Born in Pennsylvania, Ron was raised in The Bronx until he was 11 years old. At the tender age of 10, Ron Mallett  lost his beloved  33 year old father to a heart attack. 

This tragedy set in motion what would turn into a career as a theoretical physicist seeking to create a time machine after finding a magazine with HG Wells”The Time Machine’on the cover. 

Instantly, the 10 year old Ron began to think if this was true and set out to create his own time machine in his family’s basement back in Pennsylvania where his mother moved the near destitute family after his father’s death.  His destination if successful? To warn his father of his health issues and perhaps prevent his untimely death. 

Fast forward to the present day and Ron Mallett is now a theoretical physicist at the University of Connecticut and is credited with a theory of time travel that his peers think may be the answer to the possibility of time travel into reality. 

An article in Bloomberg last year stated:

“When he received his doctorate in 1973, Mallett was one of only 79 black Ph.D. physicists among about 20,000 in the U.S., he says. While he detects more tolerance in the profession now, the discrimination — the idea that a black man can’t be this smart — has not disappeared.

Mallett says he kept his work on time travel secret for years partly because colleagues would conclude he was a crackpot unfit for tenure. If he worked openly and with others, he also worried white physicists would get all the credit.

“I’m afraid that’s how it would work,” Mallett says.”

Now Mallet, age 71,is the subject of a documentary about his life’s journey and the strong love for his father that has carried him throughout his life. 

Learn more about this incredible man and his journey:

Meet The Scientist on a Quest to Reunite With His Dead Father – By Time Travel 

Perhaps the most progressive NYC Council Speaker we’ve had thus far, Melissa Mark-Viverito (who represents District 8 half in The Bronx and the rest in East Harlem), has publicly come out and supported long time ally and staffer, Diana Ayala.

Ayala has been working alongside the Speaker for the past 11 years and I’ve personally witnessed the compassion needed to lead in our communities that face different challenges than other districts in the city.

I may not always agree with everything Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito does or say but this is something I feel strongly about who should take over the reigns in our borough as a leader.

Diana Ayala comes untethered from the baggage that Bronx Democratic Machine-backed candidates tend to come with making her a much-needed independent voice (just like the Speaker)  for us as we face decisions from our Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr that are only accelerating gentrification—and district 8 is the epicenter of this battle.

One of the most important issues in supporting Ayala—besides being more than qualified to do so—is the issue of women in politics (or the lack thereof) of which there are many capable but seldom elected or encouraged to run and that’s something that Mark-Viverito constantly pushes to the forefront of political conversations.

Only 14 of the 51 Council Members are women and we clearly can do so much better with a plethora of qualified women already leading in our communities.

A number of our Councilwomen will be term-limited in 2017 including Mark-Viverito.

That being said, we have an opportunity to show support and get to know Diana Ayala at a fundraiser on July 7th.

Here’s the Speaker’s moving message posted on her personal Facebook account:

Thinking ahead has never been a fault of mine. And now is no different. 

It has been, & continues to be, an incredible privilege to serve my district. Out of the deep love I have for my constituents, for my district, the question has crossed my mind about who would I want to support to succeed me once my term ends in 2017? 

Who would engage in this work with integrity, with commitment, with the respect for those who too often have been cast aside & whom you will represent? Who would approach this work with love above all else? 

During the past year I have begun that conversation more earnestly as I plan ahead for my transition. Not gonna lie. Isn’t easy to say those words. Isn’t easy to leave something you LOVE to do. Something you consider your calling. But life is full of challenges & each one provides wonderful lessons. 

Many strong women have mentored me on my life’s journey starting with my mother Elizabeth Viverito. & it was my mentor, El Barrio/East Harlem activist Gloria E. Quinones who planted the seed that elected office was another way I could serve my community. That trust & confidence nurtured by so many before, came to fruition when Gloria & other women important in my life (Betty Perez Cutie Sandra Talavera Lorraine Cortes & others) saw leadership potential in me & encouraged me to run. I have never been alone from that moment on. 

So now, I pay it forward. As women it is important to support each other. That we encourage each other. As it stands there are too few of us in leadership positions be it the private or public sector. In the New York City Council, out of 51 City Council Members, only 14 are women. Outrageous. There are many qualified, committed women who can represent their districts with great integrity. & it is incumbent on us to force that conversation. To encourage women to run. 

Diana Ayala has been working alongside me in my office for the past 11 years. Prior to coming to work with me she had her own record of accomplishments. And a life story that is inspiring. 

Diana is a woman of integrity. She is intelligent. She is thoughtful. She is steadfast. She is committed. She is a hard worker. She is a daughter, a wife, a mother & grandmother. Diana is a reflection of who I fight for each & every day & what motivates me to do what I do. There is no better person to represent this district PUNTO

So, as I honor the tradition that has allowed me to humbly represent my district, the tradition of women investing in women, I humbly ask that you come & meet Diana so you can judge for yourself why she should be our next Council Member. 

Thank you. ¡Gracias! for taking the time to read this. & feel free to comment or repost. Su humilde servidora,

Melissa

I hope you do accept this invitation to come and meet Diana Ayala for yourself. I am more than thrilled that she is running for office and happily endorse this momentous occasion in her life.

For decades, the Melrose Alexander’s Department Store on 3rd Ave in The Hub was the place of choice for thousands of Bronxites and part of our borough’s cultural fabric.

Fast forward to 2013, the building was offered for sale for over $22 million but eventually sold for $16.2 million.

Founded in 1928 at that very location, Alexander’s  became a Bronx institution catering to the Jewish, Italian, and Irish immigrants and later the African-American and Puerto Rican community.

Eventually, it grew to a chain of 11 stores in the region including the iconic anchor on Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse until heading to midtown Manhattan.

In the 80s the store continued a decline as the company focused more on real estate than the stores themselves.

By 1992 the company went bankrupt shutting down its 11 stores.

Conway eventually swooped in and acquired several of the properties and converted The Hub building into a combination of Conway’s and a poorly constructed mini mall on the second floor.

For decades the once fabled Art Deco building languished and the upper floors closed off as the mini mall concept failed.  

Now, the building is undergoing major renovations including demolition of the top 4th floor and installation of  new elevators and escalators.

Gone are the terrazo floors that once graced the store.

Currently, there is no set tenant to occupy the space but a search for a large chain is on according to unofficial word on the project.

I have fond memories of the building before its demise, now I’m curious as to what kind of life it will be given during a different set of circumstances our borough is going through as we face gentrification.

Will this major asset benefit the existing community or will it be something for the gentry?

NYPD and family members of the formerly missing girls came forward and stared that 11 of the 14 girls had been found or had returned home. 

Welcome2TheBronx, as did other publications like the Daily News and New York Magazine, ran with the story without verifying the details. 

We apologize for any inconvenience or upsetting this may have caused. 

‘The Get Down‘, Baz Lurhmann’s latest project which will be released on Netflix on August 12th, 2016, is a drama based in the South Bronx during the 70s just as Hip-Hop was emerging amidst the burning years and strife. But during those years there was plenty of life going on in our neighborhoods.

We are hoping that the series is done right and gets the picture of that era correct as per those who lived it and not by those who just wrote about it.

Check out the latest trailer below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k58P5735VTs