Bronx Heroes

Puerto Rican Born, Bronx Raised Rita Moreno to Receive Kennedy Center Honors

Back in July, the Kennedy Center announced that Rita Moreno, who was born in Puerto Rico and moved with her family to The Bronx when she was 6, will be one of this year’s recipients of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors which is given to those in the performing arts that have greatly contributed to American culture.

Moreno is no stranger to awards having been the 3rd artist to receive the coveted EGOT: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards and the first Latino to do so back in 1977, the same year Helen Hayes became the 2nd artist and first female in achieving the same.

Celebrating A Bronx Woman Who Selflessly Gives So Much To The Bronx

The Bronx is full of activists and people who are always doing things for our beautiful borough, always giving back.

But there’s one special woman who does so much without much fanfare, and oftentimes goes unnoticed by many since fame or fortune isn’t her endgame.

It’s about leaving The Bronx, our beautiful borough, a better place than we inherited it from our previous generation so that future generations can live safely, in an environmentally sound Bronx.

That woman is Nilka Martell.

Bronx Born & Bred Artist Raises Awareness of Marine Pollution Through His Sculptures Made From Garbage

Daniel Lanzilotta, grew up in the Woodlawn/Wakefield area of the North Bronx and ended up on a journey that took him across the country and eventually across the Atlantic to France where he spends half his time.

For years, Daniel has been collecting garbage that washes upon the shores of France—and even our own Bronx River and our borough’s shores and turns these items that are destroying our ecosystem into beautiful sculptures.

We Remember You

On a day like today we should stop the xenophobia that is plaguing our communities and country and love each other. Today is a day for love, not hatred and if you sow hatred in your hearts for those different than you then let today be the day you yank those weeds and replace it with seeds of love for your fellow humans. Do it for those no longer with us.

Jose “Chema” Soto, Founder of Rincon Criollo aka ‘Casa de Chema’ Passes Away

Out of the hundreds of “casitas” or little houses that dot community gardens across New York City, there is one that is known by folks all over—considered the oldest and largest one in NYC—and it is Rincon Criollo aka Casa de Chema named by locals for its founder, Jose “Chema” Soto who passed away Thursday at the age of 70.

When residents of the South Bronx were left to their own devices among rubble and ruin, Don Chema took it upon himself to clean up an abandoned lot on Brook Avenue and 158th Street 40 years ago back in 1975.

A Pillar of Pelham Parkway and The Bronx, Elaine Feder, Passes Away

The Bronx has one less activist and proud community member.

Elaine Feder (née Serkes), a lifetime resident of the Pelham Parkway neighborhood of our borough and a founding member of the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association passed away earlier this week.

“She was passionate and fierce when it came to the quality of life of this neighborhood. She help us to start the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association and was part of our board since the very beginning.” said friend PPNA member, Louis Lutnick.

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.

Historic District Council’s FREE Summer Mixer This Monday!

We are at a critical juncture in our borough’s history.

101 years ago, when The Bronx was born as the 62nd and last county of New York State in Melrose at The Old Bronx Borough Courthouse, there began a frenzy and expansion into our borough that forever changed our landscape.

Today we are facing a second gold rush so to speak as we are considered the last frontier in real estate development in New York City—a city that is no longer recognizable to us with the loss of many neighborhoods that have succumbed to the white washing of gentrification and “progress” littered with the same chain store after chain store.

This is a chance to mingle and meet other Bronxites concerned about the future of our borough and the issues we face. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Riverdale, The South Bronx, Morris Park, Soundview, Throggs Neck, Kingsbridge or anywhere in The Bronx—this is an event for ALL of our residents.

Bronx Actor Lands Role in ‘Southpaw’ Alongside Jake Gyllenhaal

Tomorrow, when ‘Southpaw’ is released in theaters nationwide, a Bronx man will be gracing the silver screen in this sports flick that partially takes place in The Bronx (it’s mostly filmed Pittsburgh but some scenes were filmed in The Bronx).

Dominic Colón, a Bronx native still living in The Bronx, plays Billy Hope’s childhood chum, Mikey, who meet while growing up in a foster home. The role of Billy hope is portrayed by Oscar nominated Jake Gyllenhaal alongside the likes of Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams who also star in the movie.