8 Years Later, Welcome2TheBronx Is Still Going Strong

Today we celebrate our 8th year anniversary writing, ranting, photographing, documenting, and publishing on all things that make The Bronx such a wonderful place.

Since we started our journey on September 12, 2009, there have been 1,731 articles and posts, 2,905 Instagram images, 15,500 tweets, quoted, appeared, and featured in the mainstream media over 400 times from the very fist at the Mott Haven Herald to dozens of times on NY1, News12 The Bronx, The New York Times, Curbed, Brick Underground and many more.

Heck, we’re even in a few books now, including Vanishing New York: How A City Lost Its Soul by the amazing chronicler of gentrification, Jeremiah Moss.

And last but certainly not least our entire website is now archived by Columbia University Libaries for posterity.

When I published that very first post in what seems like forever ago, I had no idea where this was going. All I wanted to do was just to get the stories out there from our corner of our world which weren’t being told or shared by the mainstream media.

I was sick and tired at how everything they wrote about us was all negative so that’s basically how this all started: To celebrate The Bronx, its people, the history and rich culture that we are lucky to have.

Back in 2009, we only had The Boogie Downer (Rest in Peace to the first awesome Bronx blog that inspired me to take the jump. Alas, it is only but a memory) and of course, BronxMama run by the incredible Nicole Perrino.

We have helped shaped the narrative when it comes to The Bronx but this isn’t because of myself but because of all of you who have believed in what I do and uniting our collective voices.

That’s a huge achievement that as I sit back and think about it all, I really never thought it would happen but with your help and persistence, we did it. YOU did it.

And what about the slew of websites and social media accounts that have since followed us each adding their unique voices to the mix filled with Bronx pride and even if we don’t agree with some of them, we can’t help but look back and smile that we’ve inspired, together with BronxMama, to to not follow our lead but to join us in telling their stories too.

As we look towards the next 8 years and beyond we can promise you one thing: We’ll still be loud, we’ll still rep The Bronx proud, and most importantly, we’ll NEVER sell ourselves out or The Bronx because The Bronx is NOT for sale.

Our integrity means more than being featured in pro-gentrification pieces in the media just for simple exposure. We’re better than that and we won’t go down that route ever and it’s not like the opportunities haven’t presented itself but we are not blinded by money. There is no dollar amount that can be sent my way to ever sell out my community. Ever. It just won’t happen.

That being said, thank you to all the friends we’ve made along the way, all the opportunities. For all the good times and especially the bad times where we learned to grow together.

We love you all from the shores of City Island in the East Bronx to the “bluffs” of Riverdale to the ethnic melting pot of the South Bronx.

Every. Single. One. Of. You

Let’s make some more memories together, ok?