e-NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 2010

RECENT NEWS ARTICLES

Voters Face New Voting Machines and a Multitude of Candidates in the September 14th Primary Election

Confused about HOW and WHERE, WHY, and for WHOM to vote on September 14th? Visit our Legislative page for the latest news. Follow links below for help with understanding the election process.

Candidate Forum for the New York State 68th Assembly District El Barrio/East Harlem: Thursday, September 9th from 6PM to 8 PM at the Red Carpet Theater @ Taino Towers, 240 East 123 St. @ Second Avenue

Sponsored by Women Of El Barrio in partnership with East Harlem Preservation and other community groups, the event is intended to allow local residents to hear candidates' responses to panel questions and to learn about each candidate's vision for representing East Harlem/El Barrio. Confirmed: Marion L. Bell, Alvin Johnson, Felix Rosado, John Ruiz. All official candidates invited. To RSVP, call (917) 806-7369 or email: womenoeb@gmail.com.

 

Mayor Bloomberg Reneges on Upper East Side Safety Lanes! Local Residents Say: "Mike, We Want to Bike!"

During several community meetings in East Harlem, city officials presented plans to create much-needed pedestrian and bicycle safety lanes on First and Second Avenue all the way up to 125th Street. The Department of Transportation has since backpedaled on its promise to provide safety improvements on the Upper East Side, citing the need for "further studies." Transportation Alternatives advocates are encouraging residents to sign-on to a letter calling on the Mayor to extend the lanes as promised.

Exodus and Inspiration

Diana Ortiz spent 22 years in prison for a crime she committed at 18. Paroled in 2006 at the age of 41, she now provides a valuable service to the East Harlem community. As a Community Liaison at Exodus Transitional Community, Ms. Ortiz works directly with formerly incarcerated men and women struggling with reintegration. "[She]" is a reminder that people do change and society can be better off when we acknowledge the value of second chances," said Exodus Executive Director Julio Medina. Click here to watch a video profile by MediaStorm.

Prison Gerrymandering To Be Abolished in New York State!

On August 4th, state legislators passed an historic bill to end prison-based gerrymandering: the practice of counting prison inmates as "residents" in the districts where they are incarcerated. For decades, the deceptive measure had allowed smaller upstate counties to receive a disproportionate share of federal funding and resources by padding the size of legislative districts during United States Census counts. The new law requires that prison inmates be counted in their home communities. The practice continues in many other states. Visit the Prison Policy Initiative website to learn more.

San Francisco Kitty Treat/ed In El Barrio!

On July 31st, a nearly-blind cat named Jack Daniels that had been abducted from a San Francisco animal shelter in 2009 was found in East Harlem. Thanks to a pet microchip, Animal Care and Control officers from the East 110th Street shelter were able to identify the feline. After a thorough checkup, Jack was flown safely back to the West Coast shelter in early August. Click here to read a report by Mariel S. Clark for DNAinfo.

Artificial Turf Controversy Hits the Roof! Rubber Mats Deemed "Full of Holes!" Pesticides Finally Banned in Public Parks and Playgrounds

Weeks after Public School 72 Lexington Academy in East Harlem celebrated a brand-new rooftop soccer field made from controversial artificial turf, the New York Daily News, City Limits Magazine and WNYC Radio broke new ground on the fiscal merits of such environmentally unsound rubber play mats. Visit our Environmental Justice page for links to these and other articles. Be sure to also visit NYC Park Advocates' "A Walk in the Park" blog to read up on the State's new Child Safe Playing Field Pesticides Act.

La Isla Bajo el Mar por Isabel Allende, Wednesday, September 8th, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm at El Cafe en El Museo de Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue / 104th Street. Admission: Free

La ultima novela de nuestra querida Isabel Allende trata sobre Zarite, una ninita mulata que es vendida como esclava al dueno de una de las mas importantes plantaciones de azucar de Santo Domingo. A lo largo de cuarenta anos de su vida, este maravilloso relato nos ensena sobre la explotacion de esclavos en la isla en el siglo XVIII, sus condiciones de vida, y su lucha por la libertad.

