Many of us have been eagerly keeping an eye on 19 year old Bronxite, John Orozco, as he’s made his rounds to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. Now, even though we we have been very proud of his hard work and accomplishments, we can cheer even louder.
Our young man from the Bronx is officially an Olympian. Read more in the New York Times.
Being Latino, the Bronx-based social media platform geared towards latinos and with a reach of over 200,000 followers released a video yesterday sharing some dismal statistics on the state of education for latinos across the United States. The Bronx being the most latino borough of New York City makes this not just a must watch video but also it is important to share this throughout the community so that we can begin the conversation on what our next steps should be.
Not all the data is bad as there is some sobering news on the educational front and when combined it provides us with a pretty concise map of where we need to improve that which needs improving and to excel in what it is what we are doing right.
Please take the time out and watch this brief video and most importantly, SHARE!
As always, comments are open to hear what you have to say. Oh and don’t forget to check out the sources provided by Being Latino after the video!
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http://www.edweek.org/media/dc12_findings_060712.pdf
EPE Research Center – Diploma Counts 2012. Trailing Behind, Moving Forward: Latino Students in U.S. Schools.
Common Core of Data (CCD), U.S. Department of Education
National Poverty Center
Pew Hispanic Center
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America
Why Can’t the Bronx Be More Like Brooklyn?
This is one of those annoying articles and headlines that makes one say what the hell was the writer thinking? Perhaps it’s because we don’t want to be like Brooklyn? Maybe we don’t want to be a gentrification disaster like Brooklyn and lose our soul in the process?
Although the above captioned New York Times articles makes some valid points, overall it is rather offensive to many Bronxites (who by the way have voiced their displeasure with its suggestion) I mean…why should we aspire to be just another cookie cutter, neighborhood with Starbuck all over the place like the fried chicken restaurants we have now. To me that wouldn’t be much better since with it brings a host of issues, primarily displacement of the economically disadvantaged and recent immigrants.
The article says:
“The Bronx’s inability to catch up with the rest of the city’s phenomenal economic growth has been disconcerting. In the early 1970s, the Bronx and Brooklyn had similar average household incomes. Since then, though, the gap has grown significantly. The average Brooklyn resident is now around 23 percent richer than the average Bronxite; people in Queens are roughly 32 percent richer. (Manhattan residents are 265 percent wealthier; Staten Island residents, by the way, are 55 percent richer.) What happened?
“It’s not an accident,” says Dart Westphal, a former community developer who has lived in the Bronx for decades. Brooklyn and Queens were once collections of independent towns whose homegrown economies were rooted in Long Island agriculture, not Manhattan mercantilism. Local elites built expensive town houses on tree-lined streets. These neighborhoods fell on hard times during the 1970s, but their expensive stock was perfectly positioned for revitalization as the Manhattan boom of the past few decades pushed young professionals across the river. The Bronx, however, never developed its own economic drivers. It became, by the late 19th century, a haven for immigrants attracted to (but unable to afford) Manhattan. The borough developed far fewer wealthy areas, and many neighborhoods became devoted to less-gentrifiable housing units.”
No. The Bronx needs to be the Bronx. We have a unique mix – for better or worse (I like to think for better) that makes this our home. For decades and what seems like a lifetime we have done pretty damn well on our own without the help from hipsters.
So Brooklyn, don’t worry…you can keep your hipsters…we prefer our real people and besides – we’re way cooler than you.
Go to the NYTimes to read their “article”
Bronx-bashing seems to be a sport of many ignorant people who are living with the image of the Bronx of 20+ years ago which, in part, we can thank the media for perpetuating such antiquated stereotypes. First we had the Connecticut attorney who trashed the Bronx in a review of Monet’s Garden at the New York Botanical Garden. Then there was the Australian official who was furious at new security measures at a local gas station and compared it negatively to the Bronx. Now today, just a few minutes ago, we have a journalist responding to a story from Lille in the north of France about a nightclub shooting that left two dead. A witness was quoted as saying, “It’s disgusting, this isn’t the Bronx.” Such statements like this shows that we as a borough have a long road still ahead of us in terms of PR work on public perception of the Bronx.
That being said, it was refreshing to find out about this story by reading a column in the International Business Times by its World Editor, Palash R. Ghosh. In his piece, Actually Monsieur, Crime In The Bronx Has Been Steadily Falling, Mr. Ghosh goes to bat for our borough and sets the record straight on our crime rate and its dramatic decrease from almost 20 years ago.
