HNBA’s October meeting will be on Zoom, tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11th, at 7:00 PM.
We’re going to have representatives from the MTA presenting on, and answering questions about the project to replace the MetroNorth viaduct from East 115th Street up to East 123rd Street – while the trains continue to roll on! This major project will secure this aging and increasingly fragile public transit lifeline for New York.
In addition, the MTA presenters will talk about progress on the 2nd Avenue subway and where that project is headed at the moment.
Lastly, we’ll haveJoshua Clennon, a Community Board 10 member who works with HDFCs and will talk to us about the state of affairs of HDFCs in Harlem today, as well as what the future looks like for this important form of affordable housing.
Looking forward to seeing you soon. Topic: HNBA Meeting Time: Oct 11, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Next month, New York City voters will have four proposals to decide on:
a statewide proposal that would boost spending in Albany on future environment-related projects
creating a “statement of values” for NYC’s government
creating a NYC racial equity office
defining how the cost of living is calculated in NYC
If approved, the four ballot questions — one that pertains to the state and three to the city — would each take effect right away.
The four ballot proposals as they will appear on the ballot are listed here. The full proposal language for Proposal 1 can be read here; Proposals 2, 3 and 4 can be read here.
Back view portrait of young African-American people standing in voting booth and thinking, copy space
Proposal 1: Environmental Bond Act of 2022
This proposal would allow New York State to borrow $4.2 billion through a bond issuance for specific environment-related projects and policy efforts.
That includes $250 million for improving stormwater systems, $200 million for wastewater infrastructure, $500 million for zero-emissions school buses and $1.5 billion for climate mitigation such as wetland protection and renewable energy projects.
This would be the first environmental bond act enacted for 26 years in New York, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government.
Proposal 2: Statement of Values for City Government
This measure would create a mission statement of sorts for New York’s government by adding a preamble to the city charter that includes a statement of “values and vision,” the ballot proposal says, that aims to create a “just and equitable city for all.”
The proposal, will be a preamble to the NYC charter that “acknowledges and speaks to historical wrongs” in order to “reconstruct, revise and reimagine our city’s foundations, structures, institutions, and laws to promote justice and equity for all New Yorkers.”
Proposal 3: Racial Equity Plans and Office
This measure would bring three new requirements to the city charter: mandating that all city agencies create “racial equity plans” every two years, establishing a new Office of Racial Equity to coordinate racial equity planning across city government and creating a Commission on Racial Equity. That commission would identify and propose priorities for racial equity planning, and review the racial equity plans for each city agency.
Proposal 4: True Cost of Living
This measure would mandate that the city government use a new method to calculate the “true cost of living” in the city without taking into account public, private or informal assistance a person or household may receive. Instead, the proposed “true cost” measure would be based on “actual household income required to meet the essential needs of people living in New York City,” the commission said. It would include costs related to housing, childcare, food, transportation, healthcare, clothing and shoes, hygiene products, household items, and telephone and internet services, among other things.
AT 125TH STREET: UPTOWN VINYL SUPREME, PLUS THE TED SMOOTH AFTERPARTY
Uptown Vinyl Supreme will be bringing vinyl to the people from 12-4 p.m., followed from 4-6 p.m. by the Ted Smooth afterparty.
AT 124TH STREET: ROLLERSKATES, CITI BIKE & LIVE STREET ART
Lace up your rollerskates for our street skate rink with the African American Roller-Skate Museum and UME Rollerskate. Rollerskates will be provided for the sessions, while supplies last.
Pad up and try out a skateboard, with beginner clinics and obstacle courses from our friends from Bronx Girls Skate and Go Sports. Skateboards and safety gear will be provided for the sessions, while supplies last.
The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance presents Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Los Pleneros de la 21, Rebolu & Yasser Tejeda (at La Placita, 1-7 p.m.).
AT 115TH STREET: OPEN STREETS SAMPLE STATIONS AT LA MARQUETA
Enjoy samples from the vendors from La Marqueta (while supplies last!).
Then gather around One Big Table provided by Street Lab, and share your stories with WNYC!
Then finish the day off by learning about the Park Avenue Viaduct Replacement Project — which will rehabilitate this 130-year-old structure that we’ve been partying along.
HYDRATION STATIONS:
West of the tracks: Water station from Carter Hospital at 122nd Street.
Chalkbeat is reporting on the Puerto Rican Librarian who broke the NYPL color barrier in 1921 to be the first Latina librarian in the country’s largest library system.
Pura Belpré was born and raised in Puerto Rico. In 1920, she came to New York City for her sister’s wedding and never went back. In 1921, Belpré was hired by the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library as an “Hispanic Assistant,” a position created to serve the increasing Spanish-speaking population of Harlem. In 1929, she was assigned as a librarian to the 115th Street branch. Later, Belpré was transferred out to the 110th Street Aguilar branch in 1939.
In 1982, the year she died, Belpré received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Public Library. And every year since 1996, the American Librarian Association has given out the Pura Belpré Award to outstanding works of literature by Latino authors.
Capping a decade of reading-related activism, service, and community building, this year’s Literacy Across Harlem March is a fun and meaningful opportunity for Harlemites of all ages to lead for literacy, deepen your knowledge of our community’s rich literary history and landscape, and celebrate Harlem’s identity as a world-renowned hub of literature by and about Black and Brown people.
EVENT SCHEDULE
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. RALLY FOR READING! Join your neighbors at 12:00 p.m. sharp at your choice of these legendary institutions: El Museo del Barrio (1230 5th Avenue between 104th and 105th Streets) or Sister’s Uptown Bookstore & Cultural Center (1942 Amsterdam Avenue at 156th Street). Then get to know your community from a new perspective on an inspiring tour of Harlem’s reading-related landmarks en route to Marcus Garvey Park. Bring two books to march with: a personal favorite (or current “read”) and a gift-quality children’s book (perhaps one of these) to donate to a local homeless shelter.
