Described by one speaker as a room filled with love, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson joined Bronx Tourism Council, the Bronx Economic Development Corporation, Montefiore Hospital, Essen Health Care, and other community partners to kick-off Bronx Week 2023 at the new Bronx Children’s Museum in the South Bronx on Monday, May 8. The highlight of the event was the announcement of the 2023 Bronx Walk of Fame inductees.

 

“Bronx Week is our marquee event of the year meant to celebrate everything that makes the Bronx a beautiful place to live, work and raise a family,” said Gibson. “Following today’s kick-off, we have an amazing line-up of events, including our veterans appreciation luncheon, health day and skating party, centenarian celebration, induction ceremony, Bronx ball, Bronx parade, concert, and so much more.”

Meanwhile, Sulma Arzu-Brown, executive director of Bronx Tourism Council, said of the occasion, “We are proud of all our 2023 Walk of Fame inductees because they represent Bronx excellence all day, every day.” She added, “They are powerfully sprinkled and impacting society in the field of education, journalism, marketing and entertainment. It’s an honor to commemorate their legacy in the Bronx Walk of Fame for our community and their families.”

 

Since 1997, the Bronx Walk of Fame has allowed Bronx natives to be celebrated for their work and contributions to their respective industries. There will be an unveiling ceremony of the street signs honoring them at 1.30 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, at 161st Street and Grand Concourse. All the inductees will be in attendance and there will be photo, video, and interview opportunities available. The five inductees will also be honored at the Bronx Ball later that evening.

 

This year’s inductees include:

●   Sunny Hostin, three-time Emmy Award-winning legal journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and co-host of ABC’s “The View;”

●   Juliet Papa, award-winning reporter for 1010 WINS, author, media consultant, and event host;

●   God-Is Rivera, vice-president of inclusive marketing at Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution; and

●   SWV, three-time platinum R&B group and recording artists.

 

Additionally, Luis Torres, principal of Community School 55, also known as the Benjamin Franklin School, located at 450 St. Paul’s in the Claremont Village section of The Bronx, was announced as the winner of the “People’s Choice Award in Education” and will also be added to the Bronx Walk of Fame. This new category allows the public to select their favorite Bronx educator for inclusion on the Bronx Walk of Fame, each year.

 

Hostin, who was unable to make the launch ceremony in person on Monday issued a statement acknowledging her nomination, saying, “The Bronx is more than just a place to me. It’s a part of my identity.” Indeed, the former federal prosecutor recounted some of her experiences of growing up in The Bronx in her bestselling 2021 memoir, “I am these truths.” She has also delivered a Ted Talk on some of her personal experiences and how they shaped her.

 

“This vibrant and diverse community has taught me the value of resilience, strength, and determination, and has instilled in me an unwavering sense of pride for where I come from,” the world-recognized View co-host added. “The Bronx has given me the tools to overcome any obstacle and achieve greatness, and for that, I am eternally grateful.”

 

For her part, fellow journalist, Papa, who was in attendance for the unveiling of the inductee names, said, “It is an honor to be part of this Bronx celebration. Growing up here taught me lessons of the street and the heart, and they’re lessons that have helped me through work, and life,” she said.

 

Speaking to Norwood News after the ceremony, we asked Papa why she wanted to become a journalist. She said, “Wow! You know it’s funny. My parents always had the newspapers in the house, always listening to the news on the radio and I thought, ‘Wow!’ You know these reporters are having a great time out there, and they’re covering parades and they’re covering the mayor, and they’re at changing events, and I didn’t give it a lot of conscious thought but it was something in and around the house all the time.”

She added, “So, I guess one thing morphed into the other. In high school, I worked on the school paper, and then in college, I got involved in the paper and then the radio station, and you learned, and I had a lot of opportunities from it so I guess I just stuck with that plan!” Asked if journalism was what she expected or if there was anything that surprised her about the profession over the course of her career, she said, “I have been so fortunate in that I’ve been able to meet people that I don’t know I would have ever met. I’ve been able to tell people’s stories.”

 

Papa said that everybody had lives and stories that can be told. “People have unique situations. There’s an ability in this job to help people. During the pandemic, I was able to question the mayor, Mayor [Bill] de Blasio, every day about the situation and there were particular situations in The Bronx where they couldn’t find these food locations, or the food locations weren’t open, and I was able to hold his feet to the fire about that and they fixed it. And then there was a family, this little girl couldn’t get into a school program. I was able to work with City Hall to get her into the school program so if you can do that, you feel that you’re doing worthwhile things, and that’s very rewarding.”

 

Rivera also gave her reaction to being honored, saying, “What I love about The Bronx is that it is, in every way, the breeding ground of some of the most influential cultural phenomenons on the planet, and the birthplace and foundation of some of the most innovative, creative, impactful, and powerful people in the world.” She added, “All of it, and all of us, are uniquely shaped by every sound, every block, every language, every style, and all the flavor that comes from being from The Bronx. Even when people try to count us out, our impact on the world is simply undeniable.”

