the body
passed them, thanking the soldier for his sacrifice.
The frigid cold did not hold them back nor did the church services. A
few even stepped out in the middle of Sunday services to pay tribute
to Sigsbee. About 600 people are expected to attend Sigsbee's funeral
Friday at 10 a.m. at the Waterville Central School auditorium. The
calling hours are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the same
location.
Iraq war has been a subject of debate in the political arena. But
following the deaths of five servicemen in the area, residents now
feel they have a stake in the issue that has been magnified in their
loss.
The introduction to the horror of losing someone you knew, met on the
side streets, or attended school with, someone who was the nice
neighborhood guy, began in 2003 when Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr. of
Forestport died. That brought the war right to their doorstep.
Hogan of the St. John Baptist Church recalled how his heart sank when
he heard Army National Guard Sgt. Michael A. Uvanni, 27, of Rome was
killed in Iraq in 2004.
He gave the homily then and he had felt a lot of eyes on him that
looked up to him to help them make sense of the war, he said.
"For days you could feel the loss," he said. "Michael Uvanni's death
changed this community. A real life flesh and blood young man was
killed."
The Mohawk Valley that has been proud and patriotic, has also seen
solid opposition to the war from early on, said John Zogby of
Utica-based Zogby International, a polling firm.
In the recent years, Zogby said he has seen a lot of questioning of the war.
"Without doubt, there is questioning," he said.
But it is in urban areas such as Rome, Utica and parts of Herkimer and
Little Falls, that the opposition to the war is greater than in rural
areas where many residents support the war, he said.
"Smaller, rural areas tend to be more conservative," he said. "I
haven't zeroed in on Waterville specifically or Camden but clearly in
rural areas support for the war is greater."
Colgate Professor Andy Rotter agrees that urban areas are more
forthcoming in denouncing the war but in recent years, he said, there
is a shift in how people perceive the Iraq war.
Anecdotally, the commitment to the war has strengthened in rural
communities because they also see a personal stake in it, he said.
"The values of independence, of freedom, it is stronger in rural
communities," Rotter said.
These areas also send disproportionate numbers of men and women into
the army, he said.
In traversing the streets, and the neighborhoods, yellow ribbons and
bumper stickers calling out for brining the troops back home can't be
missed. But anti-war signs are also aplenty. Black, bold letters
scribbled on stop signs in parts of the city cry out loud 'Stop War'.
But people are still afraid of being misunderstood. In a community
that's largely rural, it is a difficult decision to come out in the
open with one's position on the war in Iraq.
After a year of thinking back and forth, the Rev. John Hogan decided
to publicly state his opposition to the war in Iraq a few weeks ago.
But he is still uncomfortable of putting up a sign that says "Bring
Our Troops Home Now" in the front law of the rectory.
"It is still sitting in my office," he said. "I support our troops.
But there are a lot of mixed feelings."
But Doug Cowburn, a Waterville native and a Vietnam War veteran,
proudly displays his Vietnam War sticker on his window.
"I don't believe this war is going nowhere," he said. "We are taking
action. We have to protect America and our way of life."
In fact, Cowburn, 56, who is a pastor at Southgate Ministries, went to
register to serve as a chaplain in the military soon after 9/11 but
wasn't enlisted, he said.
"I would do it all over again," he said. "There is a lot more
patriotism than you see."
New Hartford resident Danyse Fusco supports the war. Though she
doesn't display a bumper sticker on her car, she sends packages to the
men serving in Iraq. That's her way of support, she said.
"Nobody likes war," she said. "I think the support is waning. People
have put it on their backburner. I think it has been too easy for
them. War is a necessity."
But 20-year-old Celina Fuller, a West Winfield resident, feels so many
people are dying in the war, it is not worth it.
"I am not really for it," she said.
In 2003, Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr., 19, of Forestport died, when an
Iraqi rocket-propelled grenade hit his squad's personnel carrier. Then
it was Army Capt. George A. Wood, 33, of Marcy died, when his tank
rolled over an explosive. Then it was Uvanni died in 2004 and Marine
Sgt. Elisha Parker of Camden who was slain in 2006 in Iraq.
Over the years, church leaders have seen people change their stand. It
did not begin immediately, they said.
But as more men died in their neighborhoods, they started to feel if
the war was the right way to go. In years following Uvanni's death,
Hogan said many of his parish members said how they support the troops
as he does, but they think the war must end, he said.
In a statement Congressman Mike Arcuri, D-Utica, said he has heard
people wanting to bring the troops home. He had previously talked
about brining the troops back to the country.
