So where does The Bronx connection to this historic Supreme Court ruling on Marriage Equality come in?
It comes from our very own homegrown Bronxite, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, born in our borough (of Puerto Rican parents) back on June 25th, 1954, who was of the majority opinion that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. Sotomayor is a product of The Bronx, its schools, communities and families.
Panel: Thursday, June 18, 11:30am–1pm
Opening Reception for Mini Exhibition, Undesign the Redline: Thursday, June 18, 5:30–7pm
In conjunction with the panel discussion, Undesign the Redline, organized in tandem with Designing the We, is a mini exhibit that explores the history of Redlining (PDF FILE); maps its effects into the present day; and prompts, collects, and showcases the experiences and knowledge of visitors.
Citing recent studies showing that the South Bronx is suffering a clear burden from dirty industries leading to its residents having 8x the national rate of asthma and 21x the hospitalization rate in New York City for the ailment, New York Governor Cuomo and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr said in a joint statement that they will be pulling all support and funding from FreshDirect’s Bloomberg-era sweetheart deal.
“After years of overwhelming community outcry against this project and their demand and right to a new environmental impact statement instead of relying on a 22 year old one, my office cannot support this project in good conscience any longer,” said Diaz, Jr.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Planning have a rough road ahead with Bronx residents.
Last night, hundreds of residents from within the Jerome Avenue Study Area (estimates had the crowd at at least 400 attending despite the weather), gathered to join in solidarity against a rezoning that the community feels is not about them or with them. Residents and community groups are so concerned yet so organized they have even formed a group and an umbrella alliance of all stakeholders calling themselves ‘Bronx Coalition for a Community Vision’.
It’s already here. With a little less than two years until the next presidential election, potential candidates are slowly coming onto the scene and although Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn’t officially announced her candidacy, she’s already amassing an army of a team and is reportedly seeking office space in Brooklyn and Long Island City in Queens.
But why not The Bronx?
Democratic New York State Assemblyman from The Bronx, Carl Heastie, is the apparent front runner and favorite candidate to become the next Assembly Speaker as Assemblyman Sheldon Silver steps down and is facing corruption charges after a decades long reign in Albany but is Heastie the right choice?
It’s a complex question with a myriad of points to look at. Most Bronxites would salivate at the fact that The Bronx would be the seat of the New York State Assembly and open doors for our borough but at what cost would this be?
Heastie, given his record (or lack thereof), is tainted as much as his would be predecessor.
A little over a year ago in December of 2013, the Bronx Documentary Center held its first ever Gentrification Conference (which received heavy media attention from NY1, Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, TimeOut New York, Gothamist, DNAinfo, and The Daily News.
During that first initial conference, we talked about the many issues and pending developments in The Bronx. Now this year’s conference will be solution-oriented focused on the issues surrounding the controversial topic.
Please note: SPACE IS LIMITED and you must purchase tickets in advance. If you are a Bronx resident and cannot purchase a ticket in advance, there will be a total of 15 tickets at the door exclusively for Bronx residents ONLY and will be available at a discount of $7. A valid ID showing your Bronx address must be presented so that we can ensure that these tickets go to Bronx residents ONLY.
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