EBM Mail
THE ABC'S OF CANCER
I’m writing in regards to Joachim
Mark’s article (May issue), “The
ABC’s of Cancer.” My father has
successfully battled colon cancer and
many other friends and family have
either battled or lost the battle in the
past. My husband has never fully
understood about cancer and what
it entailed until finding and reading
your very informative article. I’m
thanking you for educating us a little
more on this terrible, sometimes life
threatening, disease. My husband
and I have passed the article on so
others can also be informed about the
ABC’s of cancer. Thank you again.
NA…1@....com
OFFENSIVE COMMENT ABOUT EASTERN
PARKWAY
My name is Marisa. My mother is
a subscriber to your publication. I am
writing to comment on a statement
made in your recent JULY 07, Vol. 31
No.4 edition.
On page 17, there is a list of “Top
Summer Events,” and under Toronto
Carnival, you commented about the
Labor Day Parade held in the US on
Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn. It reads
as follows: “…The parade route
[Toronto Carnival] is not in rundown
black neighborhoods as in the United
States.”
That statement, in my eyes, [and
in] my family members’, co workers’
and friends’ view is unacceptable and
offensive. Everyone is entitled to his
or her own opinion but to make such
a horrific comment and then have
this published is deplorable. Why
does the comment have to read “rundown
black neighborhoods . . . .” Are
black people the only people that live
in rundown neighborhoods?
Fact #1, Eastern Parkway is not
a rundown neighborhood and secondly
its residents consist of 70%
non-African Americans. How can we
(as in African Americans) get other
races not to always associate “black”
as something that is ghetto, “rundown,”
or negative if we as group
talk about and make public derogatory
comments about our own kind.
I was very happy to see a fellow
West Indian succeed in publishing
his/her own magazine and to
deliver what is felt is worthy information
to our people. However, if
your magazine is comfortable in
publishing incorrect and irresponsible
information, then maybe we
don’t need a magazine like yours.
On behalf of all who celebrate Labor
Day on Eastern Parkway, people who
reside on Eastern Parkway, and for
all those who were offended by your
statement, I feel an apology from
EVERYBODY’S is essential.
m…@...com
EDITORS REPLY: Thank you for your
comments. Recently, a young lady who
works in the office of a New York State
senator while representing the senator
at a forum mentioned that she grew up
in Hartford, Ct. reading her parent’s
copy of EVERYBODY’S and praised
this magazine for helping her over the
years understand Caribbean life and culture.
I congratulate you for reading your
mother’s magazine. Don’t hesitate to
send us your comments, whether critical
or praiseworthy, because we appreciate
reader feedback.
Concerning your grievances and to
respond to similar letters, we did not
say that Eastern Parkway, the site of
Brooklyn’s carnival, is a “rundown black
neighborhood.”
What we said or implied is that
Caribana or Toronto’s carnival is the
best quality Caribbean carnival in North
America for several reasons. The Province
of Ontario and the City of Toronto helps
Caribana in comparison to states and cities
in the U.S. where carnivals are held.
The route of Caribana is as prestigious as
5th Avenue in New York City. It is held in
downtown Toronto. Caribbean carnivals
in the U.S. are not held in the downtown
areas of cities.
Eastern Parkway is beautiful and the
late Carlos Lezama who brought carnival
to Eastern Parkway (not Brooklyn, this
credit belongs to the late Rufus Gorin)
fought very hard to prevent the carnival
from going to 5th Avenue, Manhattan
in the mid-1970s when a group of West
Indians proposed 5th Avenue.
This edition is our 30th consecutive
carnival issue of Brooklyn’s carnival.
Obviously, we think highly of carnival on
Eastern Parkway.
NEED CARIBBEAN SHOWS IN MIDWEST
I have been subscribing to
EVERYBODY’S magazine for over a
year, and enjoy the articles, recipes
and timely news of the Caribbean. I
would really love to attend the stage
plays, but the venues tend to be concentrated
either in Florida, Atlanta
or on the East Coast. There is a large
West Indian population and supporters
of the culture in the Midwestern
states and Canada, who would
patronize the stage plays and comedies
of Oliver Samuels and other
artists. What avenue do we have
to take to bring these cultural offerings
to the Midwest? [The location
would have to be] centrally located
[making it] easily accessible for
fans from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois and Southern Ontario.
Lynnette Carr-Brantley
Detroit, Michigan
EDITOR’S REPLY: An entrepreneur
who specializes in entertainment
or any person or organization is free to
bring Caribbean theater and comedy to
the states you mention but it is up to
the public to make the event financially
successful. A promoter in Illinois and
Indiana brought Oliver Samuels a few
times but he stopped because it was not
economical.
Letters should be addressed to
editor@everybodysmag.com; Fax (718)
941-1886; or mail to: EVERYBODY’S,
1630 Nostrand Ave., Brooklyn, NY
11226. Please do not phone us to give
your views about articles; send letters
instead so that other readers can read
them and get your views.
Our New Hampshire address is for subscription
only; for change of address, when
subscribing and for subscription renewal
you may send payment to our New
Hampshire address: EVERYBODY’S,
P.O. Box 865, Hanover, NH 03755-
0865.
One year subscription (10 issues) is
$15.00 and $23.95 for two years (22
issues).
For general information contact us at:
everybodys@msn.com --
(718) 941-1879. |