"John Sigsbee and his family represent the best our country has to
offer," Arcuri said in a statement. "It is a tragedy that the war in
Iraq continues to take the lives of our most promising young men and
women."
Methodist Church Minister Robert Wollaber said he has seen the opinion
on war change in his Little Falls and Ilion where he serves.
"Most people I talk to are in favor of pulling out," he said. "It is
time for us to leave. With the recent death, it is taking a toll."
Cindy Sheehan, a gold star mother who lost her son Casey Sheehan in
the Iraq war, publicly spoke against the war.
And many more such mothers, fathers, friends have gone the Sheehan way
since. But for many others that have lost a son, a daughter, a father
or a husband, not supporting the war is like not recognizing the
sacrifice.
In their sadness and in their sacrifice, they defend the war fiercely,
Rotter said.
"They need to cover their own doubt," he said. "I have sympathy for them."
Who and why
Andy Rotter said there are a variety of reasons why men and women from
such communities would enlist in the military, including poverty. It
is also perceived as an easy way towards upward social mobility, he
said.
"The military appeals to many young people who see the military as a
way upwards," he said. "They see it as an opportunity."
It is in these areas that the support for war has always been strong,
even before the kids went off to war, he said.
In many cases, serving in the military has been a long family
tradition with grandfathers and fathers as ex-servicemen, Rotter said.
It is also for reasons to show their masculinity that some men join
the military, he said.
But low-income minority groups may think otherwise. Traditionally, the
African-American voters have voted for democrats. To them, the
trillions that are being spent to fund the war that has no closure,
could be spent on health care or building public infrastructure.
"A sense … the war not doing anything for the minorities," he said.
"Then it becomes difficult for them to support quixtoic adventure."
my sign waits
ROME - After a year of thinking back and forth, the Rev. John Hogan
decided to publicly state his opposition to the war in Iraq. But he is
still uncomfortable of putting up a sign that say "Bring Our Troops
Home Now" in the front law of the rectory.
"It is still sitting in my office," he said. "I support our troops.But
there are a lot of mixed feelings."
Hogan, a minister at St. John the Baptist Church, had given the homily
at Army National Guard Sgt. Michael Uvanni, a Rome native killed in
combat in Samarra, Iraq, in Oct. 2004. When he heard a Rome native was
killed, his hear sank, he recalled.
"For days you could feel the loss," he said. "Michael Uvanni's death
changed this community. It brought it to our doorstep. A real life
flesh and blood young man was killed."
He sees many bumper stickers, yellow ribbons and signs all around him.
He never knew what to make of those, he said.
But over the five years, during which the Mohawk Valley lost five of
its young men, he has seen people questioning the war, expressing
their disillusionment with it, promoted by the loss of one of their
own, he said.
"Each person that is lost, it reopens the wound and makes us wonder," he said.
My war sticker
When Doug Cowburn returned home after serving in the Vietnam War in
1972, there were no jobs, the economy was heading into a recession and
it was a tough time.
Cowburn, 56, ended up taking a job at a maintenance facility, which
did not pay much. A trade school degree later, he was in better
position than many other veterans who had turned to drugs and alcohol
as a way to deal with the situation.
He had felt betrayed then. The media had not been reporting their
stories and the support at home had been waning, he said.
"The war that wasn't supported then was the Vietnam War," he said.
"Vietnam War veterans have been mistreated. We have been working odd
jobs. We did not receive jobs. They never even gave a discharge
benefit."
Now a minister at the Southgate Ministries at Waterville, he feels war
is a terrible thing, but it is also necessary to protect America. So,
he supports the troops, he said.
"It takes brave men and women to fight for the country. Some give the
ultimate sacrifice," he said. "I support the war on terrorism. We
can't just send out our men and say we are not going to support them."
Cowburn was in the same 101st Airborne Division 32nd Cavalry Unit that
Army Cpl. John Sigsbee was. It was just a different war, he said.
"War hasn't changed," he said. "The best men come forward and the
worst things happen."
the edited version as it appeared jan. 24, 2008
Region reflects on war's cost
Jan 23, 2008 @ 10:52 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
Five years. Five servicemen killed.
As the Mohawk Valley prepares to bury another fallen soldier Friday,
many residents have spoken about their sense of loss. And as they
mourn Army Cpl. John Sigsbee,some also have questioned whether the
toll of the Iraq war is too high.
"Each person that is lost, it reopens the wound and makes us wonder,"
the Rev. John Hogan of St. John the Baptist Church in Rome said. "I
think people are beginning to see this."