CLARIDAD: 50 ANOS DE LUCHA at El Taller Boricua/Puerto Rican Workshop, 1680 Lexington Avenue near 106th Street

Opening Reception: September 10th. Exhibition Panel Talk: September 16th. El Grito de Lares Celebration: September 23rd! Exhibit Runs to September 24th.

Creative Dance and Self-Expression in Movement, Saturdays, September 11 - November 27 @ Casabe Houses / 150 East 121 Street & Lexington. Free Admission for Seniors & Their Families!

Specifically designed for seniors and their families, the workshop is a creative journey into music and dance, leading to a final show of the participants creations. Attendees will be guided through movement based expressive activities and encouraged to individually interpret via movement, a selection of traditional Latin American songs. Material developed during the sessions will be used to construct a public performance piece that will be presented on the last day of the workshop.

Symposium: Criminal Justice and the Lindsay Years - Tuesday, September 14th / 6:00 PM, The Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue @ 104th Street

An exploration of John V. Lindsay's criminal justice legacy, featuring a keynote address by New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. The symposium is cosponsored by John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY. Free. Call (917) 492-3395 or e-mail programs@mcny.org to RSVP.

When a Tree Falls by Beatriz Rivera, Tuesday, September 14th / 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm El Cafe @ El Museo de Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue / 104th Street. Admission: Free

In collaboration with La Casa Azul Bookstore. Cuban-American writer Beatriz Rivera presents another off-beat love story full of oddball characters in absurd situations: Dr. Chico Chanca, a clog-wearing, tea-drinking psychiatrist who is obsessed with yoga, financial success, and cheap motel sex; his gorgeous wife Laura, a passionate animal rights advocate and brilliant veterinarian who has a predilection for expensive designer clothing, organic food, and breast implants; and Amber Delrio, the owner of Sacred Greens Farm and a yoga school who has taken an eternal vow of chastity. Author will be present for discussion. RSVP confirmation number is required to check-in.

Imagenes de Julia! Thursday, September 16th at 7pm at the Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center, 1680 Lexington Avenue

Save The Date! Come celebrate the life of the beloved Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos on the occasion of the unveiling of a commemorative stamp to be issued by the United States Postal Service that week.

Free Hand Drawing/Painting For Seniors & Families, Wednesdays, September 15 - December 1 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm at Casabe Houses / 150 East 121 Street & Lexington Ave.

This workshop offers an opportunity for attendees to record their feelings and thoughts in a creative, personal manner, and leads to a final exhibition of the participants created art. They will begin to draw with pencil and will progress to ink and charcoal, and finalize their work in acrylic paint. Participants will have an opportunity to draw/paint outdoors, and visit a few museums, as a class in training, appreciating and learning about art masterpieces. Facilitator: Eli Alvarado, President of La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriquena, Inc.

Who Broke New York? Wagner, Lindsay, Beame & the Fiscal Crisis, Wednesday, September 15th, 6:30 PM at The Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue / 104th Street

Less than two years after Mayor John V. Lindsay left office, the city was on the edge of bankruptcy. How much did Lindsay's fiscal policies contribute to the crisis? This panel reflects on the 1970s fiscal crisis, New York's recovery, and the lessons for today's lawmakers. Presented in conjunction with America's Mayor: John V. Lindsay and the Reinvention of New York. $ Call (917) 492-3395 to RSVP.

Nueva York (1613-1945), Friday, September 17 - Sunday, January 9, 2011 en Las Galerias en El Museo de Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue / 104th Street. Admission: Fees Vary

Presented in collaboration with the New-York Historical Society, this intriguing exhibition reveals the powerful role that Latinos and Spanish-speaking countries have played across four centuries to help shape New York into the most culturally vibrant city in the world. Art works, documents, printed books, artifacts, an installation by Puerto Rican artist Antonio Martorell, and a documentary by Ric Burns all serve as testaments to this dynamic history.

