Community

From the desk of MIKE BLOOMBERG

Dear Reader,

Thank you for taking the time to learn about The Greenwood Initiative.

As someone who has been very lucky in life, I often say my story would only have been possible in America — and that’s true. But I also know that because of the artificial barriers of discrimination, my story likely would have turned out very differently if I had been Black, and that more Black Americans of my generation would have ended up with far more wealth, had they been white.

Building Generational Wealth for Black Families is Critical. That’s why I launched The Greenwood Initiative in Tulsa last month. I visited the site of the Black Wall Street Massacre, where a white mob decimated the prosperous community of Greenwood. It is to the memory of the lost lives and promise of Greenwood that we’ve dedicated The Greenwood Initiative: a plan to address the systematic bias that has kept Black Americans from building wealth.

THE GREENWOOD PLAN WILL: • Create 1 million new Black homeowners • Double the number of new Black-owned businesses • Invest $70 billion in the country’s 100 most disadvantaged neighborhoods

Fixing the System for Black Families. When I was mayor of New York, I was proud to take on the systematic inequality that held back too many New Yorkers. We increased education funding, built 650 new schools and raised Black graduation rates to record highs. We led an ambitious effort to reduce poverty and managed the largest amount of affordable housing in the nation. And as President, I will work even more aggressively to combat inequality nationwide.

I understand that undoing generations of systematic discrimination won’t happen overnight, but we can make progress with a clear vision and a comprehensive plan. I’ve included a pamphlet along with this letter that lays out my plan. When I’m President, implementing The Greenwood Initiative will be a top priority.

Join me in ending the systemic inequality that has held Black Americans back for too long!

Sincerely,

Mike Bloomberg

New York’s 17 th

Century African Burial Ground on Wall Street

By: Erin Lewenauer

One of the most important archaeological finds of our time is New York’s African Burial ground: the nation’s earliest and largest known African-American cemetery. For years it was hidden and violated, but holds the remains of New York City’s African and African-American pioneers and represents their significant history.

According to historical records, the first person of African descent to arrive in Manhattan was Jan (Juan) Rodrigues who was with the navigators, traders, pirates, and fisherman who boldly crossed the Atlantic as free men during the era of slavery. Rodrigues was a free black sailor from Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic), who arrived in 1613 and set up a trading post with the native Lenape people on the island of Manhattan.

The first enslaved Africans arrived in what was then called New Amsterdam in 1625 as workers for the Dutch West India Company whose profits relied on slave labor for the fur trade and later slave trade.

Along with European merchants and sailors, Africans developed the early colony throughout the 17 th and 18 th centuries. Africans were an important 20 percent of the city’s population in the 18 th century.

Under Dutch rule, African slaves built New York City. They cleared land for farms and shore areas for docks as well as broadened former Native American trails (Broad Way) to accommodate horse-drawn vehicles. The first community of free blacks emerged during the worst fighting of the Dutch and Indian War. In 1644, 11 enslaved men were freed and granted farmland in the dangerous frontier territory North of New Amsterdam. This spanned the “Negro frontier” and “land of the blacks”: the Central region of Manhattan extending from Canal St. to 34 th St. In 1653, upon Governor Peter Stuyvesant’s orders, the colony’s slaves helped to build the most famous fortification: The Wall (Wall St.). In 1658 the same laborers constructed the region’s first highway connecting New Amsterdam with the island’s second largest village: the “road to New Haarlem”. In 1664 the English conquered the Dutch colony and New Amsterdam became New York. The English rescinded many rights for free blacks including the right to own land and, shut out of churchyards within the city, a separate burial ground for Africans developed. The ground eventually covered 5 city blocks and held 20,000 burials.

In 1975, the African Burial land was subdivided and sold for house lots. In the 20 th Century it became New York’s government center. Its existence was forgotten until an archaeological excavation in 1991 in preparation for construction of a federal office building.

