On a glorious summer’s day, in an atmosphere infused with joy and laughter, family, friends, elected officials, and numerous colleagues of the late Sandra Pabon, a former NYPD chaplain and Democratic state committeewoman for A.D. 80, gathered together on her birthday, Saturday, July 19, for a street co-naming ceremony in her memory at the corner of East 204th Street and Hull Avenue in Norwood, close to her former home. As reported, Pabon died on June 2, 2023.

 

Hosted by City Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), in addition to Pabon’s daughter, Alex Arriaga, her son-in-law, Michael, their three young children, Mike Jr. (MJ), 12, Amelia, 9, and Sophia, 5, her sister, Sonia, her brothers, Neftali and Elvis Pabon, and other family members, the event was also attended by members of the NYPD Chaplain team, State Sen. Jamaal Bailey (S.D. 36), Timothy Tapia, Pabon’s mentor, State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez (S.D. 34), Kenny Agosto, former candidate for city council and state committee member, Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), and General Miguel Coulon of the International Alliance of Chaplain & Law Enforcement.

 

Also present were Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Bronx Community Board 7 District Manager Karla Cabrera Carrera, members of Bronx Community Board 7, the NYPD, District Leaders for A.D. 80 Ardhimir Malziu and Christine Culpepper, State Committee Member Malcom Gray, Guerinos against Graffitti*, Elizabeth Quaranta from Future of Mosholu Parkland, local registered nutritionist Gloria Bent, Fidel Malena from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, and many more.

 

Amid much cheering, the councilman referred to Pabon as a dear friend and said the large crowd in attendance was indicative of the reach Pabon had during her life before her untimely death from an illness in 2023. “We don’t always get a crowd this big, and we don’t get a crowd of people who all know the person we are honoring,” he said. “We’re here to celebrate her life and legacy with this co-naming.”

Explaining how Pabon wore many hats as a first responder, a district leader, a union delegate, a substance abuse counselor, a community organizer, the councilman said she also coordinated emergency responses locally like food and toy drives, and drives in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

 

“You knew exactly what she wanted because she would tell you!” he said, recalling his time being ushered into action in no uncertain terms by the ever-jovial and forthright Pabon during various food drives at the height of the pandemic. He and others said Pabon would lead with passion and purpose, ignoring formal district boundaries and lobbying any elected official who would listen to get the job done and feed those in need, especially the elderly. The councilman said she went on to found “Soup for Souls” as part of this work.

 

He said Pabon was also a big supporter when he first ran for office, loudly proclaiming [with abandon], “Everyone! You have to vote for Eric! You! This is Eric Dinowitz! You have to vote for him!” He added that once he was in office, she would then say, “Eric! Where’s the food? We need more food! Get the food! What are you doing, Eric? Get us more food!” The councilman went on to say she did it all out of love for her community because that’s where her heart was.

 

Speaking briefly in Spanish, for his part, Bailey said Pabon always looked for the commonalities between people whether it was food or anything else. “She was the ultimate uniter,” he said, adding that even though he was hosting a barbecue in his district the same day, he was not going to miss her street co-naming ceremony.

The senator said when he first ran for office and when his district encompassed Norwood, Pabon had asked him, “Well, what are you going to do for us?” He said living in Wakefield, he didn’t know Norwood, but Pabon walked with him around the streets and talked to people with him. “She knew my platform almost better than I did,” he said. “She believed in a higher power, she believed in selflessness over selfishness.”

 

His voice breaking at times, Bailey said in part that during various food distribution events, there were days when Pabon, herself, might have been hungry but gave the last of the food to the community rather than have some herself, and added that he believed her presence was still felt in the community every single day.

 

The senator said when he got the news of her sudden death, it hurt and still hurts and went on to say that Pabon framed a t-shirt and sign she had sent to herself that reads “Promise to vote,” and later gave it to him. He said it sits proudly outside his office.

 

“I will never forget Sandra because she will never forget any of us,” Bailey said. Addressing Arriaga, he remarked how she embodied Pabon’s spirit. “Thank you for living up to the legacy that she left,” he said, before concluding, “Tell someone today that you love ‘em, especially to someone that you haven’t spoken to in a while, and I’m going to tell you that I love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

For her part, holding back tears, Fernandez said, “This was a really tough loss. I didn’t want to cry this much. It’s because I miss her so much and I know we all miss her so much.” She said Pabon had been a mentor to all public service members. Recalling their joint efforts to respond to the aftermath of a fire on Perry Avenue, Fernandez said Pabon filled her office with relief items for two days.

 

“She showed us how to love community, how to show up, how to organize, how to really deliver,” the senator said in part. “It’s that type of work that is so impactful. I know her apartment too was the stomping ground for everything and everyone. Everyone showed up to her apartment saying, ‘I need a favor’ or something and she always had the answer.” Fernandez said the two had worked together often, that she was grateful for her presence in the senator’s life, and that Pabon had reminded her to take care of herself too.

 

She thanked Arriaga for sharing her mom with everyone and said the street sign was a reminder that people could be changemakers like Pabon.

 

There were some jokes about how Pabon had the numbers of most local elected officials on speed dial and how she wasn’t afraid of calling them. Zaccaro Jr. said, “I knew Sandra before I entered elected office as a woman who would hover over me on a Sunday morning and lay her hands on my head and my back and cover me in prayer.”

He added, “I knew Sandra as someone whose joy, whose passion for Jesus was something that could not be hidden.” The assemblyman said if you knew Sandra, you knew Jesus, you knew service, you knew hope and opportunity because they all bled through her.