Sigsbee of Waterville died in Iraq last week. Friends, neighbors and
strangers filled the streets Sunday in his hometown to pay their
respects to the soldier as his body was returned home.
Flags flew at half staff throughout the village. Residents carried
small flags, waving them as the hearse passed, thanking the soldier
for his sacrifice.
Mohawk Valley residents are proud and patriotic, said John Zogby of
Utica-based polling firm Zogby International. But opposition to the
war has grown here, he said.
"Without doubt, there is questioning," he said.
As of Wednesday, 3,931 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq during the
war that began March 20, 2003.
The Rev. Robert Wollaber of Morning Star United Methodist churches in
Ilion and Frankfort said he has seen the opinion on the war change in
the community.
"Most people I talk to are in favor of pulling out," he said. "It is
time for us to leave. With the recent death, it is taking a toll."
Fallen servicemen
About 600 people are expected to attend Sigsbee's funeral at 10 a.m.
Friday at Waterville Central School. Calling hours will be from 4 to 8
p.m. today at the school.
The 21-year-old Purple Heart recipient was killed along with two other
soldiers during combat operations Wednesday, Jan. 16, in Balad, Iraq,
according to Army reports.
Sigsbee had suffered numerous burns in 2006 after the tank he was in
was heavily damaged by a roadside bomb, but he chose to return to Iraq
as a member of the 101st Airborne Division 32nd Cavalry Unit.
"John Sigsbee and his family represent the best our country has to
offer," Rep. Mike Arcuri, D-Utica, said in a statement. "It is a
tragedy that the war in Iraq continues to take the lives of our most
promising young men and women."
Arcuri said he often hears from area residents who want to bring the
troops home.
Mohawk Valley residents first experienced the toll of the war in 2003,
when Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr. of Forestport was killed. Army Capt.
George A. Wood, 33, of Marcy died later that year.
Those deaths were followed by Army National Guard Sgt. Michael A.
Uvanni, 27, of Rome in 2004, and Marine Sgt. Elisha Parker, 21, of
Camden, in 2006.
The Rev. Hogan recalled how his heart sank when he heard about Uvanni's death.
When he gave the homily at Uvanni's funeral, a lot of people were
looking at him to help them make sense of the war, he said.
"For days, you could feel the loss," he said. "Michael Uvanni's death
changed this community. A real life flesh and blood young man was
killed."
Hogan recently decided to publicly state his opposition to the war,
but he still is uncomfortable putting up a sign that says "Bring Our
Troops Home Now" on the front lawn of the rectory.
"It is still sitting in my office," he said. "I support our troops.
But there are a lot of mixed feelings."
Community support
The Rev. Douglas Cowburn of Waterville served during the Vietnam War
in the 101st Airborne Division 32nd Cavalry Unit, decades before
Sigsbee would join the same unit.
Today, Cowburn, 56, plans to attend the calling hours to pay respect
to the soldier. The minister at Southgate Ministries in Waterville
said war is a terrible thing, but it is also necessary to protect
America.
"It takes brave men and women to fight for the country. Some give the
ultimate sacrifice," he said. "I support the war on terrorism."
New Hartford resident Danyse Fusco said she also supports the war and
sends packages to members of the military serving in Iraq.
"Nobody likes war," she said. "I think the support is waning. People
have put it on their backburner. I think it has been too easy for
them. War is a necessity."
The Rev. Tenolian R. Bell of St. Paul's Baptist Church in Utica has
been following the war closely ever since it started, he said.
The war is wrong, he said.
"I definitely support the troops but not the war," he said. "Jesus'
stand would be there's no good reason to take a life. It is against
Christianity."
While opposition to the war has grown in urban areas such as Utica,
Rome and their suburbs, support remains strong in rural areas, Zogby
said.
"Smaller, rural areas tend to be more conservative," Zogby said. "I
haven't zeroed in on Waterville specifically or Camden but clearly in
rural areas support for the war is greater."
Rural areas also send disproportionate numbers of men and women into
the army, Colgate University history professor Andy Rotter said.
"The military appeals to many young people who see the military as a
way upwards," he said. "They see it as an opportunity."
In many cases, serving in the military also has been a long family
tradition, Rotter said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
far from a multi-cultural economy/ problems facing minority businesses
and issues of race and discrimination
An unedited version of the article on minority financing in the region
and the role of racism and stereotypes.
UTICA - Business ownership continues to elude minorities in the Mohawk Valley.
