As the frenzy picks up for today’s celebration for the ticker tape parade being thrown in honor of the US Women’s Soccer Team win, it is in fact not a first for women.
Although the US Women’s Soccer Team is indeed a first for a women’s team, there was one woman who got her own parade that has the honor of being the first—someone who eventually made our borough her home and final resting place.
On Monday, May 10th of this year, just a few months after being honored by the NYPD during women’s history month, a Bronx trailblazer passed away at the ripe old age of 96 years.
Gertrude Schimmell, who was the first NYPD female police chief, was born and raised in The Bronx and attended Morris High School before heading on to Hunter College.
On Saturday, May 9th at 11AM, friends and loved ones of the late Morgan Powell will gather at Woodlawn Cemetery to finally bring him home and lay him to rest in his beloved borough and one of the places he loved so much.
On May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building opened to the public after 2 years…
Inspired by keynotes from renowned author, educator, and TV commentator Dr. Steve Perry and special guest WCBS-TV news anchor Maurice Dubois, as well as remarks from achieving freshmen from the Monroe College Empowerment Institute (EI), more than three-hundred high school boys left the college’s sixth annual male empowerment seminar with a renewed sense of resolve and purpose.
It was a day that would have had Morgan Powell beaming with pride.
This past Saturday, about 80 volunteers—from all over The Bronx, New York City, and beyond—gathered to honor Morgan’s memory and legacy by planting 215 trees in The Bronx River Forest by Burke Bridge along with a clean up of that section of the river.
We are teaming up with the Bronx River Alliance to plant trees and shrubs along the Bronx River by Burke Bridge in memory of our beloved Morgan Powell. We will start planting at 9:00. If you interested, we are meeting up at 8:30 in front of 2515 Olinville and collectively walking to Burke Bridge.
If you know Tanya Fields, you know that she knows food and she knows how to throw down some good ol’ fashioned cooking. If you REALLY know her then you know that she’s also an outstanding singer (rumor has it that she’ll be singing at this fundraising brunch). But if you REALLY, REALLY know Tanya, then you know that she walks the talk and is one our borough’s leaders in food justice, environmental justice and so many social issues impacting our communities.
That is why on Sunday, March 15th, Tanya Fields, affectionately known as Mama Tanya, along with her organization, ‘The BLK Projek” will be hosting a ‘Brunch With Mama Tanya’ (I got my ticket, do you?!)
The Bronx born and raised beauty, known to the world as Lauren Bacall but to her family and childhood friends by her birth name of Betty Joan Perske, passed away last August at the age of 89. She was the last surviving icon named in Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ list of Hollywood legends — all of whom are gone now.
From 1968 to 1986, Bacall donated over 700 items to The Museum at FIT and now, some are on display in a new exhibition, ‘Lauren Bacall: The Look’ which runs until April 4th, 2015.
Last September was the successful launch of our borough’s first ever Bronx Fashion Week which was held at the Andrew Freedman Home.
On the first night of the event, several Bronx men who were nominated for Bronx Fashion Week’s Distinguished Gentleman Award came on the runway to strut their stuff as they wore their finest threads. Amongst the cast who ran the catwalk were Baron Ambrosia, New York City Councilman Andy King, and Lenny Caro, president of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce.
So who won?
Bronx women are breaking barriers left and right.
Last week we had the story of Lt. Col Merryl Tengesdal, a Bronx native, who became the first African-American female to ever pilot the U-2 and now this Sunday, Kim Lopez, a Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent, will be the first woman and Hispanic to be the chief starter for the 57th Daytona 500.
While many of us are off today for Presidents’ Day, do you know the connections that The Bronx has to Washington and Lincoln?
Some of you may already know your Bronx history, especially if you’ve read our Bronx Facts we’ve been compiling since last year but since today’s a holiday why not talk a little more about our borough’s place in history.
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