El Grito de Poetas, Saturday, September 18th / 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm @ El Cafe en El Museo de Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue / 104th Street. Admission: Free

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with El Museo del Barrio and Speak Up! Speak Out! El Grito de Poetas, featuring Advocate of Wordz, Chance, Chilo, Majestik Originality, True, Tito, and Simply Rob, is a collective of diverse poets dedicated to the craft and performance of modern poetry. RSVP confirmation number is required to check-in.

Clemente Flores: "A Nuyorican's Nostalgic Journey" Opening Reception, Tuesday, September 21st from 6:00pm - 8:00pm @ Sinergia, 2081 Lexington Avenue

The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and Sinergia, Inc. invite you to attend the opening reception for "A Nuyorican's Nostalgic Journey," an exhibit featuring the art work of local artist Clemente Flores. Born and raised in East Harlem, Clemente's watercolor collection reflects his childhood experiences in the 1950s. As the son of Puerto Rican parents who migrated to New York City in the 1940s and as a Nuyorican, Mr. Flores brilliantly captures the urban Puerto Rican experience. Call (212) 643-2840 to RSVP.

Commemorate El Grito de Lares! Rally & March, Thursday, September 23rd: Meet up at 4 PM in Marcus Garvey Park / 124th Street & Madison Avenue

Grito de Lares commemoration continues with a march down Lexington Avenue to view the "Claridad" exhibit at the Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center at 1690 Lexington Avenue/106th Street.

Symposium: Public Management & the Lindsay Years - Wednesday, September 29 / 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM & Thursday, September 30th / 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM @ Baruch College Information & Technology Bldg., 151 East 25th Street, 7th Floor

A two-day symposium taking a critical look at the impact the innovations introduced during the Lindsay Administration (1966-1973) had on the field of public management and the use of rational analysis to inform decision-making at the state and local levels of government. (FREE)

Lindsay's Forgotten Preservation Legacy: Air Rights and the Strengthening of the Landmarks Law, Thursday, September 30th / 6:30 PM at The Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue @ 104th Street

The Lindsay administration activated and extended the Wagner-era landmarks law, using a variety of strategies to protect historic buildings and districts, including Grand Central Terminal, the South Street Seaport, and the Theater District. How important was the tool of air rights transfers in this program? How well have air rights held up as a preservation tool? Presented in conjunction with America's Mayor: John V. Lindsay and the Reinvention of New York. Reception to follow. $ Reservations required. For more information call (917) 492-3395.

Growth Sculpture Restored

The Growth sculpture is a 15-foot-high steel artwork created by Jorge Rodriguez in 1985 through the city's Percent for Art Program. Located in the center of the East Harlem Art Park on 120th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, the sculpture had been maintained sporadically since its installation. By 2010, its original paint coating was fading and rusting. Treatment and repairs on the Growth sculpture were undertaken this year by Citywide Monuments Conservation Program's Christine Djuric and John Saunders, with support from graduate apprentices. Restoration was completed in summer 2010. Click to learn more.

Job Opportunity: Community Health Nurse

Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service is seeking a community health nurse to provide skilled nursing care to individuals and families. Applicants must be a registered nurse, licensed in N.Y. and bilingual in Spanish/English. Previous home care experience is a plus. To apply, email or fax cover letter and resume to Dorothy Calvanl at dcalvani@lsafhs.org or fax (212) 987-4430

© Copyright 2010
East Harlem Preservation, Inc. is a volunteer advocacy organization founded in 2005 to promote, preserve, and protect the neighborhood's rich cultural, architectural and environmental history. We provide news and updates on large-scale development, displacement and other issues of public concern in East Harlem and surrounding areas through a regularly updated web site, detailed email bulletins, and an extensive electronic and photographic library. Our web site is also available to help promote the work of neighborhood organizations and nonprofit cultural, educational, health, business, and environmental agencies. East Harlem Preservation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Secure donations can be made through the PayPal button on our home page. Feel free to drop us a line if you’d prefer to volunteer your talent, services, or time. Please also be sure to also keep us informed abut your own activities as we continue to promote the good work that we all do for our community!