At a time when the number of businesses owned by minority groups has
increased nationwide, the region's various racial groups and ethnic
groups have lagged behind.
In 2002, there were only 23 black-owned companies in Oneida County
with paid employees, according to the latest available census data.
These firms employed about 274 people, a tiny fraction of the region's
overall workforce.
The number of Hispanic-owned and Asian-owned businesses was so small
as to not even register in the census data.
Put another way, virtually every Mohawk Valley business employing
people is owned by someone white. And virtually every worker in our
area is employed by a white-owned firm.
Such a gap can be attributed to many reasons, all contributing toward
a cycle that is often hard to break, experts say:
ä Median incomes for people of color are substantially lower in the
Utica-Rome-Herkimer area than for white people. In the 2000 census,
the median income for blacks was only two-thirds the median income for
whites.
ä Loan denial rates are high in the African-American community. With
little start-up capital to initiate and grow a business, and low net
worth, it is often difficult to secure loans for a business for these
individuals.
ä Many minority-owned businesses are also low-growth ventures such as
restaurants, food stores and personal services based on a sole
proprietorship model, Betsy Zeidman, director of the Center for
Emerging Domestic Markets at Milken Institute, a non-partisan think
tank, said.
"It is a vicious cycle of what do you start with," she said.
"African-Americans and Hispanics start with lower capital. You have
more businesses started by whites."
For the region's large number of low-income black families,
asset-building is often difficult.
"On the local level, we don't have a very broad middle class. The
majority of the African American population in this area is at or
below the poverty level," Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, the publisher of
Utica Phoenix, said.
When resources are lacking, it is a challenge to build a good credit
history or to put money down in any venture, she said.
A History of Emerging Foreign Markets, a report by Milken Institute,
says ethnic, female and low-income entrepreneurs have less access to
equity and debt capital than do white, male and more affluent business
owners and loans secured by African-Americans are of a lesser amount
than those accorded to white borrowers. In addition, black-owned
businesses also face discrimination in interest rates with some type
of lenders, the report states.
According to the report, there were unexplained differences in denial
rates between minority and white-owned firms.
It quotes Lloyd Blanchard, Bo Zhao, and John Yinger's study,
"discrimination in small business lending may take the form of
statistical discrimination, driven by lenders' stereotypes about the
ability of black-and-hispanic-owned businesses to succeed under some
circumstances."
While one's assets could be a determining factor when it comes to
securing financing,racial discrimination could be a big part of it
too, Harris-Lockwood said.
"There's underlying bias," she said. "It is a tough, tough situation.
A lot has to do with the notion that they are poor, uneducated and not
business savvy which is not the case."
In fact, of all minority groups, it is most difficult for black people
to access loans, Zeidman said.
"It is easier for Asians," she said. "I can say some research has
demonstrated that there is some discrimination. It is believed to be
out there as a factor and has to do with networks with relationships."
But the gap that was wider is closing in as more financial
institutions realize the new emerging market where minorities play an
important role, she said.
Steve DiMeo of Mohawk Valley EDGE said there is help available for
small and minority-owned businesses such as Minority- and Women-owned
Business Enterprises (MWBE) program that was instituted in 1988in New
York State and renewed for more then 15 years in 2003.
But the region's predominantly white population could be a reason why
there are such few minority-owned businesses, he said.
"Minority community is not that big here to begin with," he said.
In 2006, the number of whites stood at 212,758 as against 215,781 in
2000. In the same time period, the numbers of Blacks increased by 118
from 14,098 in 2000 to 14,216 in 2006 and those of Asians increased
from 2,829 to 3,372, according to census figures.
Stereotypes are restrictive
Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Firms: 2002, a report
publishedby the Census, says that between 1997 and 2002, the number
ofblack-owned businesses in the United States increased by 45 percent
to1.2 million. The combined revenue grew by 25 percent to $88.8
billion.
But in the Mohawk Valley, that trend is not reflected. (we need
numbers here. I can't find those)
Some feel the region has a long way to go in terms of bridging racial
divide and eliminating perceptions that hinder minority communities
and particularly the African-American community from accessing
financial help.
Historically blacks have encountered racism in this community and may
have become discouraged to start a business, Patrick Johnson, who is
YWCA's racial justice director, said.
"The Mohawk Valley just simply has a history and a reputation of
notbeing welcoming for black people," he said. "We have to lookat the
history of the black people in this community and see what they have
been allowed to do."
Utica resident Courtney Muhammad said it is not surprising to know
there are so few black-owned businesses in the area. It is the
stereotypes, he said.
