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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Black Lives Matter Protests Continue as Legislation Passes and NYPD Disbands Anti-Crime Unit

As the Black Lives Matter movement continues with protests entering a fourth week in cities across America in response to the May 25th death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, individual cities are looking into their own practices and policies regarding the use of force, and are coming to grips with racial disparities within their own units.   On Friday, Jun. 5, 2020, nearly 300 demonstrators gathered at Poe Park in Kingsbridge and marched to the Bronx County Courthouse where several speakers described what they said was a peaceful protest the previous night along Third Avenue in the South Bronx.  


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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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Jacobi Organizes Candlelit Vigil for All Those Lost To COVID-19, as Bronx Deaths Reach 3,292

NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi announced that a candlelit vigil to commemorate all lives lost to COVID-19 will be held on Wednesday, June 17 at 7 pm at Jacobi Pedestrian Mall (adjacent to Pelham Parkway).   As of Jun. 16, 2020, according to the City’s department of health, total confirmed deaths (deaths following a positive COVID-19 laboratory test) in New York City amounted to 17,455, while probable deaths (cause of death reported as COVID-19 or equivalent, but no positive laboratory test) totaled 4,690.   The number of deaths in the City and State peaked in early May. While New York State,


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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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Health Check: Addressing Increased Food Insecurity During the Pandemic

Montefiore Health System’s Project Bravo Food Pantry, a community-based, hospital-driven initiative designed to combat food insecurity for high-risk individuals and families, serves thousands of Bronx residents nutritious meals each week.   During these unprecedented times, many in our community have faced additional challenges accessing nutritious meals due to school closures. Food insecurity has grown for so many and Project Bravo has seen a wave of new clients.   To ensure everyone still has access to food in as safe an environment as possible, we have adapted the food pantry to the new normal by implementing social distancing rules. With the


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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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