Woodlawn Welcomes Vets for Memorial Day Service

Over a year into the pandemic, the 2021 Memorial Day service at Woodlawn Cemetery was almost a return to normalcy with Mitch Rose, president and CEO of the cemetery, saying this year, he “called in the marines.” For the first time, the New York City Department of Veteran Services (DVS) were invited to participate in the event, and were also invited to bring some friends. This year’s ceremony at Woodlawn, located at 3800 Jerome Avenue, was held on Saturday, May 29, and the cemetery partnered with DVS and the Bob Woodruff Foundation in hosting the event. It was well

The New York Landmarks Conservancy has announced that 17 Sacred Sites grants, totaling $267,000, have been awarded to historic religious properties throughout New York State, including a grant of $25,000 to the Highbridge Community Church in The Bronx to help fund roof replacement. Highbridge Community Church acquired the former Union Reformed Church, located on Ogden Avenue in 2005. Originally formed as the Protestant “Union Sunday-School of Highbridgeville” the current, Richardsonian Romanesque building was completed in 1887-88 to the design of Manhattan based architect Alfred E. Barlow and built by the firm of D.C. Weeks & Son. Constructed of random-coursed, rock-faced

By RACHEL DALOO & SÍLE MOLONEY

Editor’s Pick Norwood Community Library will be discussing, “Before the Fires, An Oral History of African American Life in the Bronx from the 1930s to the 1960s,” by Mark Naison and Bob Gumbs, during its book club sessions over the next four to six weeks. For further information, follow Norwood Community Library on www.instragram.com.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

June is African American music appreciation month and the hip hop community are getting together to honor the mother of the mic, the first female emcee of hip-hip, MC Sha Rock. MC Sha Rock Cultural Day will be held on Saturday, June 5, from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Williamsbridge. Organizers said in addition to celebrating “luminary icon,” MC Sha Rock, other legendary contributors to African American music and culture will also be honored. They include Grammy award-winning singer of The Manhattans, Gerald Alston; Amadeus, CEO of Platinum Boy Music Inc; and Rocky Bucano, executive director and president

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Dear Readers, In 2020, in acknowledgement of the diverse composition of the local communities the Norwood News serves, we updated our website, www.norwoodnews.org, to allow users to read our site in Spanish, Bengali, Arabic, Chinese and French, using a Google Translate function. Readers can translate the site from English into each of these languages by selecting the relevant language from the drop-down menu located in the top, right-hand corner of the home page. As a nonprofit news organization, with limited resources, we decided to include this translation function on our site to help you, our community of readers, access local

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The transformation of the South Bronx continued Thursday, May 20, with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new museum which will memorialize the history of hip-hop in the borough, part of a $349 million development known as Bronx Point. With shovels in hand and scooping dirt from a pile of earth, elected officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., joined hip-hop legends, Grandmaster Flash, Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Nas, and Fat Joe, in marking the ceremonial foundation of the museum’s construction. The 22-story building

By RACHEL DALOO & SÍLE MOLONEY

Editor’s Pick Looking to start a new piece of writing or a creative project? Longing to get back to the page, but finding yourself blocked? Join the NYCWP’s Generative Writing Boot Camp from June 1 to June 3, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., for three days of generating your own creative writing! Over this three-day “boot camp,” writers will have the opportunity to engage with a variety of prompts, and participate in micro-studies of various craft elements, creative forms, and model readings. To register or for more information, visit https://www.lehman.edu and go to “All Events” or email jane.higgins@lehman.cuny.edu. Registration

The Bronx Youth Empowerment Program will be hosting its 15th Youth Speaks 2021 forum on Wednesday, May 19, at 4 p.m. According to organizers, this year’s forum will be centered on music and art, as program participants will be joined by a dynamic guest panel. It will include Tara Wallace of Love and Hip-Hop New York; MC Sha Rock, the first female rapper and MC of Hip-Hop culture; Valerie Simpson, legendary songwriter, music producer, singer and performer; and Kylerr Bucano, social media manager of the Universal Hip-Hop Museum. Aside from the discussions on music and art, Youth Speaks

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Residents of Fordham Manor will have a chance to voice their views on the eventual use of a building which formerly housed the Fordham branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL), located at 2556 Bainbridge Avenue. As reported last week by Norwood News, the virtual hearing will be held on Tuesday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. The building has been selected by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to house a Community Technical Assistance Center (CTAC), a new computer-based testing and application center, to facilitate more opportunities for a wider number of local candidates to apply for

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Culture

Woodlawn Welcomes Vets for Memorial Day Service

Out & About: PRIDE Month, Van Cortlandt Lawn Party, ¡Jazz Puertorriqueño! & More!

MC Sha Rock Cultural Day to be held on June 5 for African American Music Appreciation Month

Norwood News Website Available in Spanish, Bengali, French, Arabic, Chinese & English!

Politicians, Hip-Hop Legends Break Ground on New Universal Museum in South Bronx

Out & About: Family Fitness Festival, Revolutionary Walking Tour, Streams of Black Music & More!

Bronx Youth Empowerment Program Engages Youth Through Art & Music during Annual Event

City Seeks Public Feedback During May 18 Hearing on Old Fordham Library