In this Op-Ed Julius Tajiddin responds to an interview of Mayor Michael Bloomberg by the Amsterdam News (located in the Village of Harlem in New York City). Tajiddin covers Charter Schools, Residency Requirements and Police Relationships in predominantly Black and minority areas of New York City. Tajiddin's reponse regarding Police Relationships is very timely given the recent news stories about Reverend Calvin Butts' experience with the local Police.

           When I read that Bloomberg stated in his interview with the Amsterdam News, “Charter schools are the private schools for the minority community,” I said to myself, “How dare he.” Who says? However, I’ll agree with him to this extent. Many people in the Black and Latino community believe that a charter school is some sort of private school. That’s because many people are uninformed of what a charter school is all about and the process for enrollment as it sometimes is, is by lottery. So people have a false perception of what a charter school is. Those who know are not convinced that a charter school is any better than a regular public school.

This first entry into the "Voices From The Valley" section of the web site is from the "Garden Beautiful" category.  It is a beautiful homage to one of the volunteers of the garden who has now passed and was written by Ms. Gertrude Rainey, the tireless leader of the Garden Beautiful.

             I remember one event which was truly bizarre; yet, it comes to mind each time I enter the garden.  Perhaps, this was Calvin's way of being remembered by his fellow gardeners.

             To begin with, Calvin was the neighborhood mechanic, a small man in stature, with a heart as big as all outdoors. He joined me in the garden, and worked diligently, always planting, weeding, and choosing his small talk with wisdom, just to make me laugh.

            What is a Charter School? Most people really don’t know. Many think that a charter school is some sort of private school. However, the general public perception of a Charter School is: If your child is selected to be in one he/she is going to get a better education than in a regular Public School.