The first Uptown Night Market of the year was a rousing success. Under the protection of the iconic West Harlem Arches, not even the rain could dampen the pure joy exuded from all in attendance. This was, in no uncertain terms, an Uptown Love fest. With that said, make sure you are at the next one on Thursday, May 12 at 4 pm. Remember you now have the 2nd Thursday of every month until November accounted for. You’re welcome!
Graduate student workers at Fordham University have successfully voted to unionize during an official National Labor Relations Board election held on April 7.
At an election held on the Fordham’s Rose Hill campus in the Bronx, student workers overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, by a vote count of 229-15.
According to graduate students, the new union is seeking higher pay for student workers, more comprehensive health benefits, extended support for working parents including child care, and a formal process to file grievances.
“Graduate student workers are paid $15,000 to $20,000 thousand less than the living wage in New York City. They’re also really overworked, and the conditions of our work can be very exploitative,” said Carolyn Cargile, a Senior Teaching Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in Fordham’s English Department.
“Also, there are no real accommodations for graduate student working parents,” she added. “They don’t have access to the kinds of resources that faculty or other employees of the university do when it comes to child care or family leave.”
The union is also seeking greater protection for international students, who are often prevented from working over the summer.
All roads lead to West Harlem tonight for the return of the Uptown Night Market at 4 pm. Bring the family, your dancing shoes and definitely bring your appetite. Expect delectable food, awesome art, merch, music and so much more!!! See you under the arches. Don’t play yourself and miss this culture, community and culinary extravaganza.
Lin-Manuel Miranda never ceases to amaze. Jorge Rodriguez-Jimenez of Remezcla reported on the generous gift that was given to the George Washington Educational Campus by Lin-Manuel. Lin partnered with the Latin Grammys Foundation to donate instruments to the under resourced high school worth 40k.
A new era is quietly underway in Northern Manhattan.
This spring, 20 trees will be planted in Highbridge Park. The return of these trees is akin to having a long-lost relative show up fifty years after everyone thought they died of a terrible disease.
They were called “the Redwood of the East” and comprised half of the forests from Maine to Georgia. The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) had a 500-year life span, and grew 100 feet high and 17 feet in diameter. The tree was considered a keystone species because so many others depended on it for food, shelter and habitat. Native Americans revered its tannin-filled bark and nutritious nuts. European settlers built their log cabins and nearly everything else with its wood.
In 1904, a researcher at the Bronx Zoo noticed cankers and dead bark on their chestnut trees. But it was already too late. A fungal blight, C. parasitica, had arrived with imported Asian chestnut trees. Those trees were resistant to the disease, but the American chestnut had no natural built-in immunity. The result was similar to the impact of European smallpox on the New World’s indigenous population—a stunning cascade of death unfolded.
By 1940, nearly four billion American chestnut trees were gone.
Juneteenth will become a paid holiday for New York City workers starting this year, announced Mayor Eric Adams, who noted that it was “long overdue.”
Celebrated annually on June 19, Juneteenth honors the abolishment of slavery in the United States.
“Juneteenth is a time for reflection, assessment, and self-improvement. People across the country of all races, nationalities, and religions unite on this day to truthfully acknowledge the stain of slavery and celebrate the countless contributions of Black Americans,” Adams said.
“It’s time for our city to finally do what’s right and officially designate Juneteenth as a city holiday. This decision is long overdue, which is why it will immediately take effect this year,” he said. “Holding a mirror to our nation’s past atrocities is never easy, but it is necessary.”
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that all enslaved people in the country had been liberated. The news came to Texas more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863.
Come out to the Jackie Robinson Park Bandshell (148th & Bradhurst Ave) on April 15 from 2 to 9:30 pm to play, garden, view art, meet community organizations, enjoy baseball clinics, a jazz concert and watch “42” as we join Major League Baseball’s annual celebration of Jackie Robinson’s legacy in baseball and America – and in Harlem!
This event is FREE and open to the public.
Rain location: Jackie Robinson Recreation Center inside the park.
Schedule:
2:00 p.m. –Games / artmaking / art show / community tabling & giveaways / volunteer gardening 4:00 p.m. – Jazz with TW SampleTrio co-presented by Harlem Late Nite Jazz & official remarks 5:00 p.m. – Baseball clinics by Harlem Little League (on the ballfields) 7:00 p.m. – DJ pre-movie kickoff 7:30 p.m. – Film screening of “42”
Bandshell entrance is at 148th and Bradhurst Avenue.
Say word? One of Uptown’s most prolific artists, Andrea Arroyo is debuting a 3 venue solo exhibition this month. Uptown is being treated to the work of this immensely talented artist at the Hispanic Society, the Morris-Jumel Mansion and the United Palace. “Art as Solidarity” features artworks created in response to issues that touch us everyday like immigration, civil and gender rights, displacement, gun violence, international conflicts and the environmental crisis. The works reflect universal values of love, justice, equality and peace, and aim to build bridges across borders, languages and cultures.
HISPANIC SOCIETY MUSEUM & LIBRARY: Outdoor Exhibition, April 23-July 31. Opening Reception: Sat, April 23, 2-5pm. Broadway between 155-156th St. NYC 10032. On view daily. Free and open to the public.
MORRIS-JUMEL MANSION: Indoor Exhibition, April 15-June 12. 65 Jumel Terrace, NYC 10032. Hours: Fri-Sun, 12-4:30pm. Open House/Meet the Artist: Sat, June 4, 1-3pm. Info and free tickets.
THE UNITED PALACE: Outdoor Exhibition, May 14-July 31, 2022. Wadsworth Ave. at 175th St. NYC 10033. Viewing hours: All times. Free and open to the public.
