Photo by David Greene
Can economic development really be shaped from the ground up and led by communities rather than real estate developers? The Bronx-wide Coalition, a group of community, faith, and labor organizations from across the borough, is inviting all who live, work, or pray in The Bronx to add their voices to what they call a generational undertaking: a Bronxwide plan for equitable, economic development which, according to the group, is grounded in values of racial justice and economic democracy.
According to the coalition, each proposal in the Bronx-wide plan seeks to highlight the future of the following seven sectors which they say affect the lives of everyone in the Bronx: health, food, energy & environment, education & labor force, housing & land use, manufacturing technology and transportation & mobility.
The coalition leadership comprises the following groups: Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association, Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative, Laborers’ Local 79, LAAL, Mekong NYC, Mothers on the Move, Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, one of the principal organizers behind community input into the Kingsbridge Armory, Nos Quedamos, THE POINT CDC, WHEDco, and Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice.
Michael Partis of the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative, said that shared ownership strategies in housing and small businesses have a track record of providing good jobs, and stable affordable housing for families across The Bronx, New York City, and the country. “It’s time we bring these approaches for broadly shared control and prosperity mainstream, and ground our economic development plans for the Bronx in shared ownership and economic democracy,” he said.
Image courtesy of The Bronx-wide Coalition
According to the coalition, the work they are doing together builds on decades of organizing, direct services, advocacy, direct action and more by organizations and community members across the borough. “For decades, The Bronx has been neglected or left at the back of the line for investments that could shift the trajectory of our neighborhoods,” representatives of the group said.
They added, “We have fought back for decades for our fair share, and fought forward to build our own institutions and organizations to sustain our neighborhoods. Now, we’re going boroughwide. Bronxites can now visit bronx.consider.it to view and begin ranking proposals from low to high priority, using a scale to share an overall opinion on each proposal. Our monthly public community meetings will begin in April. Those who wish to be connected and kept in the loop can sign up here to get involved.”
Sandra Lobo, executive director of the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, one of the coalition participatory groups, said, “For too long, The Bronx has been defined only by our negative statistics from our unemployment, poor health outcomes, low graduation rates and more.”
She added, “Our challenges alone do not define us: the Bronx is full of assets that are not leveraged or harnessed. Our vision for economic democracy and equitable development is grounded in our strengths and will build a future for the Bronx that allows us to not only survive but thrive, to not be displaced but co-own and govern our communities together.”
Image courtesy of The Bronx-wide Coalition
Meanwhile, Sonyi Lopez of “We Stay / Nos Quedamos, said, “The Bronx is home and has been home for many, for decades. Here, we’ve gained community, affordable homes, and so much more. But over the years, our home has changed with little to no input from everyday people in The Bronx.” Lopez added that Bronxites were the experts of their own lives. “This plan is a reflection of those values, the work of our elders and ancestors, and a statement for generations to come about what we believe The Bronx can be and must be,” she said.
According to the coalition, for residents and small business owners alike, the extreme impacts of COVID-19 on the wealth and well-being of Bronxites is unacceptable. They say the future of the borough cannot be a return to normal, a normal which they say wasn’t even working to begin with.
Together, the coalition aims to create their vision for economic democracy: an economy where they say all Bronxites have stability, dignity, and opportunity. The coalition process began in 2019 as community, faith, and labor organizations came together to develop Bronx-wide policy agendas for the federal and local elections in 2020 and 2021. They say their current set of economic development proposals are the result of two years of community listening, engagement, and deliberation.
The coalition added that their proposals address what they see as the real needs of Bronxites in terms of affordable housing, higher wages, business development, resilience, and building an equitable economy in the borough for the next generations. “Since 2018, we’ve engaged the community and gathered ideas for project proposals to ensure any changes that happen here work for our communities, not just a few,” coalition members said.
The Bronx-wide Platform and Plan. Video courtesy of the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative via YouTube
Michael Prohaska is Mason Tenders District Council business manager and said every day his group fights to build worker power in the borough. “We fight for good jobs and safe, stable communities for thousands of hardworking residents and their families.” He added, “Our union is committed to building community and labor coalitions so that we can win the investments we need for all Bronx families.”
Meanwhile, Rumana Sayeed is the Norwood resident leader and coalition delegate for Laal, a women’s empowerment group based in Norwood, as previously reported. “As a recent immigrant from Bangladesh, I’m new to community work in The Bronx,” Sayeed said. “For the last eight months, I’ve been working at Laal supporting my neighbors, other women, with English classes and with immigration needs. Just earlier this year I became introduced to this work of the Bronx-wide Coalition and what we are trying to do.”
Sayeed said that at first, she was very scared, as it was her first time being in a space like it, with various groups working together to try to improve the borough, from many different perspectives and areas, not just from her own neighborhood. “The possibility of having a better life for all communities, and for their future kids is something that is very important for all of us,” she said. ‘It was a great privilege to be a part of this work, and I am excited to share what I have been learning with my fellow women in order for them to feel supported and have benefits for their families here.”
Photo by Miriam Quiñones
For more information, residents are invited to watch this video on the Bronx-wide Platform and Plan. Residents can also learn more about the coalition by visiting their website: www.bronxwideplan.nyc and their linktree: https://linktr.ee/bxpower.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, NYC Civic Engagement Commission is encouraging residents to get involved in the participatory budgeting process to decide on how to spend “The People’s Money.”
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
English
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese (Simplified)
French
Spanish