Harlem News Group

HARLEM . QUEENS . BROOKLYN . BRONX

BRONX
AUTUMN IS THE PERFECT TIME TO FALL FOR THE BRONX!

BRONX STORIES YOUNG LORDS EDITION

By Howard Giske

1. Moderator, Johanna Fernandez. 2. Felipe Luciano. 3. Rebel Diaz performs.

he Bronx Stories, Young Lords edition was an intense and emotional event, on Friday evening, September 28th, at the Bronx Museum. A large crowd came out for a reenactment and remembrance of the Young Lords Party, a Puerto Rican-led organization started in the late 1960s. The moderator, Johannes Fernandez has interviewed over 50 Young Lords activists. She said that the Young Lords could teach the school system to make school meaningful, and then kids wouldn't drop out. After an introduction, Minerva Solis spoke. Solis was active with the Young Lords in both New York City and Chicago. She has gone on to be a VP of the organizing division of the Service Workers (SEIU 1199). Minerva stood by a symbolic painting that showed a waterfront and reminded her of Orchard Beach in the Bronx. She was recruited to the Young Lords by a speech by Felipe Luciano and remembers being harassed by the police as she sold her Pa'lante newspapers (Spanish for "Forward"). "For us, the Pa'lante paper was our machete." She sold the papers all over the New York metropolitan area, including the Lower East Side and Orchard Beach. Minerva remembers the Young Lords giving her a sense of purpose and saving her from drugs and prostitution. When she left the Young Lords in the 1970s, that's when she joined the 1199 Union. Next Felipe Luciano got up to speak. He is now a media personality, but in the early 1970s, he was the chairman of the Young Lords. Luciano was also member of the "Last Poets" and educated by the poet Amiri Baraka. In these cultural cir-

cles you can find the origin of Hip Hop. Luciano described his shock as a boy on moving from Puerto Rico to Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY, where he had to "deal with a linear mentality, that your worth was determined by your pocket, not your character." "There was racism in Puerto Rico, but it wasn't as brutal." People accepted interracial couples. Luciano remembers the Latin and Black women who many times broke up stupid fights and kept him and other young men from killing each other. The women would step in and say "you have to kill me first." Feliciano was jailed from 1964-66 for being involved in a gang fight including a murder. In jail, he was a Christian, but also got acquainted with the Nation of Islam, the proud black men with bowties. Luciano remembers the Puerto Ricans and Latin people learning a lot from Blacks and vice versa. His friends included members of the Black Panther Party. Also speaking was NY State Representative Jose Rivera, who remembered many of the same people around the Young Lords Party. In the speak-out section of the program, a man recalled learning to read when he joined the Young Lords at age 14, reading Mao's Red Book, and writing of Karl Marx. The Young Lords were for the overthrow of imperialism and were anti-capitalist. The event ended with the Bronx's own Hip Hop stars, Rebel Diaz, rapping that we must "stop the war" and "what's your motivation?" They continue the tradition of the Young Lords, calling for people to fight for freedom, and confront the powers that be. "We say people, y'all say power!" -

ikes, bikes, foliage and food! This season there is something for everyone in the Bronx. The "Fall for the Bronx Action Tours" is a series of activities designed to offer visitors an enjoyable, as well as informational experience. "It's also a perfect opportunity to experience some of the wonderful things this borough has to offer" stated Olga Luz Tirado, Executive Director of the Bronx Tourism Council. Each guided tour is themed and includes sites, historical content and interactivity. All tours, with the exception of Tour de Bronx, offers round-trip trolley service from the visitor's center located at 810 7th Avenue in midtown Manhattan. Saturday, October 6th, Sunday, October 14th, TOUR de BRONX Participate in a FREE family-fun event promoting healthy living through physical activity! Choose the 25 OR 40-mile course that runs through the borough's 61 communities! Great for the novice rider as well as the biking aficionado! Both rides feature great neighborhoods, waterfronts, historic districts and end with a music festival at the New York Botanical Garden. This event is FREE, but registration is required at www.tourde bronx.org. Saturday, October 20th, NATURE TOUR Enjoy a walk through the African Plain Exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. Trek past lions and zebras and get as close to the Serengeti as