Muhammad, who is African-American, used to own his own retail store
but pulled the shutters down in 1993 for personal reasons. Now, he is
again thinking of starting a venture but without depending on a loan
and with saved-up cash, he said.
"If we did try to get the capital, nobody would give it to us," he
said. "The perception is reality."
Again, another issue that comes in the way of success is the support
within its community, he said.
"We don't support our own," he said. "Some white won't come to your store."
There is low self-esteem and the mindset that in the white-owned
businesses, the products and services are of superior quality is a
discouraging factor, he said.
The region's black people's history
It is the unusual migration pattern of black people to this region
that have a lot to do with so few African-American-owned businesses in
the community, Harris-Lockwood said.
In the days when agriculture had not been machined, a lot
ofAfrican-American laborers from the Deep South moved up here in
hopesof getting work and for a better life. But as the industry relied
moreon machines than labor, these migrant workers were left without
jobs. With little or no education, they had limited job opportunities
and no money to risk, she said.
Coming from a family where most members are college-educated and
having gone to college herself, Harris-Lockwood has encountered
discrimination herself, she said.
"I end up being subject to the same overall discrimination,"
Harris-Lockwood said.
In such a climate, it is no wonder that the numbers are low, she said.
Other minorities
While the region has seen an increase in its Hispanic population over
the years, there were a negligible number of Hispanic-owned companies,
according to the census.
Almost 12 percent of Utica's population is foreign born, and more than
20 percent of the region speaks a language other than English,
according to the 2000 Census figures.
Between 2000 and 2006 Oneida County's Hispanic population increased by
17 percent to 8,876 residents, and constitutes about 4 percent of the
population.
Language could be a barrier for some of the minority groups such as
Hispanics. In many cases, minority groups have limited themselves to
small businesses that are based on a sole-proprietorship model and
often employ family members, according to experts, one reason why the
number of people employed by minority business-owners is low.
Hilaria Soto, who is originally from Dominican Republic, is one such
business owner. She runs her restaurant El Barajo on Bleecker Street
with the help from her family members.
Soto moved to Utica form New Jersey two years ago tempted by the
city's not-so-fast life. She had capital to start the business, which
did not require a huge investment, she said.
"It is a quiet town to raise your children," she said. "So we come."
Most minority-owned businesses are either grocery stores or
restaurants given the challenges of securing a funding for larger
ventures. But even then, the challenges posed by prevailing
stereotypes are many. For Motaher Ismail, an immigrant from Yemen,
9/11 was a testing time, his wife, Debra Ismail said.
Ismail came to Utica in 1998. His first stop was New York City but
after he visited his friend in Whitesboro, he decided to stay on.
After saving up enough money to start his venture form his job at a
grocery store, he opened Ismail Market on Albany Street in 2003.
His wife Debra Ismail and a cousin Mahdi Kassam, who works part time,
help him out, he said.
"The neighborhood did not like him in the beginning. The business was
slow," Debra said. "It is OK now."
Beyond the race tag
Emma McNeil
Ruby Excavating Co. Inc.
Emma McNeil wants to break through the color barrier. An
African-American business owner, she wants the community to notice her
work, judge her on her merit rather than her minority status.
"We want to break that," she said. "The playing field should be
leveled. It is not that the people have no skills"
The Newport resident started her excavating business in December,
2007. It hasn't been an easy road and financing without a good credit
score was a concern. Also, in a community that is not used to seeing a
minority-owned excavating business, it takes a lot of convincing to be
taken seriously, she said.
"Without the financing, your hands are tied," she said. "I faced
difficulty when it came to bonding. Those are the things that hold you
back."
But McNeil and her husband Fred have surged forward despite the
obstacles and hope they will be successful. Currently, their company
employs five people and have one contract, McNeil said.
It took a lot of courage and thought to launch their venture. Her
husband had worked in excavating business before and McNeil herself
had over 30 years of experience in administrative work.
"We had to make ends meet," she said. "Lot of times you go for what you know."
And it is not just the typical business challenges that McNeil has to
face. The bias, the prejudice and the minority tag are added
obstacles.
"We all face obstacles," she said. "They are not used to minority
doing this. It is tough. It was a difficult decision but then I looked
around and I saw other minorities opening their businesses."
"I have a thick skin"
Thomas A. Rezels
Revels T-Gibson Funeral Services
Thomas A. Rezels considers him fortunate to be doing well in his
funeral home business that he started in 1991. He had the benefit of a
college degree, a good job in New York City with good savings and a
guaranteed income for life. He could afford to make an investment
unlike others in his community, he said.
