Brightly colored decorations and a bounce house full of joyful children made one Kingsbridge Heights location the most exciting part of the neighborhood to be in earlier this month. With banners celebrating Juneteenth and Pride alike, the 9th Annual Neighborhood Festival hosted by Kingsbridge Heights Community Center [KHCC] involved a lot of planning by the center’s team. While taking place on a smaller scale than in previous pre-pandemic years, the annual celebration was still a success.

 

An event that usually takes up the entire block where the center is located, at 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace in the Kingsbridge Heights section of the borough, this year, the celebration on Friday, June 17, was contained within the grounds of the center, itself. Around it were various booths dedicated to photos, composting, balloon animals and of course, plenty of food. All were occupied by families who streamed in and out through the surrounding fence. There was even a station for kids to play video games together.

 

“I was responsible for most of the photo booth,” said Shubhra Mishra, communications director at the center. She explained how the center’s different departments each came up with a specific activity for people to enjoy at the festival. Margaret Della, the center’s executive director, told Norwood News, “It’s a months-long planning [process]. We have multiple divisions within KHCC… so those folks all take time out of their busy schedules to make this event happen.”

 

 

The work put into the event was obvious from the number of activities available to the food and decorations. Some free gifts were also handed out. On a smaller scale, there were pins and bracelets but for those in need, work clothes for job interviews and professional positions were also available. The clothes, according to Mishra and Kadijah Caban, youth operations director at the center, were the result of a previous clothing drive held by the center. Prom dresses and tuxedos for students unable to afford them and who were about to graduate high school were also made available.

 

“It is a complete team effort,” said Caban, in reference to the festival organization. “We really use it as a time to come together. It’s so easy for us to feel siloed because of the different buildings, the different departments, the different sites. But this event is really a time for all the agencies to come together and put ourselves out, so that we can support the community.”

 

The importance of the annual festival extended to celebrating Juneteenth and Pride Month. “As a community center, as a nonprofit, we feel it’s best to make sure the community knows that we are allies, and that we support all young people, all human beings,” Caban said. “We use this event to show them that.”

 

KHCC employees also make sure that uplifting all marginalized groups is part of their daily programs. This is the second time they have hosted the festival in June and thus, the second time ever that they have used the event to celebrate both Juneteenth and Pride together.

Aside from Juneteenth and Pride, the event was a way to reconnect with the community, after a few years of social distancing. Della said, “It’s really important for the community to come together for a celebratory event. The news just barrages us with how terrible the world is, and this is just a great opportunity for us to come together.”

 

Also at the event, and amid his re-election campaign for senatorial district 33, was State Sen. Gustavo Rivera. The senator said it was important for him to be present because he said he always supports KHCC, praising the center’s representatives for the work they do to solve problems like food shortages and the opioid epidemic in the local community.

 

Rivera added that he was also saddened because “Kingsbridge Heights, according to the redistricting, will no longer be within my jurisdiction, even though I’m about two blocks away from it.” Indeed, the senator seemed greatly displeased with what has been generally regarded as a redistricting debacle. He did admit, however, that the process was affording him the chance to serve new parts of The Bronx, including Norwood, and said he looked forward to that.

 

Indeed, with all the confusion that resulted from the long, drawn-out redistricting process, the wave of rallies being organized to combat gun violence and the focus on  summer primaries, the KHCC festival seemed more pertinent than ever, especially for those hosting the event.

Many parents said that they enjoyed themselves, and though Norwood News was unable to speak with the children who attended the event, it was clear from the amount of temporary tattoos, video game matches, and balloon sword duels that they were all enjoying themselves.

 

There were also learning opportunities for both adults and kids on how to be more sustainable at the composting booth, as well as understanding what “safe spaces” were, using rainbows in the context of Pride Month. “We’re all together here,” said Edili Almonte, one of the center’s employees. “We are here because of Pride Month [and Juneteenth]. We’re an organization that cares about kids and their wellbeing.”

 

Indeed, spreading awareness about social issues and having a good time were the main goals of the celebration. According to Mishra, there will be more, similar events taking place this year, including their annual, Halloween-themed Harvest Fest. If anyone is looking to celebrate in a safe space, the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center is the place to be.