Category Archives: Documentary

Volunteering at the Langston Hughes Home

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A week ago during the snow storm, I left my warm apartment and went to Harlem and volunteered with i, Too, Arts Collective which is a  non-profit organization committed to nurturing voices from underrepresented communities in the creative arts. They are responsible for renovating  the Harlem renaissance poet, Langston Hughes, home.

When I was in college, I went on a date with a young man who grew up in New Orleans. He was crazy about the Harlem renaissance because of his high school teachers. I, who grew up in New York, was crazy about Harlem because of the books I read alone (my high school  curriculum skipped majority of my history…really America’s true history). In any case, he took me to Harlem for a date and I remember us standing outside of Langston Hughes home taking about his poems. Then we spoke about what it would take for his home to become a museum. Then, we stopped talking so the conversation pretty much died like a raisin in the sun. However, the dream didn’t because I am now apart of a team of people who are preserving Mr. Hughes legacy by opening up his space and reserving it for writers and other artist to gather.

Mi Abuela Ana

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My close friend Stacy shared with me that her Grandma who was born November 16, 1918 gets lonely sometimes. Stacy and I always go out but this time, I asked her if we could spend time with Abuela Ana.

It turns out everyone liked the idea! Especially Abuela Ana.

It did not cross my mind that there would probably be a language barrier.

With the little bit of Spanish that I knew, I founded out that she came to America in 1973 and when she got here she never really ventured into the real world. She was a stay at home mother. She had 10 children before she came here and her baby (Ms. Hilda, pictured) was only in her teens. No one was born in the U.S.

She likes to cook but doesn’t do much of it anymore.

She arrived to America because of her son, Uncle Metro (also pictured) got here first and paved the way for the rest of the family. When she came to America she did not like it. As a matter of fact, she always wanted to go back home to live but stayed here to tend to her family. She sacrificed her life so that her children and husband could live happily.

Her husband passed away in 2009.  He was a hard working man. Running bodegas to keep the family afloat.

Ms. Hilda cooked a lovely meal for the event and Johnny, the dog was very respectful until we got to the table.

I left full and happy. Now time to brush up on my Spanish.

Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference

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I wrote  a letter to my mom during the Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference.

Dear Mom,

I am at a Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference. April asked me to tag along with her, so I am pretty much here to support your youngest daughter. We are in two different meetings right now having two different experiences.

This is my first time sitting in a room with a sign on the outside of the door welcoming only brown skin people… It’s also my first time I’ve been asked to give my suggested pronoun.

The commentator just ask me to name three things that make me. You of course were one of those three. I said: Christian, Mother (Family) and Writer (photographer) and she allowed me to take photos during the meeting.

The commentator speaks really weird like, as if she lives in her head. She likes the word, imagine. She is making me think about food in a different way and uses words I never associate with food to talk about food. Who uses intimacy in the same sentence as food?  She’s making me think about food in a different way altogether. It’s almost scary.

“ You should create a real relationship with your food…outside of your mother, food is our oldest relationship. Eating should be centered in pleasure…you should know who your grower is and create intimacy with food…”

Mom, remember that time you and Minister Richards thought it was funny that I had a nightmare about cooking? Well, I think the dream is coming to pass right here. Who talks about food in this way?

Mom, I am beginning to like this speaker. While I don’t agree with everything she says about food, some of the things she say are empowering. She is talking about the word liberation and wants to know how we will define it.

There is a yearning to feel connected to the land and to be free…because we were tied to the land, we survived…whenever a people have to heal itself they have to go back to the soil…create a restaurant in your house…build power through stewardship and ownership… How do we own land…how do we break out of capitalism? We must be generous with what we have…

Mom,  as I listen to this lady who lives in her head, questions about our family and land comes to mind. I will jot them down later because i don’t want to miss what she is saying about traditions…do you think I am generous enough? I think April picked up your generous creative side which is why we are here at this conference now. Okay, she’s talking…

How do we uplift our traditions? This is our right to steward the land, it’s in our DN. How do we use tools of the oppressors to tell our own story? 

Book to Read: The Color of Food by Natasha Bowen

Websites to Visit: Bossip.com, Worldstar.com, Fresh2health.com, civileats.com

Love You Mom

Commencement 109 & New Meaning

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I am a believer in numbers and I pay attention to blessings and omens.

I listen to speeches given by great men and women.

I may not know what things mean as they are happening but as life goes on,

the puzzle pieces connect smoothly.

On the 24th of May this year I graduated from The College of New Rochelle with my Masters of Science in Education.

The commencement speaker was ABC news anchor, Robin Roberts. The same person I met at Fordham University in 2009  a few months before I graduated from there. Listening to the same person give a speech during important moments in my life, meant something to me and still means something even though I am not exactly sure.

