15th Congressional Race: Samelys López on Class Warfare, Progressiveness, Sanders & Serrano

In a still-crowded 15th congressional district race, Samelys López has a clarity of vision for the Bronx that is rooted in continuity, inspired by personal experience, and imbued with a sense of urgency for social justice. A former intern of the incumbent, Congressman José Serrano, who is soon-to-retire after 30 years of service, López said she wants to continue Serrano’s legacy, while also recognizing the timely need for class warfare, and a true reckoning with what it really means to be a “progressive”.   It is this latter point that is central to López’s campaign and she is eager to


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NYC Parents & Teachers Conference June 20: Sharing Ideas & Solutions for Reopening Schools

NYC parents and educators will convene and present ideas for re-opening schools tomorrow Saturday, Jun. 20, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at a conference entitled, Sharing Ideas & Solutions for Reopening Schools: The Path Forward. The event will be held remotely, co-sponsored by Class Size Matters, NYC Kids PAC, and Community Education Councils from Districts 4, 8 (Bronx), 14, 17 and 32.   During this conference, NYC parents, guardians, teachers and concerned New Yorkers will discuss and develop proposals around the reopening of schools in the fall and present them to invited decision-makers. If schools are to reopen, it


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Mayor: Juneteenth To Become New York City & School Holiday

  Today, Jun. 19, as the country celebrates Juneteenth, the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Juneteenth would become an official City and school holiday.   The mayor also announced additional steps the City is taking to address disparities and structural racism that have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the creation of a new commission to understand the effects of structural and institutional racism in New York City.   The Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission (RRC) will be established to promote social learning,


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Bronx CB8: Meeting June 18 to Discuss Permit for Farmer’s Market Near Dewitt Clinton H.S.

Bronx Community Board 8 will be holding its virtual Traffic and Transportation Committee meeting tonight, Thursday, Jun. 18, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom, during which a request for a permit for a new farmer’s market will be presented and discussed.   The sponsor of the proposed JBOLC Garden Community Farmer’s Market is James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center, Inc, and the entity plans to apply to the Street Activity Permit Office for a permit to operate a farmer’s market each Saturday from Aug. 8, 2020 through Oct. 31, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.   The applicant is requesting


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Bronx Arts & Culture Groups Unite to Form Latinx / POC Arts Legacy Consortium

Spurred by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, eight esteemed arts organizations with deep roots in local communities of color have announced the formation of the Latinx / POC Arts Legacy Consortium.   Partners seek to pool experiences, resources, and shared history in order to better prepare diverse populations for reopening, as well as to ideate new ways of overcoming historic undercapitalization well past the pandemic.   The organizations are Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance, Bronx Documentary Center, Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diaspora Institute, El Museo del Barrio, Pregones / Puerto Rican Traveling Theater,


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Norah Jones & Suzanne Vega Perform “Music for the Soul” Series for Hospital Heroes

Award-winning New York City musicians Norah Jones and Suzanne Vega will perform on Jun. 22 as part of “Music for the Soul of NYC Health + Hospital Heroes,” a series created by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, NYC Health + Hospitals and AFM Local 802.     The event will be streamed live on NYC Health + Hospital’s Facebook page on Jun. 22, 2020 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. ET.    The “Music for the Soul” series was created to inspire our heroic medical community, especially the 43,000-member staff of NYC’s public hospital system, connect isolated patients to the


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155th Anniversary Of Juneteenth Honored With a Digital Day of Dance

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage’s “SummerStage Anywhere” digital series will honor the 155th Anniversary of Juneteenth, the national commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, with a free digital day of dance on Friday, June 19.   Tribute performances will be presented on SummerStage’s Instagram channel throughout the day starting at 12:00 p.m. EST, including an excerpt from RudduR Dance’s ballet, “WITNESS”. The day will culminate on SummerStage’s YouTube channel at 7:00 p.m. EST with a panel discussion, Reflecting the Times, led by Hope Boykin of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, followed by a tribute performance of “HANGING TREE”, featuring Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance


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Op-Ed: The Legacy of George Floyd

Renowned author and Pulitzer Prize winner, William Faulkner, once said, “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.”   The murder on Memorial Day in Minneapolis, Minnesota of George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man, has given rise to worldwide outcry. The uproar has manifested into protests that have spanned the globe, and has civilians from all races, religions, and sexual orientations calling for police reform and the termination of systemic racism.   As unrest permeates


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Jacobi Health Care Workers Highlight Racial Disparity in Health Care, Address City Budget Cuts

  A solidarity event in support of the Black Lives Matter movement took place at Jacobi Medical Center on Jun. 9, 2020. About 35 hospital staff members stood outside the hospital displaying signs of support. Others spoke about the racial inequities that exist within the health care system and decried budget cuts to health care while the City pays out millions in law settlements relating to police misconduct.   Kelly Cabrera, a registered nurse working in emergency medicine addressed those gathered saying, “Racism is a public health emergency. We’re here as health care workers in one of the areas that


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