"I was probably more fortunate than other people," he said. "It wasn't
that easy but it was not impossible."
With a clientele that's 99 percent African-American, his business is
an ethnocentric one and as such no competition. But had he ventured
into any other, maybe his race could have come in his way, he said.
"We live in America. Racism is part of the culture here," he said. "My
skin is a little thick. I have always been minority in a crowd."
Rezels feels the African-American community in Utica does not have
many opportunities and crippled by lack of a personal wealth and a
good credit rating, members of the community can't make the best of
any that may exist, he said.
With jobs leaving the area, there aren't many black professionals who
can make an investment in a business and take the risk. In Utica, most
of the black community is poor and not well-educated, something that
can be traced to their parents or grandparents who came as migrant
workers from Deep South and did not have a high level of education. To
get over and beyond limiting factors such as personal wealth and
education, it will take generations, he said.
"It takes generations to get to a point to own a business, to even
think about doing it," he said. "Most African-Americans in Utica are
not prepared to make that investment."
few black-owned businesses in the area points out to the issues of
race, color and America's history of minority groups
The edited version as it was published in the Utica Observer-Dispatch
on Feb. 17, 2008. I am also copying some of the comments that readers
posted.
Whites own almost all area firms
Feb 16, 2008 @ 10:33 PM
By CHINKI SINHA
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA – Business ownership continues to elude minorities in the Mohawk Valley.
At a time when the number of firms owned by minority groups has
increased nationwide, the region's various racial groups and ethnic
groups have lagged behind.
In 2002, there were only 23 black-owned companies in Oneida County
with paid employees, according to the latest available census data.
These firms employed about 274 people, a tiny fraction of the region's
overall work force. Experts: Traditional methods not working
The number of local Hispanic-owned and Asian-owned businesses were so
small, they did not register in the census data.
Put another way, virtually every Mohawk Valley business employing
people is owned by someone white.
And virtually every worker in our area is employed at a white-owned firm.
Such a gap can be attributed to many reasons, all contributing toward
a cycle that is often hard to break, experts say:
-- Median incomes for people of color are substantially lower in the
Utica-Rome area than for white people. In the 2000 census, the median
income for blacks was only two-thirds the median income for whites.
-- Loan denial rates are high in the black community. With little
start-up capital to initiate and grow a business, and low net worth,
it is often difficult to secure loans for businesses for these
individuals.
--Many minority-owned businesses are based on a sole proprietorship.
These are low-growth ventures such as restaurants, food stores and
providers of personal services, said Betsy Zeidman, director of the
Center for Emerging Domestic Markets at Milken Institute, a Santa
Monica, Calif.-based nonpartisan think tank.
"It is a vicious cycle of what do you start with," she said.
"African-Americans and Hispanics start with lower capital. You have
more businesses started by whites."
For the region's low-income black families, asset-building is often difficult.
"On the local level, we don't have a very broad middle class," said
Cassandra Harris-Lockwood, the publisher of the Utica Phoenix
newspaper and a black woman who has led efforts to even the playing
field for blacks in the construction trades. The 2000 census showed
close to half of local blacks lived below the poverty line.
When resources are lacking, it is a challenge to build a good credit
history or to put money down in any venture, Harris-Lockwood said.
Bias in lending?
In the 1997 Economic Census, the Mohawk Valley had 30 black-owned
companies employing a total of 296 people. That employment total
represented just 0.31 percent of all local workers, census figures
showed.
Five years later, the number of black-owned firms employing people
dropped by seven, to 23 firms, the census shows. And nearly 50 fewer
people were employed by such firms, which had total annual sales of
$16.5 million, according to census figures.
By contrast, the number of black-owned firms jumped nationwide between
1997 and 2002 by about 45 percent.
Some of the obstacles to minority business ownership locally exist
across the country. A report by the Milken Institute says ethnic,
female and low-income entrepreneurs have less access to equity and
debt capital than do white, male and more affluent business owners.
Often, loans secured by blacks are smaller than those accorded to
white borrowers, the study found. In addition, black-owned businesses
also face discrimination in interest rates with some lenders, the
report states.
It quotes another study by Lloyd Blanchard, Bo Zhao and John Yinger
that states, "Discrimination in small business lending may take the
form of statistical discrimination, driven by lenders' stereotypes
about the ability of black- and Hispanic-owned businesses to succeed
under some circumstances."
While one's assets could be a determining factor when it comes to
securing financing, racial discrimination could be a part of it, too,
Harris-Lockwood said.