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – CELEBRATE with your neighbors at the Marcus Garvey Park Amphitheater, in the heart of Harlem, with hands-on activities for all ages, raffle prizes, and more!
This morning WNYC and Gothamist reported on the amazing work that Uptown Grand Central and the clean-up crew do to keep the East 125th Street corridor clean and vibrant. Carey King is quoted at length, as is Jason McDavid who cleans and supervises much of the cleaning activity that works under and around the 125th Street Metro North station
Jason McDavid cleans the city streets near the Metro North station on 125th Street in East Harlem.SAMANTHA MAX / GOTHAMIST
Whenever you see the men and women working to keep our community clean and safe, make sure to thank them for their work.
To read the full article, and learn how threatened this clean-up program is (from funds running out):
a team of street cleaners works 40 hours a week filling yellow garbage bags with discarded coffee cups, cigarette butts, and dirty needles.
The clean-up crew use proper sharps disposal protocols and never place needles/sharps/syringes in common plastic bags. Remember, if you see a sharp on the ground, use your phone and call or text 311.
Um, I have to admit this came as a shock when reading news about the shelling of New York while reading a report on the situation in Ukraine. I did a double take on the map, and sure enough, Wikipedia has a page on it:
The settlement first appeared on maps in 1846 under its original name of New York and was then situated in the Yekaterinoslav Governorate of the Russian Empire. The wife of one of the founders was from the United States.[6][7] According to official data, in 1859, the village consisted of 13 households, 45 male residents, 40 female residents, and a factory and was formally named Oleksandrivske.[7][8] The precise origin of the settlement’s name is unclear.[9]
New York’s Crest
Before the war it had a population of 10,000.
Handmaids of Mary
You may remember the convent on the north side of Marcus Garvey Park that was the home for the (predominantly) Black Handmaids of Mary for many years. The building was knocked down and only a field of rubble seemingly remains.
Looking closely in the back right corner, however, you can see a garden raised-bed, a potted tree, and a secluded, outdoor shrine that would have been for private devotion, now forlorn and exposed.
Jazz is an art that has been part of our community since the 1930’s and continues to be appreciated in Harlem to this day. We will continue this tradition Saturday afternoon with State Senator Cleare’s First Annual Jazz Appreciation Jam in honor of jazz legend John Coltrane.
Music will be performed by jazz’s finest artists including; Camille Gaynor, Sweet Lee Odem, Zockia, Yayoi, Patience Higgins and Omar Edwards, who will be playing in the Marcus Garvey Park Amphitheater from 1:00pm-7:00pm
On Sunday, September 25th you are invited to walk with us for the National Day of Remembrance.
In Harlem/East Harlem we will begin our walk at 112th and 1st Avenue ending at City Hall. We walk in honor of our friends, family, and community members that were lost to senseless violence and we walk together to send a message that violence is unacceptable.
We walk together in UNITY!
New Exhibit at Claire Oliver Gallery
Make sure to check out the new exhibit at Claire Oliver Gallery (ACP between 134/135)
If you’ve ever seen a wave of young people doing wheelies down a Harlem street on bicycles, this documentary explores the culture, the comradery, and the thrills inherent in this urban subculture.
Featuring a number of shots and interviews under the Harlem Viaduct (125th Street and the Harlem River), the documentary follows the athleticism and passion of the young men and women who find freedom on one wheel.
Philadelphia Artist Walks From Harlem to Canada
The Philadelphia Inquirer has an article on Ken Johnston, the Philadelphia “walking artist” who set out from Harlem, N.Y., in July, walked across the Rainbow Bridge into Niagara Falls, Ontario to honor and follow the route of American hero, Harriet Tubman.
Johnston reached St. Catharines, Ontario, the city where Harriet Tubman, perhaps America’s most famous Underground Railroad leader, lived between 1851 and 1861, before the start of the Civil War in early September
Johnston, 61, of Cobbs Creek in Philadelphia, ended his approximately 450-mile walk at Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church, where Tubman once worshiped.
Johnston said he was both excited to have arrived in Tubman’s former (Canadian) city — and exhausted.
HEART TO HEART CONCERT – The Sounds of Gospel! Time: The concert begins at 6:00pm EST Location: Peter Norton Symphony Space Address: 2537 Broadway, NY, NY (Located on the southwest corner of 95th St and Broadway)
We’re back and ready to “Raise the Praise!” Labor of Love Association hosts Heart to Heart Concert – New York’s Premiere Event for Authentic Traditional/Contemporary Gospel Music!
What A Thrilling Line-Up! Our Featured Performers for the 2022 Concert The Labor of Love Ensemble, Reverend Vandell Atkins, Brother Jospeh Ellis, Brother Alson Farley, Jr, Elder George Heyward, The Richard Curtis Singers, and Brother Henry Mitchell
This year Heart to Heart presents, “The Sounds of Gospel!” Join us as we celebrate the origins of Gospel, one of the most prolific genres of American music! Don’t miss this evening that will take you on a journey through the phases of Gospel from the early days of “call and response” to the energizing sounds of contemporary Gospel music!
Patch had an interesting article about thinking at the MTA about extending the Q train up from 96th Street, along 2nd Avenue to Lex/125, and then continuing westward to connect with the 2/3, the A/B/C/D, and maybe even the 1.
For anyone who’d like east/west access, this would be a dream.
On the other hand, this is just a conversation, and the dates floated would be dependent on Phase 2 (getting the Q to Lex/125) and then, well, money.