The African Burial Ground was designated a New York City Historic District and a National Landmark in 1993 and in 2003 some 10,000 participated in the “Rites of Ancestral Return” and re-interred the remains in a hand-carved wooden coffins from Ghana along with nearly 8,000 personal handwritten messages from the living to the African ancestorswerealso buried. In 2006, the African Burial ground was proclaimed a national monument and in 2007 the African Burial ground National Monument became the first National Monument dedicated to Africans of early New York and Americans of African descent: a sacred space honoring their memory, work, and lives.

Charles Pan Fried Chicken Hours Mon-Sat 10am-1am Sun 12noon-6pm

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WYNN Optics 2020 NEW YEAR SPECIALS! “We are offering a wonderful experience and an opportunity to become family”

$45 Children Eye Exam

$150 Children Glasses (2 pairs of polycarbonate lenses)

$109 Packages (includes exam, frames and lenses)

$199 Frames, exam and crizal (antiglare lenses)

$125 Contact lenses fitting w/ trial pair

Wynn Optics 167 Lenox Avenue @ 118th Street | 212-222-6100 Most Insurance, Unions, Medicaid and Medicare Plans Accepted

Longtime couples honored at Sweetheart Luncheon in the Bronx B orough President Ruben Diaz honored some of the Bronx’s finest couples on Valentine’s Day during the 11th annual Sweetheart Luncheon.

The event at Villa Barone recognized couples who have been married for 50 years or more.

One married couple said the key to their 70- year relationship was laughter and a tight-knit family.

“We were blessed with a nice family, we do everything together, our family’s always with us… that’s what keeps our marriage going,” said Vincent Berreta.

BRONX UPCOMING EVENTS

FREE Weekly Live Entertainment: · Charlies Bar & Kitchen (112 Lincoln Ave): Every other Thursday Live music from 7:00-9:00pm; Sundays Brunch with Live Jazz · G-Bar (579 Grand Concourse): Every Monday Live Entertainment including live jazz, DJs and karaoke 7:00-11:00pm · Marriot’s Residence Inn (1776 Eastchester Road): Every Thursday Local Live Entertainment starting at 6:00pm . The Point CDC (940 Garrison Ave.): Second Saturday of every month Acupuncture, Reiki, Bodywork to assist recovery 1:00-5:00pm . BMHC (1303 Louis Nine Blvd.): Wednesdays Dance with salsa master José Henriquez from 3:00- 4:00pm . NYBG (2900 Southern Blvd): Create Botanical Crafts, Weekdays 1:30- 5:30pm, Weekends 10:00- 5:30pm

February 20-Feb 23 11:00-12:00pm Parent and Baby Yoga Geared toward parents and their babies aged 1 month to 3 years old, the hour-long classes are curated to be structured yet stress-free. Parents and babies will engage in breath work, movement, and rest, with an infusion of touch, laughter and play. Parents will stretch and breathe as self-care modalities. It is a medium through which parent and child can bond. Additionally, the class will allow for parent-to-parent connect time. If the child is not yet walking, bring a blanket. Bring your own mat, or rent one for $1. Soft toys will be provided. In Light Yoga and Health. 3626 De Reimer Avenue. and multimedia, the BDC exhibition, Trump Revolution: Immigration, opening February 15th, documents the current president’s overturning of decades of American immigration policy and law, and its profound effects on American society and the lives of millions of immigrants. 614 Courtlandt Ave. FREE.

February 20-Dec 29 9:00-6:15pm Kundalini Yoga and Meditation on the Full Moon

Kundalini Yoga and Meditation classes on the full moon take place even on days that classes are not scheduled. That’s how much In Light Yoga and Health believe in harnessing the energy of the full moon! During the Full Moon there is pressure on the human glandular system. This pressure can make us emotional and reactionary, or this glandular pressure can be used to accelerate healing on all levels. It is the latter that we want to harness. Full moon energy amplifies both positive and negative thoughts and behaviors. In Light Yoga and Health. 3626 De Reimer Avenue. Single classes are $15.