"There's underlying bias," she said. "It is a tough, tough situation.
A lot has to do with the notion that they are poor, uneducated and not
business savvy, which is not the case." In their own words...
In fact, of all minority groups, it is most difficult for black people
to access loans, Zeidman said.
"It is easier for Asians," she said. "I can say some research has
demonstrated that there is some discrimination. It is believed to be
out there as a factor and has to do with networks with relationships."
Nationwide, the gap is closing somewhat. More financial institutions
are realizing the benefits of reaching out to minorities in an
increasingly diverse country, she said.
Number of minorities
Steven DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, a Rome-based economic
development group for Oneida and Herkimer counties, said there is help
available for small and minority-owned businesses such as the
Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises program instituted in
1988.
But the region's predominantly white population could be a reason why
there are such few minority-owned businesses, he said.
"The minority community is not that big here to begin with," he said.
In 2006, the number of whites stood at 212,758 as against 215,781 in
2000, census estimates show.
In the same time period, the numbers of blacks increased by 118 from
14,098 in 2000 to 14,216, and the number of Asians increased from
2,829 to 3,372, according to census figures.
In Utica, minorities make up at least 20 percent of the population.
Much of the rest of the Mohawk Valley region is far less diverse.
Almost 12 percent of Utica's population is foreign born, and more than
20 percent of the region speaks a language other than English,
according to the 2000 census figures.
Some minority leaders say the region has a long way to go in terms of
bridging the racial divide and eliminating perceptions that hinder
people of color and particularly the black community from accessing
financial help.
'Not being welcoming'
Historically, blacks have encountered racism in this community and
might have become discouraged to start a business, YWCA of the Mohawk
Valley Racial Justice Director Patrick Johnson said.
"The Mohawk Valley just simply has a history and a reputation of not
being welcoming for black people," he said. "We have to look at the
history of the black people in this community and see what they have
been allowed to do."
Johnson did cite some improvement, including a greater willingness by
local leaders to acknowledge racial inequality in recent years.
Utica resident Courtney Muhammad said it is not surprising to know
there are so few black-owned businesses in the area. He cites
continuing stereotyping as a factor.
Muhammad, who is black, used to own his own retail store but closed it
in 1993 for personal reasons. Now, he is again thinking of starting a
venture, but without depending on a loan and with saved-up cash, he
said.
"If we did try to get the capital, nobody would give it to us," he
said. "The perception is reality."
Another issue that gets in the way of success is the level of support
within the community, he said.
"We don't support our own," he said. A number of blacks have low
self-esteem and possess the mindset that in a white-owned business,
the products and services are of superior quality, he said.
Language barrier
While the region has seen an increase in its Hispanic population
recently, there were a negligible number of Hispanic-owned companies
in the last census survey.
Between 2000 and 2006, Oneida County's Hispanic population increased
by 17 percent to 8,876 residents, or about 4 percent of the
population.
Hilaria Soto, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, is a
local Hispanic business owner. She runs her restaurant, El Barajo, on
Bleecker Street with the help from her family members.
Soto moved to Utica from New Jersey two years ago, drawn by the city's
not-so-fast life. She had capital to start the business, which did not
require a huge investment, she said.
"It is a quiet town to raise your children," she said. "So we come."
Business owner: 'You go for what you know'
Emma McNeil
Ruby Excavating Co. Inc.
Emma McNeil wants to break through the color barrier. A new black
business owner, she wants the community to notice her work and judge
her on her merits rather than on her minority status.
"We want to break that," she said. "The playing field should be
leveled. It is not that the people have no skills."
The Newport resident started her excavating business in December. It
hasn't been an easy road, and obtaining financing without a good
credit score was a concern. Also, in a region that is not used to
seeing a minority-owned excavating business, it takes a lot of
convincing to be taken seriously, she said.
"Without the financing, your hands are tied," she said. "I faced
difficulty when it came to bonding. Those are the things that hold you
back."
McNeil and her husband, Fred, said their company employs five people
and have one contract.
Her husband had worked in the excavating business before, and McNeil
herself had more than 30 years of experience in administrative work.
"We had to make ends meet," she said. "Lots of times you go for what you know."
Funeral home operator: 'My skin is a little thick'
Thomas A. Revels
Revels T-Gibson |Funeral Services
Thomas A. Revels considers himself fortunate to be doing well in his
funeral home business that he started in 1991.
He had the benefit of a college degree, a good job in New York City
and plenty of savings. He could afford to make an investment unlike
others in his community, he said.