 

SWV were not present on the day of the announcement either but issued a statement, saying, “The Bronx is where legends are made. It’s the borough of dreamers and where hip hop originated. It’s a unique experience. We carry the X in our hearts everywhere we go with pride.”

For his part, Torres put the focus of his remarks squarely back on the children in his school district who he said were still in need of quality education, adding he hoped people would never lose sight of their plight. He also credited Gibson with having supported his efforts to improve education in his local area when she was a city council member in City Council District 16, admitting that he got worried when she ran for borough president, assuming she would have less time available to work on local initiatives given a daunting boroughwide agenda.

 

Chiming in, Gibson joked, “A lot of people were [worried when she ran for BP]!” Torres said he need not have worried, however, as he said she has only strengthened her efforts in support of his work since becoming borough president.

 

The school principal was emotional as he addressed the crowd, saying he, like his father before him, had dedicated his life to improving the lives of the people of The Bronx. “I could work anywhere in the world but there is no place like the Boogie Down,” he said. “I was born in The Bronx and I will die here, ensuring our children have an equitable education.”

He added, “Being recognized by the Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and my induction into the Walk of Fame as the first school principal to be voted in by the people means the world to me. I want all young men and women to know that no matter where you are born, that does not determine your success in life. Everyone can be successful when they focus on making the lives of others better.” He was later seen being embraced in a group hug by the newly appointed Bronx historian, Angel Fernandez, and another colleague.

 

Rob Walsh, president of the Bronx Economic Development Corporation, said he was so proud of all the Walk of Fame inductees because he said they represent the best talent across industries that the world has to offer. “This borough breeds world-class musicians, journalists, educators, businesspeople, and others and it’s an honor that we can recognize these amazing accomplishments in a visual and appealing way,” Walsh said. “The Bronx Walk of Fame has been showcasing the achievements of Bronxites since 1997 and we plan on adding to it for years into the future so both residents and visitors can see what The Bronx brings to the world.”

Meanwhile, Marcos Crespo, senior vice-president of community affairs at Montefiore Medical Center, said that since 1912, Montefiore has called The Bronx its home. “This borough and its people have continued to shape our health system as part of our fearless local workforce, via contributions to scientific discoveries and, most importantly, as our beloved patients,” he said. “We salute Bronx Borough President Gibson as she celebrates Bronx Week 2023. Montefiore Einstein stands proud as an annual supporter of all that the Bronx is and can be!”

 

Denise Rosario Adusei, executive director of the Bronx Children’s Museum, located at 725 Exterior Street, said the museum has been in the community educating children and families about the natural science, arts and culture of the Bronx for over a decade. “With the recent opening of our permanent home, we are excited to offer a new destination where children and families from all over can visit, play and learn about The Bronx in a whole new way.” She added, “It’s like Bronx Week here, but all the time.”

Rosario Adusei later updated Norwood News on how things have been going at the museum since its opening in as reported. “So, it’s been quite an adventure!” she said. “So, it’s my 6th week here and I’ve gotten to meet the First Lady, I’ve gotten meet a Chief Justice Sonia Sotomayor but my favorite people are 3-year-olds, our 4-year-olds when they walk in the door. I make sure to be right out the front and they see a smiling face and they know that, ‘We’re celebrating you!'”

 

Rosario Adusei continued, “We want to make sure all our kids when they walk in here, they see their culture, they see their music, feel their music, and they feel at home here. So, for us, it’s really important that every child and every family that walks in here feels at home and knows that we’re celebrating Bronx families and each other from all over.”

Adusei said that although they are marketing the museum as a worldwide destination, they want to first establish its now permanent roots in The Bronx by visiting the kids in schools and inviting them to visit the museum, versus during the past 12 years when museum staff were out brought the museum via the famous purple bus [mobile unit] to the kids wherever they were, in parks at festivals and festivities throughout the borough.

 

Asked what she felt was the highlight or the most popular aspect of the museum from her experience of seeing the kids in action, she said in part, “Well, everything here is a highlight. Everything here is an exhibit of possibilities, and we showcase culture, but we definitely feel that our kids love the ‘Candita,’ which is very animated, and they can pretend to be in the garden, or pretend to be barbecuing, our waterway, which is a replica of the Harlem River which is parallel to us, is very very active and our kids love to play in there. Throughout the whole museum, our kids have a really wonderful time.”

 

She added, “For us, our goal is to celebrate and also to make it a very memorable experience for every child that comes here. We just want to welcome every family. We’re new but we really would love to see as many families as possible come visit us.”

As reported, on the same day, Gibson and the Bronx Economic Development Corporation also announced a $1 million sustainability challenge to Bronx students. The Bronx Green Action Challenge will award up to $1 million to a Bronx-based college or university for the development and implementation of a project or set of projects that improve campus sustainability, and reduce that institution’s environmental footprint.

Gibson concluded by thanking all of the Bronx Week 2023 sponsors for their support, and the inductees for what she said was their commitment to empowering and uplifting their communities. “They truly represent the best of our borough and they will soon have their names emblazoned on street signs along the historic Grand Concourse,” she said. “We promise to make Bronx Week 2023 the best one yet!”

 

A complete list of Bronx Week events is available here.