He says:
“In the global imagination, the very words “the Bronx” conjures up dreary images of burned-out tenements, graffiti-covered subway trains, trash-strewn lots, depressing housing projects and massive poverty.
Part of this image is indeed accurate, but it is a gross exaggeration.”
Read the rest of his column at http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/358666/20120702/bronx-crime-murder-lille-france-perception-new.htm
Oh and a big THANKS goes to Palash R. Ghosh for sticking up for us!
Chase and Living Social are gearing up to dole out 12 grants of $250,000 to 12 winning small businesses and the Bronx definitely has its share of entrants but these two specific organizations definitely deserve a chance at this grant. Being Latino and from The Bronx are two businesses that have taken over their respective categories on Facebook and collectively have almost 200,000 followers on the social networking site. Most importantly, they are businesses started by very passionate and young Bronxites who are out on a mission to work hard in shedding stereotypes of the past and providing opportunities for a better future.
Straight from Being Latino, the company is described as:
“…a communication platform designed to educate, entertain and connect all peoples across the global Latino spectrum. Our aim is to break down barriers and foster unity and empowerment through informative, thought-provoking dialogue and exchanging of ideas. Being Latino seeks to give a unified voice to the multitude of communities that identify with the multidimensional culture that is Latino.”
Being Latino has done more to unite Latinos from all walks of life and nationalities than any other organization of its kind in recent years. They have become that bridge and place where they can mingle with cultures that they normally wouldn’t interact with, learning about each other and tearing down stereotypes along the way. That same journey has given latinos a stronger and more unified voice in this age of social networking through successful partnerships with other like minded organizations. Through their writers, articles and videos they keep the community informed on issues important to latinos and even have instilled a sense of social responsibility to their followers by organizing fundraisers, days of service and overall charity.
Out of the Bronx from one individual, the organization has blossomed into an international phenomenon with dozens of contributers and thousands of conversations amongst followers.
The other Bronx based organization you are most likely more familiar with is from The Bronx that was started with a similar mission as welcome2thebronx and welcome2melrose which is a strong sense of pride of our borough and battling to end the negative and outdated stereotypes linked to the Bronx.
The amount of positive spotlight these young Bronxites have shined on the Bronx is invaluable. Through many collaborations they bring on a daily basis to over 100,000 followers news that otherwise wouldn’t be mentioned by mainstream media. From The Bronx is a strong supporter of local Bronx based businesses and artists and are ever-promoting them. It is this positive reinforcement and support that traditionally is lacking in communities like the Bronx and they have helped unite residents past and present and those who love our borough on Facebook and in real time.
So please, take the short time it will cost you to vote for these two Bronx organizations. It will take all of 60 seconds to vote for both! All you have to do is go to: https://www.missionsmallbusiness.com/ and login using Facebook or however you want and search for Being Latino and from The Bronx and vote!
Our friends over at from The Bronx have applied for a small business grant of $250,000 being offered by Chase and Living Social and they need our help! Over the past years, the team at from The Bronx has been fighting the good fight in promoting the Bronx in a positive light – a mission that aligns perfectly with that of welcome2melrose and welcome2thebronx. That being said, we ask that you take a brief moment (less than a minute!) and vote for them at http://www.missionsmallbusiness.com and search for from The Bronx and voila! If they win, they will be opening up a store in Melrose to take their mission to the next level.
Thanks for voting and please spread the word!
For many Bronxite mothers trying to juggle a career, their toddlers all while attending college seems an insurmountable task but childcare centers such as this one at Lehman College – which is about to double in size come this fall, is the key to success for these super moms. Wouldn’t it be great if parents at all colleges and universities had access to such facilities? Jump over to the Daily News to continue reading about one Bronx mother’s story if you haven’t already done so. Let us know what your thoughts are!
Update:
From BronxTalk host, Gary Axelbank:
Tonight’s BronxTalk will take a look at the proposed cuts to 42,000 day care and after school slots. Honestly, it will be a little hard for me to be objective about this subject, having raised my children in a Bronx where we we made extens…ive use of these programs and found them to be indispensable. So we’ll just tell it like it is. In any case our guests are an executive of an umbrella agency who runs these programs through the city and a rep from Bronx Works. BronxTalk, tonight at 9pm. Bronxnet’s channel 67, Fios 33.
Dan Beekman of the New York Daily News just reported on two developers vying for an opportunity to transform the old Kingsbridge Armory – and both options would put the Bronx, yet again, on the world map.