"I was probably more fortunate than other people," he said. "It wasn't
that easy but it was not impossible."
With a clientele that's 99 percent black, his Revels T-Gibson Funeral
Services business is an ethnocentric one and, as such, has no
competition, he said.
But had he ventured into any other field, maybe his race could have
gotten in his way, Revels said.
"We live in America. Racism is part of the culture here," he said. "My
skin is a little thick. I have always been a minority in a crowd."
Revels said the black community in Utica does not have many
opportunities, and feels crippled by a lack of personal wealth and
good credit rating. With jobs leaving the area, there aren't many
black professionals who can make an investment in a business and take
the risk, he said.
Much of the black community is poor and not well-educated, something
that can be traced to their parents or grandparents who came as
migrant workers from the Deep South and did not have a high level of
education, he said.
Getting ahead with limiting factors such as personal wealth and
education will take decades, Revels said.
"It takes generations to get to a point to own a business, to even
think about doing it," he said. "Most African-Americans in Utica are
not prepared to make that investment."
UTICA – When it comes to hiring minorities, employers in the Mohawk
Valley might not be reaching out in the right way, some experts say.
Often, employers may be relying on traditional methods of recruitment
such as newspaper or online advertisements, but the diverse population
might not be using such tools in their job search, business owner
Susan Woods said.
Woods, who is black, said the result is work forces that are primarily
white. Take one trip to a department store at the mall and the racial
divide is quite evident when you look at who's working there, Woods
said.
"Corporations haven't done enough in terms of reaching out to the
minority," Woods said. "So many things can be done — just making sure
employment opportunities are communicated."
The region's minority population has increased over the years to about
13 percent of the overall population, but most local minorities are
concentrated in Utica.
The state Labor Department could not provide a breakdown of the local
work force by race, but business leaders and other concerned parties
see room for improvement in terms of hiring people of color.
Representation of minorities in the work force in the region needs to
improve, said attorney A.J. Bosman, who has worked on several racial
discrimination cases.
In many cases, sending out a white male to recruit is not the best
idea if companies want to diversify their work force, Bosman said.
Minorities might not come forward if they don't see one of their own
as part of the recruiting team, she said.
"Part of it is how you recruit," Bosman said. "Identification is important."
She added: "Set forth an example. Unless there is willingness to
self-examine and to self-educate, we are not going to have work
environments we are proud of."
In government departments, police forces and school boards, minority
representa tion is either not evident or is limited to a few members,
she said.
"There is an unwillingness to reach for that goal," Bosman said.
A key to incorporating true diversity is to create a work environment
that does not ostracize a person of color, but accepts diversity. In
many cases, minorities have had rocky experiences and therefore are
reluctant to respond to advertisements for job openings, Woods said.
"They have not been accepted," she said.
— Chinki Sinha, O-D
Some comments from the readers
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:15 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jessie, I didn't see the article as trying to whip up racism against
whites at all. In fact, I read it as a fairly balanced effort to
report not only the data from the Census Bureau, but it also revealed
some logical reasons why so few businesses in the region are minority
owned.
Granted, the headline writer could have taken a less inflammatory
approach, but even his (or her) sub-heading balances that. When I read
the report, however, I appreciated the reporter's coverage because it
wasn't at all what the headline implied it would be.
_________________
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:12 pm Post subject: Paper sheds heat
not light.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The headline says, "Whites own almost all area firms". Why is the
Utica OD trying to whip up racism toward whites? The title sounds
inflammatory in a way that is trying to stir up racial jealously and
animosity. The Utica OD likes to shed heat not light.
Since the OD wants to explore the subject why not tell the ethnic
background of the whites. It is all different nationalities or is it a
certain type of nationality that owns all of the businesses. Is it for
example, Polish whites, Italian whites, Bosnian whites, and so on and
so on that own all of the business?
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:45 am Post subject:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wonder how that data compares to other regions in this country or
even this country as a whole. My guess is it would be pretty similar.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Anyone with half a mind
could tell you it'svery difficult to thrive in this area if you own
your own business no matter the color of your skin.
Add a darker complexion to the mix and it's next to impossible.
Given the diverse makeup of this region I would expect this trend to
change in the not too distant future. It may not be african americans
leading the charge but minorities will no doubt be the primary
employers at some point.
Let's not also forget that the minute you step outside Utica or Rome,
the demographics of Oneida county start to look like snow white in a
snow storm.
The last time I was wrong was in 1985, when I thought I made a mistake.
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