 

Zaccaro Jr. went on to say that it didn’t matter if she hadn’t had her coffee or whatever the circumstances, she always carried joy and peace. “She was more than just a leader,” he said. “She was a guiding light who inspired us to strive for excellence and unity.” He said leadership was not only about titles held but the impact people have on others and encouraged everyone to follow in Pabon’s footsteps.

 

He closed with words of the Apostle Paul who said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.” He added, “Let us honor Sandra today by continuing her legacy and striving to finish our own races with the same passion and the same dedication, and let us ever be reminded that when we look up on the corner of 204th Street and Hull [Avenue] lies a giant who will forever be remembered, and that the history of Norwood could never be told without Sandra Pabon.”

 

Assemblyman Dinowitz, whose district covers some but not all of Norwood, later talked about how Pabon would sometimes call and open with, “I know you’re not in the district but we’re all one neighborhood.” Referencing Norwood’s 30-year split between different assembly districts, he said Pabon’s attitude was: lines / “schmines,” and added that she would say, “We don’t care about that. We got work to do for the neighborhood. We got to work together.”

The assemblyman also said that on a personal note, Pabon was like a “petitioning machine” for Councilman Dinowitz, his son when he first ran for office. “She went door to door in Norwood,” he said in part. “She didn’t stop. She was just really amazing. She might have been very…..” The assemblyman paused searching for the right word before choosing “outgoing,” amid some knowing smiles from attendees, before adding, “She was delightful! It was an honor and a pleasure to know her. I loved everything about her.”

 

The assemblyman went on to say in part when kids ask in the future, “Who was Sandra Pabon?” When they see the sign, their parents can say, “This was a woman that committed herself to her neighborhood.”

 

For her part, Gibson announced July 19th as “Sandra Pabon Day,” and added in part that Pabon was a child of God who prayed for everyone as a “praying woman” and was also a friend. She acknowledged that it was fitting that she was being recognized by so many, not just in Norwood, but in the wider Bronx community. Paying tribute to Pabon’s exuberant nature, Gibson said, “I know that Sandra is dancing and laughing in the Kingdom of Heaven!” Amid laughter, she said, “She’s probably gathering some petitions. I can see her doing it, line by line, door by door.”

 

Torres acknowledged he didn’t know Pabon as well as his colleagues, but added, “Whether she met you once or met you a hundred times, she left an impression.” Quoting Maya Angelou, he said, “People might forget what you said or did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” He added in part, “In a world that is often mean, she was decent, and kind, and loving. She brought out the best in every person she met. She could fill a room with love and warmth.”

For her part, Clark said she didn’t have the power to rename streets. “You know I give out indictments!” she joked. The DA recalled how she and others were all together with Pabon dancing the night before she died. “By giving [so much] to this community, she gave to the entire Bronx,” the district attorney said, adding that Pabon’s work as a chaplain had provided great comfort to many families when they were at their lowest in times of tragedy, particularly in the 49th Precinct.

 

The councilman later said that Agosto, a dear friend of Pabon’s, really carried on her legacy. Talking about Pabon’s pop-up kitchen, and his time together with both her and Bent, Agosto said in part, “She made that rice stretch. She fed everybody on the block. She held constituent services in her apartment. She lived and she gave you her word.” As he spoke, a butterfly appeared and he said, “This is Sandra.”

 

Agosto went on to say that Pabon’s family were the apple of her eye and that she also loved her fellow chaplains. “Remember Sandra by advocating for someone,” he urged attendees. “Five minutes a day, advocate for someone,” he said, before concluding with, “Wepa!!”

 

For his part, Tapia said Pabon’s name should be on every street because she had made her presence felt in every district. Addressing Arriaga, he said Pabon did whatever she could to ensure she had the best life. He went on to say that although Pabon’s health was “breaking down” in the end, she never let people see it, and even when she was sick, she continued to carry on and help people, often praying for newborn babies at Montefiore Hospital.

He said she often said she didn’t need a nonprofit or a business or anything else. “All I need are these two hands that God gave me,” Tapia said she had told him. Various proclamations and certificates were later presented to Pabon’s family in her memory. One member of the chaplains’ unit recalled how when he first met her, it was during a food giveaway on a freezing cold day, and he watched how she stood in the cold and handed out hot drinks to residents.

 

In conclusion, Arriaga asked everyone to join her in prayer and said she would only bear 85-degree weather for one person, her mom. She remembered her dad also and how both her parents were givers to the community during their lifetimes. “She would have been 64 today,” Arriaga said. “Happy Birthday Mommy! I know you’re here with us in spirit, smiling down on us proudly, and at peace.”

 

Through tears, Arriaga said her mom was her best friend, and that she had taught her kindness and love. “I was blessed to be her one and only child, but her love didn’t stop with just me,” she said, adding that her mom’s charisma lived on in her grandchildren who participate in pageants and are confident public speakers.

SANDRA PABON STREET co-naming ceremony at E 204th Street and Hull Avenue, Norwood, The Bronx, Saturday, July 19, 2025. Video by Síle Moloney

Referring to the day her son was diagnosed with autism, she said her mom prayed with her over the phone and assured her he would speak. MJ then came to the microphone and said, “Hi Everyone!” as his mom confirmed he made the honor roll this year. Her other daughters also saluted those gathered.

 

Reflecting on a time when her landlord had evicted the family from their nearby apartment, Arriaga concluded, amid cheers from the crowd, “I want him to know every time he passes down Hull Avenue to pick up his [check?/inaudible] that it’s named after my mother! He didn’t care that we didn’t have anywhere to go, so now, he’s going to see every time he drives down this street, that it is named after her! Mom, you live on, you live in each of us, and you will never be forgotten!”

 

Watch a video of the unveiling above.