Linda's Blogspot

  ​ Shams DaBaron: From Lived Experience to Housing Activism and Real Estate Development ​ Shams DaBaron , widely recognized across New York City by his advocacy names "Da Homeless Hero" and "Da Housing Hero," is a Black housing advocate, policy activist, speaker, and real estate developer. Born and raised in the South Bronx, DaBaron has transformed his decades of lived experience within New York City’s foster care and shelter systems into a powerful force for urban policy reform and community development. ​Early Life and Family Background ​ Upbringing: Born and raised in the South Bronx, DaBaron experienced systemic hardship from an early age. ​ Child Welfare & Foster Care: His mother struggled with substance addiction during her pregnancy, leading to DaBaron being placed into New York City’s foster care system around the age of two. ​ Early Housing Instability: Without a permanent home placement during his early childhood years, DaBaron first expe...

One45 project in Harlem. ​The Development Team & Companies ​The project is driven by a development partnership operating under the joint entity One 45 Lenox LLC : ​ Lead Developer & Primary Representative: Bruce Teitelbaum ​Teitelbaum is a seasoned New York City real estate developer and attorney who previously served as Chief of Staff to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He and his wife, Suri Kasirer (a major NYC lobbyist), lead the development group. ​ Partner Entities & Developers: ​ LionFox Development (co-developer) ​ Coltown Properties (co-developer / real estate investment group) ​ Pointsfive (co-developer) ​ Architectural & Design Firm: ​ SHoP Architects — A major NYC-based architecture firm responsible for designing the three-building layout and high-rise structures. ​Key Financial Details & Scale ​ Estimated Total Project Cost: Estimated between $700 million and $1 billion for full site acquisition, environmental remediatio...

  One45 project in Harlem  The One45 project (also commonly referred to as One45 for Harlem or the 145th Street project) is a major mixed-use residential development located at the corner of West 145th Street and Lenox Avenue (Malcolm X Blvd) in Central Harlem. ​Key Project Highlights ​ Location: Corner of West 145th Street and Lenox Avenue, directly adjacent to the 145th St 3 subway station. ​ Developers & Design: Spearheaded by developer Bruce Teitelbaum (One 45 Lenox LLC) alongside LionFox Development, Coltown Properties, and Pointsfive, with architectural design by SHoP Architects . ​ Scale & Units: Approximately 1,000 apartments spread across three buildings. ​ Affordable Housing Component: The approved proposal designates at least 338 units as permanently affordable , including a dedicated 100% affordable senior housing building (90 units). ​Project Timeline & History Year and Event  2022 Initial Rejection: The original ...

  The Battle Over Harlem’s One45 Project: A Political Shift and the Push for Truly Affordable Housing ​The One45 project —a proposed multi-building development at West 145th Street and Lenox Avenue in Central Harlem—has been one of the most fiercely debated land-use battles in modern New York City history. Located directly next to the 145th Street subway station, the proposal aims to build approximately 1,000 new residential apartments, ground-floor retail shops, community facility spaces, and a dedicated 90-unit building for 100% affordable senior housing. ​Despite its potential to bring new investment and hundreds of housing units to the area, the project became a lightning rod for broader neighborhood struggles around gentrification, rising living costs, and corporate development in Upper Manhattan. ​ The Core Controversy: What Does "Affordable" Really Mean? ​The debate over One45 has rarely been about whether Harlem needs housing; it has been about who that housing i...

  Slavery in Dominica: African Resistance, Emancipation, and the Struggle for Freedom The history of slavery in Dominica is a story of African enslavement, European colonial competition, resistance, and the struggle to gain economic and political independence. Dominica is particularly interesting because its mountainous terrain provided opportunities for enslaved Africans to escape plantations, establish independent communities, and resist colonial authority. After emancipation, people of African descent also achieved an unusual degree of political representation in the Caribbean. Understanding this history requires looking at the island's Indigenous population, the French and British colonial powers, the plantation economy, and the lives of Africans who were brought there against their will. 1. Before European Colonization: The Kalinago People Before Europeans established colonial control, Dominica was home to Indigenous peoples, including the Kalinago, historically referred to by...

Chancellor Williams, Colonialism, and the Transformation of African Agriculture From African civilizations to cash crops: What happened when agriculture became tied to foreign markets? By L. Dabo  Sometimes, studying history leads us to questions that extend far beyond the lives of individual people or the rise and fall of civilizations. I recently began thinking about the work of Chancellor Williams, the African American historian and author of The Destruction of Black Civilization. His book, first published in 1971, challenged readers to reconsider African history and the forces that shaped African societies. My interest led me to another question: What happened to African economies when European commercial interests and colonial governments increasingly influenced how land, labor, and agricultural production were organized? I am particularly interested in the history of cash crops such as peanuts in Senegal, cotton in West and East Africa, and cocoa in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. T...