Now Until March 29 6:00pm Trump Revolution: Immigration

Through photos, words February 21 7:00-10:00pm Karaoke Fundraiser Join this Karaoke Party Fundraiser that is fun for all ages! Expect food, drinks, and fun! The Point CDC. 940 Garrison Ave. $10-$20.

February 22 2:000-4:30pm Manifestation Through Art

The value and power of vision boards is in their creation as actionable objects that inspire and motivate one to achieve set goals. This is best done by making the vision board personal, relevant, beautiful works of art— and interactive. Create a vision board at In Light Yoga and Health. 3626 De Reimer Ave. $35.

February 22 8:00pm Bronx Rising! East Meets West

Commemorating International Mother Language Day, an annual worldwide observance held on February 21st to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. Our event will focus on Bengali and flamenco song, poetry, and dance, featuring Ifti Chowdhury, with poets Nadia Q. Ahmad and Samira Sadeque, and the Royal Bengal Tea House, the Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts, Alfonso Cid, Maria de los Angeles, Adrian Alvarado, and others. BMHC. 1303 Louis Nine Blvd. $5-$7.

February 22-23 10:00-1:00pm Swamp Spectacles and Marsh Marvels

Make a statement about the importance of protecting our wetlands. Create spectacle-art of the plants and animals that make up these rich, biodiverse ecosystems by crafting large-scale puppets and float-like structures. Join your neighbors in committees at different art-making stations to learn how working together in small but meaningful ways can lead to a big impact! Wave Hill. 4900 Independence Ave. FREE with ground admission.

February 23 10:00-1:00pm Wellness Workshop: Winter Soap-Making

Make your own cold-processed soap with Melissa Rivera of Holistic Energy Healing. Each bar promotes healing for winter-weary skin with natural ingredients including charcoal, calendula and oatmeal. Go home with several bars of a variety of different soaps. For ages 12 and older. Wave Hill. 4900 Independence Ave. $55.

February 23 1:00-2:30pm Black History Month: Poetry Hike

Come celebrate Black History Month on a poetry and nature hike through Pelham Bay Park. Attendees will be able to view the beautiful natural vistas of the Bronx while experiencing the nature poetry of some of the greatest African-American poets, such as Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes. For younger children, we will have an arts and crafts program based on bringing African folk tales to life. Pelham Bay Nature Center. Bruckner Blvd and Wilkinson Ave. FREE.

February 23 2:00-4:00pm Black History Month Trolley Tour

Hop on the brand new, state of the art, heated Woodlawn Conservancy Trolley and take a ride back in time as we celebrate the lives of many notables who helped shape our culture. Visit the gravesites of Madam C.J. Walker, W.C. Handy, Ralph Bunche, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Canada Lee, Rudolph Fisher and more. Jerome and Bainbridge Ave. $25. February 26 6:00-9:00pm Jose Parla: It’s Yours The Board of Trustees of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Chairperson Joseph Mizzi, and Interim Director Klaudio Rodriguez cordially invite you to attend the opening of José Parlá: It’s Yours, organized by guest curator, Manon Slome. The opening night will include catering by Ghetto Gastro, furniture designed by Snøhetta, and a musical performance by Andres Levin performing ABATAR. Guest appearances by La Bruja, Arto Lindsay, Ron Blake, members of the Slavic Soul Party, and Yerba Buena. FREE with RSVP. Bronx Museum. 1040 Grand Concourse.

February 26 12:30pm &7:00pm Eddies Perejil “Eddie’s Perejil” is a gripping solo written and performed by Edward Paulino about a working-class Dominican-American college student who stumbles upon a document describing a long-forgotten genocide of Hatians by the Dominican Army under Gen. Trujillo known as the 1937 Haitian Massacre. This discovery and subsequent self-reflection sets him on an inescapable collision course with his romanticized notion of what it means to be Dominican in the diaspora. Hostos Community College. 450 Grand Concourse. FREE with RSVP. Harlem Community Newspapers | February 20. 2020