Plea for the Fifth

St. Pat's for Everyone: How LGBTQ+ Staten Islanders are Creating More Inclusivity by Jacqueline Caruso The Pride Center of Staten Island's St. Pat's for Everyone event is hoping to break up the exclusive legacy of Forest Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade. There were no official in-person St. Patrick's day parades in New York City this year as the State's public health measures still prohibit outdoor gatherings greater than 50 people. Staten Island's Forest Avenue parade, traditionally taking place the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day, was reduced to a St. Patrick's Day themed restaurant crawl leading up to the holiday on March 17. The event is typically one of the largest annual public gatherings on Staten Island, attracting "over 50,000 people per year." The group responsible for organizing the borough's official annual parade – a local chapter of the Irish Catholic fraternal organization, the Ancient Order of Hibernians –  did not organize any, in-person or virtual, 2021 programming. While safety protocols may have prevented this year's parade from taking place as usual, they also presented a chance for new opportunities. Read more at www.pleaforthefifth.com PFT5 jingle by Patrick Meagher, Read by Jacqueline Caruso, Produced by Emily Nadal

Local Power Broker for Borough President traveled to D.C. on Day of Capitol Insurrection by Jacqueline Caruso & Sean Ghazala Leticia Remauro, a GOP candidate for Staten Island Borough President with a history of racist remarks, was among a busload of Islanders who traveled to Washington D.C. on January 6. In screenshots from a now-deleted Facebook Live video, Remauro – a 30-year power broker in the borough – broadcast herself from Washington D.C. Remauro, and her fellow passengers, were on their way to Donald Trump’s ‘March to Save America’ rally at the National Mall that preceded the insurrection at The Capitol. Read more at www.pleaforthefifth.com PFT5 jingle by Patrick Meagher, Read by Jacqueline Caruso, Produced by Emily Nadal

Trump is Gone, Fascist Trends are Not by Sean Ghazala 'Trumpism' is only the most recent name for far-right, authoritarian,  ultranationalist movements that first came to prominence a century ago,  during economic hardships triggered by the Great Depression. Countering  fascism, however, remains just as important now that Trump has left  office. The rise of fascist tendencies in our nation should shock all, but will  not be a surprise to some. The legitimacy of democracy in the United  States, which has never provided agency to all, is now disputed. The two  major political parties have disputed outcomes of the presidential  elections, because of Russian interference in the 2016, and false allegations of electoral fraud with ‘Stop the Steal’ in 2020. Disenfranchisement combined with the economic despair experienced in 2020 is fanning the flames of fascism. The data for 2020 is stark; 40 million Americans are at risk of an eviction, 50 million are food-insecure, and job losses globally were four times higher than the 2008 financial crisis. Read more at www.pleaforthefifth.com PFT5 jingle by Patrick Meagher, Read by Sean Ghazala, Produced by Emily Nadal

MLK Tried to Tell Us by Danny O.Z.E While it is true that King championed nonviolent, direct action, and  that his methods required great character, solidarity, and composure,  Americans have, instead, reduced his legacy to one of compromise. King,  however, was not compromising at all. Today we commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Ironically, or maybe not, MLK Day was signed into law by Ronald Reagan, a  president whose administration dealt serious harm to communities of color.  In recent years, celebrations of King’s life have become commonplace  around this time of year. From the circulation of King’s most famous  speech, to releasing articles discussing King’s role in the Civil Rights  Movement, to upholding his legacy as a champion of nonviolence, King’s  legacy becomes ever present nationwide. How has King’s legacy been  curated and discussed, though? And how has the way America commemorated  King brought us to where we are as a nation today? Read more at www.pleaforthefifth.com PFT5 jingle by Patrick Meagher, Read by Sean Ghazala, Produced by Emily Nadal

How This New App Can Teach You About Forgotten Histories by Chad Small The virtual Staten Island African American Heritage Tour brings Staten Island’s Black History right to your fingertips. This year’s police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd reignited a national conversation about Black people’s place in America and in its history. In Staten  Island, this summer’s activism exposed residents to the borough’s  lesser-known, and often overlooked, Black History. Many people, however,  only learned about the Sandy Ground Settlement. Debbie-Ann Paige,  Staten Island Public Historian and Professional Genealogist, wants  residents to realize that Black History on the Island goes beyond Sandy  Ground. “When I first came back to Staten Island, if you said  African-American History everyone would say, ‘Well, have you spoken to  the people at Sandy Ground?’” she recounted. “While I was working on my  thesis, I realized that there was such a deeper, broader, longer, more  in-depth history of African-Americans on Staten Island.” In order  to excavate these hidden Black histories, Paige, along with Faith  D'Alessandro and the Staten Island Chapter of the Afro-American  Historical and Genealogical Society, created the Staten Island African American Heritage Tour application. The website and mobile application (available in the App Store and Google Play Store)  provide a virtual tour through the noteworthy times and places in  Staten Island’s Black History. The app leads you through two tours: the  Gateway to Freedom Driving tour along the former Underground Railroad  route, and a virtual tour that provides a survey of Black historical  points of interest on Staten Island. Read more at www.pleaforthefifth.com PFT5 jingle by Patrick Meagher, Read by Sean Ghazala, Produced by Emily Nadal