Bronx Stories

An Interview With Maria, AKA Sonia Manzano, As She Says Goodbye To Sesame Street

I remember my first memories of watching television as a young child in the late 70s and early 80s. Each day I would sit down and watch Sesame Street which my mother diligently always made sure was on for me.

For me, it was an extension of school since I was already in Head Start at the age of 4 and Sesame Street, with Oscar, The Count, Big Bird, Burt and Ernie, and of course Maria (played by Bronxite and Emmy award-winning actress and writer, Sonia Manzano), were my after school teachers.

Undesiging the Red Line Interactive Exhibit

Join Designing the We for a new conversation on how Undesigning the Redline and contextualizing the work we do in the Bronx, New York City, and beyond opens alternative models, collaborations, and processes where another reality is possible. Check out the interactive exhibit and participate in new conversations, both one-on-one and in small groups.

Fashion Moda: 35 Years Later Tonight at Wall Works NY

After closing its doors in 1993, Fashion Moda still remains in the consciousness of many Bronxites and the art world. It was a place where The South Bronx (and The Bronx in general) collided with the downtown art scene when it opened its doors in 1980 in The Hub on 147th and 3rd Avenue.

It was a place where local artists mingled with legends like Keith Haring, who’s works also graced the walls of this iconic place.

Artist Open Call: Going Out With A Bang At The Old Bronx Courthouse

As No Longer Empty’s residency and exhibition, ‘When You Cut Into The Present The Future Leaks Out’ at the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse is coming to an end as it enters its final month, an open call is being issued to local Bronx artists to end the exhibition with a big celebration.

Bronx Born and Raised Gertrude Schimmel, First Female NYPD Chief Dies at The Age of 96

On Monday, May 10th of this year, just a few months after being honored by the NYPD during women’s history month, a Bronx trailblazer passed away at the ripe old age of 96 years.

Gertrude Schimmell, who was the first NYPD female police chief, was born and raised in The Bronx and attended Morris High School before heading on to Hunter College.

This Thursday 5/14: “Cut Into the Past: Reclaiming Our Narratives” at the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse

As part of programming surrounding No Longer Empty’s exhibition at the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse, ‘When You Cut Into The Present The Future Leaks Out’, The New York Public Library’s ‘Community Oral History Program’, local community residents are invited to collect the oral histories of our neighborhoods of Melrose and Morrisania.

Once local residents are trained in interviewing our fellow friends, family members, neighbors and local residents and the interviews are completed, the results will be archived at the Melrose Public Library on Morris Avenue and 162nd Street as well as online for future generations to come.

Bartow-Pell Mansion; The Jewel Of The Northeast Bronx

Hidden from plain view, Bartow-Pell Mansion has been sitting inside what is now modern-day Pelham Bay Park—New York City’s largest park at 2,772 acres—since 1842 after 6 years of construction.

You’ve probably passed right by it along Shore Road as you pass Split Rock Golf Course taking the back road into Westchester or simply on your way to Orchard Beach.

It is a place steeped with history that not only occupies the mansion but the land it rests upon and even Pelham Bay Park itself.