Never forget the feeling that you are feeling right now,she told the 109th graduation class.  The auditorium was quite but I could feel excitement in my bones. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t cry. I kept thinking about my parents and the many roads I’ve traveled and still was traveling.

She continued, Proximity is power, you can wish, hope and pray all you want but you have to put yourself in the position to go forward…Put yourself in the position for good things to happen to you…dream big and focus small. She found ways to weave her personal testimony throughout her speech allowing the graduates and their families to connect to her even though she was high on a pedestal. She spoke of her parents and the hard road they had to travel growing up in an unkind south.

When fear knocks and it will, let faith answer the door! Never question or doubt God’s plans for you, even when you can’t see his hand. 

She concluded her speech and was given her honoree degree.

The graduates were given their degrees.

All went home with new meaning.

 

 

Kingsbridge Armory to become an Ice Rink

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Mark Messier

A few weeks back, the members of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition,the  Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), and the Mary Mitchell Center had a small historic demonstration outside of the The Kingsbridge Armory, also known as the Eighth Regiment Armory. 

The Armory which is located on West Kingsbridge Road in the Bronx was built in the 1910s and  is possibly the largest armory in the world.

The demonstration was a celebration. The Armony which was closed to the community since 1996, is scheduled to reopen due to the redevelopment proposals announced last year.

The Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) includes:

  • More than 50,00o square feet of community space
  • 9 year round indoor ice rinks
  • 1 Million to sponsor local children’s ice time
  • 100% Living wage jobs and 51% local targeted hiring for local residents
  • mentoring and after-school programs
  • a small business incubator and opportunities for minority own businesses

The community seemed excited for the reopening of the armory but not too many seemed that excited about it becoming an ice-rink. I do not think  many Bronx residents are New York Ranger fans. When Mark Messir, who is pictured here, was announced to the platform, not to many people knew that he was a former professional ice hockey player (myself included).

Nevertheless, I don’t think that matters. I think what matters the most  is through the Armory, many will be introduced to new and different sports, many will be able to support themselves and their families with jobs and more children will have places to go after school. Dreams will be made and goals will be reached.

American Museum of Natural History

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American Museum of Natural History

This pass Saturday, I went to the Museum of Natural History with two little children from my church, Azeria and Jeremiah.

I received museum vouchers when I attended the Young People’s  Unity day at my church and planed to go to the museum alone; however, changed my mind and decided to babysit for fun…yeah, I love children that much!

I’m glad I did because we ended up hanging out with Therese and Peter. We met at the museum and had so much fun together that we plan to have another play-date this weekend.

While I enjoyed the Butterfly Garden, the Journey to the Stars and the other exhibitions I thought the Flight of the Butterflies was the best one! It’s a short documentary on the monarch butterflies. It speaks about their journey from the United States to Mexico every fall. Before I watch this documentary I thought the butterflies died at the end of the summer. I didn’t know they actually migrated across seas to a place in Mexico!

At the end of the documentary, two things came to me: God is simply AWESOME and I its time to travel to Mexico!

Gil Kerlikowske The Drug Czar

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About a week ago, Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center was visited by Gil Kerlikowske, chief of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. I must admit, I had never heard of a Drug Czar. Who is Gil Kerlikowske and what does a drug czar do?

According to Huffington Post, a drug czar’s duty is to  reduce drugs use in the United States. Wow that explain a lot doesn’t it? I read an article from the Wall Street Journal concerning Kerlikowske’s position and Kerlikowske, a long with congress,  is dealing with the drug issue in America as public health than as a criminal justice issue. I read some more articles and even watch videos from Youtube. I guess Huffington Post is right in the long run. He is on the mission to do what almost every president have been trying to do- end the use of illegal drugs.

What a hard job.

I remember when I was in the fifth grade. I hadn’t really heard about drugs on a huge level. One day I was sitting in class when this policeman came in the class with his co-worker. I don’t even remember my teacher warning us or telling us we were going to have guest.

Gil KerlikowskeThey started talking about drugs and how bad they were. They really painted a horrible picture of my neighborhood: Drug addicts, drug users, people who want to force kids to use drugs, drugs on the street, drugs, drugs, drugs all around. I had only heard of a cigarette. Not to include that they came into class dressed as cops with gun and bats. Just looking at them scared me. I didn’t marvel over them at all. I remember an eerie feeling being in the classroom. All the students were quite and very few asked questions. Up until then, I thought I was safe walking to and from school. After their spiel about drugs, they then proceeded by taking out a case of drugs in little medicine cases so we could see what each drug look like. Before they did that, they told us what each drug was capable of doing.

I was so scared, I didn’t want to see any example. I didn’t want to touch the case. I just put my head down.

That day I walked home shaking.