One option would create the world’s largest ice sports center and the other would create the tallest indoor climbing wall on earth. Either option seems far better than another Related snowjob who wanted to turn the armory into a shopping mall while not paying workers a decent living wage. Both current developers say they are committed to paying living wages and interestingly enough, both have said they can raise their own capital without the use of government subsidies. Beekman reports that the city is carefully vetting their claims.
Jump over to the Daily News and read more on this exciting development.
UPDATE 11:00AM, June 20th, 2012 included after last paragraph.
Here’s a statistic we don’t mind: since 1990, reverse commuting for work to points north of the city such as Westchester County and Connecticut, has increased by 150%. Of 8.1 million rides taken last year to and from the Bronx, about 2/3 of these were Bronxites heading to their jobs away from the city. These figures were presented by William Wheeler, director of special project development and planning at the MTA, at a hearing yesterday morning on transportation of the outer boroughs and went on to also add that it is the largest known market in the country for reverse commuting.
Metro North is a critical lifeline to thousands of Bronxites who need to get to work which is why we need a new Metro North line in the eastern Bronx to accommodate residents in that neglected area. It is time we make those 4 proposed stations (Hunts Point, Parkchester, Morris Park and Co-op City) into reality. This would increase our stations to 17 in the borough and help in reducing congestion along the I95 and Hutchinson River Parkway corridors by taking off the road countless Bronxites going to and from work up north.
Manhattan isn’t the only center of employment for the Bronx and it is critical that our government does right by its citizens in expanding our transportation network. But a better link up north isn’t the only area we need to strengthen: we need to foster better transportation alternatives between the outer boroughs. Bronx and Queens residents shouldn’t have to go through Manhattan to get to either one. Same goes for Brooklyn and Queens residents which have just the G train linking them in any meaningful way.
The explosion of economic activity at these new links would benefit all for decades to come. If we don’t act soon, NYC will be left in the dark ages of mass transit.
Dan Beekman of the New York Daily News pointed out a story he wrote back in January regarding a demand for Bronx residents to fill employment opportunities in Connecticut. This further solidifies the argument and demand for this critical extension.
Bronxites! This is a must read for those living in the Northern Bronx in the newly redrawn 13th Congressional District and anyone who’s been following the issue.
Our friends at BronxMatters have written this important piece on major misinformation printed by the New York Times and the New York Post that is highly misleading. Unfortunately, this isn’t something new and we in the Bronx are far too accustomed to such poorly edited pieces when it comes to our borough.
Here’s an excerpt from BronxMatters:
Daily newspapers have an opportunity —and more importantly, a responsibility —to help educate their Bronx readers about an epic change in who will represent them in Congress.
But yesterday, in endorsing Clyde Williams, a former official in the Clinton administration, The New York Times inexplicably listed the south Bronx as the section of the borough in the new district (even while they took pains to list several of the individual Manhattan neighborhoods in C.D. 13).
Be sure to read the post in its entirety since it’s filled with excellent resources! A big thanks to Jordan Moss for always keeping an eye out for Bronxites!
From Gary Axelbank:
TONIGHT! on BronxTalk we’re going to do a show on the Fresh Direct proposal. Recently I brought my (still) camera on a tour of the area and we’ll show those photos so you can see the actual land that’s involved and we’ll talk with… a journalist who has investigated the issue as well as a community activist. It should be a good way to get educated about all the angles in this complex, but important Bronx issue. TONIGHT at 9:00pm. Bronxnet’s channel 67. Here’s a sample photo.
Remember, you can call in and get your voice heard!
It seems that no matter where in the media one looks, there will always be something negative to say about the Bronx. You are well acquainted with the Connecticut attorney who last week trashed the Bronx in his review of “Monet’s Gardens” exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and today I stumbled across this gem: A Federal MP in Gold Coast, Australia was shocked to see “Bronx-like” security at a local gas station.
This is funny coming from a country founded as a penal colony where England exiled criminals to live the rest of their dying days.
Since 2009, Welcome2TheBronx has been a popular online platform dedicated to highlighting the vibrant culture, history, and ongoing developments within New York City’s northernmost borough. Founded by life-long resident and community advocate Ed García Conde, the site features local news, personal stories, and in-depth coverage of issues such as gentrification, community empowerment, art, and real estate. Through its engaging content and active social media presence, Welcome2TheBronx has become a trusted resource for residents and visitors alike, shining a spotlight on the unique identity and rich heritage of the Bronx.
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