you can in the Bronx! Then head to New York's real Little Italy and enjoy lunch at the famous Mike's Deli at the Arthur Avenue Market (cost of food not included in registration). Hear about the rich cultural history of the Italian-American experience in the Bronx. Experience the ecology, industry and history of the South Bronx waterfront while paddling your own canoe on the Bronx River. Bronx River Alliance staff will guide you on a two mile tour as you encounter the wildlife, the working river and three of New York City's newest waterfront parks while learning about the return of this amazing Bronx resource Saturday, October 27th, FOOD TOUR Begin your epicurean journey with a visit to the La Finca Del Sur community garden in the South Bronx. Enjoy an exciting tour of a real-life urban farm and partake in a cooking demonstration utilizing organic herbs and vegetables that you can bring home for the family! Then head to New York's real Little Italy and enjoy a lesson on making homemade mozzarella. Sample cheeses and enjoy a light lunch in the famous Mike's Deli in the Arthur Avenue Retail Market (cost of lunch not included in registration). Hear about the rich cultural history of the Italian-American experience in the Bronx.

18TH ANNUAL TOUR DE BRONX CYCLING EVENT ON OCTOBER 14TH

oday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. teamed up with Transportation Alternatives, Montefiore Medical Center, St. Barnabas Hospital and the Bronx Lebanon Medical Center to announce that the 18th annual "Tour De Bronx," New York State's largest free bicycling event, will take place on Sunday, October 14th. This special biking event attracts thousands of cyclists from throughout the tri-state area and beyond, who tour the borough's beautiful neighborhoods and scenic attractions. "I am excited the Tour de Bronx is here again. It is a wonderful event, where I get to join my fellow Bronxites and thousands of out-of-town visitors for a bike ride to tour our wonderful borough. Riding a bike around the Bronx is the healthiest way to rediscover our beautiful borough and all it has to offer in a new way. I invite everyone to join me again this year to see the best of the Bronx," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Heart transplant recipient Roxanne Watson will be riding in the Tour de Bronx for the first time. "As someone who grew up in the Bronx and who's experienced a near-fatal health crisis, I'm gratified to see that Borough President Diaz and hospitals like Montefiore are promoting a healthy lifestyle, to help overcome problems like heart disease," she remarked. At the news conference, Peter Selwyn, MD, Chairman of Family and Social Medicine at Montefiore, said that Montefiore takes its commitment to prevent disease by promoting a healthy lifestyle very seriously. Since cycling is one of the best ways to keep fit, it's appropriate that we partner with the Borough President on this great event." "The Tour de Bronx is a perfect way to promote health and wellness and to discover all that the Bronx has to offer," said Steven M.

Safyer, MD, President and CEO of Montefiore Medical Center. "This annual event demonstrates Montefiore's commitment to partner with other organizations in the Bronx to strengthen our communities and enhance wellbeing." "The Tour de Bronx shows that bicycling is truly a five-borough phenomenon," said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "This family-friendly event will showcase the recreational side of an increasingly common transportation choice for New Yorkers and offer an unparalleled experience of the diverse and historic neighborhoods of the Bronx." "People come from all over to participate in this amazing event," said Olga Luz Tirado, Executive Director of the Bronx Tourism Council, the organization which produces Tour de Bronx for Borough President Diaz. "What better way to experience all the great Bronx people and Bronx places than by bike?" Metro North Railroad will waive their bicycle permit requirements and quantity limits for the day, allowing for groups of riders to participate. Coca Cola will distribute Dasani water, Powerade sports drinks and Fuze. Pizza will be provided after the ride courtesy of Domino's. The event offers both a 25- and 40mile course, each of which winds through dozens of beautiful Bronx neighborhoods, historic districts, parks, waterfront, Greenway paths and more. The event is presented by Transportation Alternatives, the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, the Bronx Tourism Council, Montefiore Medical Center, St. Barnabas Hospital and Bronx Lebanon Medical Center. Participants can register at tourdebronx.org.

Harlem News Group